Few villains in the Dragon Ball franchise are as evil as Frieza, the emperor of Universe 7. He is one of the most dangerous enemies of the Z Fighters, and he returns in multiple forms during the series to threaten peace throughout the universe.
Despite his vile nature and his status as one of the most threatening foes to be featured in the anime series, Frieza can act nicely on a few occasions. During these moments, he either inadvertently assists the Z Fighters or actively helps them to protect the universe.
Enables Goku To Go Super Saiyan
Fans are first introduced to Frieza in Dragon Ball Z during the Namek Saga when the living Z Fighters travel to Namek in search of Dragon Balls to revive their fallen comrades. It's there that they encounter Frieza, who is also searching for the Dragons Balls so that he can wish for immortality.
In an attempt to stop Frieza, Goku hits him with Spirit Bomb, which appears to put an end to the fight. However, while Frieza is badly damaged from the blast, he somehow manages to survive. Frieza proceeds to gravely wound Piccolo and kills Krillin, which prompts Goku to fly into a rage. Inadvertently, Frieza's villainy enables Goku to unlock his power and go Super Saiyan in an undoubtedly iconic scene, which ultimately allows him to defeat Frieza and sends him down a path to becoming even stronger.
Doesn't Train Before Attacking Namek
Frieza is one of the most powerful villains in the Dragon Ball franchise. The first time the Z Fighters encounter him on Namek, Frieza's base power is around 530,000, and, even in this form, he is more than a match for all of the Namekians and most of Earth's strongest warriors.
While he is ultimately defeated after Goku goes Super Saiyan, the fight may not have turned out in the Z Fighter's favor if Frieza took training more seriously. In Resurrection F, Frieza admits that he never trained a single day in his life before the events on Namek. Frieza's hubris is what enables the Z Fighters to be able to defeat him, which is nice in a roundabout sort of way.
Chooses Not To Revive King Cold
King Cold is Frieza's father and the former emperor of Universe 7. As the shadowy head of the Frieza Group, he is indirectly responsible for all of the cruel acts carried out by Frieza and the other members of his family. He is first introduced at the start of the Trunks Saga when he and Mecha Frieza travel to Earth to enact revenge on the Z fighters.
Thankfully, Future Trunks, in one of his best episodes, kills King Cold and Mecha Frieza before they can harm anyone on Earth, but it's actually Frieza who permanently ends the threat he poses. After he is revived, Frieza chooses not to resurrect his father, and, while his motives are less than pure, he still spares the universe from having to contend with his father's power.
Fights For Universe 7
Due to the success of the Tournament of Destruction, Zeno and Future Zeno decide to host the Tournament of Power and pit the strongest warriors from each universe against each other. Eight of the twelve universes in the multiverse send ten warriors to participate, with the fate of each universe hanging in the balance.
Many of the Z Fighters end up joining the team for Universe 7, but the most unlikely member to join the team has to be Frieza. Goku travels to Hell to recruit Frieza, who is initially hesitant to join the team. Even though he saves himself by joining the team, Frieza did not have to participate in the tournament, which makes his agreement to fight for Universe 7 easily one of his nicest moments.
Accepts Ginyu Back With Open Arms
Captain Ginyu is one of Frieza's most powerful and loyal subordinates. He is the only one of Frieza's henchmen to survive the events on Namek after he switches bodies with a frog using his Body Change technique. He remains in this form for years until the events of Golden Frieza Saga when Frieza returns to Earth to exact revenge on the Z Fighters.
After changing bodies with Tagoma—perhaps one of the worst things he ever did—Ginyu rejoins Frieza's forces and reveals his identity. While Frieza is initially skeptical, Ginyu confirms his claim by striking his signature pose. Rather than punish Ginyu for his failure on Namek, Frieza welcomes him back with open arms and tasks him with killing Gohan, which is pretty decent by Frieza's standards.
Betrays Frost
Frost is the emperor of Universe 6 and one of the strongest warriors to compete in the Tournament of Power. He poses a grave threat to Universe 7 in the tournament due to his strength and cunning. However, in one of the greatest twists in the series, Frost is undone by his Universe 7 counterpart, Frieza.
During the tournament, Frieza and Frost converse with each other and briefly appear to form an alliance. In reality, their alliance is a giant ruse, and Frieza ends up blasting Frost out of the arena after tricking him. In typical Frieza fashion, even when he's trying to be nice he ends up being mean.
Works With Team 7 To Defeat Anilaza
The team from Universe 3 includes some memorable characters such as Paparoni and Catopesra, but no member stands out more than the warrior formed from the fusion of several of its members, Anilaza. Anilaza is Universe 3's ultimate trump card in the Tournament of Power, and he proves to be more than a match against the members of Team 7.
At first, the combined Z Fighters are barely able to put a scratch on Anilaza, and the monstrous creature almost knocks Goku out of the ring. This prompts Frieza to enter the fight, which allows Team 7 to go on the offensive. While Android 17 is ultimately the one to disable Anilaza, victory would have been almost impossible without Frieza.
Gives Goku Energy In The Tournament Of Power
Around the midway point of the Tournament of Power, Goku is exhausted from using his fight with Jiren and from using his Ultra Instinct form. It's at this moment that he is cornered by Frieza, who fires a blast of energy at the helpless Z Fighter in what appears to be a devious act of revenge.
As it turns out, Frieza's blast of ki heals Goku, which allows the weakened hero to regain enough strength to move freely. This is Frieza's way of repaying Goku for sharing his ki during their first fight on Namek years earlier and is one of the most selfless acts Frieza ever commits in the series.
Helps Goku After He Loses His Memory
In addition to transferring energy to Goku in the Tournament of Power using his ki blasts, Frieza also helps Earth's strongest warrior by providing him with crucial information. After his fight with Jiren, Goku is completely exhausted and temporarily loses his memory due to the effects of his newly unlocked Ultra Instinct form.
Rather than leave his former nemesis clueless, Frieza does the right thing and informs Goku about his battle with Jiren and his new form. This move was completely unnecessary, but it undoubtedly helped Goku immensely, as it gave him the information he needed to later use the form again and secure a victory for Universe 7.
Coordinates With Gohan To Defeat Dyspo
In the waning moments of the Tournament of Power, Frieza faces off against Dyspo, the fastest warrior from Universe 11. Dyspo's speed forces Frieza to turn into Golden Frieza, but, even in this form, he cannot keep up with Dyspo's speed. Just before he is knocked out of the ring, Gohan comes to Frieza's aid, much to Frieza's surprise.
Although Frieza taunts Gohan and insinuates that he might betray him, he does no such thing and instead coordinates with Gohan to defeat Dyspo. After locking Dyspo inside a cage made of ki beams, Gohan grabs onto Dyspo, which gives Frieza the opening he needs to knock them both out of the ring. Such coordination with the Z Fighters is rare for Frieza, which makes it one of his better moments.