It's fair to say Dragon Ball's the villains played a big part in why the series is as popular as it is. Starting with FROM (although the original series also had some memorable ones), Dragon Ball he really started to stand out, with each wielding incredible power and pushing Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters to their absolute limits.
Every major Dragon Ball villain, ranked from weakest to strongest
Early Dragon Ball villains may not look as powerful anymore, but it's still worth looking at who was the most powerful.
By the end of it, Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and the rest of the gang had battled some of the most powerful forces in the universe and managed to find a way to win every time. If we were to look back at the main antagonists in the series, here's how they would rank.
Vegeta (Saiyan Saga)
Vegeta lands so low here only because he was a true villain until the end of the Namek saga. Even then, he served as an anti-hero of sorts, teaming up with Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, and Goku to take down Frieza.
Raditz and Nappa were nothing compared to Vegeta during the Saiyan saga. While each would face stronger opponents, Goku and Vegeta's clash on Earth is still considered one of the best fights in the series. During the conflict, Vegeta's willpower and combat acumen were on full display. He may have been behind Goku for a while, but you could see from the very beginning that Vegeta was going to be the best fighter in the series.
Captain Ginyu
Ginyu's power may seem goofy, but that doesn't take away from the fact that they were Frieza's most powerful minions on Namek. Even his right hands, Zarbon and Dodoria, were a step below Ginyus (except for Guldo).
Captain Ginyu served as a great warm-up for Frieza, possessing an incredible power level and giving Goku a tough fight that was only made more difficult by Ginyu's unique Body Change ability. In the end, Ginyu relied on technique. Even so, Body Change remains one of the most interesting techniques in the series and is legitimately difficult to navigate in battle.
Frieza (Pre-Super)
If we were to rank Frieza based on his appearance in Super, then he would be at the very top of the list. However, FROM Frieza ranks last Dragon Ball Z villains.
It's a strange thing to say about one of anime's most popular villains, but both the main cast of Saiyans and subsequent main villains are much stronger than Frieza was at full strength on Namek. The reason the Frieza Saga is as beloved as it is is because Frieza was the perfect villain. Never losing too much ground for too long, always having an answer and transformation ready for the heroes' best attempts to defeat him, Frieza will always be one of the most terrifying threats in the world. Dragon Ball.
Future Android 17 and 18
The main versions of Android 17 and 18 in the timeline started off a little rough, but eventually mellowed out and became great supporting characters. However, the androids from the Future Trunks timeline are a different story.
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This version of the Androids is much more psychotic and violent as it destroyed Earth and killed the entire Z Team, including Future Gohan. Like their main timeline counterparts, the Future Androids were a grade above a normal Super Saiyan, often belittling Future Trunks and Gohan's efforts to defeat them. Thanks to Future Trunks' experience and training in the past, he is finally able to defeat them, but not after they spent years terrorizing the planet.
Cell
Dragon Ball tried to find a villain that had the same impact on readers as Frieza after the death of the space tyrant, from Dr. Gera and Android 19 through Android 16, 17 and 18 and finally to Cell. With his various forms and menacing design, Cell would be the perfect final villain for the series if it ended there and then.
With the DNA of the strongest fighters in the series up to that point, Cell was the ultimate challenge for the Z-Fighters. Although his imperfect and semi-perfect forms had their limitations, Perfect Cell proved to be an almost unstoppable force. He overpowered Saiyans like Future Trunks and Vegeta with ease, and while Goku was able to hold his own against him, even he admitted that he didn't have what it took to defeat Cell at the time. In the end, it was Goku's bet on Gohan's incredible potential that paid off, leading to Cell's defeat. But he certainly didn't make it easy.
Majin Buu
Unlike Cell and Frieza, whose various transformations serve as power-ups, Buu's various forms are his various incarnations. Each version of Buu has different things that make them unique, with the first one we're introduced to, Majin Buu, standing out for his menacingly jovial attitude.
Like all versions of Buu, Majin Buu is incredibly strong and difficult to take down. When Majin Vegeta sacrificed himself to destroy Buu, enveloping him in a massive energy blast, the parts of Buu that were not destroyed reformed. Although Kid and Super Buu are stronger than the one we initially see in the Saga, this version of Buu still stands out as one of the strongest villains in the series.
Kid Buu
There is some debate as to whether Super Buu or Kid Buu is the strongest version of the character. Kid Buu is the final antagonist FROM, who proved to be a chaotic and unpredictable fighter.
Kid Buu was definitely a threat in his short time, and while Super Buu was a stronger Buu, Kid Buu still nearly won over Goku and Vegeta.
Super Boo
Super Buu was definitely the strongest version of Buu, especially when he absorbed Gotenks, Piccolo, and Gohan. While Kid Buu is more chaotic and unpredictable, Super Buu is a much more versatile fighter, capable of defeating almost every (known) fighter in the universe up to that point.
Super Buu was able to go toe-to-toe with Ultimate Gohan, and when he jumped on him, he eclipsed himself as the strongest character in the manga for a while. Even though Buuhan was strong, he was still no match for Vegito. Although he didn't end up being the final villain FROM,Super Buu definitely managed to keep things interesting towards the end of the series.
Dragon Ball Z
- Release date
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1989 – 1996
- Network
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Fuji TV
- directors
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Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai
- Writers
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Akira Toriyama, Neil Bligh, Hiroshi Toda, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Aya Matsui, Keiji Terui, Reiko Yoshida, Toshiki Inoue
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice)
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Ryo Horikawa
Vegeta (voice)
