Long before Goku and Vegeta became the faces of the Saiyan race, entire generations of warriors carried the reputation of the universe’s most feared conquerors. The older Saiyans rarely got the screen time modern fighters enjoy, yet a handful of them left a mark strong enough to shape everything that followed. Ranking them means weighing recorded power levels, on-screen feats, and their place in Saiyan history against one another.
Quick answer: Yamoshi ranks first as the original Super Saiyan God, followed by King Vegeta, Nappa, Bardock, and Paragus.
Old generation Saiyans ranked, S to C
The tiers below sort each fighter by demonstrated strength and historical significance within the pre-Goku era. Yamoshi sits alone at the top because he reached a divine state no other early Saiyan came close to.
| Tier | Saiyan | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| S | Yamoshi | First Saiyan to gain God Ki and a God form, potentially on par with Goku and Vegeta |
| A | King Vegeta | Strongest ruler of Universe 7’s Saiyans, destroyed three planets at once |
| B | Nappa | Took on the entire Z Fighters team alone and leveled a city with ease |
| B | Bardock | Elite strategist and fighter who beat Gas and stood against Frieza |
| C | Paragus | Elite-class colonel with a power level of 4200, more tactician than brawler |
How this was ranked: placements weigh confirmed power levels, on-screen and canon combat feats, and each Saiyan’s standing in the race’s history, with divine states outranking raw power. This ranking reflects the roster as of August 2026.
Yamoshi, the original Super Saiyan God
Yamoshi is a special case. He does not belong to the old generation in the same way the others do, yet he may be the strongest Saiyan to exist before Goku and Vegeta. He surpassed the Super Saiyan state eons ago and became the first of his kind to inherit God Ki and achieve a God form.
Little concrete detail exists about him, but his strength is often placed near the level of Goku and Vegeta at their peak. Since other transformations, such as Gohan Beast or Broly’s Full Powered Super Saiyan, can sit at similar heights, Yamoshi’s status as a foundational divine warrior earns him the top spot.
King Vegeta, the strongest of his kingdom
Saiyans respect strength above all, and their ruler was expected to embody it. King Vegeta was the last official king of Universe 7’s Saiyans, and his power stood well above any other Saiyan active during his reign.
Much of the evidence is implied rather than shown, but it is striking all the same. He was depicted casually destroying three planets at once with little visible effort. His intelligence was said to rival that of a Tuffle, pairing raw force with genuine cunning and cementing him among the strongest Saiyans in history.
Nappa, the brutal warrior who came to Earth
After Raditz fell to the combined efforts of Goku and Piccolo, he warned of two stronger Saiyans heading for Earth. One of them was Nappa. Large, aggressive, and merciless, he proved his strength far outclassed a lower-class Saiyan like Raditz.
Nappa took on the entire Z Fighters team by himself before Goku arrived. Though he answered to Vegeta as a subordinate and ultimately proved to be light work for Goku, he was significantly older, placing him in the previous generation. His ability to wipe out an entire city without strain makes him one of the most dangerous early Saiyans.
Bardock, the scientist and fighter behind Goku
Bardock is the most developed of the older Saiyans, though many of his greatest moments come from non-canon material. His true power level was never stated, and his birth as a Lower-Class Saiyan may cap his ceiling, but his feats and combat skill likely push him above Elite-Class fighters like Paragus.
What sets him apart is his mind. He worked out the false-moon method that lets Saiyans access their Great Ape form and control the Oozaru transformation. He also defeated Gas while the Heeter was in his berserk state, and he led the famous final stand against Frieza just before Planet Vegeta was destroyed.
Paragus, the patient colonel and father of Broly
Paragus served King Vegeta as a colonel in the Saiyan army, carrying a recorded power level of 4200. Unlike most of his kind, he was not a straightforward brawler. He came across as thoughtful and patient, the type to bide his time before making a move.
Because he was never shown in a serious fight, his true combat strength is hard to measure, which keeps him at the bottom of this ranking. His grudge against King Vegeta and his careful nurturing of Broly’s raw power show real intelligence, and that cunning still marks him as one of the more capable Saiyans of the era before Goku and Vegeta.
The gap between the top and bottom of this list shows how far the Saiyan race climbed over the generations. Paragus and Bardock represent the strategic edge of the old guard, Nappa and King Vegeta the raw destructive power, and Yamoshi the divine ceiling that Goku and Vegeta would only reach much later. Dragon Ball Super can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
