History NightmareFuel / DragonBallZ

*** Speaking of Recoome himself, he [[DeconstructedTrope horrifically deconstructs the concept of durability that heroes are known for]], managing to keep going even after his armor, most of his hair, and a lot of his teeth being blasted out of his mouth. Two notable instances are when he seemingly is knocked out for the count on the ground only to swiftly get up in an eerily graceful way and even disturbingly when he gets head-butted in the gut by Vegeta with a shocked expression of pain- [[{{Troll}} only for it to immediately shift into a mocking expression to show how little it affected him]]. This [[HumanAliens further demonstrates that Recoome is not an Earth-bound human only a nigh-durable alien that has the appearance of one.]]

* [[WordOfGod Akira Toriyama himself]] has stated that Frieza was inspired by his worst nightmares. And this is all but clearly evident in many of the character's transformations and actions in the series. And for a bonus, Frieza is voiced by Creator/RyuseiNakao, who went on to voice [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Mayuri Kurotsuchi]].

* [[WordOfGod Akira Toriyama]] has stated that Frieza was inspired by his worst nightmares. This is quite evident in many of the character's transformations and actions in the series. And for a bonus, Frieza is voiced by Creator/RyuseiNakao, who went on to voice [[Manga/{{Bleach}} Mayuri Kurotsuchi]].

** At the last part of the transformation, we get a close-up of Broly's face. He then lets out a loud scream of agony and hatred as his power rises, and we see his eyes glow green as his skin starts to crack open, then he literally '''EXPLODES''' as he reveals his Legendary Super Saiyan form!

** The [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAkSg8TzDTs Kai redub]] also does a damn good job at just how terrifying Goku's transformation into a Super Saiyan is, though that can mostly be attributed to the outstanding voice work. Goku sounds like he's about to lose his mind, and the grunting seems like he's trying to hold himself back but ultimately failing to do so. The track used for this scene pre-2011, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NokXLGU7JBA 'A Moment For Shuddering']], also shows that as well. While it's certainly dramatic, it's not necessarily meant to convey how awesome the transformation is; rather, it gives the impression that Goku's [[RageBreakingPoint rage is about to break]]. This all culminated in a truly terrifying scream as Goku finally becomes Super Saiyan, as well as Frieza sounding both shocked and horrified. The only words he could say at the time were "You... you... ruthless... heartless... '''BASTARD!!!''' I will... make you... '''SUFFER!!!'''"

* Let's cut to the chase. When Son Gohan achieves the Messianic powers of a Super Saiyan 2, he changes from a [[NiceGuy sensitive and kind-hearted little boy]] to a [[SuperpoweredEvilSide cold-blooded, sadistic murderer]] that would make Frieza or Broly run for their lives. Watching the once kind-hearted boy coldly sneer ''"Kill him now? Hmph, not yet Dad. He deserves to suffer much longer!!"'' is incredibly unsettling. [[HorrifyingTheHorror Cell even calls him "a ''monster''"]]: as in the same Cell that is ''fueled'' on the lives of thousands, if not millions of people and laughed with glee as he absorbed the two teenagers his creator turned into cyborgs as they screamed for their lives. He also stated he loves seeing the twisted faces of terror in people, and said to Goku that if it wasn't for the tournament he created, [[EarthShatteringKaboom he'd wipe out the earth in one shot]] without batting an eye. When Goku called out to Gohan that he should end the fight since Cell, while cornered could become more unpredictable than before, Gohan's response was to glare at him and give his most [[PsychoticSmirk sadistic smirk]] he's ever shown, before giving the line that he'd like to carry on what was effective '''torture'''. That kid was NotHimself.

--->'''Frieza:''' Are you done? Then I'll reciprocate...[[BlatantLies gently]].

--> '''Vegeta:''' [[UnstoppableRage I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!! YOU WON'T ESCAPE...MY WRATH!! I'LL GET YOU! YOU'RE ALL MINE!!!]]

* The third trailer starts pretty awesomely, with epic footage of the fights, and both a HeavyMetal tune and a J-Pop song playing as the Z-Fighters fight epically, but then... The music abruptly ends as we see Frieza literally ''stomping'' Goku to submission, and further commentary of Beerus and Vegeta seemingly chastising Goku for being soft. Cue Frieza [[EvilLaugh cackling maniacally]] as the [[EarthShatteringKaboom Earth blows up]], and the background? Goku '''''[[TheScream screaming in agony]]'''''. End of the trailer...

* How Buu is introduced. He's described to be an EldritchAbomination that even the Gods who can one-shot Freeza can't defeat, so the initial thought is that Buu's going to be this Lovecraftian horror that's played seriously. And then, Buu is revived and revealed to be...an overweight pink humanoid with a cape, mitten, diaper-like pants, and overall a goofy look that acts like a toddler. It initially seems to be a comedic subversion...right until he trounces Gohan, Supreme Kai, and Dabura, the latter of which was described to be on the same level of power as Super Perfect Cell, like nothing. He proceeds to casually blast a rage-amped Gohan like nothing, which would've killed him if Supreme Kai didn't save him at the last second. He slowly torments Supreme Kai with his own moves used against him and proceeds to turn the king of the Demon World into a cookie to eat him. At this point, [[BewareTheSillyOnes it becomes clear that his goofy powers and personality]] [[NotSoHarmlesVillain bellies sinister darkness and his goofy powers have horrific consequences due to being on a level of tier far above the last villain who at his peak threatened the Solar System]]. Instead of a typical EldritchAbomination, [[LovecraftLite it's a primordial being with a kind of personality and powerset of a kid show]] being [[PlayedForHorror nightmarishly]].

* How Buu is introduced. He's described to be an EldritchAbomination that even the Gods who can one-shot Freeza can't defeat, so the initial thought is that Buu's going to be this Lovecraftian horror that's played seriously. And then, Buu is revived and revealed to be...an overweight pink humanoid with a cape, mitten, diaper-like pants, and overall a goofy look that acts like a toddler. It initially seems to be a comedic subversion...right until he trounces Gohan, Supreme Kai, and Dabura, the latter of which was described to be on the same level of power as Super Perfect Cell, like nothing. He proceeds to casually blast a rage-amped Gohan like nothing, which would've killed him if Supreme Kai didn't save him at the last second. He slowly torments Supreme Kai with his own moves used against him and proceeds to turn the king of the Demon World into a cookie to eat him. At this point, [[BewareTheSillyOnes it becomes clear that his goofy powers and personality]] [[NotSoHarmlesVillains bellies sinister darkness and his goofy powers have horrific consequences due to being on a level of tier far above the last villain who at his peak threatened the Solar System]]. Instead of a typical EldritchAbomination, [[LovecraftLite it's a primordial being with a kind of personality and powerset of a kid show]] being [[PlayedForHorror nightmarishly]].

* The {{Fridge Horror}} of being absorbed by Majin Buu. You are taken into his body where he feeds off your power and knowledge and uses them to kill everyone you know. Worse, you cannot die or do anything to stop him. You are forever trapped in an immortal being who will continue to use your abilities to kill billions.

* Even [[PsychopathicManchild Fat Buu]] gets one. After deciding he's gonna eat [[{{Satan}} Dabura]], he starts dancing towards him in an innocent, yet menacing fashion while chanting "Me eat you up, me eat you up, me eat you up". Dabura tries to put up resistance, pummeling him, blasting him, spitting [[TakenForGranite petrifying saliva]] at him, but no matter what he does, [[ImplacableMan Buu]] continues to dance towards him until the Demon King is finally consumed.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6lYSi2vXAKY Here it is in all its horrifying glory]].
** Fat Buu gets another dark moment near the end of his career as a servant. After Babidi threatens him with sealing and insults him too many times, a single panel shows Buu's face just before his master-slaying ploy. It is an uncharacteristically serious and dark face for him; if a face acted as someone else's death warrant, Buu's would be it. One look at that and you just know, Babidi is already dead.
*** Heck, think of the way he disposes of Babidi. In Kai, he first deceives Babidi by saying he has a good idea to tell him, allowing him to get close. Then Buu grabs Babidi by the throat, explaining that now Babidi is unable to perform any magic, like the spell to seal him in a ball. Then Buu pulls his fist back, and you get several agonizing shots of Babidi staring in pure horror that there is nothing he can do, [[AndIMustScream nor can he scream for mercy]]. Then Buu punches his head into oblivion, his fist colliding with the camera and turning it pure red. [[KickTheSonOfABitch And the wizard deserved it]]. To make matters worse, in the original anime we're then treated to a [[SarcasmMode lovely shot]] of Babidi's ''twitching, headless and blood-spewing corpse'', which is also pulsating with a very loud heartbeat, possibly implying that [[CruelAndUnusualDeath Babidi didn't immediately die from the decapitation]].
*** To make it even worse-[[FridgeBrilliance if you think about it, that wasn't the first time he tried to kill Babidi]]. He had been trying to kill him for a while, only restrained by the need to [[MakeItLookLikeAnAccident make it look accidental]] so he wouldn't be sealed again, thus he was only flying recklessly to have him splat somewhere... Then, during his fight with Goku, [[EurekaMoment Buu realized Babidi couldn't seal him away if he couldn't speak]]. And as soon as Goku has left, Buu kills Babidi the way described above.
*** The more unnerving part is that, in the dub, ''Goku'' is the person who planted the idea in Buu's head to kill Babidi. It's even more unnerving in the Kai dub, which has him grimly warn Babidi of his fate, well aware of what Buu will do to him once he's gone:
--> "Oh, and by the way, Babidi? When you get to Hell, which, believe me, is gonna be sooner than you think, King Yemma will make you suffer."
* Watching Fat Buu slaughter cities and reduce buildings to rubble just for fun is nothing short of disturbing. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uv3aHzIj0UU&list=FLN1e6Xvb92GraRlDoJ4h-cA&index=1 Especially since he treats all the carnage like a kid stepping on ants.]]

** What's worse is that unlike Freeza who holds back in order to both control his initially uncontrollable full power and Cell who actually had to try to work to achieve his full power; Evil/Super Buu's existence just occurred due to [[HumansAreBastards pointless human cruelty shooting a dog and his newly acquired friend]] and Buu having for the first time in his existence, an emotional compromise of his newfound sense of morales and instinct for destruction, leading to him [[LiteralSplitPersonality to expel his [[SuperpoweredEvilSide vastly more powerful side embodying all of his repressed evil]], which [[SplitPersonalityTakeover usurp him in order to create an even worse and more powerful version of Buu]] that causes the situation to gradually become worse as things go on. All this happened due to the petty evil of mere thugs and Buu's emotional trauma of his friends' suffering, just a random thing that caused the birth of one of the series' most vile and dangerous villains.

* While Vegeta starts off performing better than any of the previous contenders, Buu gradually dominates him and proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the tar of him while restraining his movements by tying him down with a piece of his own flesh]]. Vegeta then realizes that he's underestimated the creature severely and comes to the revelation that only explodes every single cell at once of the regenerating monster in one go. And to twist the knife, as much of a character-defining moment it is for Vegeta, Buu quickly regenerates from that and treats the ordeal like it was nothing, proceeding to continue to do what he wanted anyway. What initially seemed to be an easy mission of trouncing enemies becomes one of the most egregious tasks the heroes undergo. And unlike before, it sets up a [[FromBadToWose domino effect in which things escalate from the extinction of the human race, the deaths of almost the entire cast, and the destruction of the planet that had been barely prevented in previous arcs- with only strokes of miracles allowing them to come through]]. It made for a strenuous GrandFinale for the original series [[WhamEpisode game changer once the sequel series came out, with the heroes due to their actions, now having to deal with the realms of the divine and metaphysical, after defeating the strongest being in existence]].

* While Vegeta starts off performing better than any of the previous contenders, Buu gradually dominates him and proceeds to [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown beat the tar of him while restraining his movements by tying him down with a piece of his own flesh]]. Vegeta then realizes that he's underestimated the creature severely and comes to the revelation that only explodes every once the regenerating monster. And to twist the knife, as much of a character-defining moment it is for Vegeta, Buu quickly regenerates from that and treats the ordeal like it was nothing, proceeding to continue to do what he wanted anyway. What initially seemed to be an easy mission of trouncing enemies becomes one of the most egregious tasks the heroes undergo. And unlike before, it sets up a [[FromBadToWose domino effect in which things escalate from the extinction of the human race, the deaths of almost the entire cast, and the destruction of the planet that had been barely prevented in previous arcs- with only strokes of miracles allowing them to come through]]. It made for a strenuous GrandFinale for the original series [[WhamEpisode game changer once the sequel series came out, with the heroes due to their actions, now having to deal with the realms of the divine and metaphysical, after defeating the strongest being in existence]].

** His actions in this form don't help. As mentioned before, the other forms just liked StuffBlowingUp. His methods of killing/torturing are extremely sadistic, yes, even worse than Frieza, Cell, or Broly. That includes turning one into a food of his choice and eating them (keeping them fully conscious the whole time), shrinking someone and then stepping on them, and liquefying himself and force-feeding his own body down another's throat, then expanding inside them until they burst. Once Buu does this, Mr. Satan is completely horrified.

* Frieza was, and to some, still is, ''the'' iconic villain of the Dragon Ball universe. While subsequent villains were more powerful in the individual sense, Frieza was a ruthless tyrant who ran an empire and was known and feared throughout the galaxy. If you've watched Z you likely know that while he's afraid of Goku post-transformation, he gives a fight a try anyway - and gets his ass kicked. And comes back for more at least twice. In ''Super'', you find out that Buu, along with Beerus, were the two individuals Frieza was instructed by King Cold, "If you see them, run the other freaking direction." Even to someone who, at the time, was as untouchable as Frieza, the only other individuals known to exist that invoked this level of horrifying terror were a '''GOD OF DESTRUCTION'''... and Buu.
* How Buu is introduced. He's described to be an EldritchAbomination that even the Gods who can one-shot Freeza can't defeat, so the initial thought is that Buu's going to be this Lovecraftian horror that's played seriously. And then, Buu is revived and revealed to be...an overweight pink humanoid with a cape, mitten, diaper-like pants, and overall a goofy look that acts like a toddler. It initially seems to be a comedic subversion...right until he trounces Gohan, Supreme Kai, and Dabura, the latter of which was described to be on the same level of power as Super Perfect Cell, like nothing. He proceeds to casually blast a rage-amped Gohan like nothing, which would've killed him if Supreme Kai didn't save him at the last second. He slowly torments Supreme Kai with his own moves used against him and proceeds to turn the king of the Demon World into a cookie to eat him. At this point, [[BewareTheSillyOnes it becomes clear that his goofy powers and personality]] [[NotSoHarmless bellies sinister darkness and his goofy powers have horrific consequences due to being on a level of tier far above the last villain who at his peak threatened the Solar System]]. Instead of a typical EldritchAbomination, [[LovecraftLite it's a primordial being with a kind of personality and powerset of a kid show]] being [[PlayedForHorror nightmarishly]].

* With Buu, compared to [[FauxAffablyEvil Freeza and Cell, whose facade of politeness until they become angry when bested allows one to understand their mentality]], embodies chaotic unpredictability. One won't know [[HairTriggerTemper when one has set off any of his forms' short fuses with destructive outbursts on the planet at their weakest and reality itself at its strongest]] or [[MoodSwinger how randomly they can go from goofy to sinister to insane and back without warning]]. It makes dealing with any of them very tense.
* From a ReligiousHorror standpoint, Buu is the darkest answer to HaveYouSeenMyGod. The Supreme Kais are Dead sans the East Supreme Kai because Buu essentially killed and/or ate the rest.

* Then, Piccolo has the mother of OhCrap moments when he sees Buu regenerate from that! Piccolo, TheSmartGuy, and TheStoic, is horrified at the sight and proceeds to run for the hills when seeing the pieces of Buu come together.

* Then, Piccolo has the mother of OhCrap moments when he sees Buu regenerate from that! Piccolo, TheSmartGuy, and TheStoic, runs for the hills when seeing the pieces of Buu come together.

*** And when he absorbed 17, NightmareRetardant aside, it's surreal seeing a monster like that getting an expressive, vaguely humanlike face with IcyBlueEyes with a human-like mouth with visible lips. It really demonstrates how much of a [[HumanoidAbomination an aberration of nature that happens humanoid that Semi-Perfect Cell was- not a potentially pre-existing organic monster like his Imperfect form or being like a pale-white skin man in a suit like his Perfect Cell, but some unnatural hybrid that is an intermediate between the two, a scientific horrific chimera of insect and humanoid parts half-hazard put together]]. Thankfully, the unnatural feel effect disappears when he reaches perfection, in which he becomes [[TheDreaded scary for other reasons]].

** Cell's [[NonstandardCharacterDesign overall design]] is creepy, especially compared to Frieza and [[OmnicidalManiac Buu]] because of how different it is from the rest of the cast. He was a lizard/insect hybrid with HellishPupils and was generally menacing. And when he absorbed 17, NightmareRetardant aside, it's surreal seeing a monster like that getting an expressive, humanlike face. Thankfully, the effect disappears when he reaches perfection.

*** And why did Kibito Kai have that reaction? Because ''that'' was the Buu that [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lxRb7h7xqHA killed the other Supreme Kais]], and he remembers all too well the horror of that monster.

--> '''Vegeta:''' I'LL GET YOU FOR THIS!!! YOU WON'T ESCAPE...MY WRATH!! I'LL GET YOU! YOU'RE ALL MINE!!!

*** To sum it up Beerus, the most powerful character in the series, has several beings above him. There's his mentor who's [[strike:stronger than he is]], strong enough to smack him around like a child and have it PlayedForLaughs, and then there are the '''other Eleven Universes' Gods of Destruction that are all probably as strong if not stronger than he is'''. THEN there's the reveal of the TopGod Zeno, a childlike being whom each of the Gods of Destruction fears immensely and '''''destroyed six universes already, with the current 12 universes originally being 18'''''. Talk about a dark and horrifying deconstruction of AlwaysSomeoneBetter.

* After you've seen ''Dragon Ball Super'', all the times Supreme Kai was threatened and/or on the verge of death suddenly become a ''lot'' more chilling than they already were, knowing that if he dies Beerus himself would cease to exist (and Whis would become inactive afterward), which would have ''severely'' affected events going forward into that series. [[labelnote:spoilers]]If he had died, Goku and the others might've still defeated Majin Buu, but while they would've avoided the Battle of Gods saga, they would've been ''immensely'' unprepared for Frieza's return (which would inevitably result in Earth's permanent destruction). And while the Champa and Future Trunks sagas [[HopeSpot may never have started]]... the lack of a strong team for the Universe Survival Saga (if they even had one at all), and all of the existence hinging on the hidden condition for the tournament, could've had ''[[{{Understatement}} very dire]]'' consequences when Zeno eventually remembers to do it. And even if this tournament took a long time to happen at all, eventually Frieza's forces would still [[Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly find Broly]] and forced him to fight for this tyrannical empire, and Moro would've eventually returned to his energy-eating spree in short order.[[/labelnote]]

** His actions in this form don't help. As mentioned before, the other forms just liked StuffBlowingUp. His methods of killing/torturing are extremely sadistic, yes, even worse than Frieza, Cell, or Broly. That includes turning one into a food of his choice and eating them (keeping them fully conscious the whole time), shrinking someone and then stepping on them, and liquefying himself and force-feeding his own body down another's throat, then expanding inside them until they burst. Once Buu makes this, Mr. Satan is completely horrified.

** At the last part of the transformation, we get a close-up of Broly's face. He then lets out a loud scream of agony and hatred as his power rises, '''and then his skin cracks open to reveal his Legendary Super Saiyan form.'''

** At the last part of the transformation, we get a close-up of Broly's face. He then lets out a loud scream of agony and hatred as his power rises, '''THEN HIS SKIN CRACKS OPEN... AND THEN HE LITERALLY EXPLODES AND TRANSFORMS INTO HIS LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN FORM!'''

* Most of the {{Family Unfriendly Death}}s[=/=]{{Cruel and Unusual Death}}s in general, [[NightmareFuel/HunterXHunter while]] [[NightmareFuel/JoJosBizarreAdventure not]] [[NightmareFuel/BarefootGen as]] NightmareFuel/{{b|erserk}}ad [[NightmareFuel/{{Hellsing}} as]] [[NightmareFuel/FullmetalAlchemist these]] [[NightmareFuel/{{Bleach}} kinds]], are rather uncomfortable to experience, such as the picture above, of Dr. Gero killing an ordinary human [[DisproportionateRetribution just because he bothered him]].

*** Speaking of Recoome himself, he [[DeconstructedTrope horrifically deconstructs the concept of durability that heroes are known for]], managing to keep going even after his armor, most of his hair, and a lot of his teeth being blasted out of his mouth. Two notable instances are when he seemingly is knocked out for the count on the ground only to swiftly get up in an eerily graceful way and even disturbingly when he gets head-butted in the gut by Vegeta with a shocked expression of pain- [[{{Troll}} only for it to immediately shift into a mocking expression to show how little it affected him]]. This [[HumanAliens further demonstrates that Recoome is not an Earth-bound human]] [[HumanoidAbomination only a nigh-durable alien that has the appearance of one.]]

* Nappa. [[TheFool For those used]] [[AdaptationalDumbass to how he is in]] [[WebVideo/DragonBallZAbridged the abridged series]], you'll be given an ugly reminder that he's every bit as sadistic and serious as Vegeta in [[Anime/DragonBallZ canon]]. None of the scenes that were played for laughs in the abridged series are done so here. (BewareTheSillyOnes, though.)

** It goes FromBadToWorse when Chiaotzu [[spoiler: tries to do a suicide bombing on him]] and it not only fails, it doesn't even scratch the brute!

* The very existence of the Saiyans. They're genocidal monsters with enough strength to murder an entire planet in weeks or months, assuming they don't just blow it up. They only love fighting, and with the full moon, they become giant apes that have ten times their normal strength. They have an enormous appetite, and will gladly feast on fallen enemies to sate it. They grow stronger the more they fight and if they ever get beaten and survive, they'll just come back even stronger. When they invade planets inhabited by weak and technologically primitive people, they send their children, who have a long childhood during which they look cute and can train without being disturbed until they have a sudden growth spurt and obtain a body perfect for fighting, at which point, they turn on the locals and wipe them out. At their full potential, the power of Saiyans greatly surpasses even the [[PhysicalGod Kais!]] [[Manga/JacoTheGalacticPatrolman The galactic government has tried to deal with them with their Extinction Bombs, bioweapons capable of killing off an entire species, but found they were immune to any virus they could create and has taken to sending their agents to planets targeted by Saiyan to either]] [[WouldHurtAChild kill the children]] [[IDidWhatIHadToDo before they can grow and murder the locals]] or [[MercyKill use an Extinction Bomb on the locals so they would at least die quickly and with much less terror]]. No wonder even [[WorldsStrongestMan Frieza]] ultimately grew scared and decided to destroy them.

** Arguably the worst part about Frieza is that he doesn't just ''kill'' you; he wants you to die ''terrified''. Probably the best example is in ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' after he [[spoiler:[[ShootTheMedicFirst kills Dende]]]] and then {{Flash Step}}s right behind the heroes, and says this priceless bit of dialogue, all while [[https://youtu.be/rWcB8TZL3KA this music is playing in the background.]]
-->'''Frieza:''' *after blasting a (at most) [[spoiler:''ten-year-old child'']] [[FamilyUnfriendlyDeath into a smoldering corpse]]* "[[IGaveMyWord I promised you]], didn't I? To show you a nightmare beyond the horrors of Hell? But it seems [[spoiler:[[DeathOfAChild the little one won't be joining us]]]]. Such a shame, don't you think? When you see him in the next world, I suppose you'll have to tell him what he missed."
** Not only that, he killed [[spoiler:Dende]] so fast that none of the heroes even knew it happened until they saw the explosion behind them. To them, Frieza just pointed his finger and something blew up, only to discover it was one of their comrades. Frieza is so fast that he can pull a "YouAreAlreadyDead" on you.
** Another example is when he impales [[spoiler:Krillin]] on his horn, and bucks him up and down as blood spatters around.

** And of course, the line in the ''Z'' dub after he [[spoiler: kills Krillin]], Frieza tells a joke which should be [[{{Narm}} so bad]] [[SoUnfunnyItsFunny it's funny]] but it goes right past that and makes Frieza seem as evil as possible.

*** Even more horrifying is the way Frieza is about to perform a seeming CoupDeGrace on Vegeta by [[SlashedThroat slashing his throat]] ''[[FemmeFatalons with his sharp fingernails]]!'' And this is only after he grabs Vegeta in front of Goku's friends and asks them if they can jump in at the last second. (The ''Kai'' version might have amped up the suspense with a HeartbeatSoundtrack that is speeding up to its intensity.) It's a good thing that the healed Goku jumps in at the last second as Frieza has described, even though [[ForegoneConclusion everyone knows that]] [[SpoilerTitle Vegeta is about to die anyway]].

** There's also the fact that Frieza's forms were specifically designed to look like monsters from the author's childhood nightmares. Frieza's 4th form is pretty freaky when he first transforms into it, mostly because of how his chalk-white skin combined with it being his most humanoid form makes him look ghostly and eerie human-like. Of course, it doesn't hurt that his first order of business is to [[spoiler: blast Dende]].

** Frieza [[spoiler: floating in space with a chunk of his face, an arm, and his lower half missing]] is pretty disturbing. Surprisingly, the Nicktoons broadcast of ''Dragon Ball Kai'' only edits this for blood, and [[http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/tanookikuribo/Tanooki%202/vlcsnap-2011-06-22-21h57m20s85.png nothing]] [[http://i17.photobucket.com/albums/b90/tanookikuribo/Tanooki%202/vlcsnap-2011-06-22-21h56m46s3.png else]].

** On a related note, Goku, just as Frieza is drowning him in the ocean, [[ItsAWonderfulFailure has a terrifying vision]] where Krillin is lying on the ground dead (in a manner that's eerily similar to [[spoiler:how he was found dead in Manga/DragonBall]]), with it then cutting to a decimated planet Earth, while Goku hears his friends frantically calling his name for help (with Chi-Chi even letting out a bone-chilling scream). The vision ends with the [[EarthShatteringKaboom Earth blowing up]], which shocks Goku back into his fighting state. He knows well that he is the last person standing between Frieza and everyone and everything that Goku has ever loved.

* Frieza destroying Planet Vegeta. Not just simply the planet's demise itself, but how he acts throughout. Frieza flies out of his ship, completely emotionless and unresponsive to Bardock confronting him. He just slowly raises his finger while glaring at him, charging a [[SphereOfDestruction death ball]] no bigger than the tip of his finger while the lone Saiyan is verbally spitting in his face. When Bardock throws an energy blast at him, Frieza finally breaks his composure and starts LaughingMad, expanding the death ball to the point where Bardock’s attack is engulfed in it. Then he throws it at Bardock, ''[[BadBoss his army who just happened to be in the same path]],'' and the planet Vegeta, where we get to see flames erupting from beneath the populace as Vegeta is disintegrated. ''Frieza's still laughing at all of this.'' Even [[TheDragon Zarbon and Dodoria]] [[EvenEvilHasStandards are deeply disturbed by the sight]]...

* Think about the power levels in this saga; after some months of training, Goku is at 180,000 and trashes the Ginyu force, with Ginyu standing at the max power level of 120,000. Is Frieza at max power? ''12'' '''''[[PrecisionFStrike FUCKING]]''''' ''MILLION''. Frieza at his strongest is a thousand times stronger than his most powerful henchman. How the hell is someone that powerful anyway? Answer; [[spoiler:''he was just born that way'']]. Makes you wonder why the universe chooses to give that much power to someone born into an evil family.
** It isn't enough to say how his strongest form puts him above everyone else. Frieza, in his ''weakest'' form, is already at least 4 times stronger than Ginyu. At his ''weakest'', he was considered the strongest and most feared being in the universe. Not even his men had any idea that he was even stronger than that, or just how much stronger he was. If one does the math, Frieza is all of this to the universe when he's not even using '''''1%''''' of his power, ''or even half of that.'' [[spoiler: Later events in Dragon Ball Super in Resurrection of F, and Universe Survival Arc makes the '100% power' an ''utterly minuscule fraction'' of his true possible ability.]]
* All of this becomes far worse in hindsight with ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'' and its adaptation in the second arc of ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', as they reveal that [[spoiler:''[[UnskilledButStrong Frieza had never trained a single day in his life]]''. Everyone else, save for Majin Buu, was an artificial creature or had trained hard to become so strong, but he was just born with that strength, ''and could become much stronger with training''. If he had dropped his self-sure personality for even a ''week'', [[FridgeHorror even a Super Saiyan might not have been enough to defeat him the first time]] ]].

* Cell's desperate attempt after he takes too much heavy damage from Super Saiyan 2 Gohan who manages to beat Android 18 out of him. Reverting into his second form, Cell goes ballistic knowing he is outmatched, and starts bloating up like a [[BodyHorror grotesque]] [[HavingABlast balloon]]. Before the inevitable EarthShatteringKaboom, Goku intervenes and manages to transport him onto King Kai's planet until he finally detonates, taking King Kai, Gregory, Bubbles, Goku, and the ''entire'' little planet with him. You would think with Goku's HeroicSacrifice that it would be the end. [[FromBadToWorse But it's not]]. Cell regenerates with his cell core and manages to resurrect himself into a more powerful state called [[NamesToRunAwayFromReallyFast "Super Perfect Cell"]]. Cue MassOhCrap from what’s left of the Z gang at that point on.

** The literal first thing Cell does when he returns is fire an energy beam ''through Future Trunks' chest.'' Out of a dust cloud, too fast for anybody to dodge or react, before the Z-Fighters can even take in what is happening. Future Trunks hits the ground with a basketball-sized hole in his torso. And then hacks up about a pint of blood. ''Yikes.'' On a meta level, this serves to illustarte how we're back to an AnyoneCanDie situation like with the Frieza saga. Trunk's potential death was never in the cards, in fact he'd been standing around for most of the Cell Games since being one of the strongest fighters present, his survival was basically guaranteed. The Android made it a point to prove that idea false.

* During Super Buu's fight with Vegito, he forces himself into the fused Saiyan's mouth and tries to destroy him from the inside. Vegito's powerful enough to resist it, but Buu can remain inside his body. The following few minutes are [[NauseaFuel outright]] [[BodyHorror disturbing]] as we see random parts of Vegito's body swelling to ridiculously grotesque size as he attempts to beat Super Buu back out.

** His actions in this form don't help. As mentioned before, the other forms just liked StuffBlowingUp. His methods of killing/torturing are extremely sadistic, yes, even worse than Frieza, Cell, or Broly. That includes [[spoiler:turning one into a food of his choice and eating them (keeping them fully conscious the whole time), shrinking someone and then stepping on them, and liquefying himself and force-feeding his own body down another's throat, then expanding inside them until they burst.]] Once Buu makes this, Mr. Satan is completely horrified.
*** There's also the fact that, aside from being the strongest of the Buus, he's also the ''smartest''. He can tear you down more psychologically and physically. And don't try to outwit him, as he already planned for that; just ask [[spoiler:Gohan]].
*** The [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Human Extinction Attack]]: [[spoiler:a now-LaughingMad Buu launches a continuous stream of energy beams that exterminates the entire human population within minutes. He pulls off a [[ApocalypseHow Class 3a Apocalypse]] [[ForTheEvulz for no reason other than "I can do this".]] As Creator/TeamFourStar put it, "This is the first time in the series where the civilian casualty number isn't just high -- ''[[http://teamfourstar.com/video/dbcember-iconic-moments-dragonball-24/ it's complete]]''."]] To make matters worse, the ki blasts are shown not exploding and vaporizing their targets on impact, but [[ImpaledWithExtremePrejudice tearing through their torsos]]. Dragon Ball Z has established by this point that a hole in the chest is neither a quick nor a painless way to go. Never mind that the streets of Earth's cities were likely ''littered with blood and dead or dying bodies'' until... well, see below.
*** [[spoiler:Kid Buu later upgraded it to [[OmnicidalManiac Class X-3]], with an immediate threat of [[TheEndOfTheWorldAsWeKnowIt Class X-4]] to boot.]]

** He's the only villain that's completely incapable of being reasoned with. Frieza and Cell may be inhuman in nature and power, but you can still reason with them. Even Super Buu could be distracted for a good fight. That won't work with Kid Buu. He has no pride to manipulate, no ambitions or understandable emotions to get a rise out of, and nothing you can bargain with. It just wants to [[OmnicidalManiac destroy everything]], ''pure and simple.'' [[FromASingleCell And there's nothing]] [[PhysicalGod you can do]] [[NightmareFuel to stop it.]]

** The scene where he [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bOa8PiWFGBc absorbs Piccolo's strength]] is also pretty creepy, and [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything a lot more]] [[RapeAsDrama suggestive than necessary.]]

** When he gets the idea to place his spell on [[spoiler: Vegeta]], we get to see how the process works on its victims. The way [[spoiler: Vegeta]] describes it, the victim feels like they're being attacked from the inside. They're then racked with agonizing pain until they fall to their knees. If the victim is resistant, then they scream some more as Babidi's will eventually override their own.

* This may be more NauseaFuel than NightmareFuel, but Piccolo being forced to reassemble himself after Trunks [[NiceJobBreakingItHero knocks him over]] [[TakenForGranite as a statue.]] Presuming that Piccolo was not conscious of his time as a statue and only regained consciousness when the attack wore off (i.e. when [[spoiler: Buu killed Dabura]]), imagine if your first conscious realization after being ''turned to stone'' is, "OhCrap. I'm in pieces." And then there was the effort involved. It's already a known fact that, yes, while Piccolo can regenerate limbs, it's not an easy process. And he had to regenerate several portions of his body.

* When he plants the Tree of Might, it turns the planet [[spoiler: to a desolate wasteland. Also, whoever eats from this fruit obtains immense power.]]
* When Turles [[spoiler: forces Gohan's eyes open to see the fake moon, going Oozaru.]]

* Future Androids 17 and 18. Unlike [[AntiVillain their current]] [[HeelFaceTurn counterparts]], these androids kill ForTheEvulz and do so in [[CruelAndUnusualDeath extremely painful and humiliating ways]], having done so for over a decade. There's barely a world left by the story's opening, only because the sadistic duo wants to take their time destroying the world. They also go out of their way to psychologically torture Trunks during his first beatdown to the point of instilling mental trauma afterward. Their death threat whispers are haunting and Trunks only survives them the first time out of sheer luck and the Androids' disinterest in hunting him down.

** It also invites the ultimate FridgeHorror of the SortingAlgorithmOfEvil in the Dragon Ball universe, Beerus, [[GodOfEvil the God of Destruction]] which [[TheDreaded all the other gods fear]]. This would normally [[InformedAbility not be as dangerous]] [[UnderestimatingBadassery considering how the gods normally rank things]] until he curb stomps Super Saiyan 3 Goku '''with just one finger'''. Since this is the canonical universe, where Super Saiyan 3 is the strongest state aside from Mystic and Fusions, this is a big deal. Then [[spoiler: [[EleventhHourSuperpower the Super Saiyan God state, which is the strongest state in the series' canon]]]] is activated by Goku to defeat this guy. Normally you'd expect a CurbStompBattle to ensue and deal with the BigBad. [[spoiler: [[TheBadGuyWins Nope, Goku still loses, only managing to force Beerus to go 70% of his power]] [[KarmaHoudini and suffers no punishment]]]]. The real scary part comes after this [[spoiler: turns out [[AllThereInTheManual despite being the strongest character in the series according to V-jump]], it turns out that his advisor, Whis, is much stronger than he is, and given that we never see the full extent of Beerus' power, Whis' power must be beyond comprehension.]] We also get this bit of information; [[spoiler: turns that he's the designated God of Destruction for the universe that Dragon Ball is based in which is No. 7 out of 12]].
*** To sum it up [[spoiler:Beerus, the most powerful character in the series, has several beings above him. There's his mentor who's [[strike:stronger than he is]], strong enough to smack him around like a child and have it PlayedForLaughs, and then there are the '''other Eleven Universes' Gods of Destruction that are all probably as strong if not stronger than he is'''. THEN there's the reveal of the TopGod Zeno, a childlike being whom each of the Gods of Destruction fears immensely and '''''destroyed six universes already, with the current 12 universes originally being 18''''']]. Talk about a dark and horrifying deconstruction of AlwaysSomeoneBetter.

** Arguably the worst part about Frieza is that he doesn't just ''kill'' you; he wants you to die ''terrified''. Probably the best example is in ''Anime/DragonBallZKai'' after he [[spoiler:[[ShootTheMedicFirst kills Dende]]]] and then {{Flash Step}}s right behind the heroes, and says this priceless bit of dialogue, all while [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XhCn_q04qBk this music is playing in the background.]]

** The next thing that happens is that Vegeta goes all out and attacks Cell with all he has. With Goku gone, this means that the Prince is now the second strongest Z-Fighter. Cell [[NoSells not only doesn't suffer any damage]], he isn't even slowed down. His attacks Vegeta and nearly kills him out of a reflex.