There have been plenty of great Dragon Ball villains over the years, but few, if any, can come close to matching Frieza. Not only is he one of the most powerful foes that the Z-Fighters have ever come up against, but the enigmatic emperor also boasts one of the series' best and most complex personalities, which has helped to cement his status as a firm fan favorite.
In order to avoid being washed away by Dragon Ball's neverending waves of powercreep, Frieza has been given numerous transformations over the years, with the evil tyrant having showcased no fewer than seven different forms. Every Frieza transformation is unique in its own special ways, with the best Frieza forms having caused the Z-Fighters plenty of problems over the years.
Frieza's First Form
Though far from the most powerful, Frieza's first form is one of his most iconic, simply by virtue of having been the one that introduced the intergalactic supervillain to fans of the long-running manga and anime series. It looks fairly innocuous at first glance, but, even in this weakened state, Frieza is able to dish out a lot of damage.
It's in this form that Frieza wiped out planet Vegeta and most of the Saiyan race in just a matter of moments, requiring only a single finger to generate the enormous amount of Ki needed to do so. Viewers don't get to see him fight in this form on Namek due to Vegeta's goading, but one suspects that he could probably have dealt with Vegeta, Krillin, and Gohan, even without the transformation.
Frieza's Second Form
Of all of the seven forms of Frieza that have been showcased throughout canon Dragon Ball media to date, his second is arguably his most intimidating. Not only does he become considerably larger upon transforming (both in terms of height and bulk), but his horns also grow a lot longer too, allowing them to be used as a deadly weapon when needed.
As well as goring Krillin, Frieza uses his second form to take on Piccolo, who has recently fused with Nail to become a lot more powerful. This new transformation, together with the training he received from King Kai, helps Piccollo to hold his own for a while, but another Frieza transformation soon brings an end to his futile resistance.
Frieza's Third Form
Clearly inspired by the Xenomorph from the Alien franchise, Frieza's third form is perhaps his most unusual. The elongated head and exaggerated shoulder padding are very different from his previous two forms, though his face and muscle texture remain largely unchanged despite the huge step-up in power.
Once again, Frieza's third form is relatively short-lived, with the evil tyrant transforming soon after realizing that Gohan and Vegeta are growing stronger throughout the battle. Even so, it's a useful transformation that offers a decent and more noticeable step up in power when compared to the previous form.
Frieza's Final Form
Though its name may no longer be accurate, Frieza's final form remains one of his most memorable. It's used throughout the duration of his epic showdown with Goku on Namek and allows the evil supervillain to demonstrate why he is so feared throughout the galaxy. Granted, it's no match for Super Saiyan, but it's not too far off.
This form would go on to become Frieza's default after he's wished back to life and the foundation for his two newest and most powerful forms. When most people picture Frieza, this is the version of him that they see, due not only to how often it's depicted, but also the fact that most of Frieza's finest moments have come while in this form.
Mecha Frieza
After slicing himself into four pieces with his own Death Disc attack and then forcing Goku into hitting him with an energy beam, it looks as though Frieza may be done for. However, after the much-maligned Garlic Junior arc, a newly rebuilt Frieza arrives on earth with his father King Cold, with the pair looking to get themselves some sweet revenge on Goku.
For as cool as the design of Mecha Frieza is, it's arguably the supervillain's most underwhelming form to date and exists only as a plot device with which to introduce viewers to a powerful new character. Future Trunks is able to defeat both Frieza and his father without even breaking a sweat and ends up slicing the former in half using his trusty sword.
Golden Frieza
Given the popularity of Frieza, it was perhaps unsurprising to see him make a return in Dragon Ball Super. Few could have predicted, however, that the intergalactic supervillain would be given a brand new transformation in the form of Golden Frieza. The name may seem a little generic, but the revitalized character is anything but.
His role as the main villain in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F' was great, but it wasn't until Dragon Ball Super and the tournament of power that fans got to see the very best of Golden Frieza. Having to work together with the Z-Fighters to ensure his survival added a lot of extra depth, while his inherent and unquenchable thirst for power kept everybody guessing right up until the tournament's closing moments.
Black Frieza
Black Frieza is the newest and most powerful Frieza transformation, first appearing in the 87th chapter of the Dragon Ball Super manga. At the time of writing, Black Frieza is still to make his on-screen debut, though the possibility of the evil villain becoming more powerful was actually hinted at by Vegeta back in 2018 during Dragon Ball Super: Broly.
The iconic Dragon Ball villain achieved the transformation after stumbling upon a hyperbolic time chamber and training inside it for ten years straight. His newfound power allows him to kill a fully-powered up Gas with ease before knocking out both True Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta with just a single blow to each of them.