Sorry, Goku, but Dragon Ball Daima makes the Namekians the most tragic race in the anime by far

Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima, episode #10Dragon Ball Daima has just revealed some new information about the Namekians, and these facts solidify their race as perhaps the most tragic in the entire franchise, surpassing even the Saiyans. The Namekians' suffering began long before Frieza arrived on the scene and has colored their entire history.

The destruction of the Saiyan homeworld was undoubtedly a tragedy, but given all the evil things the Saiyans did under Frieza, there's still a feeling of karmic retribution – what goes around comes around. Certainly many good-hearted Saiyans have died, as well as evil ones, but overall this softens the tragedy of their loss. The Namekians, however, have been tragic since before Universe 7 even existed, and their suffering continues to this day. Their origins in the Demon Realm were revealed by the Supreme Kai, showing that even then, the Namekians were unable to catch a break.

The Namekians had a difficult life in the Demon Realm

Life wasn't good for the Namekians on their home world

In episode #10 of DaimaSupreme Kai reveals that the Namekians in the Demon Realm were treated as little more than slaves for the most part, used for their special abilities that other races do not possess. Not only did they leave the Demon Realm in search of a new home, but they were essentially forced to flee their ancestral home because of the way their people were being treated by the rulers of the Demon Realm.. It's no coincidence that only a single Namekian, Neva, remains in the Demon Realm: he volunteered to stay behind to watch over the Dragon Balls while everyone else left.

It even makes sense why the Demon Realm's Dragon Balls are so closely guarded compared to other sets of Dragon Balls – the Namekians didn't trust anyone in the Demon Realm to make use of them for good reasons. By creating the Tamagami, they could at least make sure that only the strongest of the strong could gain control of the Dragon Balls, even if they couldn't find a way to stop bad people from using them entirely. The less used, the better when it comes to these Dragon Balls.

It is unknown how long the Demon Realm existed before the creation of the other universes, but it was certainly long enough for the Namekians to be more than happy to flee to the outer universe when that became an option. Settling on Planet Namek, they began transforming that world into a replica of their home in the Demon Realm through terraforming, until it finally looked real. The Namekians lived there peacefully for millennia, until Frieza appeared…

Namekians were already a tragic people

The Namekians have always had a tragic history

Throughout the Frieza saga, the Namekians are effectively just bystanders who have been caught up in a power struggle that doesn't really involve them. Frieza shows up on their doorstep looking for the Dragon Balls and is willing to do anything to get them, including exterminating a large number of Namekians. It's important to note that even at the time Frieza attacked, there were only a few hundred Namekians living on Namek, an extremely small population considering how long they must have been in the outer universe. This suggests that far fewer made it out of the Demon Realm in the first place.

The Namekians in Dragon Ball Z they are massacred by a conflict they have nothing to do with, despite their peaceful ways. This has made them a tragic species since their conception, and this new information about the Namekians' past only reinforces that point. Planet Namek was founded by a small group of escaped slaves, the last remnant of their people, and despite this, they still tried to live a peaceful life without interfering with the development of other species. Unfortunately, once again, his special abilities (namely the ability to create Dragon Balls) caught the attention of the tyrants in the form of Frieza.

It almost seems impossible for the Namekians to have true peace, because their abilities will always be sought after by those who desire power. This alone makes them infinitely more tragic than the Saiyans, whose downfall was in part due to their own evil ways. The Namekians deserve to have peace, and it certainly benefits them to have a hero like Goku looking out for them, even if it's mainly to protect the Dragon Balls from misuse. Dragon Ball Daima took the already tragic Namekians and upped the tragic elements even further, ensuring that they will forever be the most ill-fated group in Dragon ball.