Highlights
- Cooler, Frieza's brother, is a nuanced and relatable villain with a complex relationship with his family and a deep disdain for his brother.
- Cooler's unique motivations and dynamic with Frieza could add depth to the current power scaling in Dragon Ball, making him a valuable addition to the series.
- Dragon Ball Super has made non-canon characters canon before, so introducing Cooler as Frieza's powerful brother could bring new stakes and alliances to the series.
The villains in Dragon Ball are easily some of the best aspects of the entire series. From genocidal galactic tyrants to perfect bio-androids focused on destroying the planet, these villains often have basic and traditional motivations, but their personalities more than makeup for it. Even one-note villains such as Kid Buu have made a lasting impression on the whole fanbase, showing how iconic the villains of this franchise truly are.
However, some of the best villains in all of Dragon Ball are those that don't exist within the canon of the series. Some examples that come to mind are the original iteration of Broly, Omega Shenron, Janemba, and Bojack. However, none of these villains match up with Cooler, Frieza's brash and arrogant older brother who was so popular that there were 2 movies made about him in Z and was further immortalized in Super Dragon Ball Heroes. So, let's break down who Cooler is and why it is time for him to become canon!
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Who Is Cooler?
First Appearance | Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge |
|---|---|
Debut Date | July 20, 1991 |
Race | Frost Demon |
Introduced in a non-canon movie that was based right after the events of the Namek Saga, Cooler is revealed to be the eldest son of King Cold and Frieza's older brother. Not only was he just as cruel as the rest of his family members, but he was also the head of the Cooler Division of King Cold's army and was such a talented warrior that he was the first member of his family to unlock a transformation beyond that of his race's final form.
Cooler is much like his younger brother in terms of his cold and calculating ways of dealing with things, though, unlike Frieza, he doesn't give in to his ego and never underestimates his opponents. Despite being part of the Frieza Force, he doesn't work closely with his family, expressing quite a dislike and animosity towards his brother as he even admitted to Goku that if he had not killed Frieza at the end of the Namek Saga, Cooler would likely have been the one to do it.
I am the supreme master of this universe! I am the great destroyer, the taker of life! It is my will that this planet, and everyone on it, be annihilated!
His hatred towards Frieza was so great that it was actually his hubris which led to Goku's successful escape from Planet Vegeta and subsequently, the downfall of his own race and family. Cooler was present during Frieza's destruction of the Saiyan homeworld, and he even saw the escape shuttle carrying a baby Goku leave the planet. As his men got ready to destroy the shuttle, Cooler told them to let the shuttle escape.
In doing this, Cooler wanted Frieza to know that it was his inaction and soft heart that delayed the destruction of the Saiyan race and, in doing so, risked the control that their family had over the galaxy. However, ironically, he failed in the same area as Frieza did, as he let his pride and eager attitude get the better of him by letting Goku escape, which led to the deaths of both him and his brother at the hands of Goku's Super Saiyan form.
Cooler's forms and abilities:
Unlike Frieza, Cooler was never shown in his first 3 forms, instead only being seen in his final form. Looks-wise, he is very similar to Frieza, though their color palettes are pretty much swapped as Cooler has purple skin instead of white. On top of that, Cooler is significantly taller than Frieza as he stands closer to Goku's height and in terms of power, he fights very similarly to Frieza, and his moves are almost identical to those of his brother.
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However, Cooler's true strength comes with his new form, a transformation he achieved that supersedes even the strength of the final transformation of the Frost Demon race. In this state, he is made even stronger than the Frieza that fought Super Saiyan Goku, comfortably coasting through his Kamehameha without sustaining any damage. Though he was eventually outclassed by Goku's Super Saiyan state, he proved himself to be far stronger than his younger brother.
Why Cooler Needs To Be Made Canon
Though villains in Dragon Ball are often incredibly unique, iconic, and memorable, it's not often that fans of the series come across one that is as nuanced as Cooler. Though he too wants the destruction of the Saiyans and Planet Earth like many Dragon Ball villains before him, his entire relationship with Frieza, along with his disdain for his little brother and the Saiyans, make him a strangely relatable and flawed character.
Due to this, it can be deduced that much of Cooler's motivations come from not being accepted in favor of Frieza, adding a lot of depth to his character. Plus, the dynamic of how the current power scaling would work with yet another Frost Demon entering the fold with as much potential and strength as Frieza would definitely be worth waiting to see.
Although I'm MORE than enough to crush these pathetic lice... fine. Don't say Uncle Cooler never gave you anything!
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How he Could be Brought into the Series
As seen with Gogeta, Broly, and Goku's parents, Dragon Ball Super is no stranger to making previous entries in the franchise canon. Similarly, Cooler could also be made part of the official series. By introducing him as the brother of Frieza who may have been far away in another galaxy for decades, he could come back just as strong with a 'Black Cooler' transformation that he could use to ally himself with his brother. This would be an amazing addition, as it would give more stakes to the Black Frieza situation and make every Z-Fighter shine in a battle against the brothers.
He could also just be introduced as a version of Frieza from another universe where everything pretty much turns out the same way, but it is Cooler instead of Frieza in that universe. To further subvert fans' expectations, Cooler can even be introduced as more of a heroic figure that would help the heroes in finally taking Universe 7's galactic tyrant down for good.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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Dragon Ball Super
- Release Date
- July 5, 2015
- Studio
- Toei Animation
- Based On
- Manga
- Creator
- Akira Toriyama
- Number of Episodes
- 131
