Dragon Ball fans can be passionate but divisive on certain aspects of the series. Very few things are universally agreed upon, especially when it comes to characters. What's considered a good character for one person, won't necessarily ring true for another. And it takes a truly well-written character to overcome this.

The hero of the series, Goku, and his friends have faced a variety of foes throughout the long-running franchise. Some make a bigger impact than others, in both good and bad ways, and all of the enemies have their own set of unique traits. So what sets the best villains above the rest? Despite the villains being so varied throughout all of Dragon Ball's history, there are a few traits that tie some of the best of the best together. The best Dragon Ball villains have used these qualities to unite the masses of the divided fanbase.

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They Have To Be Charismatic

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Because the target audience of Dragon Ball was initially, and still is now to an extent, children, the entertainment value is extremely important. Boring and bland villains with no personality, simply won't do. While the villains aren't necessarily likable in the sense that the audience roots for them, they have to be interesting enough that the audience cares what happens.

This element is illustrated really well with Goku Black. He's an interesting villain in general because he's essentially an evil version of the main character. He has all of Goku's charisma, which is part of what makes him a good main character in general, but it's just a bit twisted. His sense of humor is really slick but really dark, and that just makes him effortlessly cool to watch.

Being Intimidating Helps

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To be a good villain in any medium, there has to be an element of fear. The villain has to be scary enough to feel like a real threat while offering some sort of high stakes so that the conflict feels important. Goku Black is a very scary villain, but no one holds a candle to Frieza.

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Frieza is probably Dragon Ball's most famous and respected villain. Part of that is because he's the most intimidating villain of the bunch. There is a lot that goes into Frieza's actions and words, but the main thing that will almost always stick out to first-time viewers is just how much of an impact he made in his first appearance. He's not only incredibly strong and violent, but his entire persona is just seething evil. He's ruthless and he doesn't care who he hurts to get what he wants, something that should be frightening to most people. On top of that, his design and mannerisms compliment his personality in a way that makes him stick even more.

The combination of how scary he is with the aforementioned charisma is a really intriguing one, therefore making Frieza a very promising villain. Frieza might be evil, but it's easy to understand why fans have grown fond of the sinister alien.

A Redemption Arc

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Something that Dragon Ball is known for is having certain villains go through a redemption arc. In the case of both Vegeta and Piccolo, the two have become full on main characters and are now part of the hero squad. Other times, it looks more like reluctantly teaming up with the main characters for the sake of the greater good, as Frieza does.

Having a good redemption arc that feels authentic and turns the character into a fan favorite can be really beneficial, and do a lot for them. What was done with Vegeta especially feels pretty much seamless and allows for growth within not only that specific character, but all of the main characters as they learn to forgive. It's a part of the show that some people criticize because they've done it so many times, but it's still a valuable part of the series.

Their Motivations

Vegeta on Namek Cropped

Perhaps the most important quality of all, and something all the aforementioned great villains possess, motivation has to be mentioned. A motivation that viewers can understand will have them relate to the villain more, or hate them more than they already do.

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As important as good motivation is, it's probably also the thing that can ruin a villain the fastest. If the motivation is badly thought out or written, audiences are instantly going to write that character off as poorly thought out or unimportant. They won't care about them, and it'll cause them to potentially lose interest in that entire arc. This is a big reason why Android 19 and Dr.Gero didn't last very long despite seeming like the big villains upon their introduction.

Fans will likely never agree on the best way to go about writing Dragon Ball characters, villains or otherwise. That fanbase is just extremely varied and all have their preferences when it comes to the series. What is interesting though is the way these patterns show up and the qualities that some fan-favorite characters all possess.

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