One of the most iconic villains introduced in Dragon Ball Z is the evil Frieza, a cruel interstellar despot responsible for destroying the Saiyan homeworld before setting his sights on acquiring the Dragon Balls to gain immortality. After being defeated by Goku and Trunks in the original manga/anime series, Frieza would periodically resurface in non-canonical animated films and video games before his full return in the continuation anime series Dragon Ball Super which saw him surprisingly help Goku and the Z Fighters save their universe.

However, despite Frieza ultimately playing a key role during the Tournament of Power to save the universe, the resurrected villain is still far from a genuine redemption, with his new lease on life confirming Frieza's expected commitment to evil. Now, here's why Frieza won't be following the same heroic path as Piccolo or Vegeta any time soon.

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In the original Dragon Ball Z, Frieza was revealed to be the employer of Dragon Ball Z's original antagonists, Vegeta and Nappa, and one of the merciless conquerors behind the Frieza Force. After learning of the Dragon Balls and their magical potential, Frieza invades the planet Namek to acquire the Dragon Balls for himself and gain immortality, having his forces wipe out the planet's population. This culminates in Vegeta turning against Frieza and joining the Z Fighters, leading to an intense battle between Goku and Frieza, with Goku transforming into a Super Saiyan for the first time after witnessing Frieza murder his best friend Krillin and gravelywound Piccolo.

After suffering a humiliating defeat against Goku, Frieza was recovered by his father and outfitted with cybernetic implants due to the grievous wounds he endured. Arriving on Earth for revenge, Frieza was intercepted by Trunks, Vegeta and Bulma's Super Saiyan son from an alternate future, who literally cut the tyrant to pieces and incinerated his remains. Since then, Frieza was periodically seen in the anime series languishing in Hell for his sins.

Frieza's followers resurrected him with the Dragon Balls, leading the restored despot to begin training extensively for an inevitable rematch against Goku. This led to Frieza unlocking a new golden transformationthat gave him a significant power boost in combat strength. Frieza would lead his army in a renewed attack on Earth, only to be repelled by Goku and Vegeta, who had each achieved the new transformation to Super Saiyan Blue, with Goku killing Frieza once more with a God Kamehameha Wave.

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With the ten best fighters from each world in the Dragon Ball Multiverse assembling for the Tournament of Power, a desperate Goku decides to recruit Frieza to complete Universe 7's team. With the losing teams having their entire realities erased by Grand Zeno, Frieza accepts Goku's offer on the condition that he is restored to life. While his loyalty is constantly in doubt across the martial arts competition, Frieza plays a vital role in securing Universe 7's victory, ultimately sacrificing himself alongside Goku to eliminate the tournament's most powerful warrior Jiren. For this, Frieza is resurrected and sets out to rebuild his empire while Goku swears to put him down again should he cause trouble.

Empires are built on the graves of the conquered and this becomes apparent pretty quickly after Frieza's resurrection at the end of Dragon Ball Super. True to his word, Frieza is last seen in the anime series leading his massive army once again, ominously hinting that his temporary alliance with Goku and the Z Fighters did little good to adjusting his own moral compass in the same way that Piccolo and Vegeta had discovered their own heroic redemptions after years of villainy.

This is confirmed in the recent anime film Dragon Ball Super: Broly, which takes place sometime after the events of the anime series. Frieza is seen violently subjugating worlds on the other side of the cosmos, laying entire cities to waste and likely killing millions as part of his expansive plan to conquer the universe. By manipulating Broly to battle against Goku and Vegeta by murdering Broly's father Paragus, Frieza is just as much as a villain as he's always been, with his participation in the Tournament of Power always ever just a means to bring him back to life rather than bring him to the side of angels.

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Dragon Ball Super: Why Frieza Still Isnt a Good Guy After Saving the Universe - CBR - Comic Book Resources