With over 40 years of legacy, Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is one of the oldest and most iconic anime and manga franchises of all time. Toei Animation adapted the original manga into two major parts: Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z. Dragon Ball Z takes place after a time skip where Goku is married to Chi Chi and has a four-year-old son, Gohan. Although Dragon Ball set up the foundation for the story, Dragon Ball Z helped the franchise gain worldwide recognition. Dragon Ball Z focuses on more intense action sequences and iconic characters, raising the stakes higher than ever as the Z warriors face powerful enemies capable of destroying the world.
As a battle Shonen, Dragon Ball’s appeal lies in thrilling battles where the villains put the heroes through the wringer. Dragon Ball Z has four main Sagas, as Goku and the others continue to grow stronger each time they fight a powerful enemy. Among the many enemies introduced in DBZ, these 10 are considered the strongest, with some additions entering the canon through movies and their status cemented, such as in Dragon Ball Super.
10) Frieza
Frieza may have been a galactic tyrant who gave Goku and everyone else a hard time in the Namek Saga. However, he is only that powerful because he has never come across a Super Saiyan, a legendary power belonging to the Saiyan race. Even Frieza’s final form was no match against Super Saiyan Goku. Later, when Future Trunks travels in the past, he easily slices through Frieza, who barely survived his fight against Goku. Although the villain gains enormous strength in Dragon Ball Super, he is considerably weaker than the other villains who came after the Frieza Saga through his tenure in Dragon Ball Z.
9) Android 19
Android 19 is one of Dr. Gero’s creations and the first one to appear in the Android Saga. Unlike Androids 17 and 18, who were transformed from humans, Android 19 is a fully artificial being. He is capable of absorbing his opponents’ energy, which also allows him to recharge his own powers. He was able to easily overpower all the Z Warriors, including a virus-weakened Super Saiyan Goku. However, Android 19 met his end at the hands of Super Saiyan Vegeta.
8) Dr. Gero
Initially introduced onscreen as Android 20, his uncanny resemblance to the Red Ribbon Army’s genius cyborg and android creator did not go unnoticed. This led to fans catching a first look at a prominent villain from behind the scenes of the original Dragon Ball, but with even more frightening capabilities than those of 19. Retaining his original mind despite the transformation, and being able to absorb the energy of the Z Fighters, his power is more or less comparable, if not outright stronger than 19 before energy absorption comes into play, bringing brains to his impressive brawn. While he and 19 are smacked around by the Z Fighters soon enough, the destruction they wrought on the world, Gero was not to be taken lightly. The real threats that followed Gero were directly the result of his animus and obsessive studying of his enemies, Earth’s defenders.
7) Android 18
Although Android 18 later married Krillin and had a daughter with him, she was introduced as a villain in the Cell Saga. Along with her younger twin brother, she was created as a tool for Dr. Gero’s revenge against Goku. The difference in the powers of 18 and 19 is astounding, as she is even able to overpower Vegeta in his Super Saiyan form, and she did that almost effortlessly. Despite all his power, Future Trunks had to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Vegeta to become strong enough to defeat her in the alternate timeline (who was considerably weaker than the main timeline).
6) Android 17
Just like 18, Android 17 turns over a new leaf after the Cell Saga, but he gives the Z warriors a run for their money right after his introduction. He fights Piccolo in the main timeline, which is almost evenly matched despite Piccolo gaining a massive boost after merging with Kami. However, the fight is interrupted because of Cell. In the alternate timeline, Future Trunks defeated 17 and 18 together after his intense training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
5) Dabura
The Supreme King of the Demon race is a force to be reckoned with. Unfortunately, he somehow falls victim to Babidi’s spell and is forced to do the evil magician’s bidding. Being under Babidi’s spell even boosted Dabura’s power, which he manages to show off during his fight with Gohan. Since Gohan lacks years of training, fighting a seasoned warrior such as Dabura is more challenging than he realized. Dabura dies in the blink of an eye after Majin Buu transformed him into a cookie with his Candy Beam and then eats him.
4) Cell
Cell is designed to possess numerous favorable genetic traits and special abilities of Goku and the other Z warriors. Ever since his introduction, he has only continued to grow stronger after absorbing more and more humans. He finally stops after he reaches his form “Perfect Cell” after absorbing Androids 17 and 18. Cell is already powerful before, but he becomes almost untouchable after achieving his true form. Goku even says that he can’t defeat the villain on his own, but Gohan, his son, is more powerful as a half-Saiyan and is the key to victory.
3) Broly
Broly was introduced as a non-canon character in the Dragon Ball Z films, before Akira Toriyama reimagined the character in the 2018 film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Known as the Legendary Super Saiyan, he is one of the most iconic villains from the Dragon Ball Z movies, including Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan, Broly – Second Coming, and Bio-Broly. He was born with an abnormally high power level that only continues to grow endlessly during battle. His Legendary Super Saiyan form grants him overwhelming strength, a near-limitless stamina, and explosive energy blasts capable of destroying entire planets.
2) Kid Buu
Unlike Majin Buu, Kid Buu is an embodiment of evil, and he’s the pure form of the ancient being. When Majin Buu tried to heal Mr. Satan and his dog, Bee, Kid Buu was able to separate himself from his counterpart and became stronger than ever. While Majin Buu makes irrational decisions like a child throwing a tantrum, Kid Buu’s actions are calculated, and he only craves destruction and chaos without reason. His defeat is still one of the most memorable moments in the Dragon Ball franchise, where Goku uses a massive spirit bomb charged with the energy of everyone on Earth. This leaves no room for the villain to regenerate, and peace was restored on Earth, at least for a short time.
1) Beerus
Beerus was introduced in the Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods film before becoming one of the most crucial characters in Dragon Ball Super, confirming him as canon within the prevailing series timeline. As the God of Destruction of Universe 7, he is one of the most powerful deities in the story. His role is to maintain the balance of the universe by erasing planets, civilizations, and any threats that disrupt cosmic order. He saw a prophetic dream about the Super Saiyan God and went to search for this being that would be a worthy opponent to him.
But Beerus is disarmingly likable and oddly relatable as he shifts from antagonist in the Dragon Ball Z swan song movie, into a more complicated supporting figure in Dragon Ball Super. His catlike features and love for pudding make him similar to Innocent Buu in winning over fans, but his innate powers remain no joke and set the stage for incredibly powerful characters in Toriyama and Toyotarou’s sequel series.
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