Namekians - also called Nameks - are a species of magical and philosophical humanoid slug-like warrior organisms with green skin, antennae, and a powerful regenerative ability.
Biology[]
A Namekian egg
A Namekian youth
Namekians have green skin and antennae. Patches on their arms seem to indicate age; younger Namekians have pink arm patches, while elders instead have a dull orange coloration. Despite having masculine bodies, voices and behaviors, Namekians are, according to an interview with Akira Toriyama, hermaphrodites that possess physiques similar to those of human males. Despite the fact that hermaphrodites can reproduce sexually, the Namekians in series are seen reproducing only asexually, using a mode of reproduction similar to the parthenogenesis, and spitting an egg out from their mouth. Despite this asexual reproductive system, there is still diversity in the species as the offspring is usually not an exact copy of the parent, like with King Piccolo or Grand Elder Guru. It appears that the parent has some control over what type of child will be produced. This can be taken to the extreme, with the newborns able to come out mutated and not closely resembling others of their species.
They are unique in that they only require water for sustenance, but they do know what eating means. They have evolved on a world with three suns, with at least one up at all times, and therefore night is also unknown to them.
Their physiology grants them a wide variety of abilities, many of them magical in nature; however, since these abilities are mostly seen being used by important individuals and not civilians, it is unknown whether these techniques are common to the species or to the individual. It seems likely that the vast majority of these abilities are restricted to the fighter caste Namekians as opposed to the sage caste, as none of the normal Namekians have ever been seen displaying the abilities when facing a crisis such as Frieza's invasion.
Historical Background[]
At some point in the not-too-distant past, the Nameks were a well-known spacefaring race; this is determinate as the Saiyans who first arrived on Earth immediately recognized Piccolo as a Namek. This would have been an extremely unlikely circumstance if their species were only a primitive farming culture on a single planet. Other evidence of this is a small space capsule (with Namek-language voice recognition) that was sent to Earth with one of two Namekians prior to the genocide that was soon to occur.
One generation ago in Namek's past, a great tempest nearly eradicated the entire Namekian race, leaving only two survivors. Of these two, one remained on Namek to slowly repopulate the planet, while the other was sent to safety on Earth. Within one generation, just over 100 Namekians existed on their homeworld; at the same time, only a few existed on Earth.
Unfortunately, prosperity was not to occur for their species, and their world was soon invaded by the evil Frieza, who had come to search for the planet's Dragon Balls. At the same time, a number of Saiyans, Half-Saiyans, and Humans arrived to stop Frieza's forces, which eventually resulted in the complete destruction of Namek and a second near-extinction of the Namekian race. This was done as a last-ditch effort to kill the now-Super Saiyan Son Goku in their battle, as while Frieza species can survive in the vacuum of space, Goku's species cannot. By this time, most Namekians had already been killed by Frieza forces, but those who remained were temporarily transported to Earth by the Namekian Dragon. Once there, they lived for nearly a year before traveling back into space to resettle on a new homeworld, dubbed New Namek.
Varieties[]
There are multiple different types of Namekians.
Dragon Clan[]
The Dragon clan Namekians are the strongest type as they appear to be able to create Dragon Balls. These Namekians can also heal, use magic and create mutated spawn.
Warrior Namekian[]
Warrior Namekians are much better fighters than the others and have higher power levels. There are three types: Warriors, Shadow Knights, and Dark Warriors.
Demon Clan/Mutated Namekian[]
The Demon Clan was the name given to the spawns that King Piccolo produced. However, these spawns are actually Mutated Namekians that were corrupted by the heart of a high class Namekian. Evil Namekians and Elder Namekians are the only recorded types that have produced such beings. This includes: Guru and King Piccolo. It is unclear whether Piccolo Jr., Kami, Moori, or Lord Slug produce such eggs as well, but has yet to be disproved.
Abilities[]
- Body Flexibility: Namekian limbs are extremely flexible. They can elongate not only their arms but their legs at will. With considerable effort, they are even capable of growing many times their natural size.
- Enhanced Regeneration: Namekians are extremely resilient and are capable of healing themselves and regenerating body parts instantaneously, so long as their brains are intact. Unfortunately this does not amount to complete invulnerability, as it takes an incredible amount of reserve energy to perform this task, and it is actually possible for a Namekian to die with his body more or less intact after battle.
- Fusion: Namekians have a form of inverse reproduction where they are able to permanently join themselves with others of their race. For this to be done, one of the Namekians serves as the base and foundation and gains the skills, memories, and many of the personality traits of the other. While there is no definite description as to what happens to the soul of the absorbed Namekian, it has been hinted that it will simply remain within the body until said body perishes or that, at least, the personality and memories are to some extent present within the host being.
- Increased Lifespan: Namekians live for long periods, with documented cases of members living to be several hundreds of years old before finally passing on.
- Kaifuku/Healing: Some Namekians possess the ability to heal others from virtually any injury.
- Sensitive Hearing: Namekians' sense of hearing is far greater than that of humans (at least thousands of times greater). The outer ear structure gives them this heightened sense. This can be a double-edged sword, however, as high-pitched sounds such as whistling can be irritating to the Namekian, to the point of causing them pain.
Power levels (Rough Estimates)[]
- Non-fighter Namekians: 200 - 300
- Namekian Elder: 1,000 - 2,000
- Soldier: 2,000 - 3,000
- Elite Soldiers: 10,000 - 20,000
- Warriors: 25,000 - 30,000
- Fighters: 40,000+
- Super Nameks: 500,000+
Forms[]
Great Namek[]
Though not as strong as a Saiyan's Ape Form, this form turns the Namekians gigantic and multiplies their power by ten. Namekians who demonstrate this form include: King Piccolo, Piccolo, Lord Slug, and others.
Great Namek 2[]
A Form only used by Piccolo during his climactic battle with Goku in Dragon Ball, the form is twice as strong as Great Namek but loses much speed due to its incredible size.
Unnamed Super Saiyan-equivalent[]
A Special form only used in Dragon Ball Online by the Dark Warrior of Group 2. This changes the Namekian's eye colour to red, makes them more muscular, and gives them purple aura. The form gives the user a fifty times power boost.
Super Namek[]
A Super Namek is a Namekian who has unlocked a high level of awareness and has fused with another powerful Namekian, Super Namek's sometimes split into good and evil parts for reasons unknown. Lord Slug is stated to be a Super Namek. Piccolo attains this form after fusing with Kami. The Namekians in Dragon Ball Heroes can also use this form, including Piccolo. This form is stated in the show to be stronger than a Super Saiyan in their first state.
Super Namek 2[]
Super Namek 2 is the strongest known form of Namekian, it is what happens when a Namekian fuses with a third powerful Namekian. Piccolo attains this form after fusing with King Piccolo. This form has only appeared in a video game. The Namekians in Dragon Ball Heroes can also use this form, including Piccolo.
Gallery[]
Notes[]
- The name "Namek" is derived from the word namekuji, which means "slug" in Japanese.
- In the manga, the Namekians' hands have four fingers per hand, while the anime their hands have five fingers, similar to a Human's.