Frieza

A galactic tyrant who polishes his cruelty with polite speech, turning real estate speculation into interstellar genocide.

Frieza is a fictional character and one of the main antagonists of the Dragon Ball series created by Akira Toriyama. He debuted in Chapter #247: "Dark Clouds Swirl Over Planet Namek," first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on October 24, 1989. Depicted as a galactic tyrant feared as the most powerful being in the universe, he serves as the archenemy of Goku. Frieza is widely considered the most iconic and popular villain in Dragon Ball, catalyzing many story events through his destruction of Planet Vegeta, which led to Goku's arrival on Earth and his later conflicts with Raditz, Nappa, and Vegeta.

Quick Facts

Series: Dragon Ball
First: Dragon Ball chapter #247 "Dark Clouds Swirl Over Planet Namek", October 24, 1989 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1989)
Creator: Akira Toriyama
Species: Frost Demon
Gender: Male

Lore & Background

Created around the time of the Japanese economic bubble, Frieza was inspired by real estate speculators whom Toriyama called the "worst kind of people." The author intentionally gave him polite speech to create an unsettling contrast with his cruelty. His name is a pun on "freezer," and his minions are named after fruits and dairy products. Toriyama revealed he did not think to have Frieza transform until about midway through; it is implied that the fourth form is his basic one, the other three being transformations that suppress his power, while the fifth unleashes his true power. The character's return was inspired by the 2008 song "F" by the metal band Maximum the Hormone. While often drawn as complex, Toriyama made his third form intricate only briefly to avoid drawing difficulty.

Reader's Guide

Frieza appears as the main antagonist of his eponymous saga in Dragon Ball Z. In Dragon Ball Super and Resurrection 'F', he is resurrected by Sorbet and Tagoma after fourteen years in Hell. He undergoes four months of intensive training to achieve "Golden Frieza." In this form, he fights Goku's new Super Saiyan Blue form but lacks stamina for a prolonged fight. He executes his defeated army for incompetence upon the arrival of Goku, Vegeta, Beerus, and Whis. In English dubs, Christopher Ayres voiced him until 2018, when end-stage COPD forced him to step down; his understudy Daman Mills then assumed the role.