Agamemno-contingency #74
File Name: Rising Dragon
Son Goku is part of a nearly extinct race called the Saiyans of planet Vegeta. Much like Krypton, the planet met with tragedy that wiped out almost all members of this race. They are quite possibly one of the more frightening races to ever exist. They have power and speed comparable to Superman with additional powers derived from chi-based disciplines and techniques and a natural instinct for battle. Even more frightening is that with every fight, every near-fatal experience, they get even stronger. The Saiyan physiology allows them to more efficiently breakdown natural toxins produced through anaerobic exercise. Additionally, though they cannot survive without oxygen, they can survive upper-levels of atmosphere with little oxygen.
Unlike Kryptonians who were primarily a society of science and philosophy, Saiyans are a race who are naturally inclined for battle and relish it. One might argue that their extinction was for the best, as given the inclination the Saiyans could very well vaporize a planet, should they see the need to. As far as I've determined, there were four Saiyans who were gone during the destruction of their home planet with two of them being killed in battle. The total count of Saiyans is at seven: two pure-blooded Saiyans, four half-blooded, and one that is one-third Saiyan. Dilutions in blood has yet to show a difference in abilities but the human element in their DNA has calmed down their race's normally barbaric instincts, further research should be conducted.
Furthermore, some of the more powerful Saiyans have the ability to tap into new reserves of power and enter a state called Super Saiyan. The common trait to this is their hair turning from a darker color, or whatever their hair was at birth, into a glowing, golden color. This color is the result of their body's newly tapped energy reserves expressing themselves through a phosphorescent glowing effect through the proteins in their hair. The Saiyans' typically dark eye exhibits the same transformation by turning a bright blue-green in color. This state, when first tapped, enhances the Saiyan's predisposition towards fighting and sometimes alters their personality to a certain degree. All Saiyans, no matter what form of dilution of blood they might have, have the genetic potential to tap into this state first through pure training, and then afterwards they must enter into a form of self-realization that shakes their emotional state in such a way that pushes their internal limiters to the maximum. It is to my understanding, historically speaking, that a Super Saiyan has not emerged in centuries. I have speculated that the Saiyans' disciplined and austere inclinations have prevented any member of the race from entering the aforementioned self-realizing state.
As far as weaknesses should go, it is difficult to fight Goku, Vegeta, or any of the Saiyans in a direct confrontation as they have superhuman strength and abilities and are disciplined in fighting styles that best utilize their abilities. They are, however, still biological life-forms with limitation as organisms. The first thing to consider: Saiyans still need oxygen for maintaining homeostasis. Should they go rogue, the first thing you should do is take out whatever the closest spacecraft or other source of oxygen besides the planet itself. Without a secured source of oxygen and spatial transportation, they will have to deter destroying the planet as they cannot survive in an anaerobic environment.
Another fact to consider is that, although they have enormous energy reserves, they expend equally enormous amounts of energy depending on how they use their powers, burning through their body's reserve of calories. Even more so when they enter Super Saiyan states, notice I said "states" as they have tapped into multiple forms afterwards, see table, designation code SS4 for more details on the different forms. This explains the Saiyan's need to consume exorbitant amounts of nutritional sustenance so as to maintain enough calories to metabolize these energy levels. Goku has compensated for this by extensively training himself to use energy as minimally as possible in order to exercise intricate control of his energy output, which the others have followed suit.
One strategy I thought of in order to counter these Saiyans is the use of the same nano-technology used for Wonder Woman that would cause them to experience a virtual reality where their own memories would trigger the illusion of an opponent, in every way, their equal, locking them in an infinite loop of combat. They would continually battle an imaginary opponent and burn through their energy reserves. Be warned: extreme caution is needed when implementing this strategy as beings like Goku can potentially destroy entire acres of land at a time. Consider very carefully when and where to use this. See File Name: Olympus for details on the nano-technology.
Other Notes: Further study on Saiyan race is recommended. Biologically speaking, they are similar to humans, but further tests need to be conducted.