Frieza Force

A galactic brokerage that liquidates populations to resell planets.

The Frieza Force operates as a galactic brokerage where planets are forcibly acquired and resold, often after the total extinction of their populations. Its leader Frieza was created by Akira Toriyama around the time of the Japanese economic bubble and was inspired by real estate speculators; he is depicted as a galactic tyrant feared as the most powerful being in the universe. Frieza's name is a pun on freezer, and his minions and the members of the Ginyu Force are named after fruits and dairy products, items one would normally put in a refrigerator.

Quick Facts

Leader: Frieza
Notable elite unit: Ginyu Force
First major appearance: Chapter #247: 'Dark Clouds Swirl Over Planet Namek' (October 24, 1989)

Lore & Background

The organization's philosophy stems directly from its founder, who views the eradication of life as standard business procedure. Toriyama designed Frieza to speak politely, creating an unsettling contrast with his cruelty, a trait that permeates the Force's command structure. Frieza's minions and the Ginyu Force members bear names related to fruits and dairy products, items one would normally put in a refrigerator. This naming convention underscores the character's origin as a pun on 'freezer.' The fear of a potential uprising by the Saiyans due to their increasing power, combined with a prophecy about a legendary Super Saiyan, drove Frieza to destroy Planet Vegeta, effectively dismantling his own primary labor force in a move instigated by Lord Beerus.

Reader's Guide

The Frieza Force serves as the primary antagonistic force of the first half of the Dragon Ball Z series and, at the peak of its power, controls a majority of Universe 7. In the Namek Saga, they act as the main obstacle for Goku and friends seeking the Dragon Balls. The organization's structure is rigid; the Ginyu Force acts as an elite unit, yet even they are expendable. In the original unaltered timeline where Goku dies of a viral heart disease, Frieza and King Cold are intercepted and killed on Earth by Goku, who arrived via Instant Transmission.

In the main timeline, Frieza survives Namek's explosion, is rebuilt with cybernetic prosthetics and heads for Earth with his father, where he is sliced to pieces by Trunks. His biological cells, however, survive as a catalyst for the creation of Cell, who eventually destroys the last traces of Frieza's tissue when defeated by Gohan. In the main timeline, Frieza returns in 'Resurrection \'F\'' after being resurrected by Sorbet and Tagoma, undergoing four months of training to achieve his Golden form, though he lacks the stamina to maintain it against Goku and Vegeta.

Did You Know?

Frieza was modeled after Toriyama's editor at the time, Yū Kondō, according to Shenlong Times issue #2.
The idea to bring Frieza back came to Toriyama while watching the metal band Maximum the Hormone perform their 2008 song 'F'.