Dragon Ball Super Clarifies if Saiyans Can Fight in Space

The latest issue of the Dragon Ball Super manga enters the climatic arc of the new “Galactic Patrol Prisoner” arc, as Goku, Vegeta, and Majin Buu enter the final battle with new villain, Planet-Eater Moro. No surprisingly, that battle quickly turns into one of the most epic fights in Dragon Ball history, spanning from the plains of New Namek across the stars of space!

Therein lies the major problem: As we’re reminded in this latest installment of Dragon Ball Super, Saiyans cannot fight in space!

When the battle with Moro begins, the villain is in the upper atmosphere of the planet, siphoning the life force of the planet and its inhabitants, in order to boost his own. Buu (now possessed by the spirit of the Grand Supreme Kai he fused with long ago) leads Goku and Vegeta into a head-on assault on Moro, but the villain is more than ready for them!

Moro easily evades the combined attacks of Daikaioh Buu and Super Saiyan Goku and Vegeta, toying with the heroes by distracting them with projections of his body. Buu eventually sees through the deception and spots Moro hiding further off in the distance, charging the villain at full flight speed. Goku is right an Buu’s heels making the charge, only to be suddenly stopped by Vegeta, who registers the danger of Moro’s position, before its too late:

“Wait, Kakarot! That’s outer space! Saiyans can’t survive in the vacuum of space!”

This isn’t exactly a revelation, but rather a nice, canonized, reminder of what the limits of Saiyan physiology and power are. Dragon Ball Z was a lot more invested in those kinds of details, giving its Saiyan invaders suits and tech designed specifically for space travel, investigation, and battle. However, those details got murkier as the series got bigger and more fantastical, and by the time of Dragon Ball Super: Broly, you have promotional art that depicts Goku and Vegeta floating in outer space like they’re not bothered by it at all. Granted that’s just promo art, but the implications of such imagery does confuse the issue.

In any event, our two Saiyan heroes eventually lure Moro back down to New Namek, where the final, final battle is now set to commence.

Dragon Ball Super is currently airing its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block on Saturday evenings. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete and available to stream on Funimation, VRV and Crunchyroll.