From Frieza to Cell, the villains of Dragon Ball are some of the greatest villains in shonen anime history. However, often overlooked amongst these foes are the movie villains. The Dragon Ball films are inconsistent with their quality, presenting antagonists that either push Goku and friends to the limit or remain somewhat underwhelming in the scheme of things.
When looking at all 20 Dragon Ball films -- from the original series to Z to Super -- a few villains stand out among the rest. What follows is a ranking of the Dragon Ball movies by the merit of their antagonists, judging them based on their unique motivations, appearances, powers, and threat-level to Goku and the gang.
Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly - Bio-Broly
One-fifth of all Dragon Ball films feature some variation of Broly as the antagonist. Bio-Broly is technically a clone of the classic Broly, making him an underwhelming shadow of the original. Each of the Broly films loses a degree of originality with each subsequent release, with Bio-Broly just being thrown at Goten and Trunks, melting into an ugly Swamp Thing wannabe. People might make fun of Lord Slug for his weakness to high sound frequencies, but nothing is more ridiculous than Broly melting in water.
Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13 - Android 13
Android 13 is a boring antagonist. The three new Androids introduced in Super Android 13 are all fairly forgettable additions to Dr. Gero's assembly of Androids, but Android 13 is the least interesting of them all. Oddly enough, Android 13 becomes even less impressive once he absorbs 14 and 15. With his Southern trucker aesthetic, he goes from being somewhat distinct to an exact copy of Cell.
Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon - Hirudegarn
Hirudegarn is cool looking, but not much else. Hirudegarn is essentially a sealed-up kaiju. While powerful and visually impressive, Hirudegarn is undeniably the low-point in an otherwise very good Dragon Ball Z film. Wrath of the Dragon is best when focused on Taipion. Taipion's efforts to contain Hirudegarn within him are far more compelling than anything Hirudegarn himself does or represents.
Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound - Bojack
Bojack is a hard villain to classify. On one hand, he's an original antagonist who stands apart from any other antagonist Dragon Ball Z has to offer. On the other hand, he's also somewhat boring, with an uninteresting design and personality. He's not particularly intimidating either; despite being one of the worst threats the Kais faced, Gohan beats him fairly easily.
Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies - King Gurumes
King Gurumes is a poor replacement for Emperor Pilaf in this retelling of Dragon Ball's first arc, but that doesn't make him a bad antagonist. A greedy king who is more monster than man, he's been consumed by the influence of the Blood Rubies to seek out more hedonistic pleasure. He's unique among Dragon Ball villains in that he is a purely greedy figure whose actions have direct awful consequences on his citizen, but he's also clearly possessed.
Dragon Ball Z: Tree of Might - Turles
Turles is more well-known for being Goku's clone than anything he does in the film. This is a shame, since he's actually a fairly interesting villain. His motivation? Grow a tree that drains planets of life. In so many ways, Turles is the person Goku could have grown into had he not hit his head upon landing on Earth. He's a compelling, unique character with a fascinating history behind hm.
Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug - Lord Slug
Lord Slug is another villain who gets dismissed as unoriginal. He's essentially a less-interesting Demon King Piccolo. However, much like Turles, Slug is unfairly dismissed. He essentially wins in the first half of the film, managing to freeze the Earth while returning to his youth. His fight with Goku remains one of the more visually impressive battles in the entire saga, even if whistling does end up being his Achilles Heel.
Dragon Ball: Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle - Lucifer
Goku and the gang fight a vampire! Lucifer has the Sleeping Princess -- whom Master Roshi wants for reasons -- under his command, compelling Goku and Krillin -- along with Bulma and Launch -- to set her free. Lucifer feels like he walked off the set of Vampire Hunter D, being confronted with the cartoon intensity of Dragon Ball in the process. This makes for a gothic setting and antagonist that's honestly unlike anything else in Dragon Ball. And that's a great thing. Lucifer is an incredibly underrated Dragon Ball antagonist.
Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan/Broly - Second Coming - Classic Broly
Despite being a classic Dragon Ball Z villain, the original Broly is somewhat boring. When Broly fights, it remains some of the most impressive action in all of Dragon Ball Z. However, he's a fairly bizarre character. Broly's motivation is that he's still angry that Goku cried a lot in the crib, which makes him hard to take seriously even if his fights are the best.
Dragon Ball Z: The Dead Zone - Garlic Jr.
Garlic Jr. is a fascinating antagonist. He's unlike anyone else in Dragon Ball Z, being the son of Kami's rival. Making matters more interesting, Garlic Jr. wins. He becomes immortal, almost takes over the planet, but only loses because he falls into the Dead Zone. In both this and his filler arc after Namek, Garlic Jr. is the architect of his own defeat.
Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn - Janemba
Janemba is an example of style over substance. Janemba is a cocktail of evil energy, melded into a shape-shifting, reality distorting monster. Janemba has two really memorable designs, unique reality distorting powers, and opens up a portal between Hell and Earth. He isn't particularly complex, with him barely uttering a line, but he leaves an impression on the viewer.
Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge/Return of Cooler - Cooler
Cooler is an ever present figure in Dragon Ball Z fandom for a reason: he's a fascinating character. Frieza's brother avenging the fallen tyrant is fascinating enough. His multitude of transformations make him compelling, including his Meta-Cooler form. However, what makes Cooler so compelling is that his arrogance directly leads into his family's downfall. If he just killed Goku as a baby, Frieza would have lived. That tragic element makes Cooler a fascinating villain.
Dragon Ball: The Path to Power - Officer Black
The Red Ribbon Army is one of the first iconic villains in Dragon Ball. The Path to Power manages to heighten up the action and drama of the original arc. However, Officer Black follows the same general arc. He starts as a henchman, overthrows Red to take over the army, and inflicts horror. However, Black crosses a few moral lines his original counterpart does not, especially when it comes to Android 8. The film bumps him up in terms of threat level.
Dragon Ball: Mystical Adventure - General Tao
Another old-school Dragon Ball villain, General Tao ranks among old-school Dragon Ball's greatest villains. His appearance here allows him to find a chance to shine all-anew, pushing Goku and friends to their limits. While Mystical Adventure is a successful reimagining of the early fights with Tien and the Crane School, Tao steals the show.
Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest - Dr. Wheelo
Dr. Wheelo is an incredibly underrated villain. He is unique in that what he wants is a new body to inhabit -- the strongest body on the planet, in fact. His actions, motivations and behavior throughout the film reflect this off-kilter mindset. Even selecting Master Roshi as his first target because, when Wheelo was alive, Roshi was the strongest, is a unique choice that makes for a compelling antagonist.
Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' - Frieza
While Frieza ranks among Dragon Ball Z's greatest villains, his appearance in Resurrection 'F' does not reflect him as the full threat he posed during the Namek Saga. Regardless, Frieza's return is unforgettable, with his epic fight between Super Saiyan Blue Goku and incredible Gold Form -- as well as his memorable theme song -- being unforgettable highlights.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly - Modern Broly
The first Dragon Ball Super film managed to do what three previous films failed to do: make Broly a compelling character. More than just a powerhouse with an unforgettable design, the film managed to give Broly a tragic character with truly compelling motivations and backstory that makes him more than just a strong person to punch.
Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods - Beerus
Beerus is the most well-defined, well-established, and unique antagonists in any Dragon Ball Z film. While Beerus has benefited from becoming a regular character on Dragon Ball Super, Battle of Gods established Beerus as a unique presence: not evil, not even malignant, but extremely petty and overtly powerful. He drives Goku to reach new vistas, terrifies Vegeta, and gets into a petty fight with Buu over snacks. What's not to love about Beerus?
