Yardrat

Yardrats are a physically unimposing race that exists in both Universe 7 and Universe 2. They come in two distinct types. The first, introduced through anime filler, features pink skin, large heads, pointed ears, bulbous eyes, and two whisker-like appendages on the sides of their heads. The second type, designed by Akira Toriyama for Dragon Ball Online, is shorter with rounder heads, no ears, smaller eyes, and skin tones ranging from blue to green.

Both types wear the same distinctive clothing, the outfit that Goku famously returned to Earth wearing after his time on their planet. They have voracious appetites that Goku compared to Saiyan levels of hunger, and their diet includes sweet potatoes grown as a local delicacy on Planet Yardrat.

Spirit Control

The Yardrats' true power lies not in raw strength but in Spirit Control, a discipline of ki manipulation that allows them to achieve effects other races accomplish through brute force. Every individual on Yardrat is capable of basic Spirit Control applications, making it a cultural cornerstone rather than an elite technique.

The applications include Instant Transmission (teleportation by locking onto ki signatures), healing, cloning, and gigantification. Elder Pybara, who taught both Goku and later Vegeta, demonstrated that Spirit Control mastery can produce abilities rivaling the raw power of the universe's strongest fighters.

The Yardrats' most significant contribution to Dragon Ball's story came through their encounters with two Saiyan warriors, each arriving under dramatically different circumstances.

Goku crash-landed on Planet Yardrat in one of the Ginyu Force's abandoned space pods, which had been pre-programmed to travel there because the Ginyu Force had been planning to attack the Yardrats before being summoned to Namek. The Yardrats nursed the badly injured Saiyan back to health, gave him their traditional clothing to replace his destroyed gi, and repaired his ship. During the year he spent recovering, Goku learned Instant Transmission from Elder Pybara, a technique that would become one of his signature abilities for the rest of the series.

Vegeta's Pilgrimage

Decades later, during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga in the Dragon Ball Super manga, Vegeta made the deliberate choice to travel to Yardrat. After witnessing the devastating power of Moro, who could absorb the energy of entire planets, Vegeta recognized that raw Saiyan power alone would not be enough. He had the Galactic Patrolman Irico take him to the planet where Kakarot had learned his most useful trick.

Under Pybara's tutelage, Vegeta's training went far deeper than Goku's had. While Goku learned a single application, Instant Transmission, Vegeta devoted himself to understanding Spirit Control as a complete discipline. This training yielded Forced Spirit Fission, the ability to separate energy that has been absorbed or artificially combined, a technique surgically designed to counter Moro's planet-eating abilities.

Normally, Yardrats are forbidden from teleporting offworld. Pybara was willing to make an exception to help Vegeta return to Earth in time for the battle, but Vegeta characteristically chose to perform Instant Transmission himself rather than accept assistance.

Goku's own description of the Yardrats captures their essence perfectly: "They're not strong at all, but they have crazy techniques." This paradox defines the species. In a universe where power levels determine survival, the Yardrats thrive by mastering abilities that circumvent raw strength entirely.

Beyond Universe 7

In Universe 2, a Yardrat named Jimizu fought as part of Team Universe 2 in the Tournament of Power. Unlike the typically pacifistic Universe 7 Yardrats, Universe 2's counterparts appear more willing to engage in direct combat. Jimizu used Instant Transmission aggressively during the tournament, treating the technique as an offensive tool rather than the utility skill that Goku primarily employs.

A Civilization That Keeps Giving

The Yardrats' influence extends beyond the warriors they trained. In Dragon Ball Online's timeline, Yardrats improved Earth's transportation systems in Age 900 after many of their kind migrated to Earth following Planet Yardrat's destruction by Mira. They established teleportation stations across the world, transforming their most basic racial ability into infrastructure that benefited billions.

Notable members include Elder Pybara, who trained both Goku and Vegeta; Hatska, a Yardrat who appears in supplementary material; and Soba, a rare combat-type Yardrat from Dragon Ball Z: Sagas who was actually stronger than Frieza, with a power level of 14,000,000.

The Yardrats represent one of Dragon Ball's most compelling ideas: that the most valuable teachers are not always the strongest fighters, and that true power sometimes comes from understanding energy rather than simply accumulating more of it.