Dragon Ball: Oldest Villains, Ranked

Summary

• Vegeta, originally a villain, is younger than Goku but older than other villains at 29 years old.
• Nappa, a short-lived villain, is the oldest Saiyan in the series at around 50 years old.
• Frieza, the iconic villain, is older than Goku and Vegeta, being in his 70s-80s during the Namek Saga.

The Dragon Ball series has established itself as one of the greatest Shōnen anime ever made. This largely comes down to the late series creator Akira Toriyama’s action-packed narrative style and his ability to depict legendary battles between good and evil. What’s even more iconic about the series are its villains.

Every Dragon Ball villain has a unique backstory and motivations, whether it is simply them being pure evil, actually having a tragic backstory, or having simple yet gripping revenge plots. But one of the most interesting details about these villains is their ages. Some of them are mere months old, while others are centuries old.

8

Vegeta: 29 Years Old

The Saiyan Prince is Young, But Still Older than Goku

While Vegeta’s role has evolved into that of a deuteragonist in the Dragon Ball series, he was originally introduced as a villain. As one of the few remaining Saiyans since their planet’s destruction, Vegeta was working for Frieza’s army, conquering planets alongside Nappa and Raditz ever since he was a child.

Vegeta is canonically confirmed to have been five years older than Goku, making him around 29 years old at the time when he landed on Earth. As far as villains go, he’s much younger than the ones that are centuries old, but he’s still relatively old compared to the likes of Cell, Piccolo, Tien Shinhan, and the Androids.

7

Raditz: Late 30s

Goku’s Older Brother Was the First Villain in Dragon Ball Z

The first among the Saiyans to land on the Earth. Raditz was sent ahead as a scout by Nappa and Vegeta and told to recruit Goku into their fold. While he wasn’t very strong in retrospect, he was the main villain of his very short story arc, and led to Goku being killed. He’s also quite a bit older than Goku.

Raditz appears in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, where he is shown to be a teenager when Goku was sent to Earth as an infant. Thus, when he landed on Earth to recruit Goku, it’s likely he was closing in on his 40s, or at the very least midway through his 30s.

6

Nappa: Mid 50s

A Short-Lived Villain, But an Older Saiyan

Nappa was one of the Saiyans plotting to conquer the Earth alongside Vegeta and Raditz during the Saiyan saga, back when they were all villains. He was working for Vegeta at the time, but he was also a commander of King Vegeta’s Saiyan Army, making him noticeably older than the other Saiyans seen in the series.

While Vegeta was nearing his 30s when they arrived on Earth, Nappa is said to be in his 50s at the time, making him the oldest Saiyan villain in the Dragon Ball series. That being said, his presence in the series was quite short-lived, as Vegeta killed Nappa after he was defeated by Goku during the Saiyan Saga.

5

Frieza: Around 70-80 Years Old

Not That Old, But Still Among the Older Villains

Frieza is arguably the most iconic villain in the Dragon Ball series, with his fight against Goku being among the most memorable ones in the franchise. His entire character arc can be summed up in one word: Evil. But what’s very interesting about him is that he’s a fair bit older than Goku and Vegeta.

Frieza was the one to destroy Planet Vegeta, which happened when Vegeta was a child and Goku was an infant. But Frieza is also young enough to have never come across the original Super Saiyan of legend, which is said to happen once every thousand years. This puts Frieza’s age in the 70s-80s during the Namek Saga.

4

King Piccolo: Around 300 Years Old

As Old As Kami

King Piccolo was among the two Namekians born out of the Nameless Namekian, and a villain in the original Dragon Ball series. After the Nameless Namekian arrived on Earth, he split into two different beings, with opposite personalities. King Piccolo turned out to be the evil one, while Kami was the benevolent one. He went on to become a God and a protector of the Earth.

Considering his origins, the Nameless Namekian separated to form Piccolo and Kami in Age 461, while Frieza destroyed planet Vegeta in Age 739. This makes King Piccolo around three centuries old when Goku was born and sent to the Earth.

3

Moro: A Few Thousand Years Old

An Ancient Wizard

Moro hasn’t made an on-screen appearance in the Dragon Ball anime yet, but he appears after the Tournament of Power arc in the Dragon Ball Super manga. He’s an ancient wizard who originally fought the Supreme Kais and ends up getting imprisoned by the Galactic Patrol.

Moro is an incredibly powerful villain who grows stronger by stealing ki from planets and their populations, and his ability to absorb it is practically limitless. According to his story in the manga, his first fight against the Supreme Kais took place thousands of years ago, making him very old in terms of age.

2

Beerus: Several Million Years Old

The God of Destruction Was Momentarily a Villain

Beerus may have become a friend to the Dragon Ball gang, but he was a villain when he was initially introduced. In fact, he had every intention to destroy the planet until he changed his mind because he enjoyed the food that humans make. In fact, it was later revealed that it was Beerus who ordered Frieza to destroy Planet Vegeta. Goku had to turn into a Super Saiyan God in order to fight Beerus and give him enough of a challenge to change his mind.

Naturally, as a God of Destruction, Beerus is millions of years old, making him one of the oldest villains in the series. He’s as old as the Supreme Kais and the angels, and possibly even in the same age range as the Zenos.

1

Majin Buu: Incalculable Age

An Evil Being Who is Older Than Time Itself

Considering that he’s called “Kid Buu” in his purest incarnation, Majin Buu being the oldest character in the series, let alone the oldest villain, may surprise some folks. But the fact that the Supreme Kais were the ones to originally fight him before humanity was even born makes him pretty old in and of itself.

To further cement his position as the oldest character in Dragon Ball, the series refers to him as existing “since time immemorial.” He’s an evil being who takes childish pleasure in causing death and destruction, but he’s also pretty ancient.