Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z resonates with audiences for many reasons, whether it’s the anime’s courageous heroes, exciting energy blasts, or the inspirational transformations. However, a shonen anime is often only as strong as its villains and Dragon Ball Z really goes above and beyond in this regard. Dragon Ball Z features dozens of diabolical threats who pose a danger to the entire galaxy.
The series does an excellent job when it comes to introducing progressively more intimidating antagonists that require outside the box solutions to defeat. Many of Dragon Ball Z’s villains are unforgettable forces of nature that rank among anime’s greatest enemies, yet there are still some special individuals who push villainy to unprecedented heights and deserve some extra attention.
10 Dr. Gero Is An Evil Genius Who Creates An Army Of Android Antagonists
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 126, "The Androids Appear"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 143 (Dragon Ball Chapter 337), "The Gathering Of The Warriors"
Evil Androids become a running concern in each Dragon Ball series, but they’re at their worst in Dragon Ball Z. Androids 17 and 18 are responsible for the destruction of Future Trunks’ timeline and the deaths of nearly all the world’s strongest heroes. However, these villains would never have come to pass without their twisted creator, Dr. Gero. Dr. Gero is a Red Ribbon Army scientist who’s responsible for the creation of Androids 16-19—not to mention Cell—while he also turns himself into Android 20. Dr. Gero is actually one of the series’ weaker Androids and he’s taken out by one of his own creations.
That being said, his Android research has irrevocable consequences for the series. Dr. Gero has the foresight to assemble DNA from the universe’s most formidable fighters—including Frieza—to create the ultimate weapon. It’s villainy on a scale that’s never previously been encountered. Dr. Gero even causes greater turmoil after his death, like the activation of Androids 13-15 in Super Android 13! or his role in Super 17’s creation in Dragon Ball GT.
9 Raditz Drops A Brutal Bombshell On His Brother
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 1, "The New Threat"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 1 (Dragon Ball Chapter 195), "The Mysterious Warrior From Space"
Raditz is a fascinating villain who doesn’t get nearly as big of a showcase as he deserves, which is a testament to the kinetic pacing that kicks off Dragon Ball Z. Raditz is only around for five episodes, but in that time he reveals that he’s Goku’s brother, that Goku is a member of an alien race known as the Saiyans, and plays an instrumental role in his brother’s death. Raditz becomes Dragon Ball Z audience’s first true glimpse of Saiyan power and many of the signature elements that define their people, such as battle scouters and armor.
Raditz chastises Goku for not successfully taking over Earth and proposes an ugly ultimatum that endangers his son, Gohan. Raditz is an excellent introduction to the Saiyans and what they represent. He accomplishes more in only a handful of episodes than most Dragon Ball Z villains do in an extended story arc.
8 Zarbon Is One Of Frieza’s Top Soldiers Who Possesses An Intimidating Transformation
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 44, "Brood Of Evil"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 53 (Dragon Ball Chapter 247), "Planet Namek, Cold And Dark"
Dragon Ball Z’s trip to Planet Namek introduces a wide array of new foes. Frieza becomes the primary threat, but the tyrant is content to let his top generals – Zarbon and Dodoria – do a lot of his dirty work. Zarbon is the more dangerous of these two and he finds a powerful rival in Vegeta. Zarbon terrorizes Namekian villages to acquire their Dragon Balls and gleefully neutralizes Vegeta and humbles his Saiyan pride in the process.
However, Vegeta later gets the upper hand after he experiences a significant zenkai boost from being on the brink of death. Zarbon’s base form looks rather austere in nature, but he becomes much stronger and more ruthless in his transformed beast state. Zarbon is responsible for a lot of pain in Dragon Ball Z, yet flashbacks to Frieza’s past indicate that he’s been helping this villain conquer planets for years.
7 The Ginyu Force Is A Merciless Mercenary Group With Special Skills At Their Disposal
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 60, "Bulma's Big Day"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 78 (Dragon Ball Chapter 272), "The Ginyu Force"
One final hurdle that Dragon Ball Z’s heroes must jump through before they can finally face Frieza is taking on his resilient mercenary team, the Ginyu Force. These five fighters – Guldo, Recoome, Burter, Jeice, and Captain Ginyu – are quite unique, yet united through their passion for pain and theatrics. Collectively, the Ginyu Force is one of Dragon Ball Z’s most commendable villains. Burter, Jeice, and Guldo are dismantled fairly easily.
Recoome, on the other hand, provides an especially vicious beat down on Vegeta that’s quite hard to watch. He’s a brutal warrior who’s on par with Spopovich, only he chooses to be this violent. The team’s leader, Captain Ginyu, is also extremely dangerous due to his problematic body swapping ability that allows him to temporarily steal Goku’s body and force his friends to fight him. Untold destruction could be done with this power if it’s properly used.
6 Babidi Is A Wicked Wizard Who Brings About Buu’s Awakening
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 220, "The Wizard's Curse"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 252 (Dragon Ball Chapter 446), "Bobbidi The Warlock"
It’s very easy for the most memorable Dragon Ball Z villains to get reduced to those who are the strongest and most physically imposing. There’s so much more to an effective villain and Babidi is proof that a poisonous puppet master can still leave his mark on the franchise. Dragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga is full of new threats, but it’s Babidi who puts this malevolent Majin takeover into motion. Babidi wants to trigger unparalleled chaos through Buu’s awakening, which requires the collection of incredible amounts of energy.
Babidi is responsible for turning individuals like Spopovich and Yamu into his Majin minions, while also convincing wicked warriors like Dabura to do his bidding. Babidi even concocts a scheme that takes advantage of Vegeta’s jealousy and insecurities so that the Saiyan returns to the dark side. Babidi deals in magic, rather than brute strength, and he’s eventually taken out by Buu himself. Babidi’s actions still cause tremendous chaos and Buu’s reign of terror wouldn’t be possible without him.
5 Majin Vegeta Reignites The Saiyan Prince’s Killer Instinct & Becomes A Chilling Consequence Of Hubris
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 228, "The Dark Prince Returns"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 262 (Dragon Ball Chapter 456), "Goku Vs. Vegeta"
Vegeta enters Dragon Ball Z as a significant threat. However, he gradually becomes one of the series’ greatest heroes and Goku’s best friends. That being said, the Saiyan temporarily relapses to the dark side and lets his insecurity and jealousy get the better of him when he succumbs to Majin manipulation and becomes Majin Vegeta.
Majin Vegeta holds a violent vendetta against Goku, but he proves that he’s serious when he arbitrarily executes dozens—if not hundreds—of spectators at the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament. Every punch that Majin Vegeta throws at Goku carries years of pent-up hostility and it makes for one of Dragon Ball Z’s most devastating duels. Vegeta manages to regain control of his senses, yet his brief time as Majin Vegeta is one of the series’ scariest stretches of episodes.
4 Nappa Is A Burly Saiyan Brawler Who Relishes Others’ Pain
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 5, "Gohan's Rage"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 10 (Dragon Ball Chapter 204), "The Needs Of The Many"
Nappa, much like Raditz, is an earlier Saiyan threat who’s not around during Dragon Ball Z’s rich period of Super Saiyan supremacy. Nevertheless, Nappa proves to be one of the series’ most significant antagonists due to how he wipes out multiple main characters, including Piccolo, Tien, and Chiaotzu. Nappa is jubilant over the pain that he causes, and there’s also an extended sequence where he eviscerates Earth’s army and takes more innocent lives.
Nappa’s power is completely outmatched by Goku’s recent Kaio-Ken Attack upgrade. However, without Goku’s intervention, it’s safe to say that the Saiyan would have also claimed Gohan and Krillin’s lives. Many Dragon Ball Z fans would like to see Nappa return in a worthwhile capacity, but he’s still responsible for serious chaos and forever changing the series’ status quo when it comes to its human heroes.
3 Cell Paralyzes The Planet In Fear & Is Responsible For Goku’s Demise
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 141, "The Reunion"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 166 (Dragon Ball Chapter 360), "Kami-Sama And The Demon King Become One"
Cell doesn’t always get the same respect as Frieza or Majin Buu, but he’s still a tremendous evil who opens up the world’s population to new fears. Cell, even in his Imperfect form, saps civilians of their lifeforce so that they’re empty husks of skin. He incites true panic in the world, especially when he decides to make his boastful Cell Games a public broadcast so that all of Earth can witness his supremacy. Cell is made up of the Z-Fighters' DNA, which means that he can use all of their greatest attacks against them.
He’s strong enough to take on multiple Super Saiyans at once and his ability to create a mob of smaller versions of himself—the Cell Juniors—allows him to take on all the heroes at once. Cell deserves extra credit for his ability to successfully outsmart and execute Goku, as well as Future Trunks. Cell orchestrates a brutal self-destruct maneuver that he’s still able to regenerate from and return to battle, stronger than ever. It takes the debut of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan to properly defeat this menace.
2 Majin Buu Is An Ancient Evil With An Insatiable Appetite For Chaos
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 232, "Buu Is Hatched"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 266 (Dragon Ball Chapter 460), "The Djinn Awakens?!"
Majin Buu is Dragon Ball Z’s final villain and, much like Frieza and Cell before him, Buu cycles through numerous transformations before he reaches peak power. What makes Majin Buu so terrifying is that he operates with a child-like mentality that’s extremely dangerous when it’s combined with his raw destructive power. Buu’s malleable and durable anatomy makes him difficult to dispose of, but he also has a powerful Transfiguration Beam that turns his targets into candy that he greedily consumes.
Buu, Evil Buu, Super Buu, and Kid Buu are all uniquely intimidating. Super Buu’s Human Extinction Attack wipes out most of the planet’s population, while Kid Buu finishes the job by literally blowing up Earth with his Planet Burst attack. Anyone who accomplishes this much carnage is destined to be one of Dragon Ball Z’s greatest villains, even if he’s eventually vanquished by Goku’s awe-inspiring Super Spirit Bomb.
1 Frieza Is The Worst Of The Worst Who’s Responsible For Countless Casualties
Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Episode 44, "Brood Of Evil"; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Z, Chapter 53 (Dragon Ball Chapter 247), "Planet Namek, Cold And Dark"
There are stronger Dragon Ball Z villains who follow Frieza, but he still earns the title of the series’ best villain because of his intense rage and undying determination. Frieza has a brutal history where he’s destroyed and conquered innumerable planets, including the Saiyan homeworld. Frieza manipulates individuals to become his compliant servants and his lack of loyalty means that he has no qualms about eliminating them once they’ve served their purpose.
Frieza is responsible for the deaths of Vegeta and Krillin, plus he resorts to Planet Namek’s destruction just to give him an easy advantage over Goku. Frieza is such a sore loser that he devises many schemes to return to power, the likes of which are still going on in Dragon Ball Super. He’s a villain who will never give up and this makes him Dragon Ball Z’s most reprehensible threat and an unforgettable foe.
