The ‘Dragon Ball’ series is one of Japan’s biggest anime exports.The captivating story of the dragon balls and adventures of hero Goku has enchanted millions worldwide. The Namekians happen to be among the most popular characters in the series.Hailing from the world of Namek, many ‘Dragon Ball’ Namekian names have a musical theme. The Namekin race is characterized by their green, scaly skins and the antennae on the tops of their heads . For more ‘Dragon Ball’ names try our Saiyan names article or more general anime boy names, right here on Kidadl. For now, though, let’s start talking about the infamous Namekians and what they’re all about.The Meaning Of Namek And The History Of NamekiansNamek, the name of the home world of the Namekians, comes from the Japanese word ‘namekuji’, which means ‘slug’.In the ‘Dragon Ball’ series, the planet Namek was home to just over 100 Namekians. An atmosphere wave that drastically changed the planet’s climatic conditions a long time ago killed off the majority of Namekians. A few notable characters did make their way out, such as Kami and Lord Slug.The Namek and Frieza sagas, which were the second and third sagas of ‘Dragon Ball Z’, saw the world turn into a battlefield. Ultimately, the world was destroyed by the villain Frieza, who tried in vain to eliminate the protagonist Goku. However, a few Namekians did survive and went on to relocate to the new Namek after a brief stay on Earth.Even though most of the ‘Dragon Ball’ series has portrayed the majority of Namekians as positive characters, it’s widely believed that 300 years before the events of the series, they were highly destructive and evil. Like the Saiyan race that traveled far and wide through outer space, some Namekians made their way to Earth and wreaked havoc until Master Mutaito, along with his pupils, beat them back.The Importance Of NamekiansEven though Goku is the main protagonist of the ‘Dragon Ball’ series, it can be said that without the Namekians, the series wouldn’t have existed. Apart from being a race that possesses exceptional powers and magical abilities, the Namekians also created the dragon balls, one set on Earth and another on Namek.The dragon balls on Earth were first created by Kami and later altered by Dende, a ‘Dragon Ball Z’ Namekian. The seven dragon balls are scattered around the Earth, and once collected, the dragon that goes by the name Shenron can be summoned. Originally, Shenron could grant only one wish at a time. However, after Dende’s alterations, Sheron could grant two wishes.Each Namek dragon ball was a Guru creation, and they are all significantly larger than the ones on Earth. Collecting every Namekian dragon ball results in the summoning of the dragon who goes by the name Porunga, who could grant three wishes at a time. However, to communicate with Porunga, one must be able to speak the Namekian language. Shenron, the Earth’s dragon, on the other hand, could understand the language spoken by humans.The Physical Features Of NamekiansIn terms of appearance and physical features, Namekian characters are very much like humanoids that have slug-like features. Some of the hallmarks of a Namekian’s appearance include their green skin, pink patches, and antennae.There are subtle differences between how younger Namekians and older Namekians look. The elders’ skins are dark-green, and their pink patches are less prominent than those on the bodies of younger Namekians. They also have pointy ears and red conjoined rings that are located on their wrists and ankles. New generation Namekians in ‘Dragon Ball Online’ have yellow faces, and there’s also a vertical line that can be seen on their heads.The blood color of Namekians is purple, and while their average size and height are similar to those of humans, there are certain exceptions. For example, Guru, Kami, and King Piccolo are all significantly bigger than the average human.Namekians’ Gender, Relationships, And Their Eating And Sleeping HabitsNamekians are devoid of gender, and even though there is some diversity in how Nameks from different families look, they most look very similar. Even though most Nameks aren’t completely identical to their fathers, there may be certain similarities, as they have the power to dictate how their children will look and what traits they will have to some extent. King Piccolo, for example, was capable of mutating his children, which led him to spawn numerous demonic Namekians.In terms of relationships, Namekian parents and their children can communicate using telepathic powers. While most parents of the race are close to their children, there are certain exceptions, such as King Piccolo, who treated his children as his minions whose only purpose was to help their father achieve domination over Earth.Namekians’ eating habits are vastly different from those of humans. For sustenance, they need only water. While some Namekians have been shown eating in the series, there’s a sense that it was only out of pleasure and not out of hunger.Their sleeping habits are considerably different too, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise, considering that they were born on a planet that had three suns.Namekians’ Abilities And PowersNamekians have numerous abilities and powers, and while they are not evenly distributed across each Namekian character, there are several shared abilities.For starters, Namekians’ average hearing range is significantly greater than that of the average human. In ‘Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug’, Piccolo claims that his hearing range allows him to listen to things happening across the entire universe.Namekians’ lifespans are also incredible, with Kami living until 300 years old before the fusion with Piccolo. Grand Elder Guru crossed the 500-year-old mark before finally succumbing to natural causes. Namekians are also capable of withstanding greater cold than humans.Another special ability that all Namekians boast of is that they can sense someone’s power level without using a device like a scouter, which is typically used by Saiyans. They can also make out whether someone has good intentions or not. For example, Vegeta’s request for a dragon ball was denied by Tsuno after the former’s evil intentions were understood by the latter.Namekians have incredible regenerative powers as well, which allows them to heal themselves and regenerate their body parts almost as soon as they are damaged. However, using these regenerative powers lead Namekians to spend a great deal of energy. For Namekians to be able to use these powers, they must have their brains intact.Namekians also possess the ability to create objects from nowhere. In the series, they are shown to create items of clothing spontaneously, and perhaps it’s this ability of object creation that led them to create the dragon balls in the first place.Fission and fusion are also two commonly used abilities by Namekians. Fission involves the separation of a single Namekian into different entities. For example, the Nameless Namek used it to split into King Piccolo and Kami. Fusion involves the merging of two Namekians, such as Nail and Piccolo combining to take on Frieza.Types Of NamekiansNamekians are broadly divided into the Dragon Clan and the Warriors. We’ll take a detailed look at them and the differences between them in this section.The warrior class of Namekians is full of individuals who are adept at combat with higher power levels than those from the Dragon Clan. Warrior class Namekians mostly have power levels in the range of 3,000. However, certain exceptions have significantly higher power levels. For example, Guru’s son and bodyguard, Nail, had a 42,000 power level.While the warrior class Namekians are quite powerful and are far better-suited in combat situations than Dragon Clan Namekians, they don’t possess as many magical abilities as the latter.On the other hand, the Dragon Clan Namekians are mostly priests and healers who primarily have a plethora of magical abilities. They are also the Namekians who can create and/or manipulate the dragon balls.There’s also a third class of Namekians called the ‘Demon Clan’. Such Namekians are rare and feature mutations that make them distinct from the average Namekian. For example, King Piccolo, in his quest to take over the world, created several such mutated Namekians such as Cymbal, who resembles a dinosaur. Tambourine, another of King Piccolo’s sons, had a gargoyle-like appearance.The ‘Demon Clan’ Namekians possess much more strength than both the warrior class and Dragon Clan Namekians, owing to their huge sizes.List Of Namekian NamesWe’ve finally come to the section you’ve been waiting for, the complete list of Namekian names from the ‘Dragon Ball’ series.1. Cargo, a child in Moori’s village.2. Cymbal, King Piccolo’s son.3. Dende, another child from Moori’s village who goes on to become the Guardian of Earth.4. Drum, King Piccolo’s son.5. Guru, Namek’s Grand Elder.6. Kami, the original Guardian of Earth who came to the planet as a part of the Nameless Namek’s soul.7. Kamiccolo, that’s what Goku named the fusion of Piccolo and Kami.8. Katas, Kami’s father.9. King Piccolo, the evil version of the Nameless Namek who became separate from Kami.10. Lord Slug, a super Namek who appeared in the ‘Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug’ movie.11. Moori, appointed Namek’s Grand Elder after Guru’s demise.12. Nail, Guru’s son and bodyguard who later merged with Piccolo to combat Frieza.13. Nameless Namekian, Katas’ son who came to Earth and after splitting his soul, became Kami and King Piccolo.14. Piano, another son of King Piccolo.15. Piccolo, the reincarnation of King Piccolo, who was initially an anti-hero but went on to become one of the most important characters of the ‘Dragon Ball’ series.16. Tambourine, another son of King Piccolo.17. Tsuno, an elder from the Namekian village that Vegeta destroyed.In addition to these 17 Namekians who’ve been shown in the series, there are also 104 unnamed Namekians, who are Guru’s children.Kidadl has lots of great names articles to inspire you. If you liked our suggestions for Namekian names, then why not take a look at anime girl names, or for something different, take a look at gender neutral Japanese names.
The ‘Dragon Ball’ series is one of Japan’s biggest anime exports.
