If Saiyans are stronger than Humans, why do the half breeds have more potential?

[Asura]

I never really understood why the half-saiyans are inherently stronger than their full blooded counterparts. It's shown that Saiyans are much, much, much more powerful than humans, so why would being half human make them stronger?

[Darkprince410]

It's just the nature of hybrids. If you look at examples in nature, you'll see it's not uncommon for hybrids to exceed the capacity of their full-blooded parents. The liger, for example, is capable of growing in size far more than lions and tigers naturally will.

There's a concept in genetics called imprinted genes, where certain genes passed down from one parent would normally be counteracted by the genes from the other parent of the same species, resulting in those traits from those never actually manifesting in a normal offspring. In a hybrid, since those counteracting genes aren't passed down, the traits that are normally blocked or countered aren't anymore.

The same could be very true about Saiyan/Humans could, as a result, be the exact same way.

[Galan007]

I never really understood why the half-saiyans are inherently stronger than their full blooded counterparts.

This certainly used to be the way of things, but since the start of DBS, Toriyama has put almost all focus on bolstering the power of full-blooded Saiyans, and very little(almost no) emphasis on the half-breeds' potential to surpass them.... Which is somewhat disheartening, because I would very much like to see arcs where Gohan/Goten/Trunks/Gotenks actually step up and save the day again, but unfortunately it doesn't seem like Tori is interested in angling the plot that way anymore. /shrug

[PerhapsTheOtherOne]

It could be that the mix of Human and Saiyan genetics tempers the strengths of both whilst also lessening the impact of the weaknesses.

For example, Saiyans have very skewed and strange emotional makeups, at least in Universe 7. They're warriors first and foremost, blood knights that love to fight, get stronger, and shy away from any intimate emotional connections to make room for more battle. Because of this, they have a hard time forming truly effective bonds with others that would incite the emotional trigger for the upper echelons of power granted by the Super Saiyan form.

Humans are weak naturally, but they have a good mental composition that balances out emotions.

Whilst the raw power and combat potential of a Saiyan seem to overtake a Half-Breed's genetic markers, they DO get some noticeable Human traits like emotional balance. We see with Caulifla that learning to expertly harness the emotional centres of one's Ki in the back, and hence the "tingly feeling", allows even a pure-blooded Saiyan to easily attain the Super Saiyan form without requiring the usual rage trigger. And the Universe 6 Saiyans have lost their more extreme blood knight tendencies and balanced out their emotions, making them closer to Half-Breeds in disposition.

Half-Breeds, then, have the best of both worlds. They have the raw physical and spiritual power of a Saiyan, but they also have the emotional balance of a Human that allows them to more easily tap into the deeper wells of their potential without as much effort as their pure-blooded parents.

[mahakaishin1991]

I never really understood why the half-saiyans are inherently stronger than their full blooded counterparts. It's shown that Saiyans are much, much, much more powerful than humans, so why would being half human make them stronger?

natural hybrids tend to exceed the parametres of the parents or lose the weakenesses its also why mixed breed dogs tend to get less illnesses than purebreds.

Take the best of both is how hybrids tend to work.

Interestingly I also believe the saiyans themselves arent as prone to the emotional outbursts the half breeds have. Look how fast Gohan powered up as a kid when he was upset. Most Saiyans didnt have that love of others (though I suspect theres a cultural element in effect there)

I believe its a mix of nature and nurture that lets them tap into rage boosts quicker.

[Meshack]

I never really understood why the half-saiyans are inherently stronger than their full blooded counterparts.

This certainly used to be the way of things, but since the start of DBS, Toriyama has put almost all focus on bolstering the power of full-blooded Saiyans, and very little(almost no) emphasis on the half-breeds' potential to surpass them.... Which is somewhat disheartening, because I would very much like to see arcs where Gohan/Goten/Trunks/Gotenks actually step up and save the day again, but unfortunately it doesn't seem like Tori is interested in angling the plot that way anymore. /shrug

Because Earthlings work differently than Saiyans so if you have a hybrid, you still have the Earthling instincts of having emotions. Saiyans have emotions but are really prideful and don’t love or show emotions like we do. Toriyama said Saiyans don’t have a sense of family but we do. Vegeta has changed because of the Earthlings, the emotions and hiw we treat people

[Ricno924]

Half-Breeds, then, have the best of both worlds. They have the raw physical and spiritual power of a Saiyan, but they also have the emotional balance of a Human that allows them to more easily tap into the deeper wells of their potential without as much effort as their pure-blooded parents.

Yeah, this is how I see it.