Summary
Dragon Ball Zas a series started off with many’s first introductions space due to the Saiyan Saga. However, the importance of setting only became prevalent during the Frieza Saga, which is rife with sci-fi references. The Frieza Saga provides some of the most iconic and stressful moments. Considering the importance of Gohan, and Krillin’s goal to gather the Dragon Ball’s before Frieza and Vegeta can, coupled with the ever-present threat of a stronger opponent, the Frieza Saga remains to this day a very stressful arc.
It certainly doesn’t help that the focus is less on fighting Frieza, butavoidinghim at all costs and hoping you never find yourself in aone-on-one confrontation. After all, Gohan and Krillin are underpowered, and despite Vegeta’s Zenkai boosts, even he is outmatched against Frieza. Despite all that, what makes the Frieza Arc terrifying, and why does Frieza contribute to that fear the most with his mere mention and presence alone?
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The Hunt For the Dragon Balls
For the majority of the first third of the arc, we are focused on Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma who approach Namek with the spaceship that Kami used to arrive to Earth a long time ago. Eventually, they make their search for the Dragon Balls, only coming across quick brushes with the forces that Frieza commands under his iron fist, and focusing more on evading them and Vegeta as opposed to direct confrontation. This sets up a feeling of tension and anticipation for the heroes and even Vegeta as we learn more about the villains and their motivations, or rather, their methods and how brutally overpowered they are compared to the main heroes at this point of the story. Dodoria, to Zarbon, to finally the Ginyu Force, all dedicate themselves to being stronger than the heroes for the story to work as an anticipation that stresses out the audience as there is no clear winner if they are found or defeated by the immensely stronger villains.
And it all comes to a head during the confrontation with Frieza in the second third of the arc. This unbeatable foe, whose power level dwarfs everything that has been shown thus far by Vegeta, Piccolo, Gohan, and even Goku during his final form, reveals himself and is royally infuriated to the point of murderous anger. It is no doubt why for the entirety of the fight, asFrieza piles on the transformationsup till his Final Form, that everybody is desperate, fearful, and even Vegeta loses his will to fight the tyrant once he is come face-to-face with the reality that he is going to die to this tyrant with no chance of ever winning. Even with Goku using all of his tricks, and exerting his body to its limits; it isn’t until he unleashes the Super Saiyan transformation that everything goes back to a certainty that the good guys will win and wish their friends back to life. However, the Frieza Saga for many at the time must have been terrifying for not just the reasons stated prior, but also for what Frieza meant during the run.
Fear Personified
Despite Super Saiyan Goku having arrived in the final third of the arc and saving the day, Frieza’s power and presence in the arc before this reveal filled the entire arc with a sense of dread, fear, and even uncertainty for the audience when the battle began. Fighting a tyrant akin to many sci-fi emperors in media is a terrifying proposition, even more so when you share the same planet, looking for wish-granting Dragon Balls, and realize that thetyrant will stop at nothing to get what he wants. Not even hurting or killing innocent children as a means of a threat seems to be out of the table for Frieza, and his charismatic, albeit terrifying heavy-handed approach to his wants is terrifying to say the least. Even more so with his cruelty.
Frieza, as the main villain of this arc, exemplified fear, tyranny, and cruelty much more purely. If anything, not even Vegeta’s prior role as the villain in the Saiyan Saga could rival that of Frieza’s power and terrifying presence, and it certainly doesn’t help that thetransformations only serve to reinforce this alien and otherworldlycharacteristic of Frieza. Pushing the audience ofDragon Ball Zto new stretches of uncertainty, anxiety, fear, and especially evil in the form of a tyrant emperor of the Galaxy, Lord Frieza is the main driving force for why the Frieza Saga is so terrifying.
Dragon Ball Zis available to stream onCrunchyroll
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