An attempt to explain Shisami

[Tectorman]

I'm sure there are plenty of ways I'm getting this wrong, but I just wanted to put this out here.

Shisami is said to be as strong as Zarbon or Dodoria in their prime. And he's able to trounce Piccolo, whom we know got as strong as the androids, stronger than SSJ Goku was at the beginning of the Android arc, stronger than Frieza on Namek. In fact, Piccolo is stronger than all that, because he also spent a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and got much stronger, though not enough to handle Cell.

One explanation I've seen bandied around was that Shisami was as strong as Zarbon and Dodoria at the start of Frieza's training, but got way stronger during those four months. Not something I'm actually disputing. I'm just wondering if it could be something else.

Here's my alternative:

Long ago, King Cold's empire was much smaller. Greater threats existed than nowadays. So when Frieza started out his own conquering, he was much stronger, due to his prodigy status. In fact, so were his henchmen, Zarbon and Dodoria, though nowhere near Frieza's level.

Zarbon/Dodoria: 800,000,000
Frieza: 10,000,000,000

After they defeat the significant threats to the empire and expand it closer to what it was, they all get fat and lazy and rest on their laurels. Frieza doesn't sink as low as his henchmen due to his prodigy status.

Frieza: 120,000,000
Zarbon/Dodoria: 21,000

From Gohan's power atrophying between the Cell and Buu sagas, we know that fighters that don't keep up their training don't just not improve, but lose their power.

Lacking the ability to sense ki, and lacking any strong opponents to compare themselves to, they remain much stronger than everyone else they encounter and never notice or care that they've sunk far below what they used to be able to do.

Then their technology improves to the point that Scouter technology exists. Zarbon and Dodoria are revealed to be between 24,000 and 18,000 (I use 21,000 just for convenience). Frieza's first form can be documented, but the most that can be said of his higher forms is that his second form is some number above 1,000,000.

Frieza goes to Namek, is defeated, he comes back as Mecha Frieza, is defeated and killed, and his empire continues on without him. Eventually, they create better regeneration technology. Along the way, they also develop not just better Scouter technology, but a better understanding of how strong certain warriors were, even before Scouter technology was invented.

As the Frieza empire collapses, other warriors (such as Shisami) have to either regain the power they had back at the beginning before they got lazy, or they just started out that way. Not prodigies in the way Frieza was, but stronger than the fat and lazy 120,000,000 that he exhibited on Namek.

Shisami: 800,000,000

Then they revive Frieza. He explains that he will need to train for the first time in his life. Again, not training doesn't mean you just don't get stronger, so Namek Frieza's 120,000,000 has to be a degradation of what he used to be capable of at some point prior to Namek.

Frieza (17? years out of date): I expect that with a mere four months, I will reach a power of 1.3 million.

Sorbet (thinking): Actually, Lord Frieza, we can now measure much higher power levels than before. To be honest, 1.3 million is a mere pittance. Shisami right now could blow that to atoms.

Sorbet: Yes, sir, Lord Frieza. 1.3 million. It'll be amazing to behold. (sweatdrop)

Frieza (post-training): absurdly higher than 1.3 million, way higher than 120,000,000, and higher than the 10,000,000,000 he started out with back when he had fight harder to expand the empire.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

This is a well thought out explanation with solid reasoning. Good stuff.

[Taskmaster]

Shisami is obviously SS tier after the training (which wasn't explained/expanded on what it consisted of) so I assume everyone went through it.

That would explain why Piccolo struggled and Gohan transformed to beat him.

[Tectorman]

Shisami is obviously SS tier after the training (which wasn't explained/expanded on what it consisted of) so I assume everyone went through it.

That would explain why Piccolo struggled and Gohan transformed to beat him.

He's obviously SSJ tier after the training, but do we know he wasn't SSJ tier before Frieza trained? Do we know how strong he started out? Did he even do any training?

Again, I'm not trying to establish THE explanation. I'm just trying to see if my explanation holds up as a POSSIBLE explanation.

For example, here's a factor I hadn't thought of when I came up with this:

Supreme Kai: Back then, thrre were five Supreme Kais, each capable of felling Frieza with a single blow.

So if I'm saying that Frieza used to be stronger way back when, then does that make the Supreme Kais stronger? And how do we reconcile that with the Supreme Kai's poor showing in the Buu Saga?

Possible workarounds:

1) The Supreme Kais got weaker over the years, too. Two by dying, two by being absorbed by Buu, and the last by nature of his inexperience, maybe.

2) The Supreme Kai was talking to mortals who wouldn't have been around back then, or even back when Frieza had begun his expansion. So when he said Frieza, he meant "Frieza as you would have known him".

I'm leaning towards the second, as it allows Frieza to be the one who got weaker without requiring that explanation to be stretched for more fighters than it needs to. Plus, King Cold told Frieza to never mess with Beerus and Majin Buu. He didn't include the Supreme Kais in that warning. Possibly because he was unaware, but you have to wonder why he'd be aware of Beerus, but not them.

So I'm thinking King Cold's warning way back when came under the context of: Beerus > Majin Buu > King Cold > Frieza (in his prime) > any given Supreme Kai > Frieza (Namek).