Raditz
The long-lost brother who revealed Earth's defender was actually a conquering Saiyan.
Raditz is a high-ranking Saiyan warrior and the long-lost older brother of Goku, serving as the catalyst that recontextualized the entire Dragon Ball Z saga. His sudden arrival on Earth shattered the illusion of peace, revealing to Goku and the audience that he was not an orphan from a distant planet, but a member of a warrior race sent to conquer worlds. As the first major antagonist of the series, Raditz introduced the concepts of Saiyan heritage, power levels, and the looming threat of his fellow elites.
- Role
- Saiyan Warrior / Antagonist
- Affiliation
- Frieza Force (formerly)
- First Appears
- Dragon Ball Z: Raditz Saga
- Status
- Deceased
- Race
- Saiyan
- Brother
- Kakarot (Goku)
Lore & Background
His arrival forced an uneasy alliance between former enemies: the Z Fighters, including Goku's rival Piccolo and his own brother. During their confrontation, Raditz displayed a power level far exceeding anyone on Earth at the time, effortlessly dominating even in his base form. He revealed the truth about Saiyans to Goku, offering him a choice to rejoin them or watch his son die. This revelation marked the end of the original Dragon Ball era and set the stage for the galactic-scale threats that would follow.
In Their Own Story
The sky didn't just darken; it bruised as a jagged, pod-like ship tore through the atmosphere, slamming onto Kame House beach and sending shards of sand and debris flying like shrapnel. Out stepped a warrior with wild, waist-length black hair and a menacing tail, his scouter glowing ominously against armor that gleamed with cold, alien precision. He scanned the horizon, his eyes locking onto Goku with predatory focus. "Kakarot," he sneered, the name rolling off his tongue like poison. "I've found you." The air grew suffocatingly heavy as Goku rose from his training stance, confusion curdling into horror when this stranger claimed him as family. Before Gohan could even cry out, Raditz unleashed a blast that didn't just tear through the ground—it erased a patch of earth entirely, proving to everyone present that this visitor was no ordinary guest, but a force of nature.
Reader's Guide
Raditz is the narrative detonator that shattered the innocent world of Dragon Ball, forcing the series into the high-stakes galactic warfare of Z. His primary function is identity destruction: he strips Goku of his Earthling persona to reveal a warrior race's conqueror. While physically formidable—boasting immense strength, speed, and devastating techniques like the Saturday Crush—he weaponizes psychology above all else. He doesn't just fight; he manipulates, leveraging threats against Gohan and Chi-Chi to break his opponents' will.
His arc is brief but catastrophic. Arriving with a binary ultimatum—kill 1,000 humans or die—Raditz effortlessly dismantles the combined might of Goku and Piccolo, revealing a power gap that rendered Earth's defenders obsolete in moments. The climax is a desperate, tragic gambit: Goku surrenders his life, allowing Piccolo to impale him from behind while locking Raditz in a hold. This act of selfless defiance, paired with the Namekian's final strike, obliterates Raditz but at the cost of Goku's life, setting the stage for Nappa and Vegeta's arrival.
Defined by toxic arrogance and an unshakeable belief in Saiyan supremacy, Raditz views Earthlings as insects and his brother's compassion as a fatal flaw. Yet, his death cements one of the series' core themes: that bonds forged by choice can sever even blood ties. His legacy is not just a corpse, but the terrifying revelation of the Saiyan threat that would drive the saga forward for years.
Did You Know?
- Raditz was the first character in the franchise to have his power level explicitly displayed via a scouter device.
- He is the only major antagonist in the series who is directly related to the protagonist by blood.
- His design was based on an unused concept for Goku's original appearance before he lost his tail.
- Raditz's death marked the first time a main character (Goku) had to sacrifice himself to defeat an enemy.