Freeza vs Cell: Who was the better villain?

Bura · Post by **Bura** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:20 am

Definitely Freeza! He had a clear motive, basically already ruled the universe and everyone feared him. He also had tons of cool henchmen with him (Ginyu Force and such).

Cell didn't really have all that. I liked Cell when he was all new and mysterious (in his first form, draining people) but after he became perfect I got tired of him pretty quickly.

mattymoron · Post by **mattymoron** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 8:50 am

Cell, most definitely. At least when he was about to die, he didn't beg for mercy (well, in his final form anyway)...

Acid_Reign · Post by **Acid_Reign** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:05 am

Cell is basically just a rehashed Freeza (not that you can blame him; they share the same DNA, after all…). Freeza is a much more developed character: he is formidable in both intellect and power, he is competing for the same goal as the heroes, and he is given many opportunities to showcase his ruthless personality. Because of these things, I wanted Freeza to die; every move he made was an “oh shit” moment; the tension definitely stemmed from him.

Cell is comparatively simple. He is cold and pragmatic, like Freeza, but without all the flair and theatrics. A conflation of nuts, bolts, and guts with no personal history beyond being born and time traveling, he doesn’t have any real goal other than wanting to kill Gokū. The tension was derived from the characters fucking up (*coughvegetaandkuririncough*); he gave them so much leeway with his arrogance that it literally was only a matter of deactivating the cyborgs and he would have been toast. So with Cell the danger was eventual, with the Z Fighters scrambling to meet their potential power limits, whereas with Freeza it was imminent, and the protagonists had to act fast or die. Both scary situations, but the latter is definitely scarier.

That said, I actually like Cell more than Freeza. I just love the way he looks and sounds (I agree that Norio Wakamoto and Dameon Clarke are both perfect casting choices; Wakamoto’s Cell is definitely my favorite Japanese impression to do), and though as a Sci-Fi nerd I appreciate both subgenres, “time travel and cyborgs” ultimately interests me more than “space travel and aliens”. I think that when all is said and done, the Android/Cell Arc was pretty rushed and under different circumstances he could have been a better villain than Freeza.

Bussani · Post by **Bussani** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:22 am

mattymoron wrote:Cell, most definitely. At least when he was about to die, he didn't beg for mercy (well, in his final form anyway)...

I'd consider this a plus for Freeza. It gives him more depth. It doesn't necessarily make him likable, but I think it makes him a more developed villain. He doesn't have that 'I'll die with honor' thing. He's a selfish jerk.

mattymoron · Post by **mattymoron** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:26 am

Bussani wrote:
mattymoron wrote:Cell, most definitely. At least when he was about to die, he didn't beg for mercy (well, in his final form anyway)...
I'd consider this a plus for Freeza. It gives him more depth. It doesn't necessarily make him likable, but I think it makes him a more developed villain. He doesn't have that 'I'll die with honor' thing. He's a selfish jerk.

Yes, but the thread is about who I LIKE more as a villain, not who was a better character (which Freeza undoubtedly was).

(If I sounded like a dick just then, I didn't mean to...)

Bussani · Post by **Bussani** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:27 am

mattymoron wrote:
Bussani wrote:
mattymoron wrote:Cell, most definitely. At least when he was about to die, he didn't beg for mercy (well, in his final form anyway)...
I'd consider this a plus for Freeza. It gives him more depth. It doesn't necessarily make him likable, but I think it makes him a more developed villain. He doesn't have that 'I'll die with honor' thing. He's a selfish jerk.
Yes, but the thread is about who I LIKE more as a villain, not who was a better character (which Freeza undoubtedly was).

(If I sounded like a dick just then, I didn't mean to...)

Oh, you didn't sound like a dick, don't worry.

I thought this thread was more about who we thought was the better villain though, rather than which we like better. But hey, there's no rule against saying who you prefer. I did myself.

mattymoron · Post by **mattymoron** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:29 am

Bussani wrote:Oh, you didn't sound like a dick, don't worry.

I thought this thread was more about who we thought was the better villain though, rather than which we like better. But hey, there's no rule against saying who you prefer. I did myself.

Well, it seems you are right....

In that case, I think Cell is a better villain for manning it out and not pleading for mercy at the end.

Saiyavenger2941 · Post by **Saiyavenger2941** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 9:35 am

Totally Freeza. Cell, although his murders were many (and memorable for me. I mean, I can't be the only one who was initially freaked by people completely disappearing, except for their clothing.), his atrocities weren't nearly as bad as Freezy-Pop's.

the_abberration · Post by **the_abberration** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:09 am

My choice would be Freeza.

As covered before, Freeza was an established threat across galaxies, whereas Cell was in the process of becoming a potential threat before being stopped by Goku and Gohan respectively.

However, my personal opinion is that Freeza wins out due to the fact that he was was able to become more powerful when he needed to. When Vegeta, Piccolo, and Goku became stronger, Freeza was able to pull out more strength. That is until Goku became a SSJ.

In contrast while Cell (and by this trait Majin Buu), forced our heroes to become more powerful, they had the ability which I feel was a cop out. Regeneration. In my opinion, if not for that ability Goku (and again by this trait Vegeta) would have been able to win their respective battles, while being considerably weaker than their opponent.

Kunzait_83 · Post by **Kunzait_83** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:32 am

BlueSky · Post by **Kaboom** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:42 am

Cell is best defined as a "monster." He's evil, but he was created that way.

Freeza, on the other hand, single-handedly epitomizes the concept of "villain," for all the reasons Kunzait described and more. He'll f*ck up you, your friends and family, and your entire planet... by choice, and he'll enjoy doing it.

jjgp1112 · Post by **jjgp1112** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:52 am

Cell. He was the most level headed and rational villain and did everything for the sport of fighting. And Dameon Clarke is a God, so that helps.

Saiyavenger2941 · Post by **Saiyavenger2941** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 10:58 am

SSj Kaboom wrote:Cell is best defined as a "monster." He's evil, but he was created that way.

Freeza, on the other hand, single-handedly epitomize the concept of "villain," for all the reasons Kunzait described and more. He'll f*ck up you, your friends and family, and your entire planet... by choice, and he'll enjoy doing it.

This X1000.

LeprikanGT · Post by **LeprikanGT** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:26 am

Frieza is most definitely the better villian.

He had held the saiyans as slaves for who knows how long and 'the whole universe' feared him, including king kai and he destroyed numerous planets and civilizations and had an nulimited numbers of followers, even after they thought he was dead.

Cell on the other hand, was a made up android that had to suck up people and other androids, and killed maaaaybe a million people? And no one beyond Earth every knew about or feared him, aside from everyone in other world that knew Goku.

Freeza Heika · Post by **Freeza Heika** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 11:59 am

Based on my user name, my choice should be obvious. Ryusei Nakao is by FAR one of the best Japanese VA's in the series. Where the rest of the characters seem to be based on archetypes in both their VA's portrayal of them but there written character, as well, Freeza is unique. Polite and evil aren't a common combination. His personality seems like a loose adaptation of Satan in the stories of classic western religions. He'll try being polite to trick you to follow his orders, and if that doesn't work, he will cast upon you his equivalent of fiery damnation. Aside from that, he also seems to have some of the added tendencies of a Bond villain. He's wealthy, has minions, is very polite until he tells you that he is going to kill you, and he has his gimmick (transformation).

People like to say that Freeza was evil for the sake of being evil, but this simply isn't correct. Freeza had goals; he wanted to be wealthy, immortal, and the ruler of the universe. It just so happens that to acquire these things, he need to commit mass genocide (those damn Namekians just wouldn't cooperate).

Cell, on the other hand, was far from a great villain. He had no goals, and he truly was just evil for the sake of being evil. I will admit though, that his English VA has a smexy voice, and is one of the few dub actors who is also an actual, trained actor.

MCDaveG · Post by **MCDaveG** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:05 pm

Freeza for sure..... er, my opinion

Castor Troy · Post by **Castor Troy** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:06 pm

Cell was only a creation while Freeza was genuinely stylish and evil on his own.

I gotta admit that the villains written after Freeza didn't have as many interesting goals. I heard Babidi wanted to destroy the universe for the fun of it. ok?

Freeza hands down.

Saiyavenger2941 · Post by **Saiyavenger2941** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:07 pm

Is Daemeon Clarke related to Cam Clarke? (Liquid from MGS, for those who are uneducated in awesome.)

Raki · Post by **Raki** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:09 pm

Kunzait_83 wrote:He’s pampered, spoiled, disgustingly rich, charismatic as hell, was raised with impeccable manners, lives a cushy lifestyle, has a taste for fine wine, has the psych-profile and temperament of a sociopathic sadist and bloodthirsty psycho killer, has a vast network of soldiers, thugs, and hangers on waiting on him hand and foot, and he’s quite used to getting his way; except when he doesn’t and throws a tantrum, an entire civilization (or civilizations) gets wiped out over it.

He’ll destroy your home, sell your land out from under you, send his thugs into your most sacred of sanctuaries to rape and pillage, kill everyone and everything you ever knew or cared about, your parents, your spouse, your children, your entire race… while making you watch, and right before making you die slowly and screaming in torturous agony inch by bloody inch. But he’ll do it politely, with class, and a glass of good brandy on hand in the process.

It's what I've been saying all along. Just take a look at the avatar.

jjgp1112 · Post by **jjgp1112** » Sun Jul 26, 2009 12:21 pm

I think this bit of dialogue exemplifies Freeza (it's the dub, but bear with me):

Muori: It won't do you any good, I don't know where they are!
Frieza: 1) You're lying, and 2)You already hindered my search by destroying the scouters. Normally, that would be more than enough reason for me to kill you. But I'm feeling generous, so I'll give you one last chance to talk.
Muori: And why should I trust you?! Why should I believe the words of a murderer?!
Frieza: Oh well, you caught me - I was planning to kill you even if you talked.