"Saiya" is yasai, the Japanese word for vegetable, with the syllables flipped. Akira Toriyama said he picked vegetables for the warrior race as a reversal: a race of fighters would normally get meat. Every Saiyan name since has been a vegetable pun.
Some of those puns are confirmed in Toriyama's own words. Others are fan readings that have been repeated so often they feel official. This list keeps the two apart.
The Saiyans, Decoded
The source column says how solid each one is. Toriyama means he explained the name himself in an official guidebook or Q&A. Guidebook means an official guide states it. Likely means the pun is plain but we found no official statement.
| Saiyan | Vegetable, and how sure |
|---|---|
| Kakarot (Goku) | Carrot. Toriyama. |
| Vegeta | "Vegetable", taken whole because he's the prince. Toriyama. |
| Raditz | Radish. Toriyama. |
| Nappa | Nappa, Japanese for leafy greens like spinach. Toriyama. |
| Bardock | Burdock root, gobō in Japanese. Toriyama. |
| Turles | Lettuce, rearranged. Guidebook. |
| Paragus | Asparagus. Guidebook. |
| Broly | Broccoli. Guidebook. |
| Gine | Negi, green onion, its syllables swapped. Likely. |
| Yamoshi | Moyashi, bean sprouts, rearranged. Likely. |
| Toma (dub: Tora) | Tomato. Likely. |
| Selypa (dub: Fasha) | Parsley, from paseri. Likely. |
| Panbukin (dub: Shugesh) | Pumpkin. Likely. |
| Toteppo (dub: Borgos) | Potato, from poteto. Likely. |
| Caulifla | Cauliflower. Widely reported. |
| Kale | Kale. Likely. |
| Cabba | Cabbage. Likely. |
| Renso | Hōrensō, spinach. Likely. |
| Beets | Beets. Likely. |
| Cumber | Cucumber. Likely. |
| Shallot | Shallot. Likely. |
| Tarble | Usually read as "vegetable" again, like his brother. Unconfirmed. |
Two common claims don't survive the guidebooks. Nappa isn't napa cabbage: Toriyama said he meant the general Japanese word for leafy vegetables. And Fasha isn't celery. Her Japanese name, Selypa, comes from parsley.
Two Kinds of Pun
Sort the list by where the vegetable word comes from and a pattern shows up. Most Saiyans are built from English vegetable names as Japanese says them. A smaller group uses native Japanese words, which English-speaking fans usually miss.
The vegetable's English name, said the Japanese way
- Kakarot, from kyarotto
- Raditz, from radisshu
- Broly, from burokkorii
- Toteppo, from poteto
A Japanese vegetable word, often with syllables swapped
- Nappa, leafy greens
- Gine, from negi
- Yamoshi, from moyashi
- Renso, from hōrensō
The second kind hides better. "Gine" reads as a name in English because nobody hears negi in it. If you want a pun that rewards the fans who look it up, that's the group to borrow from.
Half-Saiyans Break the Rule
Goku's children are named by Earth logic, not Saiyan logic. Gohan is named after Goku's grandfather, and gohan also means cooked rice. Goten's characters mean something like "understanding the heavens". Then Gohan's daughter is Pan, which is bread: Toriyama said the child of rice might as well be bread.
The Briefs side has its own joke. Bulma is bloomers, Dr. Brief is briefs, Trunks is underwear and sportswear, Bra is brassiere. Toriyama said he'd have named Bulma's mother Panchy.
Vegetables No Saiyan Has Used
Every vegetable below is still free, as far as the canon we could check goes. The Japanese form is what you'd build the pun from.
| Vegetable | Japanese |
|---|---|
| Garlic | Ninniku |
| Eggplant | Nasu |
| Daikon radish | Daikon |
| Turnip | Kabu |
| Ginger | Shōga |
| Lotus root | Renkon |
| Bamboo shoot | Takenoko |
| Celery | Serori |
| Okra | Okura |
| Zucchini | Zukkīni |
| Bell pepper | Pīman |
| Artichoke | Ātichōku |
| Parsnip | Pāsunippu |
| Corn | Kōn |
Renkon and Takenoko are the best of these. They already sound like names, so a small change is enough. Ninniku is a gift for a comic-relief Saiyan.
Turning a Vegetable Into a Name
Toriyama's method is simple. Take the vegetable word, keep most of its sounds, and change one thing: swap two syllables, drop one, or swap a consonant. Raditz is radish with one sound changed. Gine is negi reversed.
- Pick the vegetable: one that suits the character. Broly is big, so broccoli.
- Use the Japanese form: it has more syllables to play with.
- Change one thing: swap, drop or replace a single sound.
- Test it as a shout: it has to work bellowed mid-fight.
Takenoko could become Kenoko, or Takeno. Renkon could become Konren. Each one is still a vegetable, but you'd only spot it if you went looking.
If you want a starting point, the Dragon Ball name generator writes Saiyan names in this style, along with Namekian and Frieza Force ones.
Thirty-odd years of Saiyans and nobody has claimed garlic yet.
Common Questions
Why are Saiyan names vegetables?
"Saiya" is an anagram of yasai, Japanese for vegetable. Toriyama said a warrior race would normally get meat, so he went the other way.
What vegetable is Nappa named after?
Nappa, the Japanese word for leafy greens such as spinach. Toriyama said so in an official guidebook. "Napa cabbage" is a common misreading.
What vegetables are Bardock's crew named after?
In the Japanese version, Toma is tomato, Selypa is parsley, Panbukin is pumpkin and Toteppo is potato. The English dub renamed them Tora, Fasha, Shugesh and Borgos, which hides the puns.