Highlights

  • Collateral damage from powerful warriors wiped out entire civilizations in Dragon Ball, rendering many races functionally extinct.
  • Triclops possess superhuman abilities and unique physical constitutions, though no pure-blooded members have been shown in the series.
  • The Tuffles, Cerealians, and Shadow Dragons were once powerful races, but each faced extinction due to conflicts or negative energy.

During the many large-scale conflicts that have defined the history of the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole, there has been a great deal of accumulated collateral damage. The most powerful warriors in Universe 7 and beyond have been responsible for several planet-destroying catastrophes that wiped out all the inhabitants of the worlds in question, resulting in entire civilizations ceasing to exist.

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This extreme scenario has taken place on multiple occasions, where entire races were wiped out either through defeat, subjugation, and repression or more brutal genocides such as those experienced by the Saiyans of Planet Vegeta. Although some members of these races endured, their species were rendered functionally extinct by virtue of being unable to produce pure-blooded offspring. Hence, here are some of the races in Dragon Ball, which were once very powerful, but are now extinct.

1 Triclops

An Alien Race That Possessed Superhuman Abilities

Dragon Ball Tien Shinhan

Manga Debut

Dragon Ball Chapter #113

Anime Debut

Dragon Ball Episode #84

Even though no pure-blooded members of this race have appeared in Dragon Ball, they have been prominently featured throughout the franchise's many iterations in the form of their descendant, Tien Shinhan, who is a Triclops-Human hybrid. For the most part, the members of this race appear similar to humans, apart from the distinctive third eye at the center of their foreheads.

Besides this, Triclops also have unique physical constitutions, as they can perform feats such as temporarily growing additional arms on their backs, or creating clones of themselves. Additionally, they can also move both their eyes independently to enhance their vision. Just by observing Tien, it is not hard to see how truly formidable this race may have been in the past.

2 Tuffles

Created An Advanced Civilization That Surpassed The Saiyans

The Tuffles

Manga Debut

N/A

Anime Debut

Dragon Ball GT Episode #22

A race of humanoids renowned for their advanced technology and docile nature, the Tuffles were natives of the planet Plant and developed a complex civilization. Unfortunately, they were forced to coexist with the barbaric, warmongering Saiyans, and the conflict between the two races soon escalated into a full-scale war.

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While the conflict was evenly matched at first, the appearance of the full moon allowed the Saiyans to assume their Great Ape forms, with which they wiped out all the Tuffles in one fell swoop. Some of the Tuffles' experiments in cloning and genetic modification endured even after the extinction of their race, with the most notable one among them being Baby: a parasitic life form infused with the consciousness of the last Tuffle king.

3 Cerealians

Were Renowned As Snipers Due To Their Enhanced Vision

Granolah Dragon Ball Super

Manga Debut

Dragon Ball Super Chapter #67

Anime Debut

N/A

Save for their green hair and the distinctive red right eye possessed by members of their race, the Cerealians of planet Cereal are nearly identical to most Human-type Earthlings. Conversely, the manner in which they age is more akin to the Saiyans, as they have an extended physical prime and can live up to 200 years at times.

Cerealians were renowned as snipers due to their Evolved Right Eyes, which permitted them to strike targets from great distances with exceptional accuracy. The home world of the Cerealians was once ravaged by the Frieza Force and its Saiyan Army, with the latter group having used their Great Ape forms to wipe out a large portion of its populace. Eventually, the Cerealian race was left with only one survivor, a young boy named Granolah.

4 Shadow Dragons

Supremely Powerful Beings That Manifested From The Dragon Balls

dragon-ball-gt-best-villains-omega-shenron

Manga Debut

N/A

Anime Debut

Dragon Ball GT Episode #49

Created through the accumulated negative energy from all the wishes of the Dragon Balls, the Shadow Dragons were a race of evil beings, who served as the final antagonists of Dragon Ball GT. All of them were originally part of a Demon Eternal Dragon known as Black Smoke Shenron, who appeared when Goku and his allies tried to use the Dragon Balls to undo the damage caused by Super 17.

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Subsequently, Black Smoke Shenron split into the seven Shadow Dragons, with each possessing distinct abilities of their own. As beings of immense power, the Shadow Dragons wreaked mayhem across the world and justified their misdeeds as payback for the Dragon Team's over-reliance on the Dragon Balls. Ultimately, this race of beings was wiped out after Syn Shenron, the last Shadow Dragon, absorbed the other six to become Omega Shenron, before being defeated by Goku and his allies.

5 Saiyans

A Proud Warrior Race Wiped Out By Frieza

Saiyans Dragon Ball Franchise

Manga Debut

Dragon Ball Chapter #1

Anime Debut

Dragon Ball Episode #1

On one hand, the majority of Dragon Ball has been focused on the Saiyans, since the series' main protagonist is one himself. That being said, the entirety of the race was wiped out before the start of the main story in an act of genocide perpetrated by the tyrant Frieza. Since then, there have only been a few male survivors in Universe 7, making the race functionally extinct.

Even though Goku and Vegeta have Half-Saiyan children, the race's inability to produce full-blooded offspring means that they will gradually die out over time. That being said, Saiyans have proved themselves to be among the strongest beings in the series, with Goku and Vegeta having attained near-divine levels of power throughout Dragon Ball Super.

Dragon Ball Z
Dragon Ball Z (1989)
Action
Adventure
Comedy

Release Date
April 26, 1989
Studio
Toei Animation
Number of Episodes
291