This is a list of factions which have appeared in the Dragon Ball manga, the anime series Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, and various video games spun off by the series. Certain factions have not been assigned official names, thus sections for these groups are titled after the character who is their dominant leader.
Babidi
Yamu and Spopovich, the first of Babidi's henchmen seen in Dragon Ball Z.
The son of the powerful wizard Bibidi, Babidi uses his Ayatsuri no Majyutsu spells to take control of a number of prime fighters. His forces make their debut with Yamu and Spopovich, who are sent to the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament in "Who Will Fight Who?" to steal energy from other contestants so that Babidi may resurrect his father's ultimate creation, Majin Buu. Upon receiving the energy, Babidi betrays and murders Yamu and Spopovich with help from another minion, Pui Pui. Babidi also has control over the king of demons (not to be confused with King Piccolo, alternatively known as "Demon King Piccolo"), Dabura, whose spit is enough to overpower Krillin, Piccolo and Kibito. At his base of operations, Babidi unleashes Pui Pui and yet another minion, Yakon, on Goku, Gohan, Vegeta and Supreme Kai. It is during these battles that Dabura learns Vegeta is vulnerable to Babidi's spell, and after reporting this to the wizard, Babidi casts his magic on Vegeta, turning him into a Majin. Later when Majin Buu is hatched from his Magical Ball, Babidi takes some degree of control over the creature, mostly through bribery, but with Goku's persuasion, Majin Buu kills Babidi and defects to the Z Fighters' side. With Babidi and his subordinates either dead or free from his possession, the wizard's influence crumbles and becomes a thing of the past. Although Majin Buu inadvertently creates his Evil, Super and Kid Buu counterparts, they have no association with Babidi, and on the contrary, Babidi is one of the few villains in Hell to cheer on Goku to defeat Kid Buu because the grudge he holds against the creature.
Cooler's Armored Squadron
Cooler's Armored Squadron ambushes Goku and friends.
Cooler's Armored Squadron is a mercenary platoon who works closely with Cooler, the brother of Frieza. They make their debut in the film Cooler's Revenge, where they are first shown presiding over Planet Vegeta on the day it is destroyed by Frieza. Here, they notice a Saiyan Pod containing a Saiyan infant eject from the planet, which Cooler condones. Decades later, Cooler discovers that his brother has been killed by a Saiyan, and vowing only to reestablish his family pride, Cooler departs for Earth with Cooler's Armored Squadron, hoping to ambush Goku, the Saiyan responsible for Frieza's death. The ambush is successful and Gohan is forced to obtain Senzu Beans to heal his father's condition, but upon return he is attacked by Salza, the leader of the platoon. Piccolo saves the boy and proceeds to kill the other two members of Cooler's Armored Squadron, Doore and Neiz, but has trouble combating Salza. A battle between Cooler and a fully healed Goku ensues, but results in Cooler being plummeted into the Sun. As the group celebrates, Salza reappears and prepares to unleash and attack that may overpower the Z Fighters in their state, but he is suddenly countered by Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon. Thus, Cooler's Armored Squadron's three members, Salza, Doore and Neiz, are each killed by Piccolo.
Crusher Turles Corps
The Crusher Turles Corps await the Z Fighters at the Tree of Might.
The Crusher Turles Corps is a mercenary platoon who works closely with Turles, a low-class Saiyan who bears an exact resemblance to Goku. They make their debut in the film The Tree of Might, where the group sends a device to Earth, which catapults into a forest and causes a fire that completely destroys the area. Later, the Crusher Turles Corps arrive on Earth and plant a seed which grows the Tree of Might, a plant that sucks the life of the planet on which it was planted and leaves it a desert. Goku, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu's attempts to destroy the tree are unsuccessful, and it isn't long before they are confronted by the mercenaries Daiz, Cacao, Rasin, Lakasei and Amond; their leader, Turles, watches the encounter from inside his spaceship. Gohan arrives and joins the battle after rescuing Chiaotzu from Rasin, and is personally invited by Turles to join the Crusher Turles Corps. Gohan refuses and is saved in time thanks to the arrival of Piccolo. Using a Power Ball, Turles forces Gohan to transform into a Great Ape and sets him on Goku, who eventually manages to cut his son's tail off and restore him to normal. The Crusher Turles Corps then attack Goku, who retaliates and kills them using the Kaio-ken technique. A showdown ensues between Goku and Turles, with Goku having the upper hand until Turles pushes his power further by eating a fruit of the Tree of Might. Slowly recovering while Turles is distracted by the rest of the Z Fighters, Goku decides to use the Spirit Bomb. Unable to gather energy from living beings, Goku decides to use the stolen energy inside the Tree of Might itself. Eventually successful in creating the Spirit Bomb, Goku sees his opportunity, and fires it straight into Turles, who is carried up the trunk of the Tree of Might and destroyed along with the tree when the Spirit Bomb explodes.
Dodoria's Elite
Dodoria's Elite confronts Bardock, after he discovers his ravaged friends.
Dodoria's Elite (ドドリアリート, Dodoria no Seiei; ; ; ) is an elite platoon who works closely with Dodoria, one of Frieza's most esteemed underlings. They make their debut in the special Bardock - The Father of Goku. All four members of the squad (excluding their leader) are nameless characters. Their captain (credited on various film websites as the "Horned Gang Leader") bears a resemblance to Commander Zeeun, one of Lord Slug's subordinates; his skin is colored orange and he has horns and long brown hair. Another elite is clearly of the same race as Appule, and has amethyst-colored skin with gold specs. The other members include a frog-like creature with a red headcrest, and a green fish-like humanoid who appears to be of the same race as the grunts in Slug's army. These four accompany Dodoria to Planet Meat where, under Frieza's orders, they execute Bardock's planet elite force (sans Bardock, who during this time is resting in a Saiyan infirmary). When Bardock discovers his ravaged comrades he is assaulted by Dodoria's Elite, but manages to dominate the elite-class fighters. The Appule-like soldier fires several energy waves at Bardock, only to have his skull caved in, and Bardock uses the fish-humanoid soldier as a shield to defend from an oncoming energy wave. The frog-like soldier takes hold of Bardock, who is briefly distracted by his foresight, while the captain rapidly punches the Saiyan. When Bardock recovers, he spins the frog-like soldier around and the captain accidentally punches a hole through his back. Bardock then launches a large energy wave at the elites, killing both. Dodoria soon after arrives to overpower Bardock, however, leaving him for dead.
Frieza
Frieza's most esteemed henchmen, Dodoria and Zarbon, after escaping from Hell in Dragon Ball GT.
Frieza is the self-proclaimed "lord of the universe," who spends 31 years controlling an interplanetary empire and dominating the planet broker trade. His forces make their debut with Raditz, who is sent to Earth in "The New Threat" to investigate the planet's status and recover his brother Kakarot (now known as Goku). However, Raditz makes no mention of Frieza, instead simply citing that the Saiyans are responsible for planet broking. It is not until the episode "Held Captive" that the universal threat Frieza poses is first described. Frieza's most esteemed henchmen and possibly those who he has collaborated with the longest are Dodoria and Zarbon, who each act as his closest advisers and military commanders. Both oversaw the destruction of the Saiyan race, with Zarbon suggesting the Saiyans be eliminated before they form a rebellion, and Dodoria participating in the extermination of the most powerful Saiyan platoon. Decades later, Vegeta executes both Dodoria and Zarbon on Planet Namek, although initially a transformation used by the latter gets the best of the Saiyan. In addition to the Saiyan race in general, other known followers of Frieza include Appule, Blueberry, Cui, Raspberry and Namole; Abo and Kado are also shown to be former mercenaries of Frieza's empire in the 2008 film Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!. Malaka can also be seen presiding over Frieza's conversion into a machine. The Ginyu Force are also among the soldiers employed by Frieza, although unlike most mercenaries who do Frieza's bidding, the Ginyu Force are simply freelancers who are favored by the tyrant. In addition to these known followers, countless other unnamed soldiers in Frieza's empire also appear in the series, mostly during the climax of Bardock - The Father of Goku; in the Budokai Tenkaichi video game series, the playable character Frieza Soldier is representative of these countless tertiary followers.
Galaxy Soldiers
Bojack, the leader of the Galaxy Soldiers.
The Galaxy Soldiers are a mercenary platoon who work closely with Bojack, a ruthless alien formerly locked inside of a star by the kais of the universe. They make their debut in the film Bojack Unbound. With King Kai's death following the destruction of his planet during the Cell Games, the link holding Bojack trapped is shattered, leaving him to make his escape. Tracking the energy coming from the Cell Games to Earth, Bojack travels to the planet accompanied by the Galaxy Soldiers, Bido, Bujin, Kogu and Zangya. Infiltrating a World Martial Arts Tournament funded by X. S. Cash for his son's birthday, Bojack seeks to eliminate every single fighter on Earth in order to be rid of any obstacles in the way of universal conquest. While the Galaxy Soldiers frequent the arenas, Bojack waits calmly in a ruined city where the final challenge of the tournament is meant to take place. Eventually, the mercenaries gather the bodies of Future Trunks (who was successful in slaying Kogu), Krillin, Yamcha and Tien Shinhan. Gohan, the only fighter still standing, lashes at Bojack but is interrupted by the Galaxy Soldiers whilst Bojack watches on. Eventually Gohan ascends to Super Saiyan 2 and effortlessly wipes out both Bujin and Bido. Becoming desperate despite insisting that Gohan cannot stop him, Bojack sacrifices his fearful, remaining underling, Zangya, when he pushes her towards Gohan and fires an energy wave straight through her. Gohan evades this, prompting the delirious Bojack to attack head-on, only for Gohan to land a punch straight through the tyrant's stomach. Bojack launches his ultimate attack, the Galactic Buster, which Gohan counters with a Super Kamehameha. The two energies clash and result in an explosion through which both Gohan and Bojack rush through to attack each other, however one final punch into the flash of light ultimately kills Bojack.
Ginyu Force
The Ginyu Force poses.
The Ginyu Force (ギニュー特戦隊, Ginyū Tokusentai; ; ; Ginyu Special Corps) is an elite platoon who works closely with Captain Ginyu, a mutant with the dangerous ability to exchange bodies with his unsuspecting foes. They make their debut in the episode "Unknown Enemies", where Frieza sends for them to discipline Vegeta and recover the Dragon Balls stolen by the Saiyan. In spite of being some of the most prime fighters of their time, the arrogant members of the Ginyu Force delight in coming up with strange poses, betting on fights using candy and playing rock-paper-scissors to decide the order in which they should fight. The overall surprise Frieza displays when they arrive on Namek seems to imply that has never grown accustomed to their goofy attitude. The strongest member of the team is Captain Ginyu himself, who for the majority of his appearances in the series, occupies the body a horned, purple-skinned mutant, though he is capable of exchanging bodies at will. Recoome is a large brute with orange hair who uses numerous barbaric techniques which he prefers to title after himself. Burter is a tall, blue reptilian humanoid who fancies himself the fastest being in the universe next to Frieza, and combines many of his energy attacks with Jeice, a handsome soldier with red-pigmented skin and long white hair. The fifth member is Guldo, a short and stubby amphibious humanoid with four eyes and an assortment of telepathic abilities. Sans their leader, the Ginyu Force's Recoome, Burter, Jeice and Guldo are each killed by Vegeta.
Illusion Saiyans
A mock-up of the various Illusion Saiyans who appear throughout Kyôshū! Saiyan.
The Illusion Saiyans (Moboroshi no Saiya-jin; ; ; ) are a group of Saiyans who appear in the video game Kyôshū! Saiyan. Curiously, five of the seven Illusion Saiyans bear no resemblance to Saiyans of the mainstream series, and are instead original characters modeled after preexisting characters in the series. They comprise of Brock and Onion (two otherwise nameless filler characters from Dragon Ball Z, whom Funimation Entertainment dubbed "Shorty" and "Scarface", respectively), Cinnamon (who has the appearance of a gray-skinned Sansho), Cucumber (who has the appearance of an orange-skinned Saibaman), Herb (who has the appearance of a red-skinned Nicky), Jasmine (who has the appearance of a blue-skinned Ginger) and Kaiware (who has the appearance of a blue-skinned Saibaman). Of the seven Illusion Saiyans, Onion is the only one shown capable of transforming into a Great Ape.
King Vegeta
King Vegeta, the ruler of Planet Vegeta.
King Vegeta is the king of Planet Vegeta, although he is not its ultimate ruler, as during this time the Saiyan race is under Frieza's segregation. His forces make their debut in "Secret of the Dragon Balls" with Goku, who is sent to Earth 11 years prior to prepare the planet for Frieza's planet trade, but loses sight of this after an accident leaves him permanently amnesiac. While most of the known Saiyans have proudly served King Vegeta, Paragus and his son Broly are among the Saiyans who disagree with the king's naïve ways, and because this arrogance had Paragus and Broly nearly killed, the two exiles plot to take their revenge through the Saiyan prince, Vegeta. King Vegeta's strict mannerisms have also resulted in the exile of his own son Tarble. Eventually King Vegeta stages an invasion of Frieza's spaceship in an attempt to rescue his son (who at this time is nowhere near the ship, as he is carrying out orders on another planet), to which Frieza retaliates by killing King Vegeta and his royal guard, and launching a Supernova through Planet Vegeta, exterminating all but a handful of Saiyans. Significant followers of King Vegeta include Bardock, Borgos, Fasha, Nappa, Raditz, Shugesh, Tora, Vegeta, Zorn, and initially Paragus; Malaka and Planthorr are also presiding doctors at a Saiyan hospital.
Lord Slug
Paragus
Planet elite force
Fasha, Tora and Bardock during a brief cameo appearance in Dragon Ball Z. Missing from the scene are Shugesh and Borgos.
The planet elite force is a crew of low-class Saiyan soldiers led by Bardock, best known as the father of Goku. They make their debut in the special Bardock - The Father of Goku. The platoon is comprised of Bardock, as well as four other soldiers: Tora, Fasha, Shugesh and Borgos. Together, the five make a living by traveling to various planets where they decimate the defenses of these civilizations and prepare them for Frieza's planetary market. After clearing a society on the Planet Kanassa, a weakened survivor emerges, catching Bardock off-guard, and instills in the Saiyan the ability of precognitive foresight. Bardock is still out of commission when the other capable four soldiers are instructed to clear the civilization of Planet Meat. Before long during their visit to the planet, the group encounters one of Frieza's most esteemed minions, Dodoria, and his elite who, by Frieza's orders, betray and make short work of the Saiyans. Bardock is later informed that his team has accepted an offer on Meat. Pursuing them, he discovers his ravaged comrades, and to some fortune finds that Tora is alive but in critical condition. Vowing to avenge the four, Bardock is suddenly assaulted by Dodoria's Elite, although for a low-class Saiyan, he is able to dominate over the elite-class fighters until Dodoria launches a Super Mouth Blast, overpowering Bardock and leaving him for dead. Bardock barely survives this attack and struggles to return to Planet Vegeta where he immediately begins spreading the word of danger, but his panic only leads bystanders to believe Bardock is overreacting after having finally met his match during a typical mission. Terrified, Bardock takes to the skies where Frieza's spaceship is orbiting, in a last resort effort to throttle Frieza's plan to eradicate the Saiyans. Frieza steps out into the orbit of Planet Vegeta where he encounters Bardock, who insists that the Saiyans refuse to be continue being oppressed and commanded by the tyrant. When Bardock attempts to kill Frieza using a Final Spirit Cannon energy wave, which Frieza retaliates with by laughing manically as he expands a charging Supernova. Within moments, the Supernova is set free from Frieza's fingertip and careens through numerous bystanding soldiers en route toward the Planet Vegeta; Bardock is among the first to be consumed by the ball of energy.