Nothing gets Dragon Ball fans hyped quite like the appearance of a new transformation. From Frieza onwards it was customary for every villain to level up through several forms, becoming increasingly stronger each time it seemed the heroes had them bested. If there’s one thing you can be certain of in the Dragon Ball franchise, it’s that the word 'final' very rarely means final.
There’s always a higher level of power to be reached, and with new video games being released practically every year, an original transformation can offer a refreshing shake-up when you’re playing through the anime’s storyline for the umpteenth time.
10 Cyborg Frieza – Super Dragon Ball Z
Seeing Frieza – thought dead by the Z Fighters – land on Earth along with his father, King Cold, was one of the most shocking moments in the series. More machine now than man, it seemed that the scourge of the Saiyans truly was unstoppable. That was until he was swiftly dispatched by Vegeta’s time-travelling son, Trunks.
The original design was great, but apparently, the designers of Super Dragon Ball Z thought King Cold should have gone a little harder when he fitted his son out with cybernetics. The addition of a giant rocket launcher is an understated addition to the galactic warlord’s ensemble.
9 Saibabrutes – Dragon Ball Z: Sagas
All Dragon Ball adventure and RPG games face the same problem – there simply aren’t enough villains in the series to support overworld gameplay. Variations on Saibamen and Cell Jr are the go-to option, but Sagas went a little further than the usual recolour that has been a staple since the NES Dragon Ball games.
Before squaring off against Nappa, you’ll find yourself having to do away with three Saibabrutes. Giving these little screeching pod men the Big Chungus treatment may not be the most inspired redesign, but it’s more than most Dragon Ball games manage.
8 Android 19000 – Dragon Ball Online
It’s a pretty unanimous opinion that Android 19 is not Toriyama’s best character design. As such, he and Android 20 were killed off without ever getting too much screentime, and the more generic-looking Androids 17 and 18 took their place.
There’s something to be said however in Android 19’s appearance being at least something unique. When it came to making overworld enemies for Dragon Ball Online – which is set over 200 years after the end of Z – the developers drew on 19’s design to create Android 19000, which is altogether more intimidating than his predecessor.
7 Coolieza – Dragon Ball Fusions
Fans of the Dragon Ball franchise have long fantasised about what characters would look like if the fusion techniques were used more often. Budokai 2 introduced an unsuspecting world to Tiencha, but it wasn’t until Fusions hit the 3DS that the floodgates were thrown open.
Most of the designs are admittedly a little silly looking, but Coolieza would make a cool villain for a future Dragon Ball movie. Celluza deserves an honourable mention but looks just slightly too much like a Cell Jr to be taken seriously.
6 Demon God Dabura – Super Dragon Ball Heroes
Dragon Ball Heroes is a Japan-exclusive manga that serves to add a thin story to supplement the arcade card game which, going on the fact that it’s been receiving updates for over a decade, presumably makes a huge amount of money.
Most of its plotlines are about Demon Gods and make very little sense. It’s a good excuse however to show new forms of old characters. One of which is Dabura, the Demon King who seemed kind of underpowered in the anime, but here gets the glow-up he always deserved.
5 Baby Janemba – Dragon Ball Heroes
Dragon Ball Heroes doesn’t discriminate when it comes to representing everyone’s favourite parts of the franchise. It’s a big fan service mashup that pulls from every continuity. This means that not only can fans finally watch Super Saiyan 4 Goku stand toe-to-toe with Ultra Instinct Goku, but villains from GT and the movies can also be pulled into the fray.
Fusing two of the fan favourite villains from both of these non-canon franchise entries is a genius idea, and the result is one that really pops with colour.
4 Time Breaker Bardock – Dragon Ball Online
For years after his introduction in the Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku OVA, fans had wanted to know more about the noble Saiyan who couldn’t quite stop his race from being destroyed.
Despite this, he had made surprisingly few appearances until 2010, when he appeared in a new manga and took a villainous turn in Dragon Ball Online. Bardock would eventually break free of the possessing mask which resulted in these evil deeds, though it has been worn by many characters since, including King Vegeta and Broly.
3 Super Saiyan Nappa – Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2
When Nappa came to Earth he was a goofy menace who dominated the Z Fighters before being humiliated by Goku. He was clearly a strong Saiyan, and if only he had stayed alive a little longer, he likely would have tapped into his Super Saiyan potential along with every other character in the show.
Xenoverse 2 finally gave us the answer to the age-old question “What would a bald Super Saiyan look like anyway?”, and the answer is not exciting. He’s got a golden moustache and green eyes and that's about it. Dragon Ball Heroes would later introduce Super Saiyan 3 Nappa, giving him a longer, spikier beard.
2 Legendary Super Saiyan 3 Broly – Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers
The obscenely powerful Broly has long been a fan favourite character and the concept of him achieving higher Super Saiyan transformations has always been favourable to what happened to him in the abysmal Bio-Broly movie.
The 2009 Japan-only arcade card game Dragon Battlers introduced the Super Saiyan 3 form of the character just months before his appearance in the console game Raging Blast. With his hulking physique, white eyes, and long green hair he’s every bit as intimidating as you’d expect.
1 Cell X – Dragon Ball Online
One thing which made Cell’s final form so diabolical was his appearance of total control and poise. It made sense that this was referred to as his Perfect Form, having evolved from a gross, bug-like larva. Dragon Ball Online decided to do away with all that and show what Cell would look like if that insect heritage resurfaced.
The result is utterly monstrous. It’s a classic case of overdesign, but what other way could you turn when the original design was so, well, Perfect. Dragon Ball Online was too janky to truly show how Cell X fights, but it’s neat to imagine how a battle against a centaur-like quadruped would play out in the anime.