Who are the most popular Villains really?

[Bullza]

This is sort of in response to the new movie bringing back another popular villain in Broly.

So let me make this as simple as I can, let's say that every Dragon Ball fan in the world got asked "Who is your favourite villain from the Dragon Ball franchise?" and then the results were tallied up, who would be the Top 5 that would be mentioned the most?

Don't include the likes of Piccolo Jr, Vegeta and Android 18, just those that are primarily known for being a villain.

Surely Frieza and Broly would be the two at the top, they not only brought them back for the newest movies but they were also used them for the 4D shows. Which one specially would be #1 I honestly couldn't say. Overall Frieza is considered the best but is he the most popular....hmmm maybe because of the Tournament of Power he would just about edge it.

So who would be the other three and in what order? Cell would be one. Buu would have to be one I imagine, I won't single out a specific form so I'll just say Buu in general and then finally...Goku Black? He's probably the most popular villain since the resurgence but I don't think he'd be as popular as the older classic ones.

I'd go with this

1. Frieza
2. Broly
3. Buu
4. Cell
5. Goku Black

Not anyone from the original Dragon Ball like King Piccolo. Definitely nobody from GT. Cooler or maybe Janemba are the next most popular movie villains and they wouldn't be in the Top 5. I don't think anyone else from Z would be in there and the only other possibility from Super would be Zamasu and he's obviously not as popular as Goku Black.

[sunsetshimmer]

1. Frieza
2. Broly
3. Cell
4. Buu
5. Cooler maybe

I don't think Buu is more popular than Cell.

[SupremeKai25]

Zamasu is one of the most popular villains in Dragon Ball history, perhaps coming in 3rd place behind Broly and Frieza. In fact, episode 47, which features the debut of Zamasu in the series, has the highest ratings in all of Super by far, even more than episodes 109/110/130/131. In addition, in the videogame Fighterz, which is probably the most anticipated and played Dragon Ball videogame of this year, Goku Black is one of the most popular characters and is considered to be S-tier (so he is one of the most powerful characters in the entire game), and Fused Zamasu is the most complex character by far, even having a unique flying mechanic that no other character in that videogame has.

The top 3 would definitely be 1) Frieza, 2) Broly and 3) Zamasu/Goku Black (same character).

Cell would be one

I heard that he is not very popular in Japan, so I wouldn't put him on this list.

[ABED]

Vegeta would get second place. I know he joins the hero's team, but he still constitutes a villain during a popular point in the story.

[Spider-Man]

1-Frieza

2-Broly

3-Goku Black

4-Buu

5-Cell

[Grimlock]

In Japan, I'm pretty sure the list would be something like this:

1- Freeza.
2- Time Breaker Bardock.
3- Mira/Towa.
4- Goku Black.
5- Old Broly.

In regards to worldwide I don't know.

[Bullza]

I believe in Japan, Buu is more popular than Cell. I don't think people really cared about Cell over there.

Maybe in the West Cell might be the more popular of the two. A lot of people really liked Goku Black but he's still relatively new.

[PFM18]

In Japan, I'm pretty sure the list would be something like this:

1- Freeza.
2- Time Breaker Bardock.
3- Mira/Towa.
4- Goku Black.
5- Old Broly.

In regards to worldwide I don't know.

I doubt something that is Heroes/Xenoverse only is going to be numbers 2 and 3 in popularity

[Grimlock]

I doubt something that is Heroes/Xenoverse only is going to be numbers 2 and 3 in popularity

You don't just underestimate the power of popularity, which Heroes and Xenoverse have the most.

According to Hirano, the producer of Xenoverse, Towa and Mira didn't die in XV1 because of popularity (and that includes Toriyama himself).

[ABED]

I have a hard time believing newer villains are that popular in comparison to the classics. It seems mostly due to recency bias.

[precita]

I have a hard time believing newer villains are that popular in comparison to the classics. It seems mostly due to recency bias.

Yep, Zamasu/Goku Black have only been around for what...since 2016? No way are they as popular as characters who have had 20+ years of viewership through different generations of kids/adults watching Dragonball.

[DBZAOTA482]

5. Piccolo Daimao
4. Majin Boo
3. Broly
2. Cell
1. Freeza

[SSJmole]

1 Freeza
2 king Piccolo
3 cell
4 Buu
5 Emperor Pilaf

I'll be honest so far new villians I've seen don't do it for me and I admit I don't like broly

[Bullza]

Newer villains will be at a disadvantage but I wouldn't wave them off, Goku Black was very popular for about the half a year he was in the show.

It would come up short against some of the iconic villains like Cell and Buu but I wouldn't out too many of the older ones above him.

None of the villains from the original series or GT are as popular as Goku Black. No other villain from Super is as popular as Goku Black because Hit and Jiren aren't villains.

So unless you think someone else from Z is more popular or one of the villains, mainly Cooler or Janemba then there ain't many more options.

[Vijay]

Frieza

Broly

Cell

Majin Boo

Black/Zamasu

These are my thoughts

[Jackalope89]

1. Freeza. Even before his return in the films, he was always thought of as Goku's arch-nemesis (even by "filthy casuals").
2. Broly. His third film was awful, and lost what personality he had in the second, but his first film still sticks in people's minds decades after they first (and probably, only) time they saw it. Having a big, mean, killing machine go on a rampage and bulldoze Goku and co. is a good way to be remembered. Bad backstory or not.
3. Cell. Not personally, but for a lot of people, they really like him.
4. Black/Zamasu. Super's best (only true) villain, that because of him, an entire timeline was wiped out. And was a big antagonist of series favorite Future Trunks.
5. Buu. Pink bubblegum monsters unite.

[SupremeKai25]

Black/Zamasu might be the "youngest" villains in the series, but the idea of an "Evil Goku" is an old one, dating back to many years before Battle of Gods. I have been seeing fan-fictions of Goku acting evil since 2003. It would not be far-fetched that Goku Black attracted around himself a very huge crowd of fans given his appearance alone (and appearances matter the most about a character). Indeed, this seems to be the case, given how the episode in which he debuts has the highest ratings in all of Super by far.

[Bullza]

and lost what personality he had in the second

I can't recall anything much different. What do you mean? Wasn't he a hulking screaming unstoppable monster in that movie too?

[Jackalope89]

and lost what personality he had in the second

I can't recall anything much different. What do you mean? Wasn't he a hulking screaming unstoppable monster in that movie too?

He had a few lines outside of grunting, wordless yells, and "KAKAROT!" in the first.

[Kuwabara]

Definitely nobody from GT.

Why not? I've heard plenty of people in America talk up Baby, Super 17, and especially Yi Xing Long. I don't know about Japanese fans, but GT villains seemed popular enough to be brought back for Heroes.