10 Worst Villain Transformations in Dragon Ball Super, Ranked

Dragon Ball Super is a satisfying evolution of its predecessors that’s not afraid to push the subject matter to particularly heightened places. Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of Earth’s heroes go up against unprecedented power, all while their new transformations and godly upgrades help them stay afloat. Transformations are par for the course in Dragon Ball and it should come as no surprise that Dragon Ball Super’s continues this tradition.

Many of these villainous transformations give the heroes pause. However, there are also several villain transformations that come across as wasteful, redundant, or derivative of past ideas. They hold Dragon Ball Super back, rather than push it forward.

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10 Earth Absorbed Moro Delivers Planet-Sized Peril As A Forced Final Complication

Anime Debut: N/A; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 65, “Son Goku, Earthling”

Planet-Eater Moro is the Dragon Ball Super manga’s first original villain following the Tournament of Power. Moro, despite his incredible age, still has a distinct design that resonates with audiences. Moro, much like Demon King Piccolo, uses the Dragon Ball to reclaim his youth, which also restores his magic to peak power. A strenuous battle ensues that prompts Vegeta to learn Forced Spirit Fission and Goku to achieve Perfected Ultra Instinct status. Moro’s appearance is much sleeker in his younger form and he makes for an intimidating antagonist. However, Moro’s greed gets the better of himself and his compulsion to steal other people’s powers, including Ultra Instinct, puts him in an unstable scenario.

Moro decides to fuse together with the Earth and becomes Earth Absorbed Moro. This temporarily allows Moro to process Perfected Ultra Instinct power, but it’s not a viable solution. Earth Absorbed Moro is an ugly evolution for the character that becomes a giant rubble-like head that seems to be in perpetual pain. It’s an epic spectacle, albeit one that comes across as a last-minute attempt to push the heroes out of their comfort zone. If nothing else, Earth Absorbed Moro prompts Perfected Ultra Instinct Goku’s giant energy avatar.

9 Legendary Super Saiyan Kale Receives A Drastic Power Boost Through A Derivative Transformation

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 89, “A Mysterious Beauty Appears! The Enigma of the Tien Shin-Style Dojo?”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 37, “Awaken, Super Saiyan Kale”

Dragon Ball Super has canonically incorporated Broly, Universe 7’s Legendary Super Saiyan, into the franchise. Before this momentous event, Universe 6’s Kale looked like Super‘s attempt to showcase Broly level strength. Kale is the most meek and reserved of Universe 6’s top Saiyans, which also includes Caulifla and Cabba. Kale’s reserved nature makes her rampaging Legendary Super Saiyan state all the more interesting. Kale loses her inhibitions and turns into a loose cannon of carnage.

Broly’s Legendary Super Saiyan transformation feels like a natural extension of his power because he’s already so burly. Kale, on the other hand, has a slim frame that makes the same metamorphosis a lot more awkward. Legendary Super Saiyan Kale, while exciting, never stops feeling awkward and it’s just a retread of a past idea. Kale’s fusion with Caulifla into Kefla, which channels her Legendary Super Saiyan strength in a way that’s original and more natural, is the better transformation.

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Anime Debut: N/A; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 55, “Merus’s True Identity”

One area in which Dragon Ball Super excels is how it returns to past characters and concepts through exploring other members of the same race. The Tournament of Power and Galactic Bandit Brigade are great opportunities for this. It makes sense that there would be some repetition with aliens and that every new character who is encountered isn’t something totally unique.

Yuzun of Moro’s Galactic Bandit Brigade is the same species as Zarbon, who also experiences the same disturbing transformation. Monster Form Yuzun loses the beauty and elegance of Yuzun’s base form, in exchange for greater power. Monster Form Yuzun isn’t around for very long and he’s eventually eliminated by Vegeta, just like Zarbon, but he still suffers from the same issues that held back Zarbon’s transformation.

7 Aged Form Gas Strips Back The Villain’s Power & Emphasizes His Frailty

Anime Debut: N/A; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 86, “All-Out Bout”

Dragon Ball Super‘s Granolah the Survivor Saga throws a lot at the audience and it marks the introduction of True Ultra Instinct Goku, Ultra Ego Vegeta, and a treacherous application of the Dragon Balls. Elec, the leader of the Heeter Force, uses the Cerealian Dragon Balls to make Gas the strongest individual in Universe 7. Gas initially doesn’t look like much, but he benefits from his barbaric Inner Nature Unleashes transformation, where he becomes more of a brutal and aggressive monster. Gas’ Dragon Ball-aided power boost also results in his Awakened Form, which is a more mature look for the villain.

It’s later revealed that the extra power that Gas acquires forces his body to rapidly age, which prompts his transformation into Aged Form Gas. Aged Form Gas looks like a living skeleton and is more decrepit than his past forms. Curiously, this frail appearance doesn’t necessarily hinder his performance. Aged Form Gas continues to give his all in combat and is even able to attack with limbs that are broken. His body seems incapable of slowing down, which becomes genuinely frightening. Nevertheless, this skeletal version of Gas is just upsetting to look at and a withered husk of his peak power.

6 Fused Zamasu Lacks Necessary Flair

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 64, “Worship Me! Give Praise Unto Me! The Explosive Birth Of A Merged Zamasu!”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 22, “Zamas’s Final Trump Card”

Goku Black and Future Zamasu are two of Dragon Ball Super‘s most determined villains and they very nearly eliminate all mortals from reality through their comprehensive plan. Zamasu uses the Super Dragon Balls to steal Goku’s body and proceeds to team up with his future self to accomplish even greater success. Curiously, Goku Black’s Super Saiyan Blue equivalent transformation, Super Saiyan Rose, is actually rather striking.

The same is true for the corrupted version of Fused Zamasu and the anime’s depiction of Infinite Zamasu. However, standard Fused Zamasu isn’t particularly memorable. This Potara fusion technically involves two versions of the same character, so Fused Zamasu doesn’t look very different from Future Zamasu, other than wearing Goku Black’s tunic and having similar hair. Fused Zamasu also achieves a godly halo that helps emphasize his increased power, but a design that better combines Goku Black and Future Zamasu would be more effective.

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5 Watagash Infected Barry Kahn Is A Braindead Brute

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 74, “For My Beloved Ones! The Indomitable Great Saiyaman!”; Manga Debut: N/A

Another playful stretch of filler episodes in Dragon Ball Super puts Gohan in a very meta situation where he’s helping out on a Great Saiyaman feature film. Gohan butts heads with Barry Kahn, the egotistical A-lister who is playing Saiyaman in the movie. Barry orchestrates a petty blackmail scheme that tries to break up Gohan and Videl so she’ll choose him instead. Additionally, a parasitic alien fugitive that escaped to Earth, Watagash, bonds with Barry and prompts a monstrous transformation.

Watagash Infected Barry Kahn is a huge hulking threat that’s the sort of transformation that’s perfect for a blockbuster superhero movie. However, in the grander Dragon Ball context, this transformation is bland. Watagash Infected Barry Kahn looks like any generic tough guy that Goku would casually defeat in a random episode before the real story begins. Watagash Infected Barry Kahn is also left in a mental haze, so he lacks the intelligence to be truly dangerous. He’s just a blunt weapon.

4 Miza Iwaza Kikaza Fusion Is A Confusing Fusion That Plays Like A Gag

Anime Debut: N/A; Manga Debut:Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 57, “Battles Abound”

Dragon Ball Super‘s Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga literally unleashes hundreds of new villains as Planet-Eater Moro frees all the Galactic Patrol’s prisoners and puts his plan into action. Many battles play out at the same time as Moro takes advantage of this chaos and Dragon Ball‘s supporting heroes have to help mitigate the danger. A particularly interesting battle breaks out between Master Roshi and three female members of Moro’s Bandit Brigade, Miza, Iwaza, and Kikaza.

This becomes an exciting opportunity for Master Roshi to tap into his temperamental Ultra Instinct powers, which he accomplishes by blindfolding himself and trusting his senses. Miza, Iwaza, and Kikaza respond through a mysterious three-way fusion that turns them into a humongous hybrid. A three-way fusion is definitely interesting, but it’s executed with a fairly crude transformation. The Miza Iwaza Kikaza Fusion is presumably stronger than before, even though this metamorphosis is played for laughs and easily neutralized.

3 Golden Frieza Begins A Recurring Pattern Of Perfunctory Color Swaps

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 25, “A Full-Throttle Battle! The Vengeful Golden Frieza”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 37, “Awaken, Super Saiyan Kale”

Frieza was a landmark villain in Dragon Ball Z who really popularizes the franchise’s tradition of powerful villains who cycle through numerous transformations before they reach their final, strongest state. Plenty of powerful villains have come along after Frieza, but his surprised resurrection and prolonged staying power in Dragon Ball Super reinforces the idea that he’s the closest thing that the anime has to a central villain. A power boost for Frieza is necessary in Dragon Ball Super, considering that Goku and Vegeta have tapped into godly ki and its corresponding transformations, like Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue.

A new transformation for Frieza holds a lot of potential, especially because all his previous forms are so diverse. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Super decides that Frieza’s fourth form is recognizable enough that there’s no need to stray from this design. Frieza’s subsequent Golden Frieza, True Golden Frieza, and Black Frieza are all derivative palette swaps that lack the inspiration of his previous forms. Something in the vein of Cooler’s fifth form would have been a more successful development.

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2 Ribrianne Turns Totemic Transformations Into A Profound Farce

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 117, “Showdown Of Love! The Androids Vs.The 2nd Universe!”; Manga Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Chapter 33, “Universe Survival! The Tournament Of Power Begins!!”

One of the most exciting details about Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power is that many of the universes that are involved in this battle royale free-for-all lean into contrasting themes and subgenres. Universe 2, for instance, embraces a magical girl framework and several of its Kamikaze Fireball characters look like they’re ripped out of a shojo series. Brianne de Chateau, the team’s leader, experiences a humorous magical girl transformation that turns her into Ribrianne. Ribrianne has become one of Dragon Ball Super‘s most controversial characters, since she comes across as more of a gag character than a genuine threat.

Ribrianne gets her strength from the power of love and undergoes even more ridiculous transformations, like Lovely, Love, Love Ribrianne, who towers above the tournament arena like a giant. Universe 3’s group transformation into Anilaza proves that giant transformations can be successful. Ribrianne just continually doubles down on the same gag. Curiously, Ribrianne doesn’t experience the same degree of transformation in Dragon Ball Super‘s manga, where Ribrianne is her base form and there is no “normal” Brianne de Chateau state.

1 Duplicate Vegeta Is A Disappointing Doppelgänger

Anime Debut: Dragon Ball Super, Episode 44, “The Seal Of Planet Pot-Au-Feu Secrets Of The Unleashed Superhuman Water!”; Manga Debut: N/A

Dragon Ball loves to play around with evil doubles and corruption arcs where trusted individuals experience moral crises. Dragon Ball relishes any opportunity to return Vegeta to the dark side and indulge in combat between him and Goku. There’s a contentious mini filler saga in Dragon Ball Super where a pit stop to Planet Potaufeu sees Vegeta get co-opted by a sentient liquid weapon known as Commeson. Commeson’s infection of Vegeta results in Duplicate Vegeta, which may not explicitly be a new transformation, but it’s still a villainous new form that Gotenks and Goku need to take on.

Duplicate Vegeta lacks the personality of previous Vegeta possessions, like Baby Vegeta. This is ostensibly just a purple, gooey Vegeta clone. Super Saiyan Blue Duplicate Vegeta’s hair admittedly meshes well with his purple design. However, this is still a lazy transformation that does the bare minimum. Duplicate Vegeta’s one saving grace is that Dragon Ball Super‘s English dub enlists original Vegeta voice actor, Brian Drummond, to play the part.

With Majin Buu defeated half-a-year prior, peace returns to Earth, where Son Goku (now a radish farmer) and his friends now live peaceful lives.

Release Date

January 7, 2017

Cast

Masako Nozawa , Takeshi Kusao , Ryô Horikawa , Hiromi Tsuru

Seasons

5