Goku is Dragon Ball’s perennial protagonist and a character audiences have watched mature from a 12-year-old boy into a proud grandfather who’s become as strong as a God. Goku is consistently reliable in a fight and typically strong enough to conquer whatever evil threatens the planet. That being said, he’s perpetually guided by his heroic and empathetic impulses, the likes of which sometimes cause him to make careless and naive mistakes when he should be more aggressive.
Frieza is the closest thing Dragon Ball has to a central antagonist and he’s repeatedly found ways to weasel himself back into the story, stronger than ever. Golden Frieza’s defeat by Goku’s hand seemed to mark the true end for this character in Resurrection F. Unfortunately, Goku’s machinations and problem-solving have resulted in Frieza’s triumphant return. Goku is far from perfect and his errors in judgment help make him human, but his most recent blunder with Frieza is such a disastrous mistake that there needs to be genuine repercussions. Before Dragon Ball Super ends, Goku has to understand where he’s gone wrong and why Frieza’s revival is so dangerous.
Only One Dragon Ball Character Truly Deserves to Beat Black Frieza
Goku Vs Frieza Was The Beginning Of The End For Dragon Ball Z
Although Goku’s fight against Frieza is iconic, it spelled the end for DBZ’s creativity.Goku Has A Bad Habit Of Giving Villains Second Chances
Goku’s Naivety Needs To Finally Catch Up With Him
Every Main Hero in Dragon Ball Super & Their Odds at Beating Black Frieza
Even though many Dragon Ball heroes have better odds at beating Black Frieza, some are undoubtedly not up for the challenge.
The whole reason Frieza is back in action and a serious problem for the entire multiverse is because Goku decided to recruit him to fight for Universe 7 during the Tournament of Power. These are admittedly extenuating circumstances considering the universe’s existence is in jeopardy, but Frieza’s recruitment is met with universal disapproval and animosity from the rest of Goku’s team. Freiza is undeniably powerful, but he’s also one of the worst individuals to give another chance at redemption, especially when ulterior motives are involved.
Goku recruiting Frieza is reckless, as there are plenty of other deceased fighters who would potentially be a safer choice, like Bardock or Pikkon (who would finally get a chance to properly the series’ canon). There are even better former villains to recruit – like Cell or Demon King Piccolo – who haven’t repeatedly burned bridges with the heroes on the same level as Frieza. Goku’s decision to give Frieza another chance and trust that he can be redeemed is endemic of the character’s natural tendency to air on the side of rehabilitation over retribution.
In Goku’s defense, this bold philosophy has been successful with characters like Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta, Androids 17 and 18, and Buu, all of whom started as enemies. Goku wouldn’t have some of his greatest allies if he didn’t give them second chances and believe in them. It’s easier to understand why Goku’s judgment may be clouded in this department, but this is also a strategy that’s repeatedly backfired on him when he’s put his trust in the wrong people. Goku’s decision to give a Senzu Bean to Cell and Planet-Eater Moro was disastrous & nearly ended in the planet’s doom.
The same is true for the multiple times that he’s exhibited sympathy towards Frieza, including during their initial fight on Planet Namek. The fact that Frieza is now back and ready to cause unprecedented chaos should be a wake-up call to Goku that his old way of operating is unsustainable. It’s honestly surprising that Goku’s renegade redemptive actions haven’t previously caused a problem of this magnitude. It’s a scenario where there are very real consequences to deal with and it raises the question whether more discerning heroes like Vegeta need to be around in order to eliminate vanquished foes that Goku wants to keep around and trust to do the right thing.
Frieza Has Repeatedly Shown That He Can’t Be Trusted
Frieza Has Never Been Loyal, Even To Those He Trusts
Dragon Ball Z: Goku Was Right to Show Frieza Mercy on Namek
Goku decided that despite everything Frieza had done and might go on to do, he’d show him mercy. Here are some points in defense of that choice.
Another reason why Goku’s decision to recruit Frieza and require his cooperation during the Tournament of Power is misguided is because he’s one of Dragon Ball’s most unloyal and untrustworthy characters. There are plenty of Dragon Ball villains who are undeniably wicked, but still operate with a sense of honor that allows a temporary truce, understanding, or even a degree of respect to exist between these parties. In practically every situation that he’s ever been in, Frieza only thinks of himself and is willing to throw everyone else under the bus.
This is someone who casually kills his entire Frieza Force army through an overwhelming power-up sequence, just so he can make a dramatic entrance. Tagoma and Sorbet’s deaths are some of Dragon Ball Super’s most devastating fatalities, simply because they’ve done so much to help Frieza, only to ultimately learn that they’ve put their trust in the worst person imaginable. He’s absolutely someone who can’t be trusted and there’s no reason for this to suddenly change. Frieza’s cooperation with Cell, while they’re in hell together in Dragon Ball GT, results in an inevitable betrayal. The same is true with the alliance that he establishes with Frost during the Tournament of Power.
Frieza is even willing to attack Gohan, one of his actual Tournament of Power teammates, in order to make a grander point that he’s the one in control. None of this behavior is indicative of someone who wants to be redeemed or is even capable of redemption. It’s why Goku faces such push-back when he originally recruits Frieza. Everyone understands that their victory will be short-lived because Frieza’s resurrection will ultimately become a greater problem than the Tournament of Power. It takes time for Frieza to mount his attack, but this is exactly what happens during the Granolah the Survivor Saga’s conclusion, and what the heroes are currently stuck with.
Frieza’s Overwhelming Hatred Of Saiyans Impairs His Judgment
Frieza Has A Vengeful History That Makes His Return Especially Dangerous
Dragon Ball Z Theory: Goku and Frieza’s Battle on Namek Really Was Five Minutes Long
Dragon Ball Z was notoriously bad at telling time, but Goku and Frieza’s extensive battle may have actually only lasted for five minutes — on Namek.
Goku decides that Frieza’s cooperation during the Tournament of Power is paramount for Universe 7’s success. Frieza provides vital support, but Goku fails to recognize that Frieza’s resurrection is destined to cause greater problems because of his incredible hatred and prejudice towards Saiyan. This may not have been a crucial problem if Goku were the only Saiyan around, but Frieza’s unreasonable rage towards his people opens his entire family – as well as Vegeta’s – open to attacks.
Frieza takes it personally that Saiyans have proven themselves to be superior to him due to his past where he spent decades treating Saiyans like disposable workers. It’s a schism that Frieza just can’t reconcile and has pushed him to be even more motivated in his destruction of Saiyans like Goku, Vegeta, and now Broly, for how they’ve previously humiliated him and failed to recognize their lower station in life. Frieza is incredibly motivated to right this wrong and redeem his narrative so that the scales are tipped back in his favor. It’d be a big problem to have a vengeful villain on the loose, but Goku’s actions here put a major target on most of his friends and family due to their biology.
Frieza hates Saiyans in a general sense, but he also has a distinct history with Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Broly, and Future Trunks, all of whom would be extra vulnerable. Even children like Pan and Bulla are now a major liability who Frieza is likely to target, even though they haven’t personally wronged the tyrant. Frieza would be motivated to kill these children as a way of not only hurting Goku and Vegeta, but cut off the Saiyan bloodline and make sure that more don’t enter the picture down the road.
Frieza Has Become The Strongest In The Universe & Sets His Sights On Multiversal Domination
Black Frieza Is A Threat That Requires Major Consequences
Piccolo Should Have Beat Frieza in Dragon Ball Z, Not Goku
Goku may be Dragon Ball Z’s main protagonist, but Piccolo absolutely deserved to defeat Frieza during the Namek Saga based on their confrontations.
Frieza has repeatedly proven that he’s not someone who should ever be underestimated and capable of truly frightening actions when he’s properly motivated. Frieza’s Golden form is the result of him finally training for the first time in his life because he actually has something to prove against those who previously wronged him. Frieza unveils an even stronger transformation in Dragon Ball Super’s manga – Black Frieza – which is the result of a decade of dedicated training within the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Black Frieza is so powerful that he’s able to simultaneously neutralize Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta with a single punch.
He’s also the only one strong enough to defeat the Heeter Force’s Gas, which was a threat who collectively overpowered Goku, Vegeta, and Granolah. The heroes wouldn’t have to worry about the limits of Black Frieza’s strength if he were still stuck in Other World. Goku didn’t know that Frieza’s resurrection would result in a new transformation for the villain, but he should have enough intuition to connect these dots. Goku has spent enough time with Frieza to understand that revenge would be on his agenda and that he’s smart enough to figure out a scenario where his power can reach unprecedented heights.
Black Frieza hasn’t been seen in a long time, which honestly makes him even more frightening than if he were to launch an immediate attack. However, Black Frieza makes it known that his plans are to take out Zeno and become the new ruler of the multiverse. This is a dangerous mission that trumps anything that Frieza has previously attempted and he actually seems like he could be strong enough to pull it off. There’s an assumption that Frieza will begin to take out each universe’s God of Destruction and Angel, one by one, before he then sets his sights on the Omni-King.
This plan exposes the entire multiverse to incredible danger and it gives the other universes even more of a reason to hate Goku, and Universe 7, by extension. The other universes already resented Goku for instigating the Tournament of Power in the first place and his casual, reckless behavior around Zeno. Black Frieza’s tyrannical plan is even worse and makes the entire multiverse vulnerable to his ego-driven agenda. Even if Black Frieza is defeated, Universe 7 may still be in poor standing with the rest of the universes due to the danger that Goku has put them in.
Frieza Finally Killing Goku Would Be A Powerful Way To Conclude Their Narratives
Dragon Ball Super Is Entering Its Endgame
Could Vegeta Beat Frieza On Namek If He Turned Super Saiyan Instead Of Goku?
Vegeta was banking on becoming a Super Saiyan to beat Frieza, but it never happened. If it did, it could have made a world of difference.
Dragon Ball Super has covered tremendous ground, butit feels like it’s finally getting ready to wrap up its narrative, especially now that Akira Toriyama is no longer around. It doesn’t seem like Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, or Piccolo have anywhere else to go after their latest transformations and a final showdown with Black Frieza would certainly make sense for the series’ last saga. Dragon Ball Super has been looking for a way to “retire” Goku and pivot the narrative towards Gohan, and potentially also Broly and Uub.
It wouldn’t be impossible for all these characters to rise to the occasion and work together to take out Black Frieza if he were to successfully overwhelm Goku and kill him. Goku’s death against Frieza would truly teach him a lesson and help him understand why it’s dangerous to be too trusting. This would also be a development that truly surprises audiences and effectively brings the series’ disparate ideas together as Dragon Ball Super reaches its conclusion. It’s hard to imagine any other villain than Black Frieza who would have a greater impact as Dragon Ball’s final antagonist.
Dragon Ball series often conclude with Goku saying farewell in one way or another and this conclusion would help facilitate this idea. Goku would meet his end, but he’d still be around in Other World. It’s a best of both worlds approach that finds a way for Dragon Ball Super to truly pass the torch over to the next generation of heroes and put Frieza to bed, once and for all. There are many ways that Goku could recognize that he was in the wrong regarding Frieza’s resurrection, but it’d be incredibly powerful for this careless action to ultimately lead to his own doom and force the series to move on with new heroes front and center.
