Do you want to know more about Raditz , Son Goku's ruthless older brother? Do you want to discover the story of this famous character?
Good news, you are in the right place! Our team has written this ultimate guide so that you can be knowledgeable on the subject!
Raditz (ラヂッツ) is the older brother of Son Goku (or Kakarot) and the eldest son of Bardock and Gine. This saiyan is one of the main antagonists of the Dragon Ball Z manga and opposes Goku and Piccolo, after having kidnapped Son Gohan.
In this ultimate guide, you will discover:
- The complete story of Raditz before and during the events of Dragon Ball Z.
- His special techniques.
- Its power as well as its transformations.
Ready to learn more about Goku's ruthless big brother? So, let’s get started without further delay! 👌
RADITZ APPEARANCE
Son Goku 's older brother has very long, spiky black hair. He is equipped with Saiyan battle armor, brown and black in color. This has more or less the same characteristics as those of Frieza's soldiers. It also features boots, reinforced gauntlets and a sensor on the head, allowing it to calculate the power rate of an enemy. Little anecdote, this accessory is blue in the manga and green in the anime. 💪
Appearance-wise, Raditz inherits a lot from Bardock , his father. For example, he has the same eyes and the same complexion. He is one of the few saiyans to have hair this long.
RADITZ PERSONALITY
Unlike the other members of his family, namely Goku, Bardock and Gine, Raditz is very harsh, cruel, brutal and arrogant . That said, this type of character is very common among Saiyan people. Note also that Goku could have become the same if he had not received a blow to the head during his childhood. 😠
In Dragon Ball Z, he gives his little brother an opportunity to join his camp. At first, he attacks Goku only when the latter refuses and challenges his plans. He loves to make fun of opponents weaker than him. He takes great pleasure in finishing them. He makes fun of Piccolo and takes pleasure in making Goku and his nephew Gohan suffer.
He is an excellent manipulator. He does not hesitate to beg his brother to let him go, just as he is about to die. Goku's naivety allows him to regain the advantage and break his ribs, all the while laughing. 😱
One of Raditz's great flaws is his addiction to his power detector . He takes the numbers too seriously and does not hesitate to say that the latter malfunctions if a power exceeds 1500. He perhaps overestimates his own level a little too much, thus demonstrating great arrogance.
During his time on Earth, he greatly underestimated Piccolo and Goku , a serious mistake that cost him his life. He considers himself a high-level warrior. 🤼
Before dying, he declares that Vegeta and Nappa will use the Dragon Balls to bring him back to life. However, Vegeta prefers to consider asking for his own immortality, claiming that Raditz is weak and does not deserve to be resurrected. 🐉
One of Raditz's few sympathetic asides occurs when he and his brother fall victim to Piccolo's Makankosappo . The prospect of seeing the two brothers die together at the hands of a Namek seems to cause him a lot of remorse. 😥
In Frieza's Saga, we learn that Raditz is offended at not receiving praise from Frieza, Dodoria, and Zarbon after his conquest of Shikk with Vegeta and Nappa. He is also very disappointed to see that Vegeta does not plan to take revenge following the destruction of the Saiyan planet. 💥
If you want to know more about Dragon Ball Z's most popular villain, we invite you to discover his story through our complete article on Frieza ! 😉
Raditz's personality obviously stems from his upbringing. He grew up surrounded by ruthless elite saiyans like Nappa and Vegeta . He was even considered weak compared to them. He apparently belongs to the middle class soldiers. He is therefore still stronger than many other saiyans. 💪
Although we will never know the true reason for Raditz's visit to planet Earth, we could imagine it. Perhaps he was looking to recruit his younger brother into the Saiyan army. He could have won favors, because the saiyans, remember, are on the verge of extinction. A gathering of saiyans could ultimately have provoked a rebellion against Frieza. 👊
Details of Raditz's relationship with his parents are unknown. It is implied that the latter would have grown up alongside them for some time. This can be deduced when Raditz tells Goku that he looks a lot like his father. We also know that Gine loved her two children very much.
Thanks to several video games, we know that Bardock is very cold towards Raditz. Raditz's personality is true to the character in Dragon Ball: Kakarot .
CHARACTER BIOGRAPHY
BEFORE DRAGON BALL Z
Raditz was born sometime before the year 736 . He is the first son of Bardock and Gine. Probably thanks to his family bond, he naturally possesses a very high power which allows him to join high-level warriors. He will even do a few missions alongside Nappa and Vegeta. 🏋️
During a mission with the latter two, we learn that all three of them would have received the order to join the planet Vegeta. Frieza's message is very clear, but Vegeta decides to ignore it, ordering them to act as if they hadn't heard anything. This gesture allowed our three saiyans to survive, since Frieza destroyed their world shortly after. 💥
Unfortunately, Frieza's act wiped out almost all of the Saiyan people , including Raditz and Kakarot's parents. However, he is made aware of what happened to his younger brother. Shortly before the destruction, Bardock stole a capsule to send Goku to Earth , in order to save him. It should be remembered that this character has very good premonitions. Frieza caused the destruction of their planet mainly for two reasons: Fear of the Super Saiyan Legend and Beerus ' green light.
RADITZ IN THE DRAGON BALL Z SAGA
Upon his arrival on Earth, Raditz murders a farmer. He then undertakes research using his detector to find his younger brother. He decides to track down the nearest energy source and actually comes face to face with Piccolo. Raditz questions him in order to find out where his brother is. Piccolo refuses to cooperate. 😠
Raditz mocks the Namek's power and decides to ignore it the moment he detects Goku's energy. He therefore sets off in search of the latter and arrives on the island of Awesome Turtle: Kame House . 🐢
At this precise moment, Goku introduced his son Gohan to his friends Bulma, Krillin, Awesome Turtle and his turtle. Raditz interrupts them and tells Goku his story. Raditz's personality disgusts Goku and Krillin . They will immediately demand his departure.
Raditz knocks out Goku's friend just by using his monkey tail. He will then kick his brother, knocking his breath away for a long time. He decides to kidnap Gohan and blackmails Goku. If the latter does not join his camp, he will not find his son. 👿
Returning to his ship, Raditz locks Gohan inside. It detects power increases up to 710 , but remains convinced that its detector is broken.
Shortly after, Goku and Piccolo arrive to confront him . Ancient enemies have formed an alliance to triumph over this terrible warrior.
The battle begins and Raditz initially shows his superiority. He crushes them without much difficulty and even tears off Piccolo's arm. The Namekian warrior will share a very powerful technique that could possibly kill him: Makankosappo . However, it takes a long time to load and requires several minutes of preparation. Goku therefore has to occupy his older brother for about five minutes. 🤼
Raditz will be incredibly surprised by Piccolo's rise in power. As he was about to finish off Goku, he decided to pause his attack to dodge the Namek's superpower technique. He will still have a shoulder injury. He then prepares to massacre Piccolo, but Goku grabs his tail. This is a terrible weak point for the saiyans, and the older brother is forced to remain motionless on the ground .
Piccolo takes the opportunity to recharge a new attack. Raditz understands the danger of imminent death and plays on emotion to convince his brother to spare him. He implores him with brotherly words. Piccolo warns Goku of the obvious ruse, but the latter is fooled by releasing Raditz's tail. A fatal mistake , his older brother takes the opportunity to break his ribs and crush him to the ground. 😱
Just when all seems lost, the detector displays a huge surge of energy coming from the capsule. Gohan breaks the door and escapes. He is furious to see his father in pain and rushes his head straight forward to hit Raditz at full force. The shock is terribly brutal.
This action allows Goku to regain his strength and grab Raditz from the back. He orders Piccolo to shoot them, implying a sacrifice on his part. Piccolo agrees to fire and uses the terrible Makankosappo on the two brothers. This attack pierces their stomach.
As he agonizes over the ground, Raditz sincerely regrets Goku's death . Piccolo explains that it's no problem, they will use the Dragon Balls to resurrect him. An unconscious error, because the detector also serves as an audio transmitter. Raditz explains that Nappa and Vegeta have heard all about the history of these crystal balls and will attack Earth to take them. 🐉
Once dead, he arrives before King Enma and tries to fight him. Obviously he loses and gets banished to Hell. 😈
THE 7 MOST USED COMBAT TECHNIQUES OF RADITZ
Flight – Raditz is capable of flight using a small portion of his ki.
Ki Blast – This is the normal form of an energy ball.
Tail Attack – Technique used by those with a tail to attack their opponents. They can use it to whip or coerce the opponent.
Behind you ! – Raditz turns his opponent's face away then kicks behind him at lightning speed, sending him rolling away.
Saturday Crush – Raditz raises his right hand into the air and forms a pink energy sphere which he fires at the opponent, dealing a lot of damage.
Shining Friday – Raditz raises his hand and charges purple and orange electricity. He then forms the electricity into a large sphere of purplish-pink energy and hits the opponent with it at close range, dealing a lot of damage.
I am a first class warrior! – Raditz quickly charges the opponent while saying "Death is near!" and elbows him to the ground from behind, inflicting heavy damage.
7 ANECDOTES ABOUT RADITZ
Like any other Dragon Ball Z character, Raditz has a few interesting little secrets. Here are the 7 most interesting facts to know about this saiyan! 😀
- As with the other Saiyan heroes in the series, his name comes from a play on words related to a vegetable. In his case, it is radish . The other members of its family are also root vegetables: burdock and carrot. 🥕
- In video games, Raditz's attacks often begin with a day of the week, such as the famous Saturday Crush technique.
- In Frieza's saga, the tyrannical lord thinks at first glance that Raditz is Gohan's father. He therefore perceives a family resemblance between the two.
- In the game Budokai 3 , when Raditz wins a match against Bardock, he would say "Father..." as a victory celebration.
- Raditz is the only member of his family to be declared a middle-class warrior at birth. Indeed, both of his parents initially belonged to the lower class.
- In the game Raging Blast , we learn that Raditz has already crossed paths with Ginyu in the past.
- In Dragon Ball Heroes , Raditz and Nappa go directly into Super Saiyan 3 form. In this form, Raditz's hair becomes incredibly long, much longer than any other saiyans. ⚡
JOIN THE SAIYAN FAMILY!
Congratulations ! You are now unbeatable on Raditz , Goku's ruthless older brother.
Although his appearance is relatively short on the scale of the Dragon Ball Z saga, this antagonist is one of the most interesting and leaves an important mark in history. Indeed, he is responsible for Goku's first death . It is also his arrival that leads to an alliance between Goku and Piccolo. We must not forget that basically, his two characters were real enemies. 💀
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