7 Dragon Ball Villains Super's Next Anime Needs To Make Canon

Dragon Ball's villains are just as iconic as its heroes. From the moment King Piccolo touched down in the original series, to the defeat of Kid Buu with Goku's signature Spirit Bomb, Dragon Ball went on a run of iconic antagonists that few other franchises have ever been able to match. The likes of Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell have all either remained integral to the series or are remembered by fans as some of anime's most recognizable villains ever.

However, along the way, Dragon Ball also introduced villains who aren't quite as fondly remembered. Since its premiere, the franchise has released 21 theatrical anime movies, the majority of which pitted Goku and company against new, anime-original villains. The canon status of the movies has always been wonky, though the official series timeline established with 2015's Dragon Ball Super all but left the majority of those 21 films as little more than fun, though unimportant side stories.

Despite that, many of those movies introduced characters who remain favorites among Dragon Ball's perpetually growing fan base. And as the franchise kicks off its new era later this year with the return of Dragon Ball Super, a few of those villains deserve to be revisited.

7 Garlic Jr.

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone (1989)

When it comes to Dragon Ball's movie villains, Garlic Jr. is unique in a few ways. Not only was he the villain of the very first Dragon Ball Z movie, 1989's Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone, he's also the only movie villain to have appeared in the Dragon Ball Z TV anime series. Dead Zone acts as a sort of prelude to Dragon Ball Z, and introduces Garlic Jr. as a small, demonic sort of being who attacks and kidnaps Gohan after sensing immense power in the young half-Saiyan.

Garlic. Jr is also unique in that his wish on the Dragon Balls for immortality is actually granted. Typically, the villain is stopped short before immortality is granted, but Garlic Jr., and his hulking powered-up form are able to get the job done. Unfortunately for him, he enrages the young Gohan, who unleashes his dormant power and traps Garlic Jr. in the dimensional portal he himself created. Later in Dragon Ball Z, Garlic Jr. returned to fill in some downtime between the Namek and Cell Sagas, but ultimately met a similar fate once again at the hands of Gohan.

A villain who actually obtains immortality would be unique even in modern Dragon Ball, and it's an idea that's worth revisiting in the franchise's future.

6 Android #13

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Super Android #13! (1992)

It might be a difficult task, considering recent events involving the Red Ribbon Army in 2022's Dragon Ball Super, but it's been some time since a traditional android posed any sort of threat in Dragon Ball, and it's a concept the franchise could absolutely make work today. 1992's Dragon Ball Z: Super Android #13! was released as a companion piece to the then-ongoing Androids Saga, which introduced Dr. Gero and his terrifying, powerful cyborg and android creations.

The film reveals that Dr. Gero had his consciousness copied into a supercomputer that continued his work towards creating an android powerful enough to kill Goku. That ultimate creation was Android #13, who posed an extreme threat to Dragon Ball's three Super Saiyans, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks. Fans are always appreciative of Future Trunks getting screen time, which has allowed the movie to remain one of Dragon Ball Z's most popular.

An Android #13 revival today might be tough, considering just how strong he would need to be in order to pose any sort of threat, but it's unlikely fans would complain about more androids.

5 Turles

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might (1990)

The idea behind Turles has already been visited a few times throughout Dragon Ball, most notably in the character of Goku Black in Dragon Ball Super. Everyone loves the idea of "evil Goku", and Turles was the first to fill that role. Identical to the hero though unrelated to him in any way, Turles was an evil Saiyan who deemed the Earth capable of hosting the seed of the Tree of Might, the fruit of which, powered by the life of the planet it's on, gives its user a massive power-up.

"Evil Goku" has been done in the series' official canon timeline, though Turles remains a unique enough villain to warrant a comeback. Attacks on the Earth for the sake of attacking the Earth haven't been done in Dragon Ball for some time, and neither has the concept of a mysterious, pure evil Saiyan. Both would pose an interesting risk to Goku and company today, even if Goku Black has claimed the role of "evil Goku" for himself.

4 Bojack

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound (1993)

Bojack and his henchmen have never really been the selling point of 1993's Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound. Rather, fans have gravitated towards the movie to see more of Cell Saga Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, a fan-favorite iteration of the hybrid Saiyan who wasn't given nearly enough screen time for just how cool he was. Nevertheless, Bojack comes armed with a relatively unique backstory, having been a centuries-old warlord defeated by the Kais and imprisoned inside King Kai's planet.

When Goku destroyed King Kai's planet during the Cell Games, Bojack was freed and returned to wreak havoc on the universe. Outside of that, there isn't much too interesting about Bojack as a villain, though the concept of the series' heroes facing consequences for their heroic deeds is one that will never get old. It's been some time since King Kai's planet was destroyed, so any modern iteration of Bojack would need his backstory tweaked.

3 Hirudegarn

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon (1995)

Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon may very well be the franchise's most underrated big-screen movie. Turning its focus away from Goku and instead placing it on Trunks, a rarity throughout all entries in the series, the film introduces a mysterious warrior named Tapion and a monster within him named Hirudegarn. The villain doesn't have much of a personality, instead being something of a kaiju creature who appears only for the final act.

Hirudegarn is likely the only movie villain who would benefit from a modern revival in which his original story is left largely in-tact. The audience doesn't get a ton of time with Tapion, but he's endearing enough of a presence to win viewers over quickly, and the narrative at work is unique from anything else done in the original Dragon Ball Z movies. It isn't so much Hirudegarn who deserves a revisit, but rather Wrath of the Dragon as a whole. Goku's iconic Dragon Fist being made canon would only be a plus.

2 Janemba

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn (1995)

Much like Bojack before him, Janemba has never and will never be the selling point of Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn. Despite the film being universally recognized as one of the franchise's weaker efforts, it will forever be remembered positively for introducing one of the series' most popular characters, Gogeta. What few fans know is that Gogeta was actually created before Vegito, and was intended to be the starring fusion in Akira Toriyama's original manga. However, the creator lent the character to the staff at Toei Animation, who used him for the film instead.

In Gogeta's shadow was Janemba, the villain of the 1995 movie who would likely have been the highlight in any other Dragon Ball film. Janemba was the result of an accident in the Otherworld which freed evil spirits, the essence of which created the demonic villain. As a result, Janemba was wickedly, mindlessly powerful. The Demon Realm was the central focus of 2024's Dragon Ball Daima, which presented the best opportunity for the franchise to revive Janemba, though the series came and went without mention of him. Pure evil villains akin to Kid Buu and Janemba are always fun, and Dragon Ball would do well to introduce another of their kind.

1 Cooler

Appeared in Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge (1991) and Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler (1992)

The only thing worse than Frieza is two Friezas. Having first debuted in 1991's Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge, the titular Cooler was introduced as Frieza's brother, and filled practically an identical role to that of his evil space tyrant sibling. Given Frieza's regained prominence within modern Dragon Ball, the series would benefit from giving its most iconic villain a sidekick, and providing them the opportunity to face off against Goku and Vegeta with equal numbers. It can also be argued that Cooler's final form eclipses that of his brother's in sheer coolness.

What truly makes Cooler worth remembering, however, is his appearance in the 1992 follow-up movie, The Return of Cooler, which sees Earth's fighters travel to Namek to face-off against the titular villain once more. In his second movie, Cooler is given a bit more to work with than simply filling the role of 'other Frieza', instead appearing in a metallic body that's later revealed to be powered by the Metal Cooler Core. Few scenes in Dragon Ball movies are as striking as the massive Metal Cooler Army approaching the worn-out Goku and Vegeta.

Of Dragon Ball's non-canon villains, none have as much style, substance, or potential as Cooler, making him the prime candidate to receive the Broly treatment in any upcoming Dragon Ball movies.