Dragon Ball: The Breakers – 10 Villains That Should Be Playable

The Dragon Ball franchise has a long, long history of video games, dating all the way back to the '80s when the original manga was still running. While it has a varied history, most of its more successful titles consist primarily of fighting games and RPGs, which makes sense considering the story of Son Goku and his friends lends itself perfectly to both genres. So, it’s safe to say that everyone was surprised to learn about Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an asymmetrical multiplayer game where a group of players take control of regular citizens in the Dragon Ball world (instead of, you know, actual characters fans know and care about) and must flee from one player controlling one of the series iconic villains. Basically, it’s Dragon Ball Dead by Daylight.

As unexpected as this is, this sort of game actually lends itself well to the Dragon Ball franchise, considering many of its villains exhibit slight horror movie/serial killer traits. The likes of Cell, Frieza, and Majin Buu are already confirmed for the game and there will most certainly be more added to it post-launch. And with how extensive Dragon Ball’s list of bad guys is, there is a lot of potential for future Raiders as Bandai Namco calls them.

1. Broly

Let’s get the obvious one out of the way. Broly remains one of the most popular villains in the entire franchise, acting as the main antagonist of three Dragon Ball Z movies and earning him a guaranteed spot in every Dragon Ball fighting game roster. The Dragon Ball Super movie brought him into the series canon properly but went in a very different direction for his character, making him a far more misunderstood and sympathetic opponent for Goku to defeat. He was effectively space Tarzan.

Original Broly, however, is a sadistic monster that relishes destruction and chaos. His popularity means he’ll most definitely arrive in Dragon Ball: The Breakers sooner than later, but he’s a perfect fit for the role of terrifying stalker knocking down buildings as puny mortals scurry in fear for their lives.

2. Androids 17 & 18

Nowadays, the brother/sister duo of Android 17 and Android 18 are living on the straight and narrow, with both of them settling down, having families of their own, and 17 even working as a park ranger. But in one alternate future, they were responsible for the deaths of millions, including many of Earth’s strongest defenders.

In the History of Trunks special, the pair casually slaughter the population of entire cities. They’re essentially a couple of delinquents with superpowers, making them a terrifying force. Having two Raiders as one playable character might be tricky to pull off and risks them being unbalanced, but it’s been a very long time since the two’s more villainous portrayal and could make for some great nostalgia for old fans and a fresh different take for newer fans.

3. Dr. Gero

Despite being the creator of the Androids and Cell, Dr. Gero has very much been overshadowed by his creations. After starting off as the main antagonist of Dragon Ball Z’s Android Saga, he spent a good chunk of it running from the heroes, getting thrashed by Piccolo, and was eventually destroyed by 17 and 18.

It’s a shame considering how menacing he is during his introduction, coldly murdering civilians to attract the heroes’ attention and brutally impaling Yamcha (not that one-shotting Yamcha is hard). A playable appearance in Dragon Ball: The Breakers, where he gets to fill the role of a nigh unstoppable killing machine, could earn him some respect. He could even bring Android 19 with him (and maybe the movie only Androids like Android 13), who would be controlled by the AI and could be sent to scout out the survivors and drain them of their energy.

4. Janemba

As a demon made of pure evil, Janemba is severely lacking in personality when compared to other villains on this list. But he is popular enough to be one of the few movie villains to get a spot on Dragon Ball FighterZ’s roster and he boasts a unique array of powers that would be fun to use in a game like Dragon Ball: The Breakers.

His ability to alter reality itself, from changing objects into entirely different things to making clones, would make him a complex but fun character to play and an absolute nightmare to deal with when playing the survivor role. Matches could even start with him in his giant baby form, where he’s slower but chaotic and unpredictable and, throughout the course of the match, he eventually transforms into his more recognizable devil appearance, becoming focused and thus a lot more dangerous.

5. Baby

Dragon Ball GT remains a controversial part of the franchise’s history (to the point where Dragon Ball Super’s very existence has some convinced GT isn’t canon anymore), but even some of its most vocal detractors admit to liking Baby, one of its main antagonists.

Baby is mainly on this list for his gameplay potential. Baby is essentially a parasite, infecting people and taking complete control of their bodies. In fact, he successfully infected nearly everybody on Earth, including the likes of Gohan and Vegeta. His core gameplay could be possessing survivors, making players paranoid about who among their group they can really trust. Plus, he could start out as Baby Vegeta and, if certain conditions are met, transform into his Golden Ape form.

6. Garlic Jr.

Garlic Jr.’s presence probably brings up a lot of bad memories of one of Dragon Ball Z’s more reviled arcs in some people, but he has rarely appeared across the franchise’s video games and has plenty of potential to be a unique character worth playing in Dragon Ball: The Breakers.

He has two different sets of henchmen he could summon as assists (the trio of Nicky, Ginger, and Sansho from the Dead Zone movie and the Spice Boys from his Dragon Ball Z arc), he can use the Black Water Mist to corrupt players by turning them into feral demons, and maybe even summon the Dead Zone to permanently remove players from the match. He’s also the only character on the list to have a very short stature, which could make him difficult to see coming. And if he gets desperate, he can transform into his larger form for a burst of power and speed.

7. Goku Black

Goku Black is easily one of the more obvious picks for Dragon Ball: The Breakers. His entire deal involves wiping out all mortal life, and that’s how he was introduced in Dragon Ball Super, single-handedly killing every poor soul he could find, including Bulma, no different to a slasher villain.

His play style could revolve around rushing down survivors, not giving them an inch to counter or escape. Not to mention he has at least two additional transformations to rely on: Super Saiyan Rosé (which could give him access to additional moves and skills) and his fusion with Zamasu. If Bandai Namco wanted to get really wild, it could include Infinite Zamasu (aka his last remnants that became one with the very fabric of the cosmos) as a last-ditch effort to wipe out the survivors by destroying the universe with them. Although perhaps there’d be a countdown where Zeno eventually appears and wipes him out, granting an automatic survivor victory.

8. Saiyan Saga Vegeta

After an incredibly rocky transition, Vegeta now stands as one of the universe’s greatest heroes, as well as a doting father, husband, and close friend of Goku’s (even if he’d probably never admit to that last one). Dragon Ball: The Breakers is an opportunity to let fans relive his early days as a cutthroat villain. He may have eventually been outclassed by the likes of Frieza, but during the Saiyan Saga, he was easily the most dangerous threat Goku and his allies had ever faced.

While he would lack many of his iconic abilities (Big Bang Attack, Final Flash, all his Super Saiyan transformations), he could call in Nappa (perhaps the Saibamen too or even Raditz) to assist and transform into his Great Ape form should the need arise. Alternatively, Bandai Namco could always go with Majin Vegeta if it wants to let players control a Vegeta that can at least go Super Saiyan.

9. King Piccolo

Given the lack of the Z in the title, this hopefully means Dragon Ball: The Breakers will be willing to draw villains from the original Dragon Ball. Admittedly, antagonists like Pilaf and Mercenary Tao don’t really hold a candle to any of the ones from Dragon Ball Z onwards when it comes to villainy. But there is one OG Dragon Ball villain that should make the cut: Demon King Piccolo.

Piccolo’s introduction marked a major turning point in the series’ history, and his list of accomplishments make him as worthy of a villain as Frieza and Cell. After conquering the world, he abolished all laws, released every criminal onto the streets, and held a yearly lottery to decide which part of the world he would destroy next. He even killed Shenron, you know, the magical, wish-granting dragon. Later villains may be more popular, but King Piccolo’s legacy arguably makes him the most deserving to appear in Dragon Ball: The Breakers.

10. Moro

Chances are, if your only knowledge of Dragon Ball comes from the anime and movies, you’ve never heard of Moro. That’s because his only appearance so far is the Dragon Ball Super manga’s Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, where he serves as its main villain. Long story short, Moro is a space goat wizard who eats planets.

His inclusion is admittedly a long shot given he has yet to appear outside of the manga, but his list of powers is frankly insane. Psychic powers, energy absorption, magic; his copy ability means he can show up with a host of abilities from other characters. He can start matches in his elderly hunched form and then gradually restore his vitality as time goes on, culminating with him merging with the very planet itself. It’s unlikely, but Moro would be a wild, interesting, and exciting addition the playable villain roster.

Which villains do you want to see in Dragon Ball: The Breakers? Let us know in the comments below!