Why Frieza won't be the final villain in Dragon Ball

Frieza is coming back to Dragon Ball at some point, but I don't think he'll be the final villain of the story. I answered a round of fan questions while the Moro arc of the Dragon Ball Super manga was close to its end. The questions also covered whether Moro should return, Broly's future in Super, the Dragon Ball Z steelbook releases, and why I'm done with new transformations.

At that point there were only a couple of chapters of the Moro arc left, so many of these answers look ahead to how Super might move on from it.

Moro should not come back once the Moro arc ends

The first question was whether Moro could return in the future the way Frieza did, either as a reference or as part of the story. I think referencing the Moro arc later on is something they'll do, because important things happen in it. Goku and Vegeta become more powerful and learn new skills during the arc, so it makes sense for the series to point back to it.

Moro returning as a recurring character, good guy or bad guy, is a different matter, and I don't like that idea. Whoever takes Moro out, however he goes out, that should be the end of the character. It was a fun ride, but the series needs to move on to the next thing. That's only my opinion.

Chiaotzu, Lunch and Broly's return to Dragon Ball Super

Asked who the most useless character in all of Dragon Ball is, my first thought was Chiaotzu. He did contribute in the original Dragon Ball, though, so I'd say he's probably the most useless now rather than overall. A filler character could also qualify. I wouldn't quite say Lunch, but she isn't that useful either, so she ended up as my choice, even though I like the character.

Another question was whether Broly will be introduced to the show having mastered his power the way Kale did. I think Broly will be brought into Super after the Broly movie, and we have not seen the last of him. I don't think he's going to master his power like Kale did, though. I think he's going to get something totally different.

The Dragon Ball Z steelbooks are good but flawed

One reader asked about the recent Dragon Ball releases, including US steelbooks and a Dragon Ball Super complete series. I can't get into every release, but the steelbooks are the same release as the 30th anniversary Blu-rays, which were priced at 200 something. They've now been split into seasons, such as the Saiyan saga, the Namek saga and the Frieza saga, the same way the old season set Blu-rays were. They use the 4x3 versions from the anniversary edition.

Those are some of the best versions of the show you can get. The Dragon Boxes are still the best, but this is probably the second best. The remastering on them is bad, though. These are Funimation remasters with lots of DNR, so they don't look as good as they should. They also lack the original high quality Japanese broadcast audio. They have the optical Japanese audio instead, which still sounds okay, but for some reason they won't release the original.

The other problem is the price. The steelbooks are very expensive, so you can get them if you want, but they're not cheap. As for the Dragon Ball Super complete series, I believe that was only released in the UK.

A Pilaf gang spinoff and bringing back a sense of danger

If a side character or team got their own slice of life spinoff, I'd probably pick the Pilaf gang, outside of Arale, who already had a series like that. I think the Pilaf gang would be funny. Other characters, like the Pride Troopers or the Trio de Danger, could have more traditional shows, but slice of life goes to somebody more comedic.

A reader reminded me that after the Tournament of Power I'd said there's no real sense of danger in Dragon Ball anymore, because the Dragon Balls can undo anything. Asked what would bring back a sense of finality, my easy answer is to take Whis and Beerus out, have them not get involved anymore, create real stakes, and set it after the end of Z.

Goku is getting too close to angel tier too fast

One question asked whether Goku and Vegeta pushing toward the strength of the angels, supposedly among the strongest beings in Dragon Ball, would hurt the story. I share those concerns about the next arc of Super. Goku is getting too strong too fast, and I feel like the next villain will have to be angel tier to match him. I did not want angel tier villains showing up this soon.

I know Dragon Ball has been around for a while, but I feel it needs to be paced slower, so Goku keeps getting stronger without getting close to the angels. He isn't there yet, but he might get there in the next arc, and I don't know what to think about that. I think they definitely have to slow it down for the next story.

What the Dragon Ball Super anime should change in the Moro arc

Another reader noted that the anime had already differed from the manga, and asked whether that would continue and what the next anime should do differently with the Moro arc. I think it'll differ in some ways, especially in the fights, which they'll make different.

What I want changed is for Goku not to give Moro a senzu bean. That's the only really annoying thing about the arc. Everything else is mostly okay. Maybe give Majin Buu a bit more spotlight, have Moro stay in his older forms longer, and have some of the other fighters face him in those earlier forms. I'd be okay with changes like that, but it's not a big deal.

Too many god tier characters and too many transformations

Asked whether I hate that every character is now god tier, I'd say it isn't every character, only a few. Goku going blue to fight an out of practice Gohan, and many fighters in the Tournament of Power, are examples of what the reader means, and the characters are getting very strong.

That waters down the importance of Battle of Gods, which reintroduced the world of Dragon Ball. Super Saiyan God was supposed to be a new level of power Goku had never achieved before, and now we have Ultra Instinct, which is way beyond that. That's how Dragon Ball is.

I'm done with transformations, and I've said it a million times. We've seen too many. The exception would be a route where each character gets a different form, such as Vegeta getting Blue Evolution or something stronger, Gohan getting his own thing, plus Broly and Trunks. I'm okay with that, but new forms over and over have run their course. I want the focus to be on technique now, going back to basics.

Dragon Quest remakes, a Dragon Ball reboot and Cabba's role

If I could pick any game for a full remake from the ground up, my choices would be Dragon Quest I, II and III.

As for Dragon Ball getting the Hunter x Hunter treatment and being rebooted from the beginning, I'd be okay with that and excited. If they readapted it from the start with kid Goku, I'd be fine with it, and I think it'll happen someday, though not soon.

One reader suggested Cabba is the answer to expanding Saiyan lore. I don't know about the answer, but he's definitely the catalyst and a piece of the puzzle. Cabba was the first Universe 6 Saiyan introduced, during the Universe 6 versus Universe 7 tournament, so he opened the door for Caulifla, Kale and whoever else comes in. He's also the one Vegeta establishes a friendship with, and I feel that's going to lead to something at some point.

Ultra Instinct, Omega Shenron and a GT crossover

Asked whether Goku will achieve something new and much stronger now that he has truly mastered Ultra Instinct, I hope not. No more transformations. I want Goku to keep getting stronger in Ultra Instinct and leave it at that.

I love the design of Omega Shenron, also known as Syn Shenron. It was based on a Dragon Quest final boss that Toriyama drew a couple of years before GT. I like the way he looks, including the spikes. I used to dislike his look when I was younger, but he grew on me over time.

On a real GT versus Super crossover arc, there is a way to do it. It involves some wonky elements, but there's a way to make it work and keep GT valid, beyond going the Heroes route with an alternate universe. If they did it, I'd be okay with it. It would be a big fantasy, but why not.

Frieza will return, though maybe not in the next arc

Whether Frieza appears in the next arc depends on what they do. Depending on where the story goes, I could see Frost being the biggest thorn in the heroes' side instead. I do think Frieza will make cameos here and there, and I don't see why he wouldn't come back.

The story of Frieza's feud with Goku and Vegeta, and even Broly's involvement, may not be over. The Broly movie opened up a lot of story potential involving those characters, plus Cheelai and Lemo. So I do think we're going to see Frieza again. I can't tell you whether it'll be in the next arc, but we'll see him again at some point.

Did Toyotaro ruin the Moro arc and Vegeta's development?

A reader asked whether Toyotaro would butcher the Moro arc and waste Vegeta's character development. With only a couple of chapters left, either he already did in your eyes or he didn't; it's up to you.

I think he butchered some of it, but not the entire arc. If the arc has a good ending, I'll give it a thumbs up. Even though I had problems with how Goku was handled in the latest chapter, I'll still enjoy the arc as a whole. He did bring it down a bit, but I still feel it's mostly positive.

Why I don't think Frieza will be the final villain

The longest question argued that Frieza should be Dragon Ball's final villain, saying "there's no reason to resurrect frieza and have him be involved with the story if he's going to be anything less than the final villain of the story." I disagree. Frieza being alive doesn't mean he'll be the final villain. He could be the villain who brings in other villains.

Look at how they wrote him in the Broly movie. Frieza wasn't the main antagonist; Broly was, even though he wasn't really a villain. Frieza found Broly, cultivated him and instigated the fight with Goku and Vegeta, with Paragus involved. I think the final villain would be something much worse. Frieza isn't powerful enough, even if he trains, and it would be anticlimactic. I could see him in the final arc as one of the last to be taken out, but not as the definitive final villain.

The same reader wrote that Frieza "was always the best villain toriyama made anyways," and I agree. They also didn't understand people disliking his return in the Tournament of Power, or thinking Broly would kill him. Maybe people didn't like it because it took Majin Buu out. I covered that story when it happened, and I remember everybody being excited about Frieza and Goku working together. It paid off in the last episode, which was a great moment. I don't remember anyone saying Broly would kill him, though Broly did pummel him for an hour or so.

I think Frieza will probably end up as the thorn in their side, like the Joker, coming back again and again and bringing in new people to fight Goku and Vegeta. He's not going to be the ultimate threat, the one where they have to use the universe's power to beat him. That has to be somebody new and somebody more threatening.