Top 10 Villains Goku Made Friendship With

If you are a Dragon Ball fan, you already know Goku as a character. He is funny, kind, and tends to bring the best out of anyone in this series. This ability includes family, friends, or even villains. Yes, you heard it right, villains.

Since Dragon Ball started, Goku has managed to bring several of his enemies to his side. In some cases, he influenced them directly. With others, Goku impacted their final decision to choose the good side. He is physically powerful, but we could also say he has a heart of gold, ready to convert the meanest of enemies into an ally. That's one of the reasons why Goku is that famous as a character and one of the main reasons Dragon Ball has endured over time.

Today, we will talk about the top villains Goku brought to his side. Let's get started!

10. Hit

In the Tournament of Destroyers, Goku and this assassin are enemies, and it seems fair: whoever was the winner could claim ownership to Earth. Even so, Goku, being charismatic and kindhearted, made this murderer soften his ways during the fight.

And it doesn't stop there. Before the tournament, Goku hired Hit. That way, he could try to kill him, and Goku could practice. That kind of maneuver would only occur to Goku.

Hit keeps being very serious the rest of the time they see each other, but it is shown more as a healthy rivalry than anything else.

9. Tien

One of the first times we see this character is when he tries to scam a village. In a universe where people literally destroy planets, maybe this wasn't the evilest thing ever, but he was also trying to make this village hate Goku. Soon after, we see him in the World Martial Arts Tournament as a competitor, and we realize how cruel he can be when we see him breaking Yamcha's legs, even if he had already won the tournament.

But when the tournament ends, Tian abandons his teacher, Shen, and decides to go his own way rather than being evil. This decision was influenced by Roshi's wise words and Goku's actions during a fight. All of this showed Tien that he still needed to learn a lot about life in general, and since then, Tien has been trying to help the Z-Fighters.

8. Piccolo Jr.

Yes, we are talking about King Piccolo's reincarnation! The thing about this character is that it had the same techniques and memories as the first one. So, of course, he "only" needs to train for about eight years, so he gets strong enough. He has one goal: to avenge his father and conquer the world. Since his father failed to defeat Goku, parts of his objectives include defeating Goku, this time for real.

However, when Raditz appears in Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo decides to wait for his grudge with Goku. Although Piccolo kills Raditz, he kills Goku by accident in the process. Piccolo also learns that two more powerful Saiyans are coming to Earth to steal the Dragon Balls. Kamisama sees the change in Piccolo as he avenges his father's death while training Gohan to deal with the impending threat. After that, Piccolo became part of the most significant Z-fighters in Dragon Ball.

7. Vegeta

This list wouldn't be complete without talking about the prince of Saiyans: Vegeta. After Goku defeats him, Vegeta tries to escape; he needs to train harder to get his revenge later. Even if Krillin had the right to kill him, Goku let him leave. Goku made all of this with the internal hope they would meet again. With luck, they could become friends.

The next time we see them together is against Frieza. Through the series, Goku and Vegeta's relationship goes from enemies, rivals, friends, and some would even say that brothers. At first, the introduction of Vegeta, a former enemy, as a new friend, made the team skeptical, but soon he was an essential part of the Z-Fighters. He even marries Bulma!

6. Majin Buu

Majin Buu is considered one of the cutest villains in Dragon Ball if you could call him that way. He is pink, fat, and kind of adorable. He has five forms, and after being convinced by Mr. Satan to stop being violent, he transforms into one of his inoffensive forms. For some time, he fought alongside Goku. Apparently, this was fun for him.

Since both Goku and Buu acted immature most of the time, it's common for Buu to consider Goku more like a playmate instead of an actual enemy. The time they spend together is either laughing or smiling. If we compare how Buu treats his enemies, this is actually a friendly way of treating Goku. (Usually, if he gets tired of someone, he simply destroys them). Still, he seems to get along with Goku pretty well.

5. Android 17

After you come at us, yes, we get it. The androids weren't villains per se. It wasn't their fault Dr. Gero programmed them to kill Goku. Still, their arc is one of the most interesting ones during Dragon Ball Z, and the best part of it: they didn't kill Goku. Before being androids, they were humans, and in the end, they didn't want to kill him.

After fighting with Cell, the androids were basically free to live their life. However, fans won't see Android 17 again until Dragon Ball Super.

Goku and Android 17 started their friendship when Goku wanted to recruit him for the Tournament of Power. There, Goku promises Android 17 will form part of his team. And... talking about androids in this list, we also have Android 17's sister: Android 18.

4. Android 18

The android had bombs inside their bodies that allowed them to self-destruct. Here is when Krillin comes to the action! The most badass martial artist (who is also a human) uses the Dragon Balls and wishes for the bombs inside the androids to disappear. That way, Android 18 finds herself feeling respect for Krillin: he was the one who saved her and his brother. Apparently, Krillin did this since he had always had a crush on Android 18. He showed once more how kindhearted he is to the people he cares about.

Android 18 and Krillin marry each other and eventually have a daughter. Besides this settlement that basically turns Android 18 to the "good side," things had been friendly since she and her brother decided to not kill Goku. Besides, Goku was interested in recruiting her for The Tournament of Power.

3. Lord Beerus

Even when Lord Beerus wanted to destroy Earth, luckily for us, he decided he wasn't going to. The story goes like this: he wanted to destroy Earth because he wanted to fight with a Super Saiyan God. Even after a huge fight, he claims his name as a God of Destruction. He was going to bring the Earth to its end.

Goku couldn't allow this, so he unlocks a new form, and Beerus, surprised, leaves Earth alone after that.

Today, we still don't know if what made him change his mind was Goku or the gastronomy of planet earth. Either way, we're happy about his decision. 

2. Broly

He used to be an exclusive character of the Dragon Ball Z anime series. He is a purebred saiyajin who manages to survive Freezer's destruction of the planet Vegeta. In his first appearances, Broly was light-skinned with dark eyes. 

When he goes crazy, Vegeta and Goku try to stop him with a fusion. Once the team calms him down, he becomes the new member of the Z-Fighters, although he lives at a distance until he can truly control his savage powers.

When the characters encounter another Saiyan, most of the time it is Vegeta, who shows his respect to their superiors. However, this time Goku shows his respect. He even allows Broly to call him by his real name: Kakarot. For now, Broly is no longer evil, and a friendship between Goku and Broly is something fans are looking forward to seeing.

1. Frieza

Being the main antagonist of the Freezer Saga, a secondary antagonist of Dragon Ball Z's Cell Saga. According to Akira Toriyama, this character is inspired by how he imagined a monster in his childhood. 

He is ruthless and sadistic by nature, and he likes to make his victims suffer before killing them for complete satisfaction. All of this makes him a terrible villain, and it's no wonder why some fans still consider him a complete villain instead of a friend.

Still, especially as the series progresses, he surprises the viewer when doing different things in Goku's favor. Some fans go so far as to say that Frieza is the one who saved the universe, considering that he is the one who provides Goku with an energy boost in The Tournament of Power. Frieza and Goku teaming up was one big plot twist that every fan loved. It was shocking and exciting, and that is the main reason why we thought he deserved to be at the top of this list.