Easily the most popular arc in the franchise, the Frieza saga completely redefined Dragon Ball for the foreseeable future. Character arcs came to an end while others only just began; transformations were introduced on a grand scale, forever changing the landscape of manga and anime; and the series started cementing itself just as much of an ensemble story as one revolving around Goku. For many fans, the Frieza saga is Dragon Ball’s peak and for good reason. It’s arguably the single arc where Toriyama best understood where to drive his characters, plots, and themes.

Of course, considering the Frieza saga’s length, it’s also one of the most mysterious. When did Toriyama come up with the Super Saiyan transformation? Did he intend Goku to take such a backseat? Was the series actually supposed to end with the Frieza saga? Chances are, if you’re a big fan of the series, you might already know the answers to these questions. It’s important to remember, though, that Dragon Ball is a series flooded with rumors upon rumors. What you believe to be true may in actuality be a lie. Do you genuinely know the Frieza saga’s many secrets? Or have you been caught in years worth of rumor mongering?

25 Toriyama Never Intended The Series To End Here

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One of the biggest misconceptions in the franchise, if not the absolute biggest, is that Akira Toriyama planned on ending the series with Goku defeating Frieza on Namek. It does make sense at first glance, so don’t feel too bad if you bought into the rumor. Not only is Namek exploding with Goku on it a classically fitting end for a heroic character who just become the strongest person in the universe, it also marks the end of the Saiyan race with their champion being engulfed in flames. Goku has saved not only the world, but the universe too.

Stop parroting this rumor. 

Which is totally not in-line with the type of story Dragon Ball is telling. Goku isn’t some generic hero so him meeting his end on Namek isn't a good fate for him. More importantly, having him end the series on top ruins the theme of there always being someone better. On top of that, Piccolo’s, Gohan’s, Vegeta’s, and Krillin’s character arcs aren’t even done. Ending the series with the Frieza saga benefits nobody. It’s an amazing arc, arguably the best in the franchise, but that doesn’t mean it should be the end. Toriyama has long since confirmed he never intended to finish the series with Frieza, so fans believing otherwise is just wishful thinking at this point.

24 Toriyama May Have Envisioned Namek As Early As The 23rd Budokai

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Although Akira Toriyama wasn’t much of a planner while writing Dragon Ball, it’s not fair to say he didn’t have some idea of where he was going or building up to. For as thematically and narrative cohesive as Dragon Ball is, it’s obvious Toriyama never really let the story get away from him, at least on a conceptual level. Paying close attention to the narrative, you also gain the sense that he’s building up some ideas long before he gets a chance to act on them. Most notably, the idea that Piccolo and Kami are actually aliens.

While it doesn’t outright confirm that Toriyama had Planet Namek planned this early, the fact that Piccolo and Kami speak in an alien language in the 23rd Budokai only to be directly confirmed as aliens in the very next arc is quite telling. This isn’t a case of Piccolo and Kami speaking in a divine language, either. The text outright considers their language alien and neither of them truly understand their heritage. From as early as the first round of the 23rd Budokai, Toriyama is sowing the seeds for Piccolo’s heritage and, in turn, prepping the audience for the Frieza saga. It’s specific foreshadowing, but it checks out.

23 Frieza Is The Only Character To Make Vegeta Cry

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Crying’s not really something that happens all too often in Dragon Ball. Not that it’s some serious, macho series, far from it, but rather because Toriyama isn’t the kind of author who zones in on the more emotional moments. There are instances where the story genuinely does get quite sad, and these moments are given the respect they deserve, but they’re few and far between. Goku cries when reuniting with Grandpa Gohan in the Red Ribbon Army arc; Gohan cries all the time in the Saiyan saga; Piccolo cries after telling Gohan how much he means to him, and Gohan cries when turning Super Saiyan 2.

There is one other major crying instance, though: Vegeta’s tears on Namek. Not only does this mark the only time Vegeta ever cries in the series, it also means Frieza is the only character to ever make Vegeta tear up. That alone is a precious piece of drama worth cherishing forever. It’s not even that Frieza beats Vegeta so bad he cries. Vegeta is simply so overwhelmed by Frieza’s power that he breaks down into tears, unable to process a situation where he gets off Namek alive. This is easily one of the most humbling moments for Vegeta and a reminder of the Frieza saga’s dedication to breaking our characters.

22 Toriyama Loved Bardock So Much He Made Him Canon

via bardocksonic.deviantart.com

Toei’s original content for Dragon Ball tended to be rather hit or miss to say the least. The original Dragon Ball’s filler was mostly inoffensive if a bit underwritten; the Saiyan saga filler was notably a step up in quality and helped Gohan’s characterization for quite a few people; and the Frieza saga dropped the ball altogether, spawning some of the worst sets of episodes in the entire franchise. Funny enough, during the period that Toei was misrepresenting Dragon Ball Z the most, they actually managed to create one of the best pieces of Dragon Ball history: Bardock - The Father of Goku.

Bardock is the only character the anime introduced to be canonized by Toriyama. 

An intimate story about Goku’s father that depicts the Saiyans as the savages they once were, the special chronicles the downfall of Planet Vegeta and Bardock’s inability to save his race. It’s a dark, mature tale and one that surprisingly resonated with Toriyama. He’s mentioned in multiple interviews how much he likes the special and even decided to write Bardock into the manga, canonizing him through two brief panels as Frieza confronts Goku. It’s nothing so glamorous as outright confirming the special happened in the manga’s continuity, but it’s a far more respectful take on the character than anything Dragon Ball Minus gives us.

21 The Melancholy Of Son Goku: The Scene You Never Knew Existed

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Dragon Ball Z is not a bad adaptation of the manga, but it isn’t as good as it should be either. If it wasn’t bad enough that Toei had to pad out the Frieza saga due to the anime getting dangerously close to catching up to the manga, they also cut out of the most important and character essential moments in the entire arc. Before finding his way off of Namek, Frieza begs Goku to give him some energy. Against better judgement, Goku gives him energy, Frieza tries to stab him in the back, and Goku vaporizes him on the spot.

In the anime, Goku simply looks down where Frieza stood before flying away. In the manga, we get a downright beautiful panel of Goku looking down at Frieza solemnly, visibly shaken by the act of being betrayed and needing to put Frieza down. It’s a panel that speaks volumes for the character and shows us just how far Goku has come as a character. He understand the value of life, but not without understanding what needs to be done. He does the right thing not because he wants to, but because he has to. This act is a reminder that he is a Saiyan and that rocks him to his core. Why the anime cut this is unknown, but it robs Goku of a severe amount of depth.

20 Frieza Is The Only Z Villain Who Survives His Arc

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If you’re one of Dragon Ball Z’s three main villains, chances are you aren’t going to be kicking by the end of your arc. At the very least, you’ll be utterly defeated and humiliated. Goku destroys Frieza; Gohan destroys Cell; and Goku vaporizes Kid Buu with the world’s biggest Genki Dama. What might go overlooked, however, is the fact that not only does Goku not put an end to Frieza, Frieza’s actually the only villain to survive his arc altogether. Cell gets vaporized twice, Kid Buu gets blown up so Uub can be reincarnated, but Frieza survives Goku’s final Ki attack.

This may seem surprising at first glance, but it’s actually a trend Toriyama uses often, albeit only for villains who end up reforming. Tien survives the 22nd Budokai; Demon King Piccolo lives on through Piccolo Junior, and Vegeta gets off Earth alive. The difference here is that Frieza doesn’t end up reforming. If anything, he gets worse and comes back for revenge twice! You can argue he’s a member of the gang now that he’s been properly revived by Whis at the end of the Universe Survival arc, but it seems more likely that Frieza will fall back into old habits, making us wish Goku finished him off when he had the chance.

19 Toriyama Clearly Regretted Giving Frieza So Many Forms

Frieza Third Form
via Villains Wiki

Transformation are a quick, clever way of showing audiences growth in a character. When Frieza transforms, even if you somehow can’t follow the dialogue or narrative, the visual change is enough to signify Frieza has now become a bigger threat. Excluding Goku turning Super Saiyan for the first time, the biggest moment in the arc would easily have to be Frieza transforming into his second form. Not only does second form Frieza utterly demolish our heroes, we don’t know it’s only his second form until a ways into the fight. In comparison, it makes Frieza’s third form a bit weird.

Three forms really would have gotten the job done just as well. 

Easily the least utilized form in the saga, third form Frieza basically shows up to beat up Piccolo before losing his patience and deciding to shift into his final form. After already establishing that Frieza could heal by transforming, the only way to justify such a wasted moment to heal would simply be that Toriyama regretted giving Frieza a third form. Not only is the form far more visually complicated than the others, it’s also directly based off a Xenomorph. Taking legal issues, drawing issues, and pacing issues into account, Toriyama must have felt it was time to wrap up this portion of the Frieza fight and finally throw Goku into the mix.

18 Namek Solidified Who Was And Wasn’t A Main Character

via pinterest.co.uk (Killian Newman)

Did you go to Namek and are a Saiyan? Congratulations, you’re going to be a main character for the rest of the series! Did you go to Namek, but aren’t a Saiyan? Well done, you’re going to be a main character for at least one more arc! Did you not go to Namek and are not a Saiyan who has yet to be introduced? Toriyama will draw you every now and then, and you will be happy with your lot in life. It’s kind of crazy to think about, but anyone who didn’t end up going to Namek ended written out of the main plot entirely.

To be fair, most of the characters written out were already either on their way out or with nowhere left to go thanks to complete character arcs, but the Frieza saga made sure we knew who our protagonists were. Tien, Yamcha, and Chaozu were all but put on the back burner after the Saiyan saga. It’s not just that characters who didn’t go to Namek ended up less important, though. Toriyama actually uses Namek to set up new plots. It’s in this arc where we learn that Piccolo can re-fuse with Kami; Vegeta can actually defrost; and that Goku can turn into a Super Saiyan. Just these three aspects give us so much story potential moving forward.

17 Goku Versus Frieza Is The Longest Fight In Anime History

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Goku versus Frieza is a pretty long fight, huh? At a whopping twenty chapters, their battle takes roughly two and a half volumes to complete, longer than any other fight in the manga! Thankfully, Toriyama paced the fight well with each chapter either moving the plot forward, offering us some new insight on Goku and Frieza’s characterization, or simply turning the tide in the fight. He runs the risk of it running too long, but this is a man who knows what he’s doing and it shows in their final battle is paced. If only the anime followed suit.

Due to Toei getting ever closer to catching up to Toriyama’s manga, and at the worst possible moment narratively, they had no choice but to drag out Goku and Frieza’s fight as much as possible. Episodes would only adapt a single chapter at times, accomplishing virtually nothing. For three and a half hours, Goku and Frieza lay into each other with either one getting any closer to ending the madness. Toei took one of the climactic battle in the manga and made it even longer, absolutely destroying its pacing. It’s understandable why this had to happen, and it’s incredibly unfortunate, but it doesn’t exactly make the anime’s adaptation of the fight any better. At the very least, it’s a neat record!

16 The Frieza Saga Ends The Same Chapter The Cell Saga Begins

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The next time someone tells you that Toriyama intended the series to end with the Frieza saga, point them to chapter 329 (135 in the Viz release) in the manga. Not only does this chapter end the Frieza saga by having Goku refuse to come home to Earth, it also ends with a time jump showing us that Frieza and King Cold are about to land on Earth with no Goku to stop them. Now how could Akira Toriyama have planned to end the series with the Frieza saga when the last chapter literally leads into the next arc?

In case you needed further proof Toriyama wasn't ending the series. 

Now, you might be the type to use logic and simply say that Toriyama planned it earlier, but changed his mind last minute. To you, I say, “No, you’re wrong. Please stop.” Toriyama even draws the spaceship Goku’s going to arrive on Earth in during one of the last chapters of the arc, already establishing how Goku’s going to get off Namek alive. If anything, everything about the last few chapters of the Frieza saga implies that the story is going to continue. Along with the hook about Piccolo merging with Kami, there’s too much going on narratively for the series to end with this arc.

15 Sagas And Seasons: How Funimation Chopped Up Dragon Ball

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On the good chance that you’re only familiar with Funimation’s release of the Dragon Ball, it’s worth noting that the series is actually split up into ten key arcs: The Hunt for the Dragon Balls, the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai, Red Ribbon Army, the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, Demon King Piccolo, the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Saiyan, Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu. These ten storylines encompass the entirety of Dragon Ball’s story from start to finish and, even if you aren’t familiar with the ten arc split, you can still tell which arc is which. Strangely enough, Funimation made up their own breakdown for the series.

Naturally, the Frieza saga would be everything from the characters deciding to go to Namek to Goku ultimately defeating Frieza and the following denouement. Funimation, however, splits the saga down into two television seasons revolving around three sagas. What should have been the Frieza arc becomes the Namek saga, Ginyu saga, and Frieza saga spread across seasons two and three of the Dragon Ball Z anime. Perhaps it makes sense to break the arc down like this, but you have to remember that it’s all one arc because of the themes, arcs, and plots occurring within it. By splitting it into three, everything becomes narratively scattered

14 Dragon Ball Kai Didn’t Remove All Of Namek’s Filler

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Advertised as the manga cut of the anime, Dragon Ball Kai was Toei’s attempt at further milking the Dragon Ball franchise by learning from their previous mistakes and editing the series so that it more closely resembles the pace and tone of Toriyama’s manga. While this certainly was the case for the Saiyan Saga, the Frieza saga suffers slightly due to Toei’s rather half-hearted approach to editing once arriving on Namek. While the pacing is much better compared to the Dragon Ball Z anime, not all the filler was removed for some reason, giving fans yet another neutered Frieza saga.

What’s even worse is the fact that the filler left in could have very easily been removed. Bulma’s interactions with Ginyu on Namek not only add absolutely nothing to the plot, they occur completely separate from the rest of the action. It would make sense if Bulma and Ginyu’s nonsense inexplicably happened during scenes involving the fight against Frieza, but they don’t. There’s no logical explanation for keeping them in except straight up laziness. Dragon Ball Kai’s version of the Frieza is still infinitely better than DBZ’s, but it’s nowhere near as good as it should or could have been.

13 This Is The Only Arc Where The Action Takes Place Entirely Off Earth

via: josedalisayv.deviantart.com

One of the weirdest, and thankfully recently underrepresented, statements in the franchise is that Dragon Ball is an adventure story and Dragon Ball Z is a science fiction story. Completely ignoring the fact that the manga is simply one continuous story from start to finish with no DBZ split, only one arc in the Z era actually feels like hard sci-fi. Sure, you can argue that the Saiyan saga and Cell saga are both sci-fi due to their connections to outer space and futuristic technology, but they’re both more martial art serials than they are sci-fi. Only the Frieza saga can really be classified as science fiction.

The Universe Survival arc doesn't count. 

This is the arc where Toriyama really got into the galactic politics of the series, giving us history on different races, scientific explanations for otherwise trivial details, and most notably taking the action entirely off Earth. Even with all this in mind, the Frieza saga really isn’t that sci-fi oriented, but making the setting Namek instead of Earth does give it a very alien feel that the other arcs don’t have. That alone can create a sense for the science fiction genre even if it isn’t truly there. Besides, Dragon Ball is more in-line with retrofuturism than anything else.

12 Namek Has the Most Filler In The Series

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Bulma Fake Namek

In the manga, Namek feels like the culmination of Dragon Ball’s entire first half. While Toriyama clearly wasn’t building up to anything specific, the series’ themes, arcs, and characters seemed destined to expand towards a universal level. Goku was no longer the strongest man on Earth, he wasn’t even the strongest man in the universe, and this was a challenge he had to take. It’s a long, detailed arc that puts every character through the ringer, bringing us a climax that many swear could have been for the entire franchise. It’s just too bad the anime bogged it all down.

Out of all the story arcs in the series, it’s the Frieza saga that has the single most amount of filler. Just getting to Namek is a chore in the anime since Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma keep bumping into distractions along the way. There’s even the Fake Namek mini-arc that utterly ruins the pacing of the first third of the saga, hyping audiences up for a Namek that ultimately amounts to a waste of time. It only gets worse once we get to Namek, though, as Bulma gets a fair share of meandering episodes and the Frieza fight ends up dragged out for hours on end.

11 This Arc Is The Last Time The Dragon Balls Drive The Narrative

via dragonball.wikia.com

For a series called Dragon Ball, you’d think the titular orbs would drive the plot a bit more often. They certainly play an important role, don’t get me wrong, but just how often are they the center of the story? In what’s known as the original Dragon Ball, the Dragon Balls drive the first arc and the third, the Red Ribbon Army arc. They play a key role in the Demon King Piccolo arc, but only for the first half. From there, the only other arc to actively use the Dragon Balls as a plot device is the Frieza saga.

The hunt for the Namekian Dragon Balls isn’t the last time our heroes hunt for the orbs, but it is the last time they struggle to find them. After the Frieza saga, getting the Dragon Balls together is an easy task that can be done off-screen. Goku does it in the Cell saga before the Cell Games, and the Namekians band together to grab their set during the final battle with Kid Buu. Super makes it even easier by having Zamasu even gain access to the Super Dragon Balls off-screen at some point, trivializing the whole ordeal of hunting. At the very least, the plot thread goes out with a bang in the Frieza saga.

10 Vegeta Wouldn’t Be Able To Defeat Frieza Even With Immortality

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If there’s one recurring element that defines the villains of the Saiyan and Frieza saga, it’s immortality. In the Saiyan saga, Vegeta claims he wants immortality with Nappa in order to enjoy a life of perpetual combat. The Frieza saga reveals that he actually wanted immortality so he could gain an upper hand against Frieza and finally defeat him. For Frieza, immortality is just another way of asserting his dominance over the universe. If you think about it from the perspective of either Vegeta or Frieza gaining immortality, you’d clearly root for the former, the lesser of two evils. Unfortunately, even with immortality, Vegeta wouldn’t be able to actually defeat Frieza.

Immortality is pretty useless when your best ability hinges on barely staying alive. 

Saiyans are beings who get stronger through Zenkais, a biological side effect that triggers when they heal fully after being pushed to the brink of their life. If Vegeta’s immortal, though, he’d never be able to get a Zenkai since he’d never be at the edge of the death. Frieza could torture Vegeta for all eternity without the latter ever getting any stronger. After all, immortality isn’t some kind of power boost, it’s just the perpetuity of life. Had Vegeta gotten his wish, he’d be stuck at his weak Frieza saga power level, destined to watch everyone surpass him.

9 Accepting Who You Are: The Frieza Saga’s Main Theme

via: comicvine.com

Believe it or not, Dragon Ball is a rather theme heavy series. Arcs are dense with narrative nuances and character motivations working towards overarching themes. While you could boil the entire series down to the theme of breaking past your limitations and accepting, or even embracing, that there will always be someone better, the Frieza saga is more about coming to terms with where you come from and accepting yourself for who you are. This is a theme that’s introduced in the Saiyan saga via Goku and it gets its resolution here.

All arc, Goku is trying to push away his Saiyan heritage, deliberately acting in ways that would contrast Vegeta such as when he spares the Ginyu Force. Come the end of the arc, however, Goku is forced to come to terms with his Saiyan background. He does so initially when Frieza dusts Vegeta, but it’s Krillin’s explosion that pushes Goku over the edge. As soon as he triggers into a Super Saiyan, Goku accepts his role as a Saiyan from Earth, completing his character arc and the saga’s main theme. Of course, no theme is complete without a few layers. That’s why another character has a very similar arc to Goku during the Frieza saga…

8 Goku And Piccolo Have Very Similar Character Arcs Here

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Perhaps you’ve never noticed, but Goku and Piccolo’s character arcs in the Frieza saga play off each other tremendously well. Probably the fiercest rivalry up to that point, it’s only natural Goku and Piccolo grow alongside each other in similar ways. For Goku, the Frieza saga is about learning who he is, accepting his fate, and ultimately embracing it head-on with a ritualistic transformation. For Piccolo, it’s about learning who he is, accepting his fate, and ultimately embracing is head-on with a ritualistic transformation. Catching on yet? If not, let’s break it down beat by beat.

Gohan's dads really are alike. 

Goku learns he’s a Saiyan and it takes it poorly. Piccolo learns he’s a Namekian and goes into an identity crisis, questioning who he truly is. Goku arrives on Namek and starts to push away his heritage further until he encounters a dying Vegeta who begs him to fight for the Saiyan race. Piccolo arrives on Namek and feels a connection to his homeworld, unlike Goku, but doesn’t truly accept the weight of the Namekian plight until he encounters a dying Nail who begs him to fight for the Namekian race. Both characters then undergo a ritualistic transformation resulting with the former becoming a Super Saiyan and the latter merging with Nail. By the end of the arc, both characters accept who they are.

7 Vegeta Needed To Lose Against Frieza For His Character To Work

via dragonball.wikia.com

Anytime someone tells you Vegeta should have defeated Frieza on Namek, just know that they’re 100% in the wrong and you should take advantage of this opportunity to let them know how painfully incorrect they are. Not only would Vegeta defeating Frieza be absolutely worthless on a narrative level, it would have completely destroyed his character. Vegeta is a character who has been terrorized by Frieza for years. Him defeating his tormentor ruins the drama associated with his arc. More importantly, it outright means his character won’t grow anymore. Vegeta’s loss against Frieza is an act that humbles him and allows him to ease into the main cast.

Were Vegeta to come out victorious, his rivalry with Goku would stop in its tracks. Goku needs to turn Super Saiyan on Namek because it’s this act that causes Vegeta to obsess over him. Without his Goku obsession, Vegeta never settles on Earth, never gets together with Bulma, and never realizes how much he loves his son. Without these aspects, he does not grow as a person. More importantly, losing to Frieza means the last true Saiyan has perished, leaving the fate of the race on the shoulders of a lower class warrior. That’s classic dramatic irony and Vegeta winning would rob us of that.

6 Frieza May Have Raised The Stakes Too High

via dragonball.wikia.com

Up until the Frieza saga, Dragon Ball had a continuous progression where the stakes were constantly being raised. The first arc was a simple adventure story with a rather harmless villain; the second was a tournament where Master Roshi decided to test his pupils, making the stakes more personal; the third arc was another adventure story, but one that heavily focused on Goku’s character and him learning the value of life; the fourth was another tournament, but this time focused on using martial arts for good, raising the personal stakes even higher; the fifth was an all out drama with a demon king trying to conquer the world; and the sixth was a final tournament that incorporated the personal stakes and global stakes together for a well-rounded finale.

The seventh arc, otherwise known as the Saiyan saga, expanded the world even further and showed us that Goku was far from the strongest man alive. Come the Frieza saga, he’s face to face with the most powerful being in the universe. Following Frieza, however, we’re back on Earth and suddenly these Androids are the strongest beings alive. While it’s given enough justification in-universe, it doesn’t feel like a natural progression and instead feels like a narrative step back. When it comes down to it, Frieza raised the stakes way too high, giving us a universal conflict just a little over halfway through the series’ overall run, making the Cell saga feel awkwardly placed.