Raditz Saga

Five years of peace have settled over the world since Goku defeated Piccolo Jr. at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. Goku has married Chi-Chi, fathered a son named Gohan, and settled into a life that looks nothing like the battles that defined his youth. When he brings four-year-old Gohan to a reunion at Kame House, his old friends marvel at how much has changed. Krillin, Bulma, and Master Roshi have not seen Goku since the tournament, and the sight of his son delights them all.

Kakarot, the Lost Saiyan

The reunion is shattered by the arrival of a long-haired warrior in alien armor who lands near the island and identifies Goku by a name no one has ever heard: Kakarot. The stranger introduces himself as Raditz, a member of the Saiyan race, and claims to be Goku's older brother. He explains that Goku was sent to Earth as an infant with a single mission: to exterminate all life on the planet. The revelation stuns everyone, but Master Roshi confirms that Grandpa Gohan once found a violent baby inside a strange space capsule in the woods. A severe head injury during infancy erased Goku's programming and transformed him into the kind-hearted boy his friends came to love.

Raditz further reveals that Planet Vegeta, homeworld of the Saiyans, was destroyed by an asteroid two decades ago. Only four Saiyans survived, including Goku. Raditz needs his brother's help to conquer a distant planet, but Goku refuses without hesitation. Noticing Gohan's Saiyan tail, Raditz kidnaps the boy and issues a monstrous ultimatum: kill one hundred humans within twenty-four hours, or Gohan dies.

An Alliance of Enemies

Before Goku can formulate a plan, his greatest rival appears. Piccolo encountered Raditz shortly after the Saiyan's arrival and was terrified by his power level. Recognizing that neither of them can defeat Raditz alone, Piccolo proposes an alliance. Goku agrees, and the two former enemies set off together, using Bulma's Dragon Radar to track the four-star Dragon Ball on Gohan's hat.

At Raditz's space pod, the battle begins. Goku and Piccolo attack in tandem, but Raditz outclasses them completely. A dual ki blast severs Piccolo's arm. Piccolo reveals a technique he had been developing to kill Goku: the Special Beam Cannon, a spiraling beam of concentrated energy that requires precious charging time. Goku distracts Raditz with a Kamehameha, buying Piccolo the seconds he needs. But when Piccolo fires, Raditz sidesteps the beam with contemptuous ease.

Goku seizes Raditz's tail, exploiting a weakness he remembers from his own childhood. The Saiyan warrior crumples, helpless. But Raditz begs for mercy, promising to leave Earth forever, and Goku, ever trusting, releases his grip. Raditz immediately pins Goku to the ground, crushing his ribs and breaking bones while mocking his naivety.

Gohan's Hidden Power

Inside the space pod, four-year-old Gohan has been watching his father suffer. The boy's rage builds until it detonates. The pod explodes outward, and Raditz's scouter registers a power level of 1,307, far exceeding both Goku and Piccolo. Gohan rockets forward in a burst of speed and headbutts Raditz squarely in the chest, cracking his Saiyan armor and leaving him reeling in genuine pain. The power vanishes as quickly as it appeared, dropping back to a reading of one, and Raditz swats the child aside.

The Full-Nelson Special Beam Cannon

Goku musters his remaining strength and locks Raditz in a full nelson from behind. Raditz cannot break free. Goku shouts for Piccolo to fire again, knowing full well that the beam will kill them both. Piccolo does not hesitate. The Special Beam Cannon tears through Raditz's chest and Goku's body simultaneously, mortally wounding both Saiyans. As Raditz dies, he delivers one final, devastating piece of information: his scouter has been transmitting everything. Two Saiyans far more powerful than himself will arrive on Earth in one year to avenge him. Piccolo silences Raditz with a finishing blow, but the damage is done.

Goku dies surrounded by friends who arrived too late. Krillin takes the loss hard, though they know the Dragon Balls can bring him back. Goku's body vanishes, taken by Kami to train in the Other World. Piccolo, surprising everyone, picks up the unconscious Gohan. He has seen the boy's potential firsthand, and with two Saiyans approaching, that potential is Earth's best hope.

The Raditz Saga is the hinge on which the entire Dragon Ball franchise turns. In six episodes, it transforms a martial arts adventure into an interstellar war story. Goku's identity shifts from orphan raised by a kind old man to displaced alien warrior, and the stakes leap from tournament trophies to planetary survival.

The First Sacrifice

Goku's death is the saga's emotional core and a moment that redefined what Dragon Ball could be. The hero of the series dies in the very first arc of Dragon Ball Z, not from an enemy's overwhelming attack, but from his own decision to hold his brother in place. It establishes a pattern that will recur throughout the franchise: Goku's willingness to sacrifice himself is his greatest weapon and his most consistent character trait.

Piccolo's Transformation Begins

The saga also plants the seed for one of the series' most beloved character arcs. Piccolo takes Gohan not out of kindness but out of pragmatism; he needs the boy's hidden power for the coming battle. Yet the year he spends training Gohan will gradually erode his hatred and forge an unbreakable bond between mentor and student. That transformation starts here, in the moment Piccolo looks at a crying child and sees, for the first time, something worth protecting.

Meanwhile, in deep space, Vegeta and Nappa learn of Raditz's death and the Dragon Balls' existence. They set course for Earth, not to avenge their fallen comrade, but to wish for immortality. The Raditz Saga does not merely introduce the Saiyan threat; it ensures that every saga that follows carries the weight of Goku's heritage, Gohan's potential, and Piccolo's slow walk toward redemption.