The Oldest Saiyans In Dragon Ball

Summary

• Goku is the youngest among the older Saiyans, in his late 40s, and a grandfather.
• King Vegeta, the ruler of the Saiyans, is one of the oldest and most powerful Saiyans.
• Paragus, a high-ranking military officer, is aged beyond his prime with grey hair in Dragon Ball Super: Broly.

The Saiyans from the Dragon Ball series are a race of powerful warriors from the Planet Sadala (until its destruction), and are central to the main story in the series. Goku, the main character, is a Saiyan who is sent to Earth as a baby in the wake of the destruction of his planet. Even the weakest Saiyans are capable of destroying entire worlds, making them some of the most powerful characters across all of anime.

That being said, Goku, the main character, is far from the oldest Saiyan in the franchise, despite going on to become a grandfather later in the series. Quite a few Saiyans play a big role in the series, but the oldest ones are typically reduced to minor roles.

8

Yamoshi

The Very First Super Saiyan

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 66

While he makes a small appearance in the series in a flashback recounted by Vegeta, Yamoshi is the Saiyan who gave birth to the idea of the iconic Super Saiyan transformation. He was the very first Saiyan to achieve the transformation and became a mythical legend to the entire Saiyan race.

He existed long before the Saiyan characters who appear in the franchise, to the point where it was believed a legendary Super Saiyan appeared only once every thousand years. By this qualification alone, Yamoshi is the oldest Saiyan in the Dragon Ball series.

7

Paragus

The First Saiyan On Screen With Grey Hair

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan (Movie)

The father of Broly, and one of the most powerful Saiyans in Dragon Ball, Paragus was one of the Saiyans who was alive during King Vegeta’s reign as ruler of the Planet Vegeta. Despite serving as a high-ranking military officer under King Vegeta, they were both around the same age, but Paragus wasn’t of a royal bloodline. Having survived the destruction of his home planet thanks to his banishment, he went on to live longer than King Vegeta did.

In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Paragus is seen with greyed hair, making him the first Saiyan character in the Dragon Ball series that appears to have aged beyond his prime. Because of this, he is estimated to be around 80 years of age in the film, which takes place during Age 780.

6

King Vegeta

The Ruler Of The Saiyans And Vegeta’s Father

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 78

While he gets very little screen time, King Vegeta is an interesting character, mainly because he’s the ruler of the Saiyan race just before they were all killed by Frieza. He’s also Vegeta’s dad, but there isn’t a lot that’s explored about that familial relationship in the series.

As the ruler of the Saiyan race, it’s safe to assume he’s one of the oldest Saiyans to appear in any Dragon Ball series, and arguably the oldest among the generation of Saiyans that preceded Goku and Vegeta. He was also among the most powerful Saiyans to appear in the series at the time.

5

Bardock

Goku’s Dad Was A Low-Ranked Soldier

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 78

Another Saiyan with a minor role that’s incredibly important to the series. Bardock was a Saiyan warrior who was a low-ranked soldier in King Vegeta’s military, but he’s better known for being Goku’s father. He was known to be incredibly intelligent, and anticipated Frieza’s attempt to destroy Planet Vegeta. As a result, he decided to send Goku to Earth when he was just an infant.

Because Bardock was a low-ranked soldier in the Saiyan army, it’s indicative of the fact that he was a bit younger than King Vegeta and Paragus. This is further implied by Goku being 5 years younger than Vegeta in terms of age.

4

Nappa

An Elite Soldier And A Saiyan General

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 5

Nappa first made an appearance as Vegeta’s companion during the Raditz Saga in Dragon Ball Z. He fought the Z Warriors and defeated most of them before Goku arrived on Earth and took him down. Despite Nappa being noticeably weaker than Vegeta (and Goku after his training with King Kai), he’s actually a lot older than either of them and in the same age range as Bardock and King Vegeta.

He served as a general in King Vegeta’s army before the destruction of Planet Vegeta, and is believed to be in his 50s when he arrives on Earth with Vegeta at the beginning of the series. As an Elite class Saiyan, he was of a noble bloodline.

3

Raditz

Goku’s Older Brother And An Introduction To Saiyans

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 1

It may come off as a bit of a surprise to some, but Saiyans weren’t a thing in the original Dragon Ball series at all. They were introduced in Dragon Ball Z, which begins with Goku’s older brother, Raditz, landing on Earth and describing his mission to conquer the planet. Until then, Goku didn’t know he was a Saiyan at all.

Raditz is noticeably older than Goku in the series. In Dragon Ball Super: Broly, Raditz is shown as a child who looks around 9–10 years old when Goku is sent to the Earth as an infant, making him a bit older than Vegeta and a fair bit older than Goku.

2

Vegeta

The Prince Of All Saiyans And Goku’s Rival

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 5

Vegeta is one of the three Saiyan warriors to land on Earth intending to conquer it. After Piccolo kills Raditz, Vegeta overhears the Z Warriors discussing the Dragon Balls through Raditz’s scouter. This leads to him traveling to Earth with Nappa in hopes of finding the Dragon Balls and wishing for immortality.

Vegeta pretty much goes on to evolve into a deuteragonist in the series alongside Goku, and he’s one of the few characters whose age is confirmed, as he’s said to be 5 years older than Goku when he lands on the Earth. He then ages alongside Goku, and is the father of Trunks in the series.

1

Goku

The Youngest Among The Older Saiyans

• First Appearance: Dragon Ball, Episode 1

As the protagonist and the main character in the Dragon Ball series, Goku is the youngest of the older Saiyans in the series, although when he was originally introduced in Dragon Ball, he is still a child. As of the latest chapter in Dragon Ball: Super Manga, Goku is in his late 40s and about to enter his 50s.

What’s even weirder is that he’s become a grandfather now, with his son Gohan becoming a father to Pan, the newest Saiyan to join the gang of good guys in the series. Despite being the youngest Saiyan here, Goku is still pretty old, and if Paragus is an example to go by, Goku is about to get his white hair in a decade or two.