Who is the best designed villain in the franchise?

[DHM211]

1) Goku Black (Base and Rosè)



2) Frieza (4th form and new pink form)

[Mister_Popo]

Imperfect Cell and Third Form Freeza just have this intimidating look ...
I'd say Imperfect Cell tops the charts for me and Third Form Freeza comes a close second:

[ruler9871]

1. Z-Broly (any form)
2. Perfect Cell
3. Merged Zamasu
4. 5th form Cooler
5. Final form Freeza

[Spencer_23]

Janemba
Super Buu
Baby Vegeta

I also prefer Cooler’s look to Frieza’s

[Hugo Boss]

I think Cell in general is one of Toriyama’s best designs, specially the perfect form. I like those black wings and his pale skin.

[Super Saiyan Swagger]

Absolutely Super Janemba. Goku Black and Perfect Cell are close runner-ups. I also really like Hirudegarn's first form. Cooler's final form is up there as well.

[WhowhoYouwho]

1. Perfect Cell/Imperfect Cell
I love both of these equally, mainly due to them being both aesthetically pleasing and how they inform Cell as a character. His imperfect form has him as this menacing creature that looks human yet isn't fully human. The way his mouth is shaped and moves as he talks, how almost sickeningly thin he is compared to most of the main cast (although to be fair he's in Dragonball, the land of the steroid abusers), and all the dark spots around him almost like a signal an animal in the wild would have to ward of potential adversaries.

The great thing about his perfect form is its complete reversal of his Imperfect form. Now the once insectoid like creature becomes recognizably human (at least in general), the more "unsightly" features such as his rigged like chest and tail have receded to create a more "handsome" form, and his overall look gives off a more sophisticated and amendable feeling over an intimidating and dangerous one (such as his once dark spots becoming less noticeable).

Together, both these forms combine their strengths in terms of aesthetics to not only give a pleasing progression in terms of design but also to show Cell's growth as a character over time due to both what the design subtly tells the audience and the actions Cell takes while having them. I will mention that despite me putting only his first and last forms on here, I do actually like his Semi-perfect form a lot and feel it also follows this pattern I discussed. However, it has both the dubious position of being the middle form, making it have less immediate thematic significance than the first to the last, and just those lips throwing off the design in a distracting way (I don't mind them too much personally, just acknowledge it doesn't really fit and he probably should have tried to throw a mix of human and insectoid for the mouth to better show a middle step in Cell's development). In any case, great designs and my personal favorites by far.

2. Frieza's transformations (1st-final form)
I know it's cheating to do this right after Cell, but I like these forms for a very different reason than I did for Cell. While Cell's Imperfect and Perfect forms told a story of his development, Frieza's forms have that great element of going against the standard of DB design philosophy that took hold later in its life. That is, it went with the notion that someone who looks relatively harmless compared to people like a walking, pink spike ball and a giant bald man with more muscles than three Arnolds put together is one of the most dangerous beings in existence. They play with your expectations, and make a huge threat seem less imposing than it truly is. Going from small, to big, to I can't believe it's not Alien (I still love it but it's true), to small again gives Frieza the ability to build up into a more monstrous creature on the outside over time, only to turn around and make them non-threatening again. Plus, I just like all his forms, they all have their time to shine (even the very quick 3rd form) and all share elements that make them unmistakable as a form of Frieza.

3. Android 13 (both forms)
I'm cheating with this one I know, but I just love Android 13's design. I love the huge MC hammer pants, the boots and gloves, his entire upgraded form with it seemingly growing armor like segments and transforming him into a big blue meanie with orange hair. All topped off with the ever holy trucker hat that just brings the whole thing together. He's one of first things I think about when my mind wanders to DB. Yes, it's mainly because I saw it as a kid, love the whole "hick" thing the Funimation Dub went with, and had that action figure of him that was awesome (until I lost it which still saddens me), but I'm going to throw this up here and there is nothing anyone can do to stop me.

4. Broly (Legendary Super Saiyan Form from his debut)
Partly another cheat, with me just being unreasonably happy when I think about the big green haired man that's literally just a analog of the hulk in Anime form, but I feel his form actually has some merit to being seen as a good design in some respects. Mainly, I feel it actually makes Broly seem more like a monster than a human due to how exaggerated his proportions are. Even in a series with people who eat cartons of protein just for their bodies to move, he looks like his body is going to rip itself apart, which it eventually does when Goku makes one deep wound on him. In a way, he's an exaggeration of the exaggeration, and makes his ability to just tank and break apart everyone that he fights seem plausible (or at least to me it does). Plus, I think the gold in his design adds a tiny bit of grandeur to the package, but that may just be me. I can't comment on his new design much since I haven't seen the new movie and want context with how well it works.

5. Dabura
I mostly like him because I feel his design is both sleek and just a great representation of a Satan like character. Red skin, arrogance smirk on at all times, a fine mustache, and I feel the white and blue compliment his skin very well and make him "pop out". Plus, I'm just a sucker for his very baggy style clothing and his cape. The fact It works well for the comedic role he take on later is also a great bonus, making it both amusing and slightly uncomfortable to have a super demonic entity giddily picking flowers or talking with people about how happy he is. Not much to say in terms of symbolism or the like, I just find the design very pleasing and cool.

[Shaddy]

Don Kia, obviously

Nah, put me down for Imperfect Cell too. It's interesting because while Cell is a character, before anything else he's introduced as a monster. This hulking, shambling beastly thing that eats cities and doesn't care about anything else. It's a shame that he gets less interesting as the arc progresses, but the sheer euphoric (sexual???) enjoyment that he gets out of draining people and watching them scream is chilling and it's all conveyed well by his weird, lanky, grotesque form. This is exactly what you think of when someone tells you about a bug monster that stabs people with his tail and sucks the life out of them.

Other than that, I of course love Freeza's smooth final transformation. He has the conventional alien look down obviously, but his expressions really convey both his regal nature and his smug demeanor, which of course acts as a facade he completely drops the moment he starts losing, and while it's scary, it's almost always really fucking funny to see happen. It should come as no surprise that I love that entire bit with the Tate section of the Broly film as a result.

[Luso Saiyan]

The design of Cell's perfect form has always been a favorite of mine, ever since I was a kid.

[Grimlock]

• Janemba.
• Goku Black.
• Baby Vegeta/Baby Trunks (second form).
• Mira, Towa (and Fu, if you already consider him a villain).
• Dark Masked King.
• Merged Zamasu.
• Xeno Six-Star Dragon.

Hopefully I did not forget anymore.

Gotta add Giblet to that list. It's kinda similar to Dark Masked King's robe but unique in its own way. Well, it's not everyday you see a hooded character in this franchise, and when you do, it feels "refreshing". Still wondering why Toriyama only comes up with nice designs for video games and terrible ones for the series. Maybe even him knows what's the real deal now.