Dragon Ball features some of the most iconic villains in manga and anime history. From Demon King Piccolo, Vegeta, and Frieza to Cell and Majin Buu, each enemy has left a lasting impact and helped shape the franchise’s appeal for decades.
Beyond the main storyline, Toei Animation produced numerous Dragon Ball Z movies introducing entirely new villains. Most of these characters aren’t part of the official timeline (canon), yet many remain fan favorites thanks to striking designs, unique powers, or compelling concepts.
With plenty of stories still to explore in Dragon Ball Super, here are seven villains who deserve to be upgraded to canon status.
1. Garlic Jr.
First appearing in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (1989), Garlic Jr. is the son of Garlic, a contender for Earth’s God.
What sets Garlic Jr. apart is that he actually wished for immortality using the Dragon Balls, a rare feat among Dragon Ball villains. Despite becoming immortal, he was defeated by Gohan who trapped him in the Dead Zone, a dimension Garlic Jr. created.
Unlike most movie villains, Garlic Jr. also appeared in the Dragon Ball Z anime through the Garlic Jr. Saga, making him the only movie antagonist to get a dedicated TV arc.
An immortal villain is an intriguing idea, especially if Dragon Ball Super wants to explore battles that can’t end simply by defeating the enemy.
2. Android 13
Introduced in Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13! (1992), Android 13 is the final product of Dr. Gero’s android program, continued by his supercomputer after his death.
Initially fighting alongside Androids 14 and 15, Android 13 absorbs their processors after their defeat to transform into Super Android 13, overpowering Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks for a time.
Following the success of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, the Red Ribbon Army is back in focus. However, Dragon Ball has yet to introduce a true android villain after Cell Max. Android 13 could be the perfect choice to revisit Dr. Gero’s legacy.
3. Turles
Turles debuted in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990) and is often called the “evil Goku” due to his nearly identical appearance. The film explains that many low-class Saiyans look alike, so Turles is not related to Goku.
Turles’ threat lies in the Tree of Might, a tree that drains an entire planet’s life energy to produce fruit that grants enormous power to whoever eats it.
While Dragon Ball Super introduced Goku Black, Turles has his own identity. He’s a pure Saiyan fighting for personal ambition rather than serving any larger plan.
4. Bojack
The main villain of Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993), Bojack is the leader of a space pirate gang that terrorized the galaxy.
Centuries ago, Bojack was sealed inside a star by the Kais. When Goku sacrificed himself to defeat Cell, the explosion on King Kai’s planet accidentally broke the seal, freeing Bojack.
While Bojack doesn’t have many unique powers, the idea that a heroic act from the past unintentionally creates a new threat is a rare and interesting angle in Dragon Ball.
5. Hirudegarn
The final villain in Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995), Hirudegarn is a giant monster created by ancient magic.
The monster was split in two and sealed inside Tapion and his brother Minotia to prevent its resurrection. After many events, Hirudegarn is fully freed and becomes the Z Fighters’ ultimate opponent.
Hirudegarn isn’t a villain with complex schemes or much dialogue. Instead, he’s a colossal kaiju with overwhelming destructive power. This film also marks Goku’s first use of the Dragon Fist technique, a move fans hope will appear in the main story.
6. Janemba
Janemba appears in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995), born when a being in the afterlife accidentally absorbs a massive amount of evil energy at a soul cleansing station.
Janemba has bizarre abilities like warping space, teleportation, creating portals, and body transformation, overpowering Super Saiyan 3 Goku. Only when Goku and Vegeta fuse into Gogeta is Janemba defeated.
Dragon Ball Daima has expanded the Demon Realm’s lore, but Janemba hasn’t been mentioned. If Dragon Ball ever wants to bring back a pure embodiment of evil like Kid Buu, Janemba is a top candidate.
7. Cooler
Cooler is almost always listed among the most beloved Dragon Ball movie villains.
First appearing in Cooler’s Revenge (1991), he is introduced as Frieza’s older brother. Unlike Frieza, Cooler has a final transformation beyond the known forms of the Frost Demon race.
In The Return of Cooler (1992), he survives his first defeat and merges with the Big Gete Star to become Metal Cooler, gaining near-limitless regeneration and creating an army of Metal Cooler clones.
With Frieza still a key figure in Dragon Ball Super, Cooler has great potential to be canonized. He would add depth to the Frieza family and create more balanced battles when Goku and Vegeta face two Frost Demon warriors at once.