When it comes to the antagonists that were born from the mind of Akira Toriyama, even some of the weakest still have the ability to cause the world some serious problems. Dragon Ball villains such as the original King Piccolo and Raditz might have low power levels in comparison to future threats, but they could still easily destroy cities, and even entire planets if they so desired. Luckily, there are some villains that rank below even these two “losers” of the series, and we’re more than happy to share them here.
The Pilaf Gang
Pilaf, Mai, and Shu are some of the longest-running villains in Dragon Ball history, but despite this fact, the gang hasn’t improved much when it comes to their respective power levels. In fact, the trio is most likely weaker than even children, especially in their current diminutive states. While they do gain a power-up whenever they manage to hop into their robotic suit, they still aren’t even close to being a match for any member of the Z-Fighters. Still, the three will routinely act as a thorn in the side of Goku and the gang when it comes to their desire to use the Dragon Balls.
General Blue
General Blue was one of the earliest villains to appear in Dragon Ballwhile also being a lynchpin in the creation of the Red Ribbon Army. While the organization would go on to spawn the likes of the Androids and Cell thanks to Dr. Gero, Blue would never return from the grave. The military man might have been a threat to a young, inexperienced Goku, but he was dispatched by Tao Pai Pai, another combatant who is sure to make this list, though even Blue paled in comparison to Tao. General Blue was far from a world-ending threat, though he worked well as an early threat to Goku.
Monster Carrot
Monster Carrot might just be a giant anthropomorphic rabbit masquerading as a villain, but he might be far more dangerous than General Blue and the Pilaf Gang. While he might not be able to destroy a planet, he does have the power to transform targets into carrots simply by touching them. In a wild twist, the Dragon Ball villain never returned to the series as he remains stranded on the moon and has yet to find his way back. With the likes of Goku and Vegeta now having the power to destroy galaxies, we imagine Monster Carrot wouldn’t pose too much of a threat.
Ninja Murasaki
There are some Dragon Ball villains that might fit right into “weaker” anime series that don’t have protagonists who can destroy worlds with a breath, and Ninja Murasaki is one of them. Also a member of the Red Ribbon Army, the ninja is quickly thrashed by a young Goku during their initial confrontation. While the ninja never returns to the main continuity, he does make an appearance in Super Dragon Ball Heroesalbeit quite briefly, proving that not everyone has forgotten about the weak OG villain. If Murasaki was introduced in an anime like Lupin The 3rd or Cowboy Bebophe might have been able to make a big name for himself.
bacteria
We had to take the chance to throw in Bacterian into this list simply for his overall disgusting factor. Like many other antagonists on this list, the Dragon Ball villain doesn’t have the power to fire off energy blasts, but his threat came from his odious techniques. Bacterian was more than willing to smear all the smells from his various orifices onto his opponents to score a victory, and while Krillin was far stronger than the gross antagonist during their match, he nearly lost. The only way Krillin scored a win was thanks to being even smellier than Bacterian himself, in a scene that still lives in infamy.
Commander Red
Much like General Blue, Commander Red was far from a powerhouse when it came to his power level, but his influence on the franchise was a big one. One of the originators of the Red Ribbon Army, the commander was an antagonist who helped build an army. Unfortunately for Red, he was far from able to enter a one-on-one fight and successfully prove to be a challenge for the likes of Son Goku. Speaking of Red Ribbon Army villains who left an impression…
Dr. Hedo
When it came to the villains of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, we debated which of the antagonists we should add to this list. Magenta and Carmine were dangerous villains unto themselves, especially with the latter having a robotic armored suit that amplified his own power, but Dr. Hedo’s strengths lay within his brain. While building the likes of Cell Max, Gamma 1, and Gamma 2, Hedo himself was close to the power level of a child despite being the grandson of Dr. Gero. We’re sure that Gero could whip himself up a mechanically advanced suit in the future to at least make him stronger than the likes of Tao Pai Pai in the future. Speaking of which…
TAO FATHER FATHER
It’s debatable whether Tao Pai Pai’s power level ever cleared “100” but this hasn’t stopped the villain from making several returns to the shonen franchise following his original Dragon Ball debut. What’s most tragic for this assassin is that he is genuinely terrifying, at least in relation to regular powered citizens in the anime universe. Being so strong that he can kill someone with his tongue and even throw a log so fast and far that he can ride it, Tao would eventually receive his own cybernetic upgrades. Unfortunately, his skills and his mechanical alterations were unable to have him come close to the power levels of Goku and company.
Tambourine
Since Tambourine was the offspring of Piccolo, the winged demon was far from as powerful as the nefarious iteration of the Namekian in the original Dragon Ball series. Despite being far weaker than many of the future villains, Tambourine was a “weak villain” who caused the most pain to the Z-Fighters in their earlier days. In the demon’s initial confrontation with Krillin, he killed the pint-sized hero and sent Goku on a collision course with the Demon Lord Piccolo. Tambourine would most likely be able to stomp the likes of Ninja Murasaki and General Blue, but he remains an antagonist who is worthy of his spot here.
Master Shen
Master Shen might have trained with Master Roshi, but he hadn’t kept up with the Turtle Hermit in the training department. Despite this, previous official Dragon Ball publications placed Shen’s power level at around “120,” pushing him above some other entries on this list. Like the originators of the Red Ribbon Army, Shen’s influence on the series was in what he created rather than his fists. Master Shen helped to introduce both Tenshinhan and Chiaotzu to the series, who remain supporting characters in the shonen universe to this day.
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