There are few anime franchises that can boast a cast of characters as iconic as Dragon Ball's. Goku has become the unofficial face of anime and manga in the West, while its other lovable villain-turned-hero Saiyan, Vegeta, likely trails just behind in of popularity. Alongside the series' heroes, Dragon Ball's villains are also instantly recognizable, and none more so than the wicked space tyrant Frieza. The starring antagonist of one of the greatest arcs in anime and manga history, Frieza has stamped the images of his misdeeds onto the minds of generations of fans.

Being as popular as he is, it only makes sense that the villain would return decades after his first appearance, starring in 2015's Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', and later playing a major role in Dragon Ball Super. Today, long after his embarrassing defeat at the hands of Trunks, Frieza has become a core member of the series' recurring cast of characters. However, though fans have largely welcomed him back with open arms, Frieza's return hasn't come without its problems, and one continues to raise questions about his initial time in the spotlight.

Frieza's Time in Dragon Ball Super Continues to Harm His Original Role

Continued Transformations Make Frieza's Past Actions Strange

Out of all the villains who once threatened the Earth's greatest heroes, Frieza's popularity and reputation made him the likeliest to return. However, considering just how strong the likes of Goku and Vegeta had become since his defeat, he would have needed to return with a major power-up. In came Golden Frieza, an all-new form that had flash and style, as well as some not-so-sly mimicry of the form that once caused his defeat. However, the main issue stems from how exactly this form was achieved.

After being dead for several years, Frieza was revived and then trained for four whole months, causing his strength to skyrocket from Planet Namek Saga level to Super Saiyan Blue level. In the years since Resurrection 'F', fans have largely come to with this development, but that doesn't take away from just how ridiculous it is. And unfortunately, Frieza's quickly attained transformations and power-ups continue to make his first appearance in the series worse.

It's long been established that Frieza was afraid of the Saiyans becoming too powerful, and so he decided to exterminate them by destroying Planet Vegeta. This decision becomes strange when considering that Frieza could have trained for about three days and been far stronger than any potential Super Saiyan threat.

It might be that his ego was too big, or that destroying planets is more his style, but once he learned that a few Saiyans had lived, it would likely have been smart for him to do some training. Even on Namek, Frieza expressed concern about the Saiyans, so why not drop the Dragon Ball search for a day and train? For a villain so obsessed with being the most powerful and fearsome presence in the universe, it would only have made sense for him to train even a little bit.

Frieza's Latest Transformation Once Again Pushes the Limits of Power

Black Frieza Showed Up and Put Goku and Vegeta to Shame

Frieza's fast training made an appearance in Dragon Ball Super once more, when he appeared in his all-new Black Frieza form and absolutely embarrassed Goku and Vegeta with a single blow. Just when fans might've thought Dragon Ball's fighters were reaching their limits, the series' two strongest heroes were knocked out of their Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego forms in an instant.

Granted, it took ten years of training in a Time Chamber for Frieza to ascend to his latest power-up, but with that training he likely could have eviscerated a regular Super Saiyan with a single finger around the time of the Planet Namek Saga. The space tyrant's return has been celebrated by the majority of Dragon Ball fans, though a better initial reason for his Golden form might have had less of a negative effect on Toriyama's original series. Nevertheless, Frieza is here to stay, and Goku and Vegeta will have their hands full with him this time around.