Who can and can't breathe in space?

[Deathbringer]

I was randomly thinking about how cool the scene of Bardock charging against Freeza's army to get to the ship is but then it hit me, how was he just breathing in space like that? Not to mention the rest of Freeza's army flew straight out of the ship without a second thought.

Obviously the answer is that the series constantly goes back and forth on how this stuff works, with the first arc having Goku get to the moon in seconds but needing a space suit by the time we get to Namek, as well as Goku and Beerus being able to have a fight in what is basically space if not the furthest point of what could be counted as earth's atmosphere. I'm not the sort of person who thinks that sci-fi movies which have sound effects for rockets in space are "unrealistic" but is it possible that the series general rule for space is that pretty much anyone strong enough can simply survive in it for a bit?

(first thread in...quite a long while, wishing I had chosen a better profile name all those years ago (I definitely don't go by "Deathbringer" anymore) and that the avatar pic link still worked cos i really liked my old one but great to kick back here on a whim)

[Koitsukai]

In the Moro arc, Vegeta warns Goku not to go too far into space, or too far away from Namek, because they cannot survive in space, they were on what could be the stratosphere(although they seemed to be a little higher), and Goku probably heading towards the mesosphere where you cannot survive. So, real world rules still apply, well some of them, the temperature isn't taken into account, Bardock was shirtless

Bardock's last stand and BoG take place in what seems like the stratosphere, the planets are right there with their respective blue or red glow, and as far as I know, breathing there isn't great but it is possible. Freeza's spaceship probably was on the mesosphere, so he probably would've died before reaching Freeza.

Whatever happened at the beginning of Dragonball falls into the cathegory of gag feats. DB wasn't that keen on respecting science at first, so Goku going to the moon is just a silly joke.

[Luso Saiyan]

Bardock and the rest were still within the atmosphere of the planet.

Same when Goku fought Beerus.

[SupremeKai25]

Saiyans and Earthlings can't breathe in space, that's why Whis has to shield Goku and co. inside a special barrier whenever they are in space (like after Frieza blew up the Earth, or when Goku went to Universe 10).

However, it seems that Goku Black is able to breathe in space, despite having a Saiyan body. After all, he was seen breathing and talking just fine after switching with Goku's body while in the middle of space. But, of course, Goku Black is special, so he might just be a unique exception.

[theherodjl]

So far; Freeza's race, Cell, Majin Boo, Hit, Jiren, Moro, anybody who wished for immortality(Garlic Jr), and divine beings(Kaioshin, Hakaishin, Angels, Zeno) are the ones we've seen who are able to 'breathe' in space. Everyone else is unable to survive in space though.

[Lionel]

Koitsukai explained it well. You'd think atmospheric decompression would take a toll on the internal anatomy. I wouldn't think their ki allows them to maintain a pressurised environment around themselves but maybe that's the case. Obviously radiation should be another point of concern here but it seems like the absence of oxygen is the topmost and, so far, only concern for characters as it pertains to survivability in space.

[GreatSaiyaman123]

I always thought they could just hold their breath for prolonged times but would eventually suffocate. Other factors like temperature, pressure and radiation tend to get brushed aside on fiction, but I can see their bodies being tough enough to just tough it out.