In Dragon Ball Z, Goku has his fair share of rivals and enemies. None, however, are as infamous as the villain Frieza. The Frieza Saga and his battle with Goku on Namek marked the start of the changes to the series that would soon become iconic: the Super Saiyan transformation, high stake battles, and enemies having multiple forms all began here in this planet-shattering battle. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot aims to retell the story of the anime with an emphasis on faithfulness, so it is highly likely that fans will see every single one of Frieza's forms during the course of their time on Namek. So how will Frieza's forms make an appearance in the upcoming game?
For those that don't know, Frieza is an evil emperor, hell-bent on conquering planets and adding them to his empire. He does so with ruthless tactics, not hesitating to kill those that work for him or those that stand against him. Frieza is even responsible for the destruction of Planet Vegeta and the near extinction of the Saiyan race, and his power is leagues beyond anything that fans had seen in the series thus far. He will be the main antagonist of the aptly named Frieza Saga in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, and players will have to face him in his numerous forms, each at varying degrees of power. Here are all the forms to appear in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
First Form
Frieza's base form, more commonly referred to as his First Form, is the weakest of the bunch, but still incredibly powerful. In this form, he was able to defeat King Vegeta with ease and even destroy the entire planet with a single attack. During the beginning of the Frieza Saga, he proves that he is far stronger than any of the Namekians or Z Fighters, and only Vegeta is able to stand up to Frieza as equal. He is only able to accomplish this because he received a huge power boost after nearly dying in Vegeta's fight with Goku on Earth. First Form Frieza has appeared in some screenshots, but no gameplay as of yet, so it can't be said for certain whether he'll be a boss for players to tackle. Given the huge threat he posed, however, it seems likely he will.
Second Form
After seeing Vegeta's impressive new strength, Frieza decides to transform into his second form. Frieza's Second Form is much taller than the comparatively short First Form, and he is far more muscular and intimidating then before. The most notable difference, however, are the large horns now protruding from his head. In this form, he is much stronger and faster, able to overpower Vegeta and mortally wound Krillin by impaling the human on his horn. He is yet again pushed to the limit however when Piccolo arrives. Having fused with nail, Piccolo displays unprecedented speed and power and is able to match Frieza's Second Form in combat. This form has appeared in promo art, but no gameplay or official screenshots have been shown.
Third Form
Unwilling to be outdone, Frieza then transitions into his Third Form. This is easily his most bizarre and peculiar form, but is ever more powerful than the last. Frieza grows greatly in size, grows huge spikes from his back, and his skull elongates to a ridiculous length. Frieza's monstrous stature in this form strikes fear into the Z Fighters. This form does not just grant power, but speed as well, as Frieza is able to out maneuver Piccolo and overpower all of his adversaries. This screenshot appears to show Third Form Frieza in a battle, so fans can take heart in the thought that they will probably get the chance to battle this monstrosity after his numerous absences in other games.
Final Form
Frieza admits that he does not need Final Form in order to decimate the remaining fighters, and only enters this form as a display of power to dig the seed of hopelessness further into the survivors. This form is sleek, returns him to his smaller size, but completely smooths out his body. No horns, no armor plating, just a clean version of Frieza's first form. In a way, this is the least intimidating of all his forms, but the sheer power it exerts could be felt by the Z Fighters before Frieza even began to fight. In this form, Frieza kills Vegeta and battles Goku. Although it appears that he and Goku are evenly matched, it becomes clear that Frieza is still holding back. It is in this form that Frieza kills Krillin, spurring Goku into his first, unforgettable transformation into Super Saiyan. This form was very prevalent in the initial release trailer.
Final Form (100% Full Power)
The existence of this form seems to invalidate the existence of the previous form, but it is nonetheless a real thing. After forcing Goku into his Super Saiyan state, Frieza is overwhelmed by the Saiyan's newfound power. Seeing no other alternative, Frieza draws on the full extent of his power and enters this form. Here, fans see Frieza looking similar to his Final Form, but extremely bulked up. This incredible form proves capable of going toe to toe with and even surpassing Goku's Super Saiyan, but Frieza is unable to sustain it and his power slowly drops. This eventually leads to his defeat, but the battle was so intense that it led to the destruction of the entirety of Planet Namek. The form is seen in gameplay and is also the final fight against Frieza.
Mecha Frieza
Although short-lived, Frieza does make another appearance as an adversary in Dragon Ball Z. At the beginning of the Cell Saga, it is revealed that Frieza did not die after the destruction of Namek, instead, he floated through the galaxy thinking of nothing but revenge. When his father, King Cold finds him, he is reconstructed with cybernetic enhancements and brought back to fighting strength. It is believed that Mecha-Frieza is more powerful than even Final Form (100% Full Power), but he is not given much time to show this, as Future Trunks arrives and kills Mecha Frieza swiftly and with ease. It is uncertain whether this fight will be playable, but given that Future Trunks is confirmed to be a player character, it seems likely that players will take the helm in his first battle.
Frieza is certainly a powerful adversary and will put players' skills to the test. His multiple forms each are more powerful than the next, but fight uniquely and would make for interesting and difficult boss battles in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. To what extent these forms will appear in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is as of yet unknown, but fans need not wait much longer to find out. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will be in the hands of the players soon, and it will be up to them to defend the universe from the evil tyrant that is Frieza.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot will be out on January 17, 2020, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
Source: Bandai Namco