Few series have had quite as big an impact on the world as Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball. It first appeared as a manga back in 1984 and has since gone on to spawn a hugely popular anime, multiple movies, and plenty of great video game adaptations. Its varied cast of heroes is one of the many things that have contributed towards this prolonged success, although many will argue that the antagonists are every bit as important; if not more so.
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Some of the villains to have featured throughout the series serve as little more than plot devices with which to push the heroes to new and exciting heights. Others, however, bring a lot more to the table than just brute strength and obnoxious threats. Whether because of their excellent writing or their unique motivations, these antagonists are as memorable as they are deadly and have played a pivotal role in the franchise's continued success over the years.
Updated June 2, 2021, by Tom Bowen: When it comes to creating memorable villains, few series have been as consistent as Dragon Ball. Over the years there have been some fantastic antagonists and, with a new movie on the horizon and a follow-up to Dragon Ball Super expected soon, that doesn't seem likely to change anytime soon. Not all of the villains have hit the mark, however, nor have they all been utilized quite as well as they could have. When the series does get it right though, which is far more often than not, the results really do speak for themselves.
15 Garlic Junior
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
Although Garlic Junior's first appearance came in the Dragon Ball Z movie, Dead Zone, most viewers will have first encountered him during the Garlic Junior saga of Dragon Ball Z. At the time, his introduction was perhaps a little underwhelming, although, in retrospect, it was arguably exactly what the anime needed at the time.
Having just come out of the Frieza Saga and with both the androids and Cell still to come, the change of pace allowed viewers a much-needed moment to catch their breath. The speed with which the stakes were suddenly raised, however, caught a lot of people by surprise and the final showdown with Garlic Jr. is just as epic as some of the series' other great set-piece moments as a result.
14 Moro
First Appearance: Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga (Dragon Ball Super Manga)
Moro has been around in the manga for quite some time now but is still to make his anime or movie debut. Whether he'll show up in the upcoming movie remains to be seen, although if he doesn't, it seems something of a certainty that he'll feature in the follow-up to Dragon Ball Super in some capacity when it finally arrives.
The planet-eating wizard was sentenced to death after the Grand Supreme Kai sealed away his magic, although there wasn't anybody strong enough to actually carry out the sentence As a result, he was instead locked away for ten million years, but eventually escapes and begins terrorizing the universe once again. Were it not for Goku's Ultra Instinct, all life in Universe 7 may have perished at his hands.
13 Baby
First Appearance: The Baby Saga (Dragon Ball GT)
For as disappointing as Dragon Ball GT is, it does have one or two great villains. Omega Shenron in particular provides some truly epic moments, as too do some of the other dragons. None quite compare to Baby, however, especially when it comes to sheer malice and intimidation. Of course, the historical bad blood between the Tuffles and the Saiyans also contributes a lot to his effectiveness as an antagonist.
That he is able to infect Goku's friends and family is a little reminiscent of Buu's candy-making powers, although having to fight against his loved ones is perhaps a lot more difficult for Goku than having to watch them die. Baby doesn't hide behind traditional henchmen either, nor does his saga drag on for anywhere near as long as some of those which preceded it.
12 Cooler
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge
Cooler is perhaps one of the most underutilized villains in all of Dragon Ball, although has been shown quite a bit of love in recent times. He appears regularly throughout Dragon Ball Heroes and was also a DLC fighter as part of the first season pass for Dragon Ball FighterZ. His first very appearance, however, came in Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge.
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Though the movie itself and the subsequent sequel were fairly lackluster for the most part, Cooler is anything but. He may look like just another Frieza clone at first glance, but, despite some similarities to his brother, he is very much his own character. Frieza will always be the better of the two, but there's more than enough about Cooler to give him the edge over many of the series' other antagonists.
11 Beerus
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of the Gods
That Beerus is billed as a God of Destruction makes him an intriguing character right off the bat and he didn't disappoint once Dragon Ball Super finally got going. His appetite for destruction and the nonchalance with which he carries out his duties makes him a truly terrifying villain, although this is well balanced out by his appetite for Bulma's delicious desserts.
Beerus isn't a particularly evil character, especially when compared to the likes of Frieza and Cell, but his raw power more than makes up for this. He pushed Goku to discover both the Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue forms and, in the process, ensured that the revival series started out with the kind of bang that fans have come to expect from Dragon Ball.
10 The Ginyu Force
First Appearance: The Namek Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
Just as Zarbon and Dodoria had done before them, the Ginyu Force served as a fantastic appetizer for the final showdown with Frieza. Each one offered something a little different in terms of their abilities and was able to push the heroes to their absolute limits. They could be a little annoying at times, but they more than made up for this in other ways.
Together, they provided some excellent battle scenes as well as some much-needed comic relief through their ridiculous poses and Ginyu's unfortunate frog mishap. Their presence also forced Vegeta to team up with earth's protectors; a partnership that would ultimately prove to be invaluable for the planet and lead to some of the show's best moments over the next few years.
9 Broly
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
Upon first being introduced to the world of Dragon Ball back in the nineties movie trilogy, Broly was an incredibly one-dimensional character and made for a lackluster villain even at the best of times. Thankfully, however, Toriyama and his team decided to give the character a shot at redemption in the latest Dragon Ball Super movie and it's one that he took with both of his abnormally large hands.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly does a fantastic job of fleshing out the character's back story which makes him infinitely more compelling as both a character and a villain. No changes were made to his immense strength though and, as a result, he is able to give both Goku and Vegeta a run for their money. He's eventually defeated by Gogeta, but the movie's closing moments suggest that he may still have a part to play in the series.
8 Goku Black
First Appearance: The Future Trunks Saga (Dragon Ball Super)
Following the hugely underwhelming Dragon Ball GT, expectations were not particularly high when Dragon Ball Super was announced back in 2015. It, therefore, came as a welcome surprise to fans when both the manga and the anime ended up being good. Really good, in fact.
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While not quite on par with Dragon Ball Z, some of the arcs in Super have been fantastic, as too have a lot of the new characters introduced. One of the most interesting has to be Goku Black though, who is effectively an immortal god hiding out in an alternate version of Goku's body. He's incredibly well written, poses a genuine and believable threat, and even has his very own Super Saiyan transformation.
7 Dr. Gero
First Appearance: The Android Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
The Red Ribbon army played a huge role in the original Dragon Ball series and introduced some great characters like Mercenary Tao and Commander Red. However, it's perhaps the maniacal Dr. Gero that leads the way when it comes to the organization's most memorable and sinister members.
Not only is Gero responsible for creating the evil androids that destroyed the earth in Future Trunks' timeline, but it's also his work that leads to the creation of Cell. He may not have killed too many people directly, but his creations have taken the lives of billions; indirectly giving him one of the largest body counts in the entire series.
6 The Androids
First Appearance: The Android Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
When Future Trunks showed up to warn the Z gang about the impending arrival of two deadly androids, few could have predicted how the preceding arc would end up playing out. At first, it seems as if his warning has paid off, but it's soon revealed that the two androids that have caused Goku and his friends so much trouble thus far are only the first phase in Gero's evil plan.
When Androids 16, 17, and 18 finally arrive on the scene, it becomes clear that they're quite a bit more powerful than their predecessors and some fantastic battles ensue. It's not just their strength that makes the Androids so compelling though, but also their fantastic personalities. Their complete disinterest in what's going on around them is in stark contrast to the series' many other villains and makes them considerably more interesting as a result.
5 Majin Buu
First Appearance: The Majin Buu Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
As with many of the other Dragon Ball antagonists, viewers are given a fair bit of warning before Majin Buu actually arrives on the scene. From the introduction of the mysterious Kais to the unveiling of Babidi and his strange demon servant Dabura, a lot of groundwork goes into hyping up the destructive force that is Majin Buu.
Once the creature is finally awakened, the Z gang are faced with a childlike pink puffball that is very different to how the Kais had described him. Of course, the part about him being incredibly powerful does turn out to be true. Unlike Cell, Buu is able to absorb just about anyone and even changes his appearance with each new Z-fighter that he ingests. It's also thanks to Buu that viewers got to see fusion for the first time; a technique that's played a pivotal role in the series in the years since.
4 Piccolo
First Appearance: The Piccolo Saga (Dragon Ball)
Those who skipped the original Dragon Ball arcs will have only ever known Piccolo as one of the good guys. There was a time, however, when he served as one of the biggest threats to the planet. His many battles with Goku were some of the best to feature in pre-Z Dragon Ball and his connection with Kame was a cool and interesting subplot.
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King Piccolo may not have been as powerful as some of the more modern villains in the series, but he was more than a match for a young Goku and had a great personality to boot. Piccolo Junior, on the other hand, is a lot more balanced and far more complex than his earlier incarnation. This additional level of reasoning makes the character even more interesting and is ultimately what leads to the Namekian changing his ways.
3 Vegeta
First Appearance: The Saiyan Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
Vegeta is by far the most complicated character in all of Dragon Ball. His pride and rage have led to some fantastic moments over the years while his continued arrogance makes each of his comeuppances all the more sweat. He may be considered one of the good guys these days, but throughout the early stages of Dragon Ball Z, he is one of the most intimidating and entrancing villains that Goku and his friends square off with.
The series has always done a wonderful job of raising the stakes and does so in the Saiyan Saga by rapidly introducing bigger and badder threats. With Raditz and Nappa having already contributed to the deaths of Goku and several of the other Z fighters, knowing that Vegeta is even stronger makes him all the more menacing. What's more, he doesn't disappoint when he eventually enters the fray.
2 Cell
First Appearance: The Imperfect Cell Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
The way that the Android Saga transitioned into the Cell Saga was a classic example of subverting expectations. So much time had been spent bigging up the threat of the androids and yet it was ultimately an unknown and unexpected foe that so very nearly brought the planet to its knees.
As well as the many epic battle scenes, Cell's ability to absorb people was actually pretty terrifying and his transformation was reminiscent of those of Frieza. Unlike other villains, however, Cell is incredibly smart and uses this to trick Vegeta into allowing him to absorb 18. His intelligence is also evident through his witty retorts and these provided an extra layer of depth to the ferocious fighter.
1 Frieza
First Appearance: The Namek Saga (Dragon Ball Z)
Transformations may be par for the course these days, but watching Frieza working his way through the gears during the Frieza Saga was a real sight to behold. Each time that he announced another form sent viewers' imaginations into overdrive; although his final form is arguably the least intimidating of them all. At least visually, that is.
As he and Goku fight while Namek collapses in on itself around them, it's hard not to be impressed by just how evil the character really is. Even after it's clear that he can't defeat Goku, he'd rather die trying than concede defeat to an inferior being. Super seems to be setting the character up to be the next Vegeta and has even given him a flashy new golden form. No matter what comes next though, it's unlikely to come close to topping the character's time on Namek.
NEXT: Dragon Ball: Every Main Villain, Ranked By How Close They Almost Won