Dragon Ball, as a franchise, has spent time creating some of the most terrifying villains in anime history. To make antagonists like Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, and Broly so scary, they had to accomplish horrific acts that made viewers’ skin crawl. To “celebrate” some of the worst of the worst that Akira Toriyama had to offer, now feels like the right time to study the inhuman acts performed by some of shonen’s greatest villains. Needless to say, the villains’ track records made it easy enough to find the examples for this top ten list.
Videos by ComicBook.com
Sometimes, a Dragon Ball villain has a bizarre story of their emergence from a rice cooker to be the next big existential threat for Earth. Other times, they conquer entire planets or destroy the ones they can’t control. Others base their entire identity on how they’ve gathered the traits of their greatest rivals to achieve perfection, and others still aspire to greater heights, becoming multiversal threats. Dragon Ball villains and their evil actions are well-known at this point in the fandom, and while some are less impactful, the malice can still potentially ring through stronger than for others. Here are our top picks:
10) King Piccolo Blows Up East City
More often than not, the original Dragon Ball series that started it all can be overshadowed by its sequel series, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super. If there had to be a “main villain” for the first series, it would be the “Demon King Piccolo,” the “father” of the Piccolo we would come to know in the rest of the shonen franchise. Making his debut by proclaiming himself to be the new king of the world, he immediately freed prisoners while also vowing to blow up cities daily if his demands weren’t met. Even with a power level in the hundreds, the villainous Piccolo proved that he still had the power to completely eradicate the surroundings around him.
9) Nappa & Vegeta’s Reign of Destruction
Joining the Demon King Piccolo in wrecking cities, Nappa and Vegeta’s arrival on the planet Earth saw them decimate a locale. Thanks to Nappa’s power level being fundamentally higher than the original Dragon Ball villain, the damage was far more extensive. While this moment took place in both the manga and the anime, the latter presented original moments of the two Saiyans taking detours on their way to Earth, destroying entire planets in their path. Needless to say, the two villains left quite an impression on the anime world with their Dragon Ball Z debut.
8) Frieza Blows Up Planet Vegeta
This is perhaps the most important evil act in Dragon Ball history, as Frieza destroyed Planet Vegeta and eradicated Goku and Vegeta’s race for the most part. The Saiyans weren’t exactly the nicest of people, but the eradication of their entire race is an evil undergoing by all the same. Goku was able to survive this by being jettisoned to Earth by his parents, though Bardock and Gine weren’t so lucky. While we didn’t learn this fact until after Frieza’s debut that he was responsible for Vegeta’s destruction, this act helped cement the antagonist as one of the biggest foes in anime history.
7) Cell Kills Ginger Town
Cell’s introduction in Dragon Ball Z was quite different from the likes of Frieza and Majin Buu, as the biological nightmare effectively popped up out of nowhere with no build-up. His actions in the background spoke for themselves, however, as Dr. Gero’s creation gained power by horrifically draining energy from regular civilians. Luckily, Piccolo was around to put his newfound fusion with Kami to good use, but the damage was already done. Following Cell’s escape from the Namekian, he continued his reign of terror
6) Broly Destroys South Galaxy
This evil act from the eighth movie of the Dragon Ball Z series can sometimes get lost in the shuffle, but it’s easily one of the most evil things Broly did during his original “career.” The main reason the Z-Fighters assembled to take on the Legendary Super Saiyan was thanks to the Southern Galaxy’s destruction, which Broly had done with quite some ease. While the original movie-only villain certainly proved how evil he could be during the events of the eighth film of the sequel series, his first act set the stage for what was to come.
5) Buu Wipes Out Humanity
When Majin Buu was released from his pink prison, the villain went from an overweight juggernaut to a svelte menace thanks to merging his “good and bad sides.” While looking for his next thrill, Buu arrives on Kami’s lookout, and Piccolo is forced to give Goten and Trunks time as they worked to master the fusion dance. Begging Majin Buu to murder the rest of humanity, thinking that they can all be wished back with the dragon balls, Buu does just that, but in one fell swoop. Unleashing one of the scariest energy attacks in the series’ history, Buu’s “Human Extinction Attack” releases millions of energy blasts that seek out its targets and end their lives.
4) Kid Buu Destroys The Earth
Almost as an attempt to defeat his own track record, Kid Buu’s arrival immediately saw him attempting to eradicate the human population that he had missed in his earlier form. Proving himself to be the strongest incarnation of Majin Buu this side of the one that tangled with Vegitto, Kid Buu immediately killed the likes of Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo in his first attack. While he might not have been able to form sentences, Kid Buu made for a worthy final villain of the Dragon Ball Z anime.
3) Androids 17 & 18 Destroy Future Trunks’ Timeline
Androids 17 and 18 might have eventually become “good guys” thanks to the influence of the Z-Fighters, but their alternate selves in the future were far less altruistic. Joyfully killing scores of the human race as they toyed with the likes of Gohan and Trunks, it’s hard to think of a more despicable reign of terror simply thanks to the amount of fun the android siblings were having during this time. While future Gohan’s death was despicable enough, Dragon Ball Z was able to instill a hatred for these two androids in a way that few other anime villains received.
2) Goku Black Destroys Future Trunks’ Timeline
Future Trunks just couldn’t catch a break in either Dragon Ball Z or Dragon Ball Super. After returning to his timelines and eliminating the likes of Androids 17 and 18, Cell, and Majin Buu, the arrival of Goku Black saw the villain picking up where Dr. Gero’s creations left off. Eliminating not just scores of humans, but Bulma as well, Goku Black sent Trunks packing and saw the future son of Vegeta returning in the sequel series. Of course, Goku Black and Zamasu’s “Mortal Elimination Plan” was evil enough on its own, even if the villainous duo weren’t successful in achieving it.
1) The Xenos Destroy Universes
The most evil act on this list comes from its most unlikely pair. While Universe 7 had one Xeno to start, a second Xeno was secured from Future Trunks’ timeline, which caused double the headache for the Z-Fighters. Thanks to Goku wishing for the Tournament of Power and the Xeno duo looking to watch fights, the stakes of this battle saw the Xenos eliminating entire universes with the snap of their fingers. While all those killed by Xeno and his twin were brought back to life, trillions of lives were snuffed out in an act so evil, it put the likes of Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu to shame.
There are plenty of evil deeds done in Dragon Ball’s four decades of history, but what is one that you remember the most? Let us know in the comments below!
Most Viewed
-
Image courtesy of Focus Features.
