Raditz

Biodata

Feature	Value
Name	Raditz (拉力兹)
Species/Race	Saiyan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Vegeta's squad; later a member of Vegeta's surviving Saiyan group 39 333
Occupation/Role	Saiyan warrior; reconnaissance and combatant
Status	Alive; later trains alongside the surviving Saiyans and achieves Super Saiyan 363 440
First Appearance	Chapter 5

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
600 Battle Power	39	At age eight, he is the weakest member of Vegeta's remaining squad; Vegeta and Nappa respectively possess 6,000 and 2,500 Battle Power.
Approximately 500,000 Battle Power	336	Gran judges Raditz far below the roughly 3-million threshold required for Super Saiyan transformation.
Great Ape	355	Uses an Artificial Moon to transform while retaining his reason, joining Goku, Vegeta, and Nappa against Frieza.
Super Saiyan — 300 million Battle Power	440	Successfully achieves Super Saiyan after intensive training; his waist-length golden hair gives him the appearance of a Super Saiyan 3.

Background / History

Raditz served in Vegeta's Saiyan squad from childhood. After Planet Vegeta's destruction, he and Nappa followed Vegeta across inhabited worlds, exterminating native populations, looting resources, and enduring Vegeta's violent training. With only 600 Battle Power, Raditz feared Vegeta and recognized that he and Nappa were often treated as disposable sparring partners 39 40.

He knew that his father, Bardock, had sent his newborn younger brother Kakarot to Earth. Bardock's message also claimed that Kakarot was the Saiyans' hope and would one day become the Legendary Super Saiyan—a prophecy Vegeta and Nappa initially ridiculed 40.

When Gran returned after three years to take revenge on Vegeta, Raditz and Nappa refused to intervene. Raditz initially chose to keep Gran's quarter Senzu Bean rather than save the crippled Vegeta, resenting the prince's past cruelty. Faced with the approaching Ginyu Force, however, he concluded that reviving Vegeta was their best chance of survival and used the remaining bean with Nappa to restore him 44 49.

Nineteen years later, Raditz accompanied Vegeta's surviving Saiyans in their failed attack on Frieza's headquarters. After Frieza defeated them, Raditz helped guide the group toward Earth to seek Kakarot and the Super Saiyan transformation 258. During the journey, he asked Vegeta to spare Kakarot if Bardock's prophecy proved false, openly questioning whether Saiyan pride could coexist with abandonment and slaughter of their own people 316.

On Earth, Raditz recognized Goku as Kakarot and identified himself as Goku's biological older brother. Though he initially came seeking the Super Saiyan method, he promised that the Saiyans would leave peacefully if Goku could provide it 327 328. He later chose to leave Earth with Vegeta and Nappa, but told Goku that he saw Bardock's shadow in him and was proud of him 333.

Raditz fought alongside Goku, Vegeta, and Nappa against Frieza on Namek in an intelligent Great Ape form. Frieza severed his tail, tortured him, and killed him after overpowering the Saiyan group 355. He subsequently appears alive among the Saiyans on Namek, training to attain Super Saiyan, and eventually succeeds with a Battle Power of 300 million 363 440.

Appearance

Raditz has exceptionally long black hair that reaches his lower back and a Saiyan tail, which he commonly wraps around his waist 39 328.

• As a child, his hair already reached his waist 39.
• He is physically smaller and weaker than Nappa and Vegeta during their early missions 39.
• In Super Saiyan form, his long golden hair makes him resemble a Super Saiyan 3; the effect contrasts sharply with Nappa's eyebrow-only transformation 440.

Personality

Early in the story, Raditz is fearful, submissive, and strongly motivated by self-preservation. He obeys Vegeta because he fears punishment, abandons Gran during the latter's revenge, and initially refuses to use a Senzu Bean to save Vegeta 40 44 49.

Despite this, Raditz can think pragmatically under pressure. He realizes that Vegeta's strength is necessary against the Ginyu Force, challenges Nappa over the Senzu Bean, and ultimately agrees to revive the prince for survival rather than loyalty 49.

His encounters with Gran and the near-destruction of the Saiyan race gradually change him. He becomes willing to speak against Vegeta, asks for Kakarot's safety, and rejects the idea that Saiyan cruelty represents true pride 316. Later, he encourages Vegeta and Nappa to stop depending on Gran's protection and interprets Gran's withdrawal as faith in the Saiyans' ability to stand on their own 354.

Abilities & Skills

Great Ape Transformation

Raditz can transform into an intelligent Great Ape when exposed to an Artificial Moon.

• Retains his reason due to his Elite Warrior status 355.
• Fought beside Goku, Vegeta, and Nappa against Frieza in this form 355.
• Can fire powerful mouth beams while transformed 355.
• Loses the form if his tail is severed 355.

Super Saiyan

Raditz eventually achieves the golden-haired Super Saiyan transformation.

• Gran explains that the form requires sufficient S-Cells, extreme rage, and roughly 3 million Battle Power as a base threshold 45 336.
• Raditz was initially too weak at approximately 500,000 Battle Power 336.
• His completed Super Saiyan state reaches 300 million Battle Power 440.
• His unusually long hair makes the form visually resemble Super Saiyan 3 440.

Ki Combat and Sensing

Raditz fights with flight, energy attacks, and Saiyan physical combat.

• Used a Scouter to assess opponents and identify Goku on Earth 327.
• Learned to sense ki during his time on Earth, allowing him to recognize Goku's tenfold increase through Kaioken 352.
• Participated in coordinated attacks against Frieza with Goku, Vegeta, and Nappa 355.

Equipment

• Scouter — Used to detect Battle Power; Raditz's early Scouter could not comprehend Gran's concealed or overwhelming strength 42 43.
• Senzu Bean fragment — Received a quarter from Gran and ultimately shared it with Nappa before they used the remaining portion to revive Vegeta 48 49.
• Saiyan spacecraft — Travels with Vegeta's group between planets and toward Earth 258 316.

Relationships

• Goku / Kakarot — Biological younger brother. Raditz initially seeks him because of Bardock's Super Saiyan prophecy, later asks Vegeta to spare him and expresses pride in him before leaving Earth 316 328 333.
• Bardock — Father. Bardock's prophecy that Kakarot would become a Super Saiyan drives Raditz's journey to Earth and later fuels the Saiyans' hope against Frieza 40 258.
• Vegeta — Commander, fellow survivor, and eventual comrade. Raditz initially fears and resents Vegeta, but saves him for strategic reasons and later supports the Saiyan prince's struggle against Frieza 39 49 354.
• Nappa — Longtime squadmate. Their relationship is initially hostile and survival-driven, particularly during their dispute over the Senzu Bean, but they later train and fight together 49 355 440.
• Gran — Former squadmate whose return forces Raditz to confront Saiyan cruelty. Raditz fears Gran's divine power but later seeks his advice on becoming a Super Saiyan and interprets Gran's actions as faith in the Saiyan race 44 336 354.
• Tights — Offers Raditz shelter and food after the Earth battle; Raditz is grateful for her hospitality and recognizes her influence on Vegeta's change 335 336.
• Frieza — Enemy of the Saiyan Clan. Raditz joins the effort to defeat him on Namek but is killed after Frieza severs his tail and tortures him 355.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Vegeta's Squad

• Accompanies Vegeta and Nappa in planetary extermination and resource plundering after the squad abandons Frieza Headquarters 39.
• Reveals Bardock's prophecy concerning Kakarot and the Legendary Super Saiyan 40.
• Witnesses Gran's return, Super Saiyan transformation, and one-billion Battle Power eruption 41 43 45.
• Initially abandons Vegeta, then revives him when the Ginyu Force becomes an immediate threat 49.

Search for Kakarot

• Survives the failed assault on Frieza's headquarters and travels toward Earth with Vegeta and Nappa 258 316.
• Recognizes Goku as Kakarot and reveals their biological relationship 327 328.
• Supports the group's stated intention to leave Earth peacefully if Goku can explain Super Saiyan transformation 328.
• Leaves Earth with Vegeta and Nappa after Goku spares them, affirming his pride in Kakarot while remaining committed to avenging the Saiyan Clan 333.

Namek and Super Saiyan Training

• Fights Frieza as an intelligent Great Ape alongside the other Saiyans 355.
• Is killed by Frieza after having his tail cut off 355.
• Later trains with Goku, Vegeta, Nappa, and Gohan on Namek in pursuit of Super Saiyan power 363.
• Achieves Super Saiyan with 300 million Battle Power after further training 440.

Notable Quotes

“After witnessing so many clansmen slaughter one another and abandon one another... is that really what a proud people should do?” 316

“Kakarot, I saw Father's shadow in you. You make me proud. Goodbye.” 333

Trivia

• Raditz's younger brother was exiled to Earth with a Battle Power of only 2 at birth 8.
• He initially possessed only 600 Battle Power, making him the weakest member of Vegeta's trio 39.
• Raditz spared the armed farmer on Earth after his Scouter measured the man at only 5 Battle Power 327.
• His Super Saiyan appearance is treated as more imposing than Nappa's because Raditz's long hair turns golden while Nappa only gains golden eyebrows 440.