Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z is still one of the most successful battle shonen series ever made. Dragon Ball Z is dense with its heightened action sequences, rewarding character development, and suspenseful storytelling. That being said, these elements wouldn't work nearly as well if there weren't effective antagonists that made the heroes – and audience – sweat. Dragon Ball Z has no shortage of memorable villains and, by the series’ end, there are several characters strong enough to destroy the planet. Some even succeed in this apocalyptic pursuit.
Dragon Ball Z tends to practice a “bigger is better” mentality as its narrative progresses. The anime’s earliest villains wouldn’t stand a chance against Frieza, Cell, or Majin Buu. However, Nappa – an early Saiyan obstacle who gets introduced alongside Vegeta – continues to make his mark as a frightening force of nature. Nappa is only in a dozen Dragon Ball Z episodes – and fighting for even less – yet he completely changes the series’ status quo and decimates the heroes in a manner that’s rarely seen. Nappa is one of Dragon Ball Z’s first villains, but there’s a strong case to be made for why he’s one of the deadliest and the anime’s most dangerous antagonist.
Nappa Suggests A Disturbing Agenda Beyond Just Acquiring The Dragon Balls
The Saiyan Considers A Wicked Re-Population Plan
It’s easy for Dragon Ball Z fans to dismiss Nappa and Vegeta as evil alien invaders who arrive on Earth with destructive conquest plans. Nappa and Vegeta admittedly head to Earth for the purpose of retrieving the planet’s Dragon Balls, but Nappa suggests a much more sinister agenda that could have had horrifying consequences for the planet. Vegeta demonstrates impressive focus when it comes to the acquisition of the Dragon Balls so that he can wish for immortality and cause unprecedented chaos throughout the galaxy. Nappa, having gleaned battle knowledge from Gohan’s attack on Raditz, understands the value in Saiyan-human hybrids and the superior power that they possess. Nappa is still interested in the Dragon Balls, but he recommends a more casual invasion where the two first get acquainted with Earth through a sinister repopulation plan.
The Saiyans are an endangered species that barely have any surviving members left and Nappa views Earth as a suitable destination to set up shop and assert control over the population by aggressively increasing the Saiyans numbers so that they can once again dominate the galaxy. Nappa and Vegeta would likely have not faced many obstacles in this endeavor, considering how easily they throw their physical strength around. It’s a terrifying and truly evil plan that would have immersed the planet in peril even before they decide to fight the Dragon Team. The idea of creating an evil brood of Saiyan-human hybrids who can overthrow the planet from within is truly despicable. It’s Vegeta who ultimately puts the kibosh on this idea, but only because he worries that these hybrids might turn out to be more powerful than them. This all shows that Nappa’s dangerous nature goes beyond his brute strength.
Nappa Destroys Powerful Forces Out Of Boredom & Restlessness
Nappa’s Actions Weaken The Earth's Military
Nappa wreaks unprecedented pain on Dragon Ball Z’s main characters, but he also seriously impairs the planet’s military and general population as a casual way to pass time. Nappa is incredibly blasé over these wanton acts of destruction as if they're as natural to him as sneezing. Audiences get an early glimpse of this massacre mentality in the filler episode, “Terror on Arlia,” when Nappa and Vegeta make a random planetary pit stop on their way to Earth. Nappa helps destroy Arlia’s strongest warrior, Yeti, and their ruler, King Moai. Nappa is never in any danger here and the Arlians understand that they’re overpowered.
These deaths are completely unnecessary, but they’re just how Nappa handles restlessness and boredom. To build upon this idea, Nappa’s first act upon landing on Earth is to offhandedly blow up East City with his Volcano Explosion attack, taking many lives in the process. There’s a brief interruption during Nappa’s battle against the Z-Fighters where he needs to kill time for a few hours. He chooses to spend his spare moments destroying Earth’s news crew, military forces, battleships, aircraft carriers, and another random city. Once again, this mayhem is triggered by the Saiyan’s boredom and it’s the first place his mind goes when he needs to occupy his time.
Vegeta is an Elite Saiyan and even stronger than Nappa, but he doesn’t feel the need to so recklessly cause destruction. He has his impulses in check, whereas Nappa functions like a rabid dog. Additionally, Nappa’s evisceration of Earth’s news team and military incites a panic in the entire population, who were previously watching this event. He single-handedly causes global anxiety. Nappa’s cavalier actions make the whole world – not just the heroes – feel afraid and helpless. In Dragon Ball, the general public are typically oblivious to the apocalyptic perils that are on their planet and how many times they’ve been close to doom. Nappa changes this. It’s a very different quality to a villain that’s far more nihilistic than anything previously experienced in Dragon Ball, other than Demon King Piccolo, and it’s a level of dread that doesn’t return until the Cell Games.
Nappa Thrives On Pain & Torture
Nappa Gets Glee Out Of Others’ Sadness & Suffering
Every major Dragon Ball Z villain is incredibly strong, but Nappa is a different breed of evil due to the sheer pleasure he takes from the torture of those weaker than him. Plenty of enemies are content to vaporize their opponents in an effective energy blast and call it a day. Nappa instead creates situations that are as painful and slow as possible so that he can relish his targets’ fear and suffering. He’s genuinely cruel and evil, which may feel like a given for Saiyans, but Nappa still pushes his brutal behavior as far as possible.
He’s just as interested in taunting his enemies and making them feel hopeless as he is in their actual defeat. Vegeta even seems to lack this malevolent mentality, despite his superior strength and increasing animosity during his battle against Goku. Vegeta becomes enraged and ready to destroy the planet, but he’s still never as genuinely vicious as Nappa. Nappa’s most terrifying moments are when he mercilessly bullies and tortures those he's fighting, like Gohan and Krillin. Goku has his fellow Saiyan completely overpowered, but Nappa is still content to threaten the life of Goku’s son in front of him and gleefully kill a child.
Nappa isn’t successful in his pursuit, but he still attempts to kill Gohan with his Bomber DX attack in a desperate bid to hurt Goku on an emotional level and make him experience the loss of a loved one. Nappa’s aggressive threats are one of the Saiyan’s most intimidating tools and it proves that he’s a true villain, not just a strong individual who’s been manipulated or gotten in with the wrong crowd. It’s practically impossible to picture Nappa in any other setting, which is likely part of the reason why his resurrection or rehabilitation has never been considered.
The Dragon Team's Strongest Attacks Are Useless On Him
Nappa Sports Intimidating Defensive Strength In Addition To Offensive Maneuvers
Physical strength and exceptional skills are a crucial way for a villain to wipe out the competition. That being said, they’re not going to get very far or generate that much fear in others if they have compromised defenses. A weak spot or a winning strategy can be a crucial beacon of hope that helps the heroes from giving up or viewing their pursuit as futile. A major breakthrough that helps Goku and Piccolo overcome Raditz is that they’re able to squeeze his tail and temporarily immobilize him.
The heroes take great strides to pull off the same procedure with Nappa so that they can gain even the smallest of advantages. Piccolo and Krillin are crestfallen to learn that Nappa has trained himself to not share the same weaknesses and that his tail is only a source of power, not something that can be used against him. It’s a turn of events that erases the sliver of hope the heroes have been holding onto through the battle. Another reason Nappa is such a dangerous villain is because every measure the Z-Fighters take against him before Goku’s arrival isn’t just insufficient, but utterly useless.
No one makes any headway against Nappa or is even able to sufficiently damage his armor, let alone him. This all reinforces Nappa a villain on a completely different level and the heroes’ tactics that previously led them to success are pointless in this scenario. Nappa isn’t just resistant to punches and kicks, but the heroes’ strongest energy techniques still leave Nappa completely unphased. Tien’s Spirit Tri-Beam is useless, Gohan’s Masenko only makes Nappa’s arm go numb, and Chiaotzu’s drastic self-destruct gambit barely scuffs the Saiyan’s armor.
Nappa is even able to endure Piccolo and Krillin’s calculated Tri-Form assault, which is akin to him taking on a half-dozen warriors at once. Krillin’s razor-sharp Destructo Disc just leaves a scar on Nappa’s cheek, rather than slicing off his head. On top of everything else, Nappa manages to break and sever Tien’s arm with a single punch, which is devastating for someone who was previously on par with Goku’s power and the winner of the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament. Goku’s arrival does mark the battle’s turning tide, but even then he’s forced to resort to his Kaio-Ken Attack for the first time, which puts a tremendous strain on his body. Goku still can’t defeat this threat without the use of this technique, despite how much he’s grown during his Other World training with King Kai.
Nappa Kills The Most Main Characters In A Single Fight In Dragon Ball Z
Nappa Irrevocably Changes The Shape Of Earth’s Z-Fighter Hero Lineup
There are many impressive details about Nappa that make him truly dangerous, but his biggest accomplishment is shattering Dragon Ball Z’s status quo by killing more main characters in battle than any other villain. Nappa is responsible for the deaths of Chiaotzu, Tien, and Piccolo – three of the original Dragon Ball’s strongest characters – and he also makes swift work of Krillin and Gohan. This hits even harder since it’s only a few dozen episodes into Dragon Ball Z before the anime has properly established itself.
It’s a serious blow to the heroes’ confidence and completely breaks his victims’ spirits. Many of Nappa’s victims never become relevant again and are forever humbled by his superior Saiyan strength, particularly Yamcha, Chiaotzu, and Tien. These are far more than just deaths. They’re vicious character assassinations that have carried over to Dragon Ball’s current timeline. Piccolo’s death is also particularly important because it neutralizes Earth’s Dragon Balls. This is a major inconvenience to the planet, on top of everything else, and makes these deaths feel more debilitating and permanent. Other Dragon Ball Z villains get close to Nappa’s level of carnage, but still fall short.
Frieza kills Vegeta & Krillin and nearly eliminates Piccolo. Cell is responsible for Future Trunks and Goku’s deaths. Buu technically causes more deaths on Earth with his Human Extinction Attack and Planet Burst techniques, but they’re much more impersonal and don’t carry the same impact or generate as much tension and fear. The only Dragon Ball Z villains who technically claim more main character lives are Future Androids 17 and 18, who kill all of Earth’s heroes besides Future Trunks. However, this is largely because Goku is out of the picture. If Goku wasn’t around against Nappa, it’s safe to say that he would have also killed Gohan, Krillin, and proceeded to take out everyone else, too. Nappa often gets overlooked for being such an early Dragon Ball Z enemy, but his accomplishments still hold up and he’s proof of just how dangerous a villain can be when they’re truly evil.
