The mysteries around the monkey tail of the Saiyans, and all their biology in general, for that matter, have long left fans of the universe dragonball puzzled. But the last chapter of the series Dragon Ball Super could finally come to provide some answers to the questions that we ask ourselves on this subject. The last fight appearing in the work would prove, in fact, that this attribute is much more a hidden weakness than a real strength…
The link between a Saiyan and his monkey tail
In the universe of dragonball, Saiyans are born with monkey-like tails. This then allows this race of fighters to change into a giant gorilla, during a fight, when they stare at the moon. This transformation is one of the oldest in the manga, appearing in the series dragonball, while Son Goku is still just a child and seems a thousand miles from being able to reach the Super Saiyan stage.
The transition to the series Dragon Ball Z will introduce new Saiyan warriors, and with them, bring some more details about this race of fighters. It is moreover at this precise moment that will rise to the surface the legend of Super Saiyan, an all-powerful form that would have been attained a very long time ago, but which no warrior of the time had been able to reproduce until now.
Son Goku will eventually succeed in transforming into a Super Saiyan. This event will mark one of the most epic moments in manga history, but also a passage very commented by the fans. In effect, the idea that no native of planet Vegeta has ever managed to tame this transformation seems somewhat strange, especially when you take into account the number of powerful warriors who were born on this planet.
Possessing a monkey tail would limit a saiyan’s power
Chapter 83 of Dragon Ball Super seems to have finally exposed the secrets behind the Super Saiyan transformation. In a flashback, narrating Bardock’s fight against Gas, a rather curious event seems to have occurred. While all the fans thought Goku’s father would finally show up in Super Saiyan form, something more unexpected finally happened. During the fight, Gas ripped off Bardock’s monkey tail (which finally explains why he lost it) and right after that, the Saiyan developed a new power comparable to a Super Saiyan transformation.
For fans, there is now no doubt: Bardock would never have been able to get his hands on such power if his tail hadn’t been ripped from him. This event, which may seem quite innocuous at first, could actually answer many questions that fans have about the franchise.
Goku lost his monkey tail relatively early. Although this one has pushed back several times, she will end up being definitively taken away from him by The Almighty. It may then be that if Son Goku was able to reach the Super Saiyan stage, it was because his giant ape form was no longer accessible at that point in history. Would the power of this tail be channeled into its wearer when he found himself without it? It’s a theory that would hold water, especially in view of what seems to follow in the rest of the manga.
By omitting the canonical films and the series Dragon Ball GTthis theory seems to be able to be supported by the characters of Vegeta, Trunks and Gohan, who never managed to transform into Super Saiyans while still possessing their monkey tails. Goten’s example would also prove this theory. Indeed, the young boy was born without a tail, due to a mutation of his species, and showed a disconcerting facility to transform into Super Saiyan.
