Dub Freeza and the effect of Linda Young

[MetaMoss]

Here's my two cents on this whole thing:

So I grew up with Dragon Ball Z's run on Cartoon Network, and I have to say Freeza wasn't really my favorite villain in the series at that point in time. Young's Freeza just seemed so bland when compared to the Androids, Cell, and the various forms of Boo. It was Little Kuriboh's take on Freeza in Abridged that made me re-think what I thought of the character, and I found the more aristocratic portrayal to sit with me better. Not too long after that, I first heard Ayer's take, and it just so happens to take Freeza in a similar direction as TFS, and I loved it. After seeing the Namek arc through in Kai, Freeza had become a serious contender for my favorite DB villain. So, what changed?

Mulling it over, I think where Young's Freeza falls short is that we really only learn two things about him from it: Freeza is evil and Freeza is powerful. Sure, these are things that are true of Freeza, but there's a bit more nuance and intrigue to him, at least IMHO. With Ayer's Freeza, he's not just evil, he's an arrogant prick! He's not just powerful, he's so confident and fearless that he playfully acts dignified and polite to amuse himself. When the going gets tough against Goku, Young's Freeza just gets more angry, but Ayer's Freeza has his ego eroded to the point of mental breakdown. Ayer's Freeza is just that much more of an interesting character to me.