One of the most defining storylines in the entire Dragon Ball franchise is the Frieza Saga, wrapping up the first act of Dragon Ball Z that began with Raditz's arrival on Earth as the Saiyans' would-be eradicator Frieza made his grand plan to gain immortality. With shifting alliances, an interstellar odyssey and, of course, plenty of stunning fights with increasingly powerful combat transformations, the Frieza Saga would effectively set the bar for the franchise moving forward.
While a lot of the surprises from the Frieza Saga may be taken for granted today, decades after its official North American debut, there are quite a few plot twists to keep audiences on their toes -- which is especially vital as the fight between Goku and Frieza alone lasted nineteen episodes. Here are the five most stunning plot twists in the sprawling Frieza Saga.
Frieza Destroys Namek
While the Z Fighters have often prevented Earth from falling into total annihilation, they failed to properly save the Namekian people and their home planet from being destroyed. Just as the Saiyan Saga ended with Vegeta poised to destroy Earth when he began losing his fight against Goku, Frieza similarly moved to destroy Namek after Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan.
However, unlike Goku's duel against Vegeta, the Super Saiyan fails to stop Frieza from obliterating Namek, watching as the tyrant blasts the planet's core with a concentrated energy blast. Fortunately for Goku, the destruction of Namek wasn't instantaneous, giving the newly minted Super Saiyan enough time to defeat Frieza and escape, ending the storyline an explosively punctuative note.
Vegeta Is Outmatched
Vegeta shared the legend of the Super Saiyan for the first time while on Namek, revealing he was striving toward becoming the first documented Super Saiyan in approximately a millennium. Steadily growing stronger from his Saiyan genetics, as he recovered from grievous wounds incurred in battles against Frieza and his henchmen, Vegeta was confident he finally achieved the Super Saiyan ascension as Frieza similarly reached his final combat transformation.
The Saiyan Prince was horribly mistaken, of course, with his physical appearance remaining visibly unchanged as he powered up. Unfazed, Vegeta launched a massive energy barrage against Frieza, which the villain easily dodged without suffering so much as a scratch. Completely outclassed and having spent his energy, Vegeta could only weep in frustration as Frieza savagely beat the Saiyan upstart within an inch of his life.
Goku's Kaio-Ken Fail
Dragon Ball Z's Kaio-Ken technique was the move that gave Goku his edge over Vegeta, pushing his body above its normal physical limits in bursts to surpass his opponent's own power level. When Goku briefly demonstrated how far he had progressed while confronting Captain Ginyu, the flash of Kaio-Ken he provided shook Ginyu to his core.
When Goku finally unveiled the Kaio-Ken technique against Frieza, it came at a time when the Saiyan was growing more exhausted while the villain's combat strength was rapidly increasing as he approached his full potential. This culminated in Goku pushing the Kaio-Ken technique further than he ever had at that time, firing his strongest Kamehameha Wave yet, only for a relatively unimpressed Frieza to stop it with a single hand.
Frieza Kills Dende
The Z Fighters' one saving grace during their lengthy battle against Frieza was the presence of the Namekian healer Dende, who healed each of their wounds in a matter of seconds, even when they lay at the brink of death. By the time Frieza was powering up to achieve his final transformation, he noticed Dende's role and sought to stop this at the source.
When Frieza reached his final form, his first target wasn't Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan or Krillin, but Dende, killing the young boy with a small, single energy blast. The move not only underscored how lethally cruel Frieza was but that there was no apparent point of return for the Z Fighters as they continued the battle without a healer.
Goku's Spirit Bomb Whiffs
One of the more infamous parts of Dragon Ball Z's Frieza Saga was Goku taking the time to charge up a Super Spirit Bomb in a last-ditch effort to destroy Frieza when it was clear he couldn't stand toe-to-toe against him. Piccolo, Krillin and Gohan would buy Goku more time before the attack was finally complete, with Goku finally hitting Frieza with the full blast.
The reason the Spirit Bomb tops this list of plot twists is that, despite episodes of setup, the attack ultimately fails. The Z Fighters rally around Goku to congratulate him on a job well-done after the Spirit Bomb connects -- only for an enraged Frieza to emerge from the blast site and begin his vendetta anew, killing Krillin and gravely wounding Piccolo.
