Frieza and Cell are two of the most recognizable villains in the Dragon Ball franchise. The intergalactic Tyrant and the Perfect Android have caused nothing but trouble for the Z-Fighters, with Frieza killing numerous innocent lives for the sake of galactic conquest and Cell knowing every ability that Goku and the gang have at their disposal.
While Frieza and Cell do share some similar traits and skills, the two have enough differences that make them unique. So, we decided to take a look at five things Frieza can do that Cell can't, and Vice Versa.
10 Frieza Can Run an Empire
Frieza has taken over many planets across the cosmos. People fear his name when it is spoken, even after Goku defeated him. This is all thanks to the empire he's acquired from his Father. Even after King Cold's reign, Frieza still knew how to run his evil empire. While Cell has his intellect and similar traits to Frieza, he wouldn't do that much in ordering others around. Cell prefers doing things by himself and loves to get his hands dirty.
9 Cell Can Absorb Life and Power
Cell's tail has a lot of uses in his imperfect form. Not only can it be used in combat, but it can also absorb the life force from any individual. For humans, he acts like a Mosquito, sucking out everything till nothing but their clothes are left.
The more people he absorbs, the stronger he becomes. He is later seen overpowering both Piccolo and 17 after he's absorbed a plethora of humans. Not only that, but he also absorbs 17 and 18 to achieve his perfect form. If only Frieza could do that, then he wouldn't need to train to reach his golden form.
8 Frieza Can Ally with Goku
Frieza hates Goku than anyone else in the universe. How would you feel if you were an evil Emperor and were defeated by a low-class monkey on several occasions? Despite this, Frieza does have the ability to work with his most hated adversaries when the chips are down. When Goku makes a deal with Frieza, the two work out an agreement that has Frieza working with Goku to save their Universe from vanishing from existence. Cell did catch a break from Vegeta when the Prince let him absorb 18 to gain his perfect form, but the two didn't work together as Frieza and Goku did.
7 Cell Can Use Every Z-Fighter Ability
Cell has a lot of skills at his disposal. Not only does he have enhanced strength, speed, and energy, but he also knows every move that the Z-Fighters have ever used. Not only does he have offensive techniques like the Kamehameha wave, Special Beam Cannon, and Multi-form, he also has access to Solar Flare and, later on, can use Instant Transmission. Cell also has Saiyan and Namekian cells in his body, meaning he can regenerate limbs, and he gets stronger when he is near death. Frieza wasn't able to do any of that without a rejuvenation chamber.
6 Frieza has Gotten Out of Hell. Twice.
One of the perks of being the most recognized villain in Dragon Ball is that the world wants more of you. So, when it was announced that Frieza would be returning in "Ressurection of F," Fans got hyped to see the beloved villain make a return.
The fun didn't stop there. During the Tournament of Power saga, Frieza was allowed to return to life in exchange for helping Goku and the Z-Fighters win the titular competition that would determine the fate of their Universe. As strong as Cell maybe, he's still down in Hell.
5 Cell has Defeated Goku and Trunks
Frieza didn't have the best track record once he killed Vegeta during his Saga. Once he met Goku, he ended up getting sliced in half and had his face blown off by the Super Saiyan. While Frieza lived, he had to receive robotic limbs to survive. If that wasn't enough, Frieza then was chopped into mincemeat when he faced off against Trunks. While the Z-Fighters have overpowered Cell on a few occasions, He was able to defeat both Goku and Trunks. Trunks powered up so much that his speed was drastically reduced, and Goku was forced to give up against the mighty Cell. Cell even did much worse to Goku, but we'll get to that in a bit.
4 Frieza has Defeated Gohan
When Cell went up against Gohan, he underestimated the young boy and was crushed when Gohan achieved Super Saiyan 2. Frieza, on the other hand, has overpowered Gohan in several fights.
Not only did Frieza survive all the attacks Gohan hit him with during their time on Namek, but Frieza was able to nearly kill Gohan with one punch, in his base form no less, in Resurrection of F. Even when Gohan re-achieved his Unlocked Form during the Tournament of Power, Frieza still proved to be the mightier warrior.
3 Cell has Patience
One of Frieza's weaknesses is that he's too darn antsy to sit still and plan things out. His lust for conquest and galactic domination is just too much for him to ideally sit by and work things out. When he sees something he wants, he wants it immediately. Just look at what happened when he finally achieves his Golden form. He went straight for Earth, so he can kill Goku, not knowing that Goku has been gaining strength and learned how to control it. Cell at least gave the Z-Fighters ten days to prepare for his tournament. Hell, when he was still in his imperfect form, He first absorbed humans as a way to gain even more power so that he could absorb 17 and 18 with ease.
2 Frieza can Upgrade to Golden
Another perk for staying alive is that you can slowly grow stronger than ever before. After he is revived, Frieza decides to take a page from Goku's notebook and trains to get stronger. Not only did he achieve this goal, but he also was able to gain a new form. Frieza's Golden Transformation was several times stronger than Cell could ever get on his own. Even better, Frieza's previous transformations have gained a much-needed power bonus, with his base form now able to take on a base Super Saiyan.
1 Cell Killed Goku
If there's one thing that Cell can celebrate that he's done is that he has defeated Goku in a one-on-one fight... and has murdered the Super Saiyan. When Cell is powered down to his Semi-Perfect form, he decides to blow himself up in an attempt to destroy the Earth. Goku, in the act of heroism, uses his Instant Transmission to teleport Cell to King Kai's place, killing him and everyone else on there. Frieza has killed a lot of people (even his loyal soldiers), but he is still unable to take out that darn Saiyan Monkey.