Namekian

In the era of the Dragon Ball series, there were just over 100 Nameks alive on their home planet; they had been killed off a generation before by a great tempest. The only known survivors are Guru, Lord Slug and Kami, who was sent to safety on Earth.

During the Namek Saga, their homeworld Planet Namek, was terrorized by Frieza and his henchmen, Dodoria and Zarbon. The planet was ultimately destroyed by Freeza as a last-ditch effort to kill Goku in their battle during the Frieza Saga; Frieza could survive in space whereas Goku could not. All of the Nameks were temporarily transported to Earth, where they lived for nearly a year before being resettled on New Namek.

What is known of pre-series Namek history is very limited. Three-hundred years prior to the beginning of the series, the earliest Nameks encountered on Earth (King Piccolo and his sons, though not counting Kami) were evil and destructive and caused chaos throughout the Earth until their eventual narrow defeat at the hands of Mutaito and his pupils (including Master Roshi and Master Shen).

It is also clear that they were a well-known spacefaring race at some point in the not-too-distant past as the Saiyans who came to Earth immediately recognized Piccolo Jr. as a Namek. It is extremely unlikely that they would be so well-known, of the many alien races introduced over the course of the series, if they were only a primitive farming culture on a single planet. It is also known that Nameks had higher technology because Kami was spirited away to Earth in a space ship (with Namek-language voice recognition) prior to the disaster. Also, Lord Slug from movie #4, who is apparently older than Kami, was an avid space-traveler, and was most likely exiled from Planet Namek prior to the massive climate shift.

Up until the arrival of Raditz, Piccolo Jr. and the other Nameks on Earth were considered Mazokus (demons) due to the evil nature of King Piccolo and his sons. Kami's status as a Namek was not generally known, though he would not have been considered a Mazoku. Some point after Kami came to Earth he lost memory of his homeworld, and thus, Kami forgot he was even an alien. It is never explained if King Piccolo knew he and Kami were Nameks, but he was shown using what was later revealed to be Namek language when talking directly to his sons. If King Piccolo knowing the language is because of him knowing his origins, there is the possibility of Kami's evil originating from being a Namek warrior, or from his father Katas.

King Piccolo had a number of animal-like sons who were considered Nameks due to retcon. It is possible that King Piccolo's evil caused his own sons (including Cymbal, Drum, Piano, and Tambourine) to be mutated and malformed, so much so that they didn't even resemble normal Nameks.

Physiology and abilities

Nameks are humanoids with slug-like characteristics, including antennae, light green skin with pink patches for young adult and kid Nameks, while the elderly Nameks have dark green skin and pink patches (these get dull-orange as the Namek advances in age), pointy ears, and red rings, in which they have three red conjoined rings on their ankles and wrists, making them look like they have ankle bands and wristbands. They require only water for sustenance, though Piccolo Jr. once ate a fish, and are adapted to a world with three suns, with at least one up at all times.

They do not have genders and reproduce asexually by spitting out an egg (though this process usually shortens their lifespan) but are generally identified as males. The sons are not usually genetic copies of the father like with Piccolo Jr.; rather he appears as if the father has some control over what type of child will be formed. This is carried to the extent that they may be mutated and not closely resemble others of the species. King Piccolo was able to spawn demonic animal-like Nameks that did not resemble a Namek at all to help him in his quest for eternal youth and complete domination. It appears Nameks are usually close to their children, and though King Piccolo treated his sons as minions he appeared to care for the sons he gave life in his old age. (In contrast, he was seemingly unfazed by the deaths of his sons at the hands of Mutaito and his students, as well as Drum after his youth was restored.) Nameks are also telepathically linked to their sons and can reach them from seemingly anywhere, as well as sense their deaths.

Their blood color is purple, though earlier on King Piccolo and Piccolo Jr.'s blood was portrayed as red. Drum is the first Namek ever to be portrayed with purple blood, however.

Most Nameks appear to be roughly the size of normal humans, but King Piccolo, Kami (mostly his height), and Guru are all shown to have a height and size beyond normal humans, this is never explained.Possibly ancient Nameks like Lord slug were shown much taller than regular Nameks.

Though generally not as strong as Saiyans, they are quite capable combatants.

In the series, Nameks demonstrate a wide variety of abilities, many of them magical in nature. These abilities are seen mostly by important characters, such as Piccolo Jr., so it is unknown how many are common to the species versus the individual. It is likely that the vast majority of them are restricted to fighter-type Nameks as opposed to sage-like Nameks , as none of the normal Nameks displayed the ability to use them when facing the crisis of Frieza's invasion.

• Heightened sense of hearing: Nameks' sense of hearing is far greater than that of humans. Piccolo Jr. told Goku that the large ears weren't just to frame his face and that he heard all that Future Trunks told him, indicating that their large outer ear structure gives them heightened hearing. In the Dragon Ball Z Movie #4 Lord Slug, it is stated that very high-pitched sounds like whistling can be irritating to Nameks, to the point of causing them pain, particularly when they are in giant form (as their eardrums are the size of garbage bins).
• Thick skin: Nameks evidently have thick skin capable of shielding them from extreme drops in temperature. After his spaceship lands on Earth in the frigid Yunzabit Heights, Kami spends his life alone in the region from youth through adolescence. Polar regions are also a common venue for Piccolo's training, as seen throughout Dragon Ball Z as well as the film The World's Strongest. In the episode "Follow Dr. Gero", Piccolo speaks aloud his satisfaction in not being an Earthling, in response to Krillin's complaints that the vicinity of North City is too cold.
• Sai Sei: Nameks are an extremely resilient race and capable of healing themselves and regenerating body parts instantly, as long as their brains are intact. This does not make them completely invulnerable, though, as it takes a large amount of reserve energy to perform and it is possible for a Namek to die with his body more or less intact after a battle.
• Nobiru Ude (Body flexibility): A Nameks' body and limbs are also extremely flexible. They can elongate their arms and legs at will. With considerable effort, they are even able to grow many times their size.
• Awakening potential: A somewhat mystical ability used by Guru, he was able to raise the power level of individuals by awakening their potential. It's not just a normal power boost; it makes the person as powerful as they possibly could be at that point in time, assuming they already aren't. If the individual is already at their max, and they already meet their potential, the technique will do them no good.
• Bushitsu Shyutsu Gen Majyutsu (Object creation): Nameks can create items like clothing out of thin air. It is likely this ability is what is used for their most potent skill, the creation of Dragon Balls. It was noted in the series that only members of the "Dragon Clan" of Nameks were able to create the Dragon Balls, but it is unclear whether their creation is a learned skill or innate to the species, as Kami created them based on a racial memory of sorts.
• Yugo (Fusion): Nameks have a form of inverse reproduction where they are able to permanently join themselves with other members of their race. When this is done one of the Nameks serve as the base and gains the skills, memories and many of the personality traits of the other. It is unknown what happens to the soul of the fused Namek, but it is hinted that the other soul simply remain with the body until it perishes, or that, at least, the personality and memories are, to some extent, present within the host being. This is evident when Nail talked to Dende through Piccolo Jr., proving that Nail's knowledge and personality were still present, to an extent, or when, after the fusion of Kami and Piccolo Jr., Piccolo Jr.'s personality changed somewhat. The Namek fusion will not obtain any caste specific abilities from the other. This is shown when Piccolo Jr., a fighter-type, is unable to restore the Dragon Balls, even though he had fused with Kami, who was a member of the Dragon Clan.
• Fission: The reverse of fusing, a single Namek can also split into different copies of himself. One instance of this ability being used was when Kami purged all the evil within himself by casting it off into a separate being, resulting in his evil twin brother King Piccolo. Both Nameks were able to read each others thoughts, and if one died the other would as well. Because of the drawbacks this ability should not be considered a perfect fission as they, in all considerations, are still one being. However, if one half were to die and give life to another Namek, the other half would remain intact. Just before King Piccolo died he spawned his final son Piccolo Jr., and Kami didn't perish, though it should also be noted Piccolo Jr. is his his own father reborn in the form of a son and very well may have been the only reason Kami lived.
• Soul control: Both Kami and King Piccolo demonstrated the ability to manipulate the very soul of beings. With King Piccolo, he was able to prevent the souls of those he killed from going to the afterlife, forcing them to remain in limbo for eternity; with Kami, he was able to incarnate his soul into another being, essentially possessing them. It is also likely that in Namek fission, the soul is shared between the two new Nameks.
• Kaifuku (Healing): Dende is shown with the ability to heal other beings of virtually any injury.
• Increased lifespan: Both Guru and Kami were several hundreds of years old before they passed on.
• Telekinesis and telepathy: Piccolo Jr. was able to mentally lift a pyramid in the anime. King Piccolo and Guru communicated with their offspring, despite their locations on Earth and Namek respectively.
• Ki manipulation: Nameks are more adept at manipulating ki than humans, granting them superhuman strength and speed, as well as the art of flying and the ability to shoot concussive blasts.
• Sensing Evil: Nameks can sense the presence of evil in a power level where as most other fighters can only sense the magnitude. This was shown in "Tree of Might" by Piccolo Jr. and in the Dragon Ball Z episode #48 - "Arrival of the Ginyu Force". Dende also senses an evil heart in Vegeta, when he refused to help Vegeta, and Kami mentioned that for the past four years, a great evil was growing on earth, which was later revealed to be Cell

Super Nameks

After Piccolo Jr. fuses with Kami, he powers up to levels well beyond of the existing Nameks. Thus, he is called by Krillin a "Super Namek" because of his new and extraordinary powers, able to far eclipse the strength of an untrained Super Saiyan.

In Lord Slug, some extremely powerful Nameks found the ancient secret to unlocking a higher consciousness within, becoming "Super Nameks". These Super Nameks were extremely aggressive and very different from their agrarian counterparts. These Super Nameks also seem to be able to show off their true power. They were banished from the planet using the Dragon Balls. The only example shown of such is Lord Slug.

It is doubtful that Super Nameks are a fundamentally different type of Namek. Super Nameks, as far as can be discerned, are simply very powerful Nameks, and the term "Super Namek" is only a nickname.

By the end of the manga, Piccolo Jr. is by far the most powerful Namek, which would make him much more powerful than the "Super Namek" Lord Slug, or any of the others that are known of in the series. Piccolo Jr. could hold his own and even take the advantage at points in battle against an opponent as powerful as Android #17, during the Android Saga. As the Cell Games approach, Piccolo Jr. decides to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber for training. Doing so also greatly increases his power level, as noted by Goku and Trunks. The argument is that Piccolo Jr. fused with two powerful Nameks (Kami and Nail), making him by default the most powerful Namek. Even without fusing with Nail and only fusing with Kami, Piccolo Jr. would still be much more powerful, as noted when Nail states that if he had been reunited with Kami prior to coming to Namek, he would be more than ready to defeat the same Frieza that mauled Nail in battle.

Namek castes

• Combat castes The Daizenshuu states that the first batch of three Nameks who fought Frieza's men were soldier-types and the second, anime only, batch of three were warrior-types. The anime states that all combat-capable Nameks (including Nail) were of the same caste and that Nail was far more powerful because he was the best of them. In both the anime and manga, Saichouro states that Nail was the only Namek born a fighter-type.
  • Fighter-type: Fighter Nameks are the most powerful of the Nameks, being much stronger than other Nameks in combat ability. Nail is the only one of this type seen, as Piccolo Jr. is technically a Dragon-type Namek. Power Levels of Fighter-type Nameks estimate at 40,000 and beyond.
  • Warrior-type: Described in the Daizenshuu, these are Nameks who are proficient in combat, but not at the same level as Fighter-types. The three Nameks who challenged Freeza are of this type. Note that this variety only appears in the anime. Power Levels of Warrior-type Nameks estimate at 25,000 to 30,000.
  • Soldier-type: Described in the Daizenshuu, these are Nameks who are proficient in combat, but not at the same level as Warrior-types. The three Nameks who fought Dodoria are of this type. Power Levels of Soldier-type Nameks estimate at about 10,000 to 20,000.
• Support castes
  • Healer-type: These Nameks can heal the wounds of others Dende is the only Namek shown to have this ability and it is proved later that he is a member of the Dragon Clan. This might therefore not be a caste, but a unique ability to Dende. A bit of confusion arises from this as it is also stated that Piccolo Jr. can not heal others because he is a fighter-type, insinuating that the ability is restricted to or from various castes.
  • Dragon Clan: These Nameks are the only ones capable of creating / manipulating Dragon Balls. Nameks in this class include Saichoro and Kami (and therefore, by extension, Piccolo Jr., though he is probably closer to a Fighter-type Namek in personality).

Only plot-important Nameks are shown or described as being one of the above castes. It is unknown if the other Nameks in existence belong to one of them or to other unmentioned castes.

Piccolo Jr. could be considered a half Fighter-Type and half Dragon Clan Namek hybrid because of his vast abilities. With a mix of Fighter-Type and Dragon Clan. He is an excellent combatant and has many Dragon Clan type mystical abilities. He also is the most powerful Namek by the end of the series, which should place him in an entirely different caste of Namek.