10 Best Villains That Changed the Series Forever

During the many decades that Dragon Ball franchise has aired, it has gone on to introduce some of the most important and iconic antagonists in not only the anime industry, but across fiction in general. The villains of this series have defined the trope more than any other franchise.

But while many villains in history are iconic, there are 10 whose inclusion in the Dragon Ball has drastically changed the direction of the series as a whole. So, in this article, let's go through the top 10 villains of the franchise whose inclusion changed an important aspect of the story in one way or another.

10

Jiren was the reason behind Goku's strongest form

Debut Arc: Universe Survival Saga

The already insane power scaling of the franchise was pushed to even crazier heights in Dragon Ball Superwhich ultimately saw the heroes go up against the mighty Jiren. Jiren was unlike typical antagonists as he wasn't really evil and only needed to fight for his universe's survival, with his unparalleled power ultimately leading to Goku's Perfected Ultra Instinct form. Through Jiren, the direction of the franchise was changed forever with the introduction of the powerful Divine Transformations.

9

Goku Black/Zamasu might be the most evil character

Debut Arc: Goku Black Arc

Future Trunks' timeline simply couldn't catch a break, as Goku Black would eventually destroy everything long after the Android's defeat. Because of this, Goku and Vegeta's help was once again needed, ultimately leading to the release of Infinite Zamasu, who was a version of the villain that infected the entire universe and timeline. Because of this, Future Zeno had to be summoned to erase the timeline, adding a new component to the Tournament of Power in the process.

8

Broly Set The Board For The Protagonists Forward

Debut Arc: Broly Arc

Broly has technically been a part of the franchise for over 30 years, but it wasn't until 2018 that he would finally become canon. Like Jiren, Broly wasn't truly evil, it was just that his potential and anger were so great that they would force him to lose his mind and become an impossibly powerful monster in the process. At the end of this arc, Broly was defeated by Gogeta, but instead of dying, he would be recruited by Goku to become one of the main heroes of the series going forward, increasing Universe 7's strength much more as one of its greatest protectors.

7

Majin Buu was the universe's greatest threat

Debut Arc: Buu Saga

Millions of years before the start of the franchise, Majin Buu was perhaps the greatest threat Universe 7 had ever faced. In modern times, he was reincarnated by Babidi and continued to be Dragon Ball villain with the most destructive success in the entire series. Not only did he defeat some of the show's strongest characters due to his multiple forms and incredible power, he also managed to successfully destroy Earth, making him one of the only villains to ever manage to do so.

6

The androids were terrifying villains

Debut Arc: Android Saga

Future Trunks came to the current timeline after having his entire future destroyed due to the powerful Androids created by Dr. Gero. In his home timeline, Goku had died of an unknown heart condition, allowing the villains to do whatever they wanted as no one could oppose them, not even Future Gohan. This forced Future Trunks to travel back in time to give Goku the antidote to the disease, which effectively changed the entire course of the race. Dragon Ball story.

5

Beerus changed everything with his debut

Debut Arc: God of Destruction Beerus Saga

As the God of Destruction of Universe 7, Beerus is the single most powerful character in the cosmos, and his fight against Goku in the arc bearing his name amply proved this. Despite Goku achieving a form far stronger than all those that came before it, it was not even worth a fraction of the Destroyer's power, leading to the hero's defeat. Although many felt that Beerus would then destroy the Earth, he actually did not, and in the process became an important ally of the Z-Fighters. Although he usually seems disinterested in everything, Beerus also acts as a mentor and teacher for Vegeta to hone his Destroyer powers, which may be one of the best aspects of Dragon Ball Super as a whole.

4

Demon King Piccolo turned into an important character

Debut Arc: King Piccolo Saga

The original's greatest enemy Dragon Ball series was none other than the Demon King Piccolo, who proved to be Goku's ultimate test. Not only was he the first big-bad in the entire franchise, but his immense strength was unlike anything the series had seen up to that point, which many felt was the blueprint for the direction that Dragon Ball Z went in. Finally, after his defeat, Piccolo Jr. was born, who would eventually go on to redeem himself to become one of the best and most important heroes of the series.

3

Perfect Cell was the ultimate test for Gohan

Debut Arc: Android Saga

When people think about Dragon Ball villains, chances are Perfect Cell or Frieza will immediately come to their minds. The case for the former is that he is one of the most charismatic and iconic villains of all time who proved to be the toughest test for the heroes at the end of the Cell Games. Many believe he changed the series forever due to his importance not only to the story itself, but to Gohan's journey in particular, as his villainy allowed the young Saiyan to push his limits to become one of the only characters to defeat a supervillain besides Goku.

2

Frieza is the best villain in the entire franchise

Debut Arc: Namek Saga

When you think about Dragon Ball villains as a whole, none compare to Frieza in terms of strength, importance, icon status, and overall presence. Since the early days of Dragon Ball ZFrieza was set up as the ultimate antagonist whose actions led to arguably the most important moment in anime history, which was Goku's ascension to Super Saiyan. Since then, Frieza has continued to appear in the series due to fans' love for the character as well as what he means to the overall story, and is currently at his strongest, making him the universe's greatest threat that continues to be a thorn in the side of the heroes.

1

Vegeta underwent the greatest redemption arc ever

Debut Arc: Saiyan Saga

At this point, it's pretty hard to remember a time when Vegeta was a villain. In the Saiyan Saga, he was a ruthless tyrant who believed in the supremacy of the Saiyans, which was partly why he went around the universe destroying planets and enslaving their people. But since then, Vegeta has become perhaps the most well-written character in the series, abandoning this life to become a protector of the weak, a path that has led to him attaining much greater power than he otherwise would have. While he's not a villain in the traditional sense anymore and is by no means a bigger antagonist than Frieza, Vegeta's journey from a villain to a vital hero is easily one of the biggest additions to Dragon Ball the story as a whole, which is why he ranks so high.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

TV program

Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball DAIMA

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Dragon Ball