The infamous archvillain Frieza posed extraordinary challenges to heroes in Dragon Ball Z and beyond. Recently, he's cropped up again in Dragon Ball Super. He has been holding the universe in his iron grip for decades. Given how busy he's been, and how long he's been around, it's natural that viewers would assume he's a grown man. However, his race is shrouded in mystery. Nobody even knows what his species is really called. Given the severe lack of information, an age which humans consider adulthood could just be the beginning of a much longer lifespan by Frieza's standards.

Looking back at the Dragon Ball franchise, there are several hints which could suggest that Frieza is actually a biological child. Likewise, there are hints implying he is in fact a fully-matured member of his race. A better assessment of his age will require a look at the facts.

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goku and frieza stand back to back

Frieza being a child would explain a number of things about the intergalactic tyrant. It could provide meaning for the boyish features and statures of his first and final forms. It would definitely justify his poor temperament; his outbursts are comparable to a child's tantrum. Additionally, it would explain why King Cold and Berryblue still treat him like a little kid. It could even rationalize why he enjoys playing with his victims like a child playing with bugs -- he literally kills people with one finger. For all of these reason and more, Frieza's character seems to suggest he is actually younger than he lets on.

On the other hand, there are numerous arguments for Frieza being an adult. His wish to be five centimeters taller and make people think he's "still growing" could either mean he's already fully grown or he's not confident he'll get any taller. His noticeably younger appearance in the prologue of Dragon Ball Super: Broly confirms that he has in fact matured physically over time. Even at this apparently young age, King Cold acknowledges Frieza as old and responsible enough to take over his intergalactic empire. On that note, King Cold could just be treating his son like a kid because that's what parents do. The intent of the writers seems to be to show Frieza off as an adult without the expectation that fans will read too much into his age.

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kuriza

One of the biggest arguments for Frieza being an adult is his son Kuriza. Though so little is known about his race's customs or biology, it's likely he would have needed to be a consenting adult before he could sire an heir. It should be noted that Kuriza doesn't appear in the Dragon Ball series proper. The boy has only been seen in spinoff material like Nekomajin Z and Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission. Nevertheless, Kuriza is an original conception of Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama himself, so it is apparent that he considers Frieza at least old enough to have children. Canon or not, Kuriza's validity for evaluating Frieza's maturity cannot be denied.

Whether Frieza is an adult or a child may never be answered. If he is a child, it wouldn't necessarily be a surprise as there are plenty of hints to suggest it. If he is in fact an adult, then it would be almost too obvious to bring up. If the writers for the official Dragon Ball canon ever choose to confirm Frieza's adulthood, they could always formally introduce Kuriza to the series. Whatever Frieza's age, he'll always be everyone's beloved little intergalactic tyrant.

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