The Strongest Dragon Ball Z Villains, Ranked (2025)

Few anime series have a reputation for incredibly powerful characters like Dragon Ball Z does. Goku is well-known to be one of the strongest characters in the anime canon, but even he was never as powerful as some of the strongest villains he and the Z-Fighters faced in DBZ.

From Frieza to Cell to Majin Buu, many of DBZ's greatest and most popular villains also happen to be the strongest. While the original Dragon Ball Z anime was full of insurmountable intergalactic threats to the entire universe, most of the absolute strongest villains in the series actually came by way of the films. Whether canon to the original manga or introduced in a one-off movie storyline, some of DBZ's most powerful villains are, unsurprisingly, some of the most overpowered characters in anime history.

10 Bojack Picks Up Where Cell Left Off

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unleashed

Coming right after the fight with Cell, Bojack Unbound tells the story of a group of space pirates led by the powerful Bojack, who was once sealed away by the four Kais. The Bojack movie, like most other DBZ films, fits questionably into the series’ established timeline, but Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 form and the prominent role that Future Trunks plays in the story make it clearly meant to take place shortly after Cell is defeated.

In fact, it was actually King Kai's death due to Cell's self-destruction that released Bojack from his imprisonment, proving that no matter how hard the Z Fighters try to defeat the forces of evil, they can never catch a break. Given his placement in the story and his ability to fight toe to toe with SSJ Trunks, Vegeta and Gohan, Bojack is definitely one of the strongest villains in DBZ. However, Gohan defeated Bojack with relative ease once he powered up to his Super Saiyan 2 form.

9 Perfect Cell Has the Powers of Dragon Ball's Strongest Fighters

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Chapter 360, "Kami-sama and the Demon King Become One"

Perfect Cell was set up to be the perfect final boss for the Dragon Ball franchise if the series had ended with the Cell Games. Cell's power was a combination of all the most powerful fighters in the series at that point: both heroes and villains. His unique genetic make-up gave Cell access to all the most iconic abilities used by Goku and his friends, from Goku's Kamehameha to Piccolo’s regeneration.

After achieving his Perfected form, Cell was too strong for even Super Saiyan Goku to defeat him. There was only one hero who could stand against Cell: Gohan. After being pushed to the brink of his patience, Gohan's finally achieved the first Super Saiyan 2 transformation in the series against Perfect Cell, and it proved far stronger than Cell – or anyone else – could have imagined. While both Cell and Bojack were similarly destroyed by SSJ2 Gohan, Cell put up a far better fight than Bojack did, making it clear that he’s the superior warrior between the two.

8 Dabura Was a Minor Villain Stronger Than Most of the Major Ones

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Chapter 446, "Bobbidi the Warlock"

Dabura's power is often overlooked due to the fact that his time as the strongest villain in DBZ was extremely limited, but he was nonetheless one of the most powerful threats the Z-Fighters faced. While Gohan was out of practice when he faced Dabura, the fact Dabura could have defeated a post-Cell Saga Gohan is an accomplishment that can’t be understated.

Not only was Dabura incredibly powerful, he was unbelievably deadly. As the King of the Demon Realm, even Dabura's saliva was enough to kill a regular mortal, as proven when he turned both Krillin and Piccolo to stone just by spitting on them. Dabura is a member of the rare ranks of other DBZ villains like Nappa who was not defeated by the heroes, but was instead killed by another villain: in Dabura's case, Buu.

7 Broly Was the Real Legendary Super Saiyan in DBZ

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan

Broly is the rare case of a non-canon character becoming even more popular than most of the main villains in Dragon Ball Z. The Legendary Super Saiyan was a force to be reckoned with upon his introduction, leaving behind a legacy that made him too great a character to leave in DBZ film obscurity. Not only did Broly inspire three films as a DBZ villain, he was made canon by Akira Toriyama with the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film. Broly's power was far beyond that of a normal Super Saiyan, pushing the limits of what Goku had achieved against Frieza.

Just when Goku seemed like he had reached the pinnacle of saiyan power, Broly proved that a mere Super Saiyan was nothing compared to the true Super Saiyan of myth. Broly's iconic green-haired LSSJ form was so powerful that he easily disposed of all the Z Fighters singlehandedly, and was only overcome when the Z Fighters offered their power to Goku to give him a boost of energy. As it was later revealed in the film's sequel, Broly — Second Coming, even that added power wasn’t enough to kill him: that would require the combined power of a Kamehameha fired by three Super Saiyans at once.

6 Majin Vegeta Gave the Saiyan Prince His Greatest Power-Up in Dragon Ball Z

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Chapter 457, "Vegeta's Pride"

By the time the Buu Saga came along, Vegeta was firmly one of the series' heroes. He started a family with Bulma, and even showed sadness at the thought of Goku's death against Cell. That's what made it shocking when he was willing to trade his humanity and status as a hero for a cheap power boost as one of Babidi's Majin minions. Despite it being a synthetic power increase, Vegeta's Majin power-up was far from inconsequential.

In fact, Majin Vegeta helped him unlock SSJ2, matching Goku's power in one of the most epic fights in the DBZ anime. However, not only would Majin Vegeta's Super Saiyan 2 power-up be too weak to match the newly awakened Majin Buu, it was nowhere close to Goku's full power SSJ3 form. Majin Vegeta would end up being the pinnacle of strength that Vegeta would display in DBZ, but it's nowhere close to the new heights he has gone on to reach through hard work in Dragon Ball Super.

5 Hildegarn Was an Ancient Demon God Only Goku Could Beat

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon

Hildegarn (also stylized as Hirudegarn) was the main villain of the underrated DBZ film Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon. Being that he was only in the film briefly and really had a relatively small part to play even as far as the main villain is concerned, Hildegarn was definitely one of the more forgettable non-canonical villains in the DBZ movies. It didn't help that he was overshadowed by the film's introduction of the ancient hero Tapion: himself an underutilized and interesting character in the Dragon Ball pantheon.

Hildegarn was a Phantom Majin (not to be mistaken with the race of Majin that Buu belongs to) that terrorized Tapion's world at a time in the far distant past. He was once a Demon God who was turned to stone by Tapion's fellow Konatsian people, but was then freed and turned into a Phantom by the evil sorcerers of the Kashvar race who sought to use him to destroy the Konatsians. Hildegarn was so powerful that he could only be sealed away using a mystical sword and sacred ocarinas, and it ultimately took Super Saiyan 3 Goku to actually deal a finishing blow.

4 Janemba Had One of Dragon Ball's Most Overpowered Abilities

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn

The limits of Janemba's power are often debated among the DBZ fandom due to the nature of his abilities. Janemba has the unique ability to control reality itself, changing nearly anything around him into something which better suits his desires. Fortunately for Goku and Vegeta, Janemba is far from the smartest Dragon Ball villain, so his power is definitely not utilized to its fullest potential. Nevertheless, Janemba is easily one of the most powerful villains in all of DBZ, with one of the most overpowered abilities in the entire franchise.

Janemba can not only change space around him at will, he can cut through dimensions and warp instantly through portals like it was child's play. Ultimately, the only way Janemba can be defeated is by Goku and Vegeta fusing into Gogeta. After Gogeta joins the battle, the fight ends quickly, with Gogeta destroying the interdimensional monster with only a few attacks.

3 Majin Buu's Strength Was Potentially Limitless

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Chapter 460, "Majin Buu Appears?!"

Majin Buu and his many forms took up the final saga in DBZ, making him the true final boss of Dragon Ball's original manga run. While there are a few more Dragon Ball Z villains who come after him in movies, Majin Buu has the unique honor of being the last major villain in Akira Toriyama’s genre-defining shonen manga epic. That being the case, it’s only right that Majin Buu would also be one of the most destructive villains in the franchise, and the most powerful in the Dragon Ball Z manga & original anime series.

Buu's power to absorb the powers of others made him unrealistically powerful, with seemingly no limit to his strength. It certainly helped that he gained the intelligence of those he absorbed as well, making him arguably the most clever villain in DBZ. After all, few villains in anime can claim they were able to outsmart two characters as intelligent as both Piccolo and Gohan at the same time. It took Goku and Vegeta fusing into Vegito for the heroes to finally make Super Buu into a manageable threat, and even then, Kid Buu still went on to destroy innumerable planets in the Galaxy.

2 Golden Frieza Made Dragon Ball Z's Greatest Villain Even Greater

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F

While Golden Frieza is mostly viewed as a product of Dragon Ball Super due to his part in the anime & manga, he was actually introduced in the final Dragon Ball Z movie before Super came out. Titled Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F, the film told the story of Frieza's revival after being killed by Future Trunks prior to the Androids' arrival.

Given Golden Frieza's ability to stand up to Goku as a Super Saiyan God, it's fairly obvious that Frieza's Gokden form made him far more powerful than any other villain in the original DBZ anime. Being that Resurrection F also came out after the Battle of the Gods film that featured Beerus, Frieza technically took his rightful place as Dragon Ball Z's final villain, since every other Dragon Ball film and arc released since was under the Dragon Ball Super name.

1 Beerus is Still Dragon Ball Z's Strongest Villain

First Appearance: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods

If there's one Dragon Ball Z character who has maintained their relevance as one of the strongest even in Dragon Ball Super, it's Beerus. Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods is a film that takes place only a few years after the Buu Saga, but long before the Peaceful World Saga of DBZ.

Battle of Gods would set the foundation for what would go on to become Dragon Ball Super, and Beerus' fight with Goku would later be remade as the first arc of the DBS anime. Since then, Beerus has become quite close to Goku and Vegeta, and even assists them in their training -- when he's not napping, that is. There's no denying that Beerus' first appearance in the franchise was as a DBZ movie villain, making him the strongest villain in Dragon Ball Z, bar none.

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Dragon Ball Z (1989)

TV-PG

Anime

Action

Adventure

With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.

Release Date

September 30, 1996

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

9

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

291