Out of all the villains Dragon Ball has given us over the years, there are two that stand out more than others: Frieza and Cell. As two of Dragon Ball Z's most memorable antagonists, they've displayed their planet-quaking powers in intense battles with Goku and the other Z-Fighters that made us wonder why bad guys always get all the cool powers.
While Freiza's recent appearance in Dragon Ball Super's Tournament of Power shocked fans worldwide, Cell hasn't been seen in a major fight since Gohan defeated him. Many fans were glad that Cell hadn't returned in Super, but others feel as though the series missed a prime opportunity, claiming that he was the series' best villain. Below, we've assembled a list of reasons as to why such a grand title belongs to Frieza, alongside several reasons why it should go to Cell instead.
10 Frieza: The First Major Villain With No Ties to Earth
In the original Dragon Ball, all of Goku's opponents had strong ties to Earth. Emperor Pilaf, the Red Ribbon Army, and even Tien, were all earth-grown foes, and although King Piccolo was a Namekian, he was so entrenched with Earth's history that there was no need to dive into his extraterrestrial origins.
Frieza, on the other hand, never even set foot on Earth until after his initial defeat on Namek. Other extraterrestrial opponents like Vegeta, Raditz, and Nappa, came directly to Earth to bring the fight to Goku, battling the Saiyan on familiar terrain. Having Frieza and Goku fight on a foreign world not only symbolized how different of an enemy Frieza was, but it also made us realize that the Dragon Ball world we'd come to love was so much bigger than we thought.
9 Cell: An Amalgamation of the Z-Fighters
A good villain knows how to get under a protagonist's skin, and Cell did just that. Over the years, the Z-Fighters faced some horrendous warriors, each stronger than the next, and Cell was made out of the DNA of them all. Having access to their techniques meant that he knew the perfect ways to counter them, and nothing shocked the Z-Fighters more than to see a foreign opponent bust out a Kamehameha.
He was even able to get into their heads, using his knowledge of Vegeta's pride to trick the Saiyan prince into helping him absorb Android 18. Perhaps this is why the next major villain, Majin Buu, physically resembled those that he absorbed. While a truly foreign enemy can strike fear into your heart, it's even more frightening when you can see yourself in the villain.
8 Frieza: Caused Goku to Unlock Super Saiyan
If Goku hadn't transformed into a Super Saiyan when he did, Frieza would've definitely killed him. The Super Saiyan transformation has become a staple to the series, not to mention the fact that Goku's first transformation is one of the best scenes in all of anime.
Only someone as sadistic as Frieza could've pushed Goku to such a new level of power.
7 Cell: Caused Gohan to Unlock Super Saiyan 2
In the same way that Frieza pushed Goku to new heights, so did Cell with Gohan. In order to draw out his full power, Cell forced Gohan to watch his friends and his father be pummeled by Cell Juniors before killing Android 16.
While we have to give Frieza initial credit for opening the Super Saiyan floodgates in the first place, it was Cell that showed us that a Super Saiyan could transcend even that level of power. Fast-forward a few years later and it looks like Super Saiyan 2 has become one of the most used Saiyan transformations, being relied on way more than its successor, Super Saiyan 3.
6 Frieza: Returned From the Dead Twice
Not only has most of the Dragon Ball cast died at least once, but the Dragon Balls make it so that characters who've died don't stay dead for too long. This isn't the case for villains though. For the most part, bad guys in Dragon Ball stay dead after their initial defeat, but Frieza is an anomaly.
His resurrection was such a big deal that it first premiered as a movie, and after Goku killed him, he was revived yet again due to his participation in the Tournament of Power. He's the only villain to have been brought back to life twice, proving that real legends never really die.
5 Cell: Is Virtually Indestructible
Although Cell was ultimately killed by Gohan, he was pretty much indestructible. We saw several instances where he came back from injuries that would've normally taken most fighters down. Even after blowing himself up, all it took was for a single one of his cells to survive, and in a few short minutes, he was back, stronger than he'd ever been before.
It doesn't look like even Frieza is capable of pulling off a stunt like this, given the fact that he can't even regrow his tail whenever it gets chopped off.
4 Frieza: Has The Most Straightforward Transformations
While we do love a good transformation, it can be confusing to keep track of which transformations are stronger for some characters. Take Majin Buu, for example. Aside from Fat Buu, Super Buu, and Kid Buu, we can also count Evil Buu, along with Super Buu after he's absorbed powerful warriors.
While most fans might think that Kid Buu is Buu's strongest form, Super Buu with Gohan absorbed far surpasses this more primal form despite appearing earlier in the series. Frieza has six completely different physical appearances (excluding Mecha Frieza), compared to Cell's three, and he's even explained how powerful they were when he showed them off on Namek, making all of his forms easy to follow. He truly raised the bar for what should be a Dragon Ball villain's ace in the hole.
3 Cell: Has The Most Diverse Set of Abilities
Although he wouldn't last in a fight against Frieza at his current level of power, Cell's abilities are far more diverse than any other villain's. Many of Frieza's abilities, though powerful, are only good for causing massive amounts of destruction. Cell, on the other hand, could utilize practical moves like the Solar Flare, along with lethal ones, like the Special Beam Cannon, and while Majin Buu could absorb his foes for extra power, Cell is able to do the same without his victims influencing his body or personality.
Aside from regenerating, he can grow in size, lift objects with telekinesis, and spawn his own minions. Not many other villains brought so much to the table, and we only wish he could make another appearance to show us just what else he's got up his sleeves.
2 Frieza: Set Dragon Ball In Motion
Many fans give Bulma credit for setting everything in motion. Without her quest to gather all seven Dragon Balls, it's true that she never would've met Goku, but Frieza is the sole reason Goku ended up on Earth to begin with.
If he never planned to destroy Planet Vegeta, Bardock and Gine wouldn't have had the idea of sending Goku to Earth. In fact, Earth would've probably been taken over by the Red Ribbon Army if it weren't for Frieza, meaning that when it comes down to it, he should get just as much credit as Goku for saving Earth.
1 Cell: Actually Managed to Kill Goku
Cell managed to set himself apart from other Dragon Ball villains by becoming the only one to kill Goku. Sure, Piccolo killed him first, but at that point, he was pretty much a good guy. Goku Black managed to do so as well, but that was only after he trapped Goku in Zamasu's weaker Kaioshin body.
It's all because of Cell that we were forced to endure those episodes of Gohan in high school, so be sure to let him know in the comments just what you thought of his handiwork all those years ago. And yes, Cell reads these articles. Nowadays he's got nothing but time.