The Story of Dragon Ball: More Than Just Power Levels
Dragon Ball is not merely a tale of battles and power levels. While strength plays a crucial role in determining who wins in a fight, the decisions characters make during combat are just as important. Nowhere is this more evident than in the battle between Goku and the Z-Fighters against Frieza on Namek.
Goku’s victory as a Super Saiyan against Frieza in Dragon Ball Z was largely due to luck. Frieza made several critical mistakes throughout the fight, and his defeat can be attributed to his own arrogance and sadistic tendencies. If Frieza had made even one change in his approach, Goku might have never stood a chance.
Frieza’s Potential Was Unmatched
Looking back at Goku and Frieza’s first encounter, it’s impossible to ignore the revelations from Dragon Ball Super. This sequel anime introduced the idea that Frieza has the highest potential of any character in the franchise. In just four months of training, he went from being at the level he was in Dragon Ball Z to fighting on par with Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta.
Even while dead in Hell, Frieza continued to grow stronger through image training. By the end of the manga-exclusive Granolah the Survivor Saga, fans were introduced to Black Frieza, the result of Frieza spending ten years in a Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Black Frieza is the strongest mortal in existence, capable of defeating Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta with a single attack.
Given this, Frieza’s defeat on Namek seems almost laughable. When Goku became a Super Saiyan, he surpassed Frieza in power, but even at full strength, Frieza could still match him. Had Frieza trained for even a short time, Goku would have never been able to catch up.
The Role of Frieza’s Laziness
The only reason Goku survived was because Frieza was a lazy narcissist who believed he was already unbeatable. His lack of effort and overconfidence ultimately led to his downfall.
Frieza Could Have Won by Transforming Sooner
Frieza didn’t need to train to win—he simply needed to be quicker about transforming. Before facing Goku, Frieza fought Gohan, Krillin, Vegeta, and Piccolo, who were aided by Dende. He eventually killed Krillin, Vegeta, and Dende, but only after an extended fight where he cycled through all his forms.
If Frieza had gone straight into his strongest form at the beginning of the battle, he could have eliminated all his enemies instantly. This would have saved him energy and prevented the Z-Fighters from providing critical support to Goku.
In this scenario, Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo wouldn’t have survived long enough to help Goku, and there’s a strong possibility that Goku would never have even had to face Frieza. Frieza could have found and killed him in the healing chamber before he even woke up. Even if Goku did wake up, he would have been as helpless as the other Z-Fighters when Frieza attacked.
The Impact of Frieza’s Sadism
If Frieza had been less of a sadist, his reign over the universe might have lasted much longer. Goku had no business standing against Frieza, and by all rights, he should have been destroyed. However, the same flaws that made Frieza such a compelling villain also allowed Goku to overcome the odds and emerge victorious.
There were many ways the battle could have gone differently if Frieza had made even one change. But given Frieza’s personality at the time, there was no way he would have done things any differently. His arrogance and laziness ultimately sealed his fate.