Dragon Ball is mainly about the good guys trying to protect the Earth, but at the same time, the bad guys play major roles in the franchise as well. Otherwise, what would be the purpose of Dragon Ball in the first place if there wouldn’t be any trace of bad guys trying to wreak havoc?
While everybody loves Goku and Vegeta, the bad guys of Dragon Ball also have their undeniable charm. While we take into account the very first Dragon Ball series in which Goku was just a kid and we continue with Dragon Ball Z, Super, and GT, it’s time to establish a little tier list of the franchise’s villains:
Tier S:
Frieza
Cell
Majin Buu
Omega Shenron
King Piccolo
Mercenary Tao
Frieza just has to take the cake when it comes to the best villains that Dragon Ball ever had. He is the former intergalactic overlord who exterminated almost the entire Saiyan race.
Cell is the biological android created by Dr. Gero using the cells of the mightiest fighters who have ever walked on Earth. Therefore, Cell definitely has some Frieza in him as well, along with cells from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and others.
King Piccolo and Mercenary Tao are from the original Dragon Ball series in which Goku was just a boy. These two villains have their undeniable charm, and King Piccolo even tried to take over the entire world.
Tier A:
Dodoria
Zarbon
The Gyniu Force
Raditz
Nappa
Android 16
You might be surprised to see Raditz on this list. Well, he was the evil brother of Goku and also the person who disclosed the truth of the beloved Saiyan’s identity. Goku first found out from Raditz that he is a Saiyan who was initially sent to Earth to destroy it. Raditz was also the very first villain of Dragon Ball Z, and although he hasn’t been seen since his defeat, he made an important transition from the innocent Goku we all knew in the original Dragon Ball to one who belongs to a blood-thirsty race. However, Goku has always been one of the good guys, luckily.
Nappa was another one of the very few remaining Saiyans after the destruction of planet Vegeta initiated by Frieza. Nappa was also a general in the Saiyan army, and he did a lot of damage on Earth when the Z warriors fought him. Nappa took out Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo all by himself.
Zarbon and Dodoria were the two main henchmen of Frieza, while the members of the Gyniu Force (Guldo, Burter, Jeice, Recoome, and Captain Gyniu) represented the elite private army of the former intergalactic overlord.
Android 16 is a very interesting character introduced in the Cell Saga of Dragon Ball Z as one of the creations of Dr. Gero. Android 16 was programmed to destroy Goku and refused to obey any other orders. He was very powerful and had a calm demeanor. However, at some point, Android 16 realized that killing was wrong and started to appreciate nature and the creatures of Earth. He even tried to take out Cell after he realized that the biological android created by Dr. Gero was pure evil.
Tier B:
Babidi
Dabura
Pui Pui
Spopovich
Yamu
Babidi is the evil wizard who made his debut in the Majin Buu saga. He is responsible for reviving Majin Buu, the strongest villain that the Z warriors ever had to face until that moment. Even though Babidi had a very low power level, his evil magic was very cunning and powerful, as he even managed to possess the body of Vegeta and turn the Saiyan Prince against Goku.
Dabura was the king of the demon realm who also made his debut in the Majin Buub Saga. Dabura had a devilish appearance and turned out to be around Super Saiyan 2 level in terms of power level, as he fought Gohan in a fierce battle. Apart from usual punches, kicks, and energy blasts, Dabura was capable of some amazing techniques. For instance, he was able to turn anyone into a statue by simply spitting on him.
Pui Pui was a henchman of Babidi, and he was sent to confront Vegeta at some point. However, the Saiyan Prince has easily defeated Pui Pui.
Spopovich and Yamu were two Earthlings who fell under the control of Babidi, and their mission was to bring energy to their master in order to revive Majin Buu.
Tier C:
Moro
Zamasu
Goku Black
Gas
Moro was an evil alien who had the unusual ability to absorb energy from entire planets, which is why he was also known as Moro the Planet Eater. Moro was introduced in the Dragon Ball Super manga after the Tournament of Power arc that we could see on TV, and he gave a lot of headaches to Goku and the gang. However, the Moro arc seems to have been hugely inspired by the Cell Saga of Dragon Ball Z, which is why we cannot take Moro too seriously.
Zamasu was a major villain in Dragon Ball Super, and he was known as a deity who came to the conclusion that people are evil and need to be eliminated. Therefore, he took over Goku’s body from another timeline and became Goku Black, who was basically an evil character in Goku’s body. Goku Black, who was actually Zamasu, joined forces with himself from a different timeline in order to gain even more power. The two Zamasu’s later merged into one single being as they fought Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks.
Gas, who was a member of the Heeter family and the main antagonist of the Granolah the Survivor Saga in the Dragon Ball Super Manga, became the strongest mortal in the Universe due to a wish made by Elec. Gas gave both Goku and Vegeta a lot of trouble, they were initially after Granolah until the only survivor of the Cerelean race understood that the two beloved Saiyans weren’t to blame for the death of his family.
Tier D:
Baby
Super Android 17
General Rilldo
Baby was one of the main villains in Dragon Ball GT. Apart from having a ridiculous name, he was a member of an alien race who apparently fell under the wrath of the Saiyans long ago. Baby was fueled with anger and willing to have his revenge on Goku and Vegeta, the only two pure-blooded Saiyans alive. Baby managed to possess the body of Vegeta and even the entire human race at some point.
Super Android 17 is the result of the merge of two Android 17. The resulting fighter was exceptionally strong, and he even had the ability to become stronger after taking any damage. Goku had a lot of problems with him even while using the Super Saiyan 4 transformation.
General Rilldo was also introduced in Dragon Ball GT, and he was a machine mutant who had the ability to manipulate all the metal from Earth as he wanted. Even though we could say that Rilldo wasn’t as strong as the other villains from Dragon Ball GT, he still possessed some interesting techniques.
Of course, we need to point out that the tier list mentioned above doesn’t necessarily express any objective truth. You are free to bring your own tier list of Dragon Ball villains in the comment section!
