Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Super excels in many arenas, but it’s an anime series that truly understands how to create a compelling villain. Frieza gets introduced relatively early in Dragon Ball Z‘s run, only to become the series’ unofficial primary antagonist. Frieza has had more opportunities to cause trouble than any other villain, and he’s even returned, stronger than ever, in Dragon Ball Super‘s manga.
Dragon Ball Super has Goku make the controversial decision to recruit Frieza to fight on Universe 7’s team in the Tournament of Power, which results in his mortality being restored. Frieza’s cooperation has led some fans to believe that the villain can work as a temporary ally. However, there’s far too much history and evidence to suggest that Frieza is beyond redemption.
10 Any Good Deed Frieza’s Done Has Had Ulterior Motives
Any major discussion of Frieza’s rehabilitation from villain to hero rests on the fact that he helps Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power. His cooperation even extends to saving Goku from elimination and fighting alongside him. These are technically good deeds, but the only reason that Frieza is willing to help out these people that he hates is because the alternative is erasure and an eternity in the afterlife.
If Frieza weren’t presented with such a rewarding deal in exchange for his cooperation, then he’d never have helped out in the first place. This is conditional kindness that’s built upon ulterior motives, and Frieza has already turned against Goku and Vegeta during his recent manga appearance.
9 Frieza Exterminates Nearly The Entire Saiyan Race
Frieza is responsible for endless evil acts. That being said, what’s often viewed as one of his biggest crimes is that he manipulates the Saiyan population to be his reliable servants who conquer planets in his name. This is bad enough, but Frieza decides to end their business arrangement through Planet Vegeta’s destruction, which takes out 99% of the Saiyan population with it.
Universe 7 continues to struggle to rebuild their Saiyan numbers, and they’ll never be as plentiful as they once were. Frieza’s gleeful destruction of this race, like he’s watching a fireworks display, is just too despicable to ever redeem. If nothing else, Saiyans will never forgive him.
8 Frieza Has No Sense Of Loyalty
Frieza may save heroes or contribute to Universe 7’s greater good, but it’s hard to redeem someone who seems to genuinely lack the ability to be loyal. Any ally that Frieza has is merely a means to an end or someone who can take the fall instead of him. Frieza doesn’t hesitate to execute some of his best soldiers when the tide turns, or they overstay their usefulness.
There’s genuine tension during the Tournament of Power that Frieza will betray Goku and company, which even briefly occurs during Goku’s recruitment process. Furthermore, Frieza comes from a thoroughly evil family between King Cold, Cooler, his ancestor Chilled, and even Frost, which indicates that altruism just isn’t possible for his kind.
7 Frieza’s Killed Some Of Dragon Ball’s Greatest Heroes
Frieza gets his start as a villain, and his assault on Planet Namek puts him in conflict with Earth’s strongest. Goku ultimately defeats Frieza, thanks to his Super Saiyan upgrade, but before this turn of events, there’s much blood on Frieza’s hands. Frieza is responsible for the deaths of Krillin, Vegeta, Bardock, and very nearly Piccolo and Gohan (on more than one occasion, no less).
Goku may somehow be able to put aside his differences and work with Frieza. However, it’s hard to imagine that those who have been personally killed by him would truly believe that he’s been redeemed and put themselves in such a vulnerable position again.
6 Frieza’s Strength Seems To Have No Limits When He’s Truly Motivated
Frieza begins Dragon Ball‘s tradition of villains who cycle through multiple transformations before they reach peak power. Frieza takes this concept quite far on Planet Namek, but this turns out to merely be the tip of the iceberg. Frieza’s returns in Dragon Ball Super introduce his Golden and Black forms, both of which are the results of him actually training for once in his life.
Black Frieza is currently the strongest individual in Universe 7, and there’s no reason to doubt that Frieza could unlock another form if he puts in the right amount of work. The inability to properly determine Frieza’s full strength and the plateau of his powers makes him too risky to trust and be redeemed.
5 Frieza’s Quick To Command An Entire Army
Frieza is a villain who is more than capable of handling problems on his own, but he frequently functions with an entire army of dutiful warriors who respect his ways or are too terrified to refuse. Frieza has amassed a bountiful army that heavily insulates the tyrant and is even dedicated to using the Dragon Balls to revive their fallen leader.
Additionally, the feature film Fusion Reborn features Frieza leading a team of undead warriors out of the afterlife to wreak havoc on Earth. Frieza’s disciples are just too dutiful, and even if he decides to turn over a new leaf, there’s still no guarantee that he hasn’t instructed his soldiers to rise up in his name.
4 Frieza Turns To Destructive Gambits When He’s Backed Into A Corner
A sore loser is a terrible thing, especially when they have unimaginable power at their disposal. There have been several instances when Frieza understands that victory is futile, and his strategy shifts to a massive reckoning rather than some sort of cooperative cease-fire.
Frieza’s difficulty against Super Saiyan Goku on Namek results in him triggering the planet’s implosion, and he does the same thing on Earth when his Golden form proves to be inferior to Super Saiyan Blue strength. Any alliance with Frieza runs the risk of him turning to this tactic once again whenever he doesn’t get what he wants. It’s just not worth it.
3 Frieza Has Escaped From Hell On Multiple Occasions
Dragon Ball has come up with valid ways for deceased characters to come back to life and get another go at things. Frieza eventually gets a proper resurrection courtesy of Whis’ Angel abilities, but before this, he cheats the system and finds ways to escape from hell to cause greater destruction.
Resurrection ‘F’, Fusion Reborn, and Dragon Ball GT all include sequences where Frieza returns to Earth, albeit still deceased, but still able to break these tenets of existence. Frieza’s tendency to cause revolts in hell and his refusal to accept his fate are dangerous qualities that don’t promote redemption as a healthy option.
2 Frieza Controls Multiple Mercenary Groups For Evil Deeds
Another reason that Frieza is so dangerous and feared is that he has some extremely powerful mercenary groups under his control. The Ginyu Force appears to be on retainer for Frieza, and he’s able to use them for destructive purposes whenever he sees fit. A similar arrangement exists for the Heeter Force, who may aim to overthrow Frieza but are still indebted to him for the opportunities that he’s created.
Frieza also takes advantage of Broly and his father, Paragus, in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which has disastrous consequences. All of this proves that Frieza’s evil is like a poison that spreads far beyond him and has insulated some of the universe’s worst villains for hire.
1 Frieza Has Destroyed Countless Planets For Selfish Fun
Frieza’s big entrance in Dragon Ball is when he sets his sights on Planet Namek in order to obtain their powerful Dragon Balls. However, Frieza has a long history of wiping out and conquering planets as if he were building a collection. Frieza has displaced and eliminated so many alien populations, plenty of which continue to hold grudges against this heartless villain.
It seems as if it’s always just a matter of time before someone new who has issues with Frieza comes out of the woodwork, which makes it increasingly difficult to rehabilitate him. There are just too many people from across the galaxy who hate Frieza and would be unwilling to view him as a changed hero.