Dragon Ball Super Theory Explains How Namekians Survive on Just Water

The Namekian race has had to put up with a lot over the course of the Dragon Ball franchise, nearly being eradicated by the strength of Frieza and his army, and while they haven’t played a significant role in Dragon Ball Super, they’ve made the news once again. Recently, the official Dragon Ball website chatted with two scientists to offer a new perspective on the series, along with examining how the Namekians are able to survive on water alone.   

On the official Dragon Ball website, scientists Masayuki Kato and Yudai Okuyama, who also just so happen to be Dragon Ball fans themselves, took the opportunity to explore the biology of the Namekian race:

Okuyama: “In terms of biology, I’d propose that they get their energy via photosynthesis, just like plants. They are green, after all.”

Kato: “You might be right. Planet Namek has three suns and no nighttime, so photosynthesis would actually be the ideal method of generating energy for the environment they live in.”

Okuyama: “In fact, there are animals that live symbiotically with algae or whose bodies contain chloroplasts who use photosynthesis to generate energy. Coral is a famous example of this, but there are others too. One of them a species of sea slug called Plakobranchus ocellatus that actually kind of looks like a Namekian.”

Okuyama then dives into some other interesting tidbits regarding the PLanet Namek, discussing the trees that were seen throughout the Frieza Arc in Dragon Ball Z:

“There’s still a ton of interesting things about Planet Namek. For example, there’s a rather unique species of tree on Namek called “Ajisa” that has just one little round bulb of leaves right at the top of its thin trunk.”

The Planet Namek might not be as seen as it once was in Dragon Ball Z, but the next movie in the Shonen franchise, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, has already confirmed that two of the biggest Namekians will have a significant role in both Piccolo and Dende slated to appear. With the former demon king set to battle against the Red Ribbon Army’s androids directly, Goku and Vegeta are sitting this battle out apparently to give screen time to both Piccolo and Gohan.