The villains of the Dragon Ball franchise have historically been some of the best and most iconic antagonists in the entire anime industry. More than anything else, it is usually because of their ruthless attitudes and cold personalities that make them very cool characters that the fans just simply cannot help but love. However, the love that fans have for them doesn't erase how monstrous they truly are.

Since the power system in Dragon Ball makes almost every character potentially a planetary threat, the atrocities that some villains have committed in the series are on a scale far greater than any found in other anime series. From blowing up planets to erasing entire civilizations, the villains of Dragon Ball are just built different, so let's check what their most evil moments are.

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Vegeta And Nappa Show Their Strength

Before Radtiz had been defeated by Goku and Piccolo, he warned them about two other Saiyans who would reach Earth in a year and were far stronger than him. While this was true, the true extent of the power difference was only seen later, when Vegeta and Nappa made their way to the Planet Arlia and then to Earth, where each of them showed exactly why they were so terrifying.

Why it's so evil:

After defeating the Arlians and subjugating their people into obedience, the Saiyans eventually grew bored of the planet, with Nappa even remarking how he hates the desert world. It was here that Vegeta proceeded to blow the entire planet up with minimal effort, showing that this was a power far different from any the heroes had seen before. Eventually, after reaching Earth, Nappa's strength was also shown when he destroyed East City.

Frieza Kills Krillin In Front Of Goku

Frieza is now known as, arguably, the most evil villain in the franchise, since his family was in the business of eradicating planets and selling them off. However, the Frost Demon became the reason behind Goku's first Super Saiyan transformation after he killed his best friend right in front of his eyes, triggering rage within Goku unlike what had ever been seen before.

Why it's so evil:

Krillin is no stranger to death. In fact, this didn't even mark his first death in the franchise. However, he was still Goku's best friend and someone he thought of like a brother, so amidst the chaos on Namek, Frieza lifted him into the air and blew him up, despite Goku pleading for him to stop. Krillin's last word was also 'Goku', which made this moment far more personal and showed why Frieza is such an evil villain.

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Frieza Destroys The Saiyan Race

Coming back with everyone's favorite Galactic Tyrant, this was the moment that cemented Frieza's and the Saiyan's intertwined destiny. Despite being employed under him, Frieza had been worried about the growing strength of the Saiyans for quite some time and had also been haunted by visions of the Legendary Super Saiyan, which prompted him to destroy their entire home planet.

Why it's so evil:

This moment is crucial to the backstory and character motivations of Vegeta and Goku, as it shows that Frieza had been causing problems for them from the start. It also showed that Frieza is no stranger to mass genocide, as a mere concern over their strength and visions of the Super Saiyan led to him killing millions. Later, it would also be shown that Beerus was equally to blame for this whole situation.

Cell Eradicates Ginger Town

Cell was introduced as a secondary antagonist to the main trio of Androids but would quickly rise up the ranks to become one of the best villains in the entire series. His ruthless attitude was perfectly shadowed by his grotesque appearance, which showed him to be a monstrous creature that somehow appeared to be far more alien than even Frieza, despite being a bio-android made on Earth.

Why it's so evil:

When Piccolo eventually flies to Imperfect Cell's location to confront and defeat him at Ginger Town, he is shocked to have found the place empty, but littered with loose clothes. This was absolutely horrifying, as it showed that Imperfect Cell had absorbed the entire human population of the town and had destroyed the rest of it, making it known that this was a threat that was far stronger and more disgusting than any they had ever faced before.

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Super Buu Eradicated The Human Population

Majin Buu is someone who cannot be looked at through the same lens as other villains, due to him being a monster who was just born to destroy. He was so powerful that millions of years before the setting, Buu destroyed an entire galaxy and, toward the end of the Buu Saga, he destroyed Earth as well. However, his human extinction attack took the lives of billions in only a little while, showing that this cruel monster targeted only humans as a way to get rid of his boredom.

Why it's so evil:

This is an incredibly evil moment from Super Buu as it shows that driving a species to extinction is just something he can do to pass time. Trunks and Goten's fusion into Gotenks took quite a while, so Piccolo suggested that Buu should wait for them, which he did by releasing this massive attack and killing the entire human populace.

Beerus Blows Up Half Of A Planet

The case for Beerus committing atrocities is different from the other villains doing it. This is because, as a Destroyer God, he is required to destroy entire planets or civilizations that are preventing the growth of the universe to a significant Mortal Level, as the destruction of a few billion allows the progress of trillions. However, the reason he blew up half of a planet at the start of Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods was perhaps a bit too much.

Why it's so evil:

Although Beerus's job description requires him to destroy things without a second thought, he is quite a brash, arrogant, and impulsive character whose opinions and actions can change on a whim. At the start of the movie, he visits a planet where he eats a dish that he likes but claims to be too greasy. As a showing of self-described mercy, Beerus blows up only half the planet instead of the whole thing.

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Zamasu Became A Malevolent Deity

After Zamasu began his plan, he started by taking over Goku's body to become an extremely powerful, evil version of the Saiyan. Even in this form, he committed unspeakable acts by killing most of the humans on Earth and killing Future Bulma right in front of her son's eyes. After fusing into Merged Zamasu, the villain would only get stronger.

Why it's so evil:

Aside from the brutal and emotionless killing of most of the human race, Merged Zamasu had a plan to eradicate all mortals in the universe, which he was able to mostly succeed in. Even at the end of the arc, after being cut in two pieces by Trunks, he became so strong that the only person who was able to kill him was Zeno, which he did by completely erasing the entire timeline he was a part of.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

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Dragon Ball Super

Action

Adventure

Release Date

July 5, 2015

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

131