Dragon Ball franchise is one of the most successful franchises in anime history. It is the pioneering Shonen manga series that established the ground rules and served as a springboard for other modern shonen series. With its outstanding characters and fights, this series establishes its global popularity.
There is no doubt that the villains are also one of the key factors in making the series more interesting and remarkable. With their distinct personalities, each villain in this franchise brings something new to offer. Every villain has their own goal and unique power and ability, which makes them lovable and, of course, memorable. There are so many powerful villains who became the most difficult adversaries for Goku and his team to deal with.
So, without further delay here are the Top 13 Best Dragon Ball Villains, Ranked
13. Demon King Piccolo
Demon King Piccolo is the main antagonist of the original Dragon Ball anime and manga series. He is the unseen overarching antagonist of the Tenshinhan Saga, the titular main antagonist of the King Piccolo Saga, and the posthumous overarching antagonist of the Piccolo Jr. Saga. He was also Goku’s first archenemy.
As a person, Piccolo Daimao is a very cold, ruthless, manipulative, oppressive, and power-hungry tyrant. Whenever he is inflicting pain on an opponent or watching one of his subordinates attack someone else, he always smiles and/or laughs.
In terms of strength, at the time he appeared, Piccolo Daimao was the most powerful villain Goku had faced, easily defeating the boy. Piccolo displays abilities common to most Dragon Ball characters, including super strength, super speed, energy blasts, and super durability.
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12. Bojack
Bojack is an alien tyrant and the main antagonist of the 1993 film Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound. He is the leader of the Galaxy Soldiers and one of the most dangerous beings the Kais have ever faced.
Bojack has a bloodthirsty personality, watching his crew defeat several with a smile on his face. He is capable of getting caught up in the rush of battle, as seen when he kills Zangya simply because she was in his way of battling Gohan. He is rather sadistic, gaining great pleasure in dominating victims.
Bojack has superhuman abilities and the power to manipulate Ki energy in the form of flight, a Psycho Barrier energy shield, and destructive Ki Blasts. He can transform into a Super-Herajin or Super Bojack, amplifying his powers several times over. His final form let him defeat Gohan, Vegeta, Future Trunks, and Piccolo with ease, despite the former three being in their Super Saiyan forms.
11. Hirudegarn
Hirudegarn is a giant insectoid-like creature unleashed from imprisonment by space wizards and the main antagonist of the 1995 film Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon. It is a simple-minded monster that destroys everything and kills anyone in its path.
As a person, Hirudegarn has displayed no other emotions other than hatred and rage. It seems to obey its master’s will until it accidentally kills him. Without anyone to control it, Hirudegarn’s only focus appears to be mindless destruction. However, it’s implied that prior to the Kashvar transforming him into a Phantom Majin, he had some degree of benevolence due to his original role being to purify the Konats inhabitants of any evil Ki.
In terms of strength, prior to transforming, Hirudegarn was capable of trading blows and gaining the upper hand over several Z Fighters like Super Saiyan 2 Goku, Super Saiyan Vegeta, and Potential Unleashed Gohan before seemingly being overpowered by Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks and emerging into a more powerful form. In this new form, he was powerful enough that with one blow he was able to defeat Gotenks by knocking him to the ground, and easily restrain Gohan when he wasn’t paying attention.
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10. Janemba
Janemba is the main antagonist of the 1995 film Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn. Janemba was created when a young ogre, who was put in charge of cleaning the Soul Cleanser, neglected the machine. This caused all of the negative energy from the machine to explode and transform the ogre into Janemba. Goku is sent down to Hell to fight Janemba.
After a short fight, Janemba made Goku go Super Saiyan 3 before he could defeat him, and when Goku did, Janemba transformed into a far more powerful form. Vegeta, in his Super Saiyan 2 state, then appears and joins the fight, but even with his help, they can’t defeat Janemba. Goku suggests that they fuse together, and, after some initial hesitation, Vegeta agrees. They transform, but not correctly, instead forming into Veku, so Janemba beats him around until the fusion wears off. They try again and do it right, forming Gogeta, who beats Janemba in no time with the Stardust Breaker, dissolving the evil that is Janemba and turning him back into the ogre.
9. Baby
Baby is a parasitic alien life-form from the anime Dragon Ball GT. He was created by combining the DNA of the Tuffle King with a robotic body. He is the first of the three arc villains in Dragon Ball GT and the main antagonist of the Baby Saga. He is the last survivor of the Tuffle race who was rebuilt by his creation, Dr. Myuu, as a machine mutant to exterminate the Saiyans and restore his kind by controlling everyone on Earth.
Initially, Baby is dead set on resurrecting the Tuffle race and exterminating the Saiyans. to dominate the Dragon Team, possessing Vegeta and successfully restoring the Tuffles’ home planet. However, befitting his name, Baby is also incredibly childish and immature; he is very prone to taunting and flies into a rage if he is teased enough.
8. Syn Shenron
Syn Shenron, also known as Yi Xing Long, He is the final antagonist of the anime series Dragon Ball GT as well as the Dragon Ball anime trilogy itself. He is the last of the Shadow Dragons and the dragon of the One Star Ball. Syn Shenron later becomes Super Yi Xing Long (Omega Shenron in the Funimation dub) after he absorbs all the other Dragon Balls and gains the powers of the other Shadow Dragons, allowing his strength to increase by 10x what it originally was. He is the third and final arc villain in Dragon Ball GT and the main antagonist of the Shadow Dragons Saga.
Of all of the Shadow Dragons, Syn Shenron is the most evil and sadistic of all of his siblings. He truly cares about no other entity but himself, including his own siblings. Syn is so selfish and egotistical that he is willing to sacrifice his siblings just for his own selfish needs. Syn is a cold-blooded, heartless sadist who enjoys inflicting pain on beings, especially those weaker than him. After transforming into Omega Shenron, his brutal and dark personality amplifies along with his strength.
7. Beerus
Beerus is an anti-hero in the DragonBall series, and the main antagonist of the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, the first saga in the Dragon Ball Super adaptation. He has an identical (yet obese) brother named Champa, who is the God of Destruction in the neighboring Universe 6.
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Beerus is the God of Destruction of Universe 7, and as such, it is his duty to destroy inhabited planets to allow new life to grow and to keep balance within the universe, in opposing force to the Kais, who are the Gods of Creation. Nominally, Beerus’s duties are to coordinate with the Kais to promote overall mortal development within his own universe by removing obstacles and inadequate species, though he is less interested in his duties than he is in pursuing his own interests and has an antagonistic relationship with his counterparts. At the end of Super, it is shown that Beerus’ attitude isn’t uncommon among the Gods of Destruction, and those that pursue this goal are considered to be the best.
6. Broly
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Broly is the titular main antagonist/misguided anti-hero of the Dragon Ball Super film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. He is a powerful Saiyan warrior of legend, working for the Frieza Force while being used as a weapon by his father, Paragus, to get revenge on King Vegeta for isolating them on a distant planet for owning even more talent than the latter’s son. He is based on the character Broly from the Dragon Ball Z film Broly: The Legendary Super Saiyan, whom Akira Toriyama decided to induct into Super due to his popularity.
This version of Broly is far different from his original incarnation. Whereas the original was an utterly violent, sadistic, and almost purely evil monster, this version is soft-hearted and gentle, a trait extremely rare in Saiyans. But due to his father’s enslavement and isolated life (with his first and only friend having been driven off by his father), Broly did have trouble interacting with others. Broly was shown to be fiercely protective of Cheelai and Lemo and was willing to protect them, as shown when they were harassed by a Frieza Force soldier, despite a warning from Paragus of consequences, and later on when Goku arrived after their battle.
5. Cell
Dr. Gero’s ultimate and perfect android invention is Cell. He was constructed utilizing the genetic cells of Earth’s most powerful warrior and a supercomputer. Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold all have DNA in his genetic composition. He was the major antagonist in Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga.
Depending on his form, Cell possesses a variety of appearances and abilities. With four legs and two horns, he looks like a grasshopper in its larval stage. In his perfect form, he had a humanoid look and a pair of wings. Because of his blend of traits from other people, he has an extremely distinct personality. Piccolo bestowed cleverness on him, Vegeta bestowed pride, Frieza bestowed psychopathy, and Saiyan bestowed the drive to battle. As a result, he is a calm, intellectual, and arrogant guy.
In the struggle against Piccolo, who was joined with Kami, Cell exhibited his might in his imperfect state. He effortlessly defeated him and absorbed his energy in this combat. Then, in order to turn into ideal form, he defeated and absorbed all three androids (16, 17, and 18). Cell’s most powerful skill is his ability to absorb energy from others, including androids.
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4. Fused Zamasu
Fused Zamasu, also known as Merged Zamasu in the anime and God Zamas in the Viz manga, is a Potara fusion born of the union of Goku Black (the original present Zamasu in the original present Goku’s body) and Future Zamasu. He is the final antagonist of the “Future” Trunks Saga.
As a person, he retains the arrogance and self-entitlement of Goku Black and Future Zamasu. This fusion believes himself to be the embodiment of justice. Reveling in his power, Zamasu openly declared himself the supreme god upon his emergence, repeatedly and consistently vocalizing his divine brilliance and absolute authority. In terms of strength, Fused Zamasu is one of the most powerful fusions in the series, alongside Vegito, Kefla, and Gogeta, possessing the combined powers of Goku Black and Future Zamasu.
3. Goku Black
Goku Black, most commonly referred to as Black, is an alternate incarnation of Zamasu and a former North Kai and Supreme Kai apprentice serving his former master Gowasu from Universe 10’s unaltered main timeline. He serves as the main antagonist of the “Future” Trunks Saga of Dragon Ball Super.
Black visited Universe 6, went to the Super Dragon Balls from the unaltered main timeline within that universe, summoned Super Shenron from said timeline, wished to switch bodies with Goku from the unaltered main timeline within Universe 7, and Super Shenron granted Goku Black’s wish. Goku Black sought to destroy all mortals alongside Future Zamasu, an alternate counterpart of him.
When he arrived in Future Trunks’s timeline, he initially referred to himself as Goku. However, due to the notable style and color difference between Black’s clothes and Goku’s, he was given the name “Goku Black” by Future Bulma and thus took the name even when he revealed his own identity.
2. Frieza
Frieza is the main antagonist of the Dragon Ball series. He is the leader of his own imperialist army and desires to conquer Universe 7. He is feared throughout the universe for his ruthlessness and power. He is the descendant of Chilled, the second son of King Cold, the younger brother of Cooler, and the father of Kuriza. Frieza is considered Goku’s greatest foe and arch nemesis.
He has made several comebacks since his fight with Goku on Namek, including multiple invasions of Earth. Recently, he was chosen to represent Universe 7 as the tenth member of Team Universe 7 for the Tournament of Power as a replacement for Good Buu. This makes him the most recurring villain in the DragonBall series. After the events of the Tournament of Power, he is revived and recovers his self-proclaimed title as Emperor of Universe 7.
Unlike most primary antagonists, Frieza displays a civilized and refined demeanor, speaking with a regal and eloquent tone. He commonly uses dark humor, making twisted jokes and tasteless mockery of his foes before killing them.
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1. Majin Buu
Majin Buu is one of the main antagonists in Dragon Ball Z and DragonBall Z Kai (along with Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell). He is a villain from the Dragon Ball Z series, who first appears as an innocent-looking, pudgy pink genie-like creature. Later in the series, it is revealed that Buu’s original appearance is that of a sleek, demonic-like child, also known as Pure Majin Buu. However, his nature and form had been altered after he had assimilated the gentle, pudgy god (Grand Supreme Kai) into his body. He is the arch-nemesis of Goten and Trunks and the former minion of Babidi.
In terms of strength, Majin Buu can fly at high speeds, is superhumanly strong and durable, can manipulate pink Ki energy in many different forms, and has a completely elastic body. Buu’s pink Ki has extremely destructive capabilities, able to easily destroy large planets with minimal effort. Along with being malleable, Buu’s body can regenerate on a vast molecular scale.He can conduct pink electricity through his body to shock anyone that touches him. Buu can fire a beam from his head tentacle called the Change Beam that changes anything into food or an object it hits into seemingly anything Buu wants to. Buu has strong telekinetic abilities that allow him to easily levitate an entire city.
