Black Frieza

2022Reaction image / fan edit / fandom jokesemi-active

Also known as: Black Freeza

Black Frieza is a 2022 Dragon Ball Super meme from Frieza's transformation reveal, spawning reaction images and edits that exploited years of character racism jokes colliding with his form being literally named 'Black.

Black Frieza is a Dragon Ball Super meme that erupted across social media in August 2022, following the reveal of the villain Frieza's newest transformation in chapter 87 of the manga. The "Black Frieza" form instantly became meme fuel because of years of fan jokes about Frieza being the most racist character in anime, with his habit of calling Saiyans "monkeys" now colliding with a power-up literally named "Black." The result was a wave of edits, fan dubs, and jokes that turned a manga plot twist into one of the biggest anime meme moments of 2022.

dragon ball memesanime mangarace and identity memesaave memesvillain memes

Overview

Black Frieza is the latest and most powerful transformation of the Dragon Ball villain Frieza, debuting in chapter 87 of the Dragon Ball Super manga. In-universe, the form gives Frieza a dark black and purple color scheme and enough raw power to one-shot opponents that Goku and Vegeta couldn't beat together2. But the meme isn't really about power scaling. It's about the collision of Frieza's long-running reputation as anime's most openly racist villain with a transformation whose name, "Black Frieza," set off every joke the internet had been saving up for years.

The memes typically take two forms: edits of Black Frieza styled with stereotypical "Black culture" signifiers (chains, fitted caps, Hennessy), and jokes about Frieza "earning" a particular vocabulary upgrade through his new form3. Fan dubs, image macros, and reaction tweets all play on the same core irony.

Frieza's racism has been a running gag in the Dragon Ball fandom for over a decade. Throughout Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, one of Frieza's defining traits is his hatred of Saiyans, whom he consistently calls "monkeys" due to their Great Ape transformation3. The real-world connotation of that word wasn't lost on fans. On June 27, 2020, YouTuber Saiyan Goku uploaded a supercut of every instance of Frieza saying "monkey" in the anime, pulling in over 180,000 views in two years3.

This characterization led to a long-running joke that Frieza is the most racist character in anime. Fan creators took it further, recording voice lines of Frieza using the N-word and dubbing them over clips from the show3. One of the most widely shared was a fan-animated dub of Frieza saying "You n****s in trouble," reuploaded to YouTube by the channel Typically Kesi on September 6, 20193.

All of this context exploded when Dragon Ball Super chapter 87 dropped on August 17, 2022. Frieza, absent for most of the Granolah arc, returned with a new power-up that the manga explicitly named "Black Frieza"1. The form was obtained through 10 years of training inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, spending just 10 real-world days to get a decade of practice2. The character promptly defeated Gas, an opponent Goku and Vegeta had been struggling against, with a single blow2.

The combination of the name "Black Frieza" and years of "Frieza is racist" memes created the perfect storm.

Origin & Background

Platform
Dragon Ball Super manga (source material), Twitter / YouTube (viral meme spread)
Key People
Akira Toriyama & Toyotarou, community-created meme format, @TooRealUnreal, Typically Kesi
Date
2022

Frieza's racism has been a running gag in the Dragon Ball fandom for over a decade. Throughout Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, one of Frieza's defining traits is his hatred of Saiyans, whom he consistently calls "monkeys" due to their Great Ape transformation. The real-world connotation of that word wasn't lost on fans. On June 27, 2020, YouTuber Saiyan Goku uploaded a supercut of every instance of Frieza saying "monkey" in the anime, pulling in over 180,000 views in two years.

This characterization led to a long-running joke that Frieza is the most racist character in anime. Fan creators took it further, recording voice lines of Frieza using the N-word and dubbing them over clips from the show. One of the most widely shared was a fan-animated dub of Frieza saying "You n****s in trouble," reuploaded to YouTube by the channel Typically Kesi on September 6, 2019.

All of this context exploded when Dragon Ball Super chapter 87 dropped on August 17, 2022. Frieza, absent for most of the Granolah arc, returned with a new power-up that the manga explicitly named "Black Frieza". The form was obtained through 10 years of training inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, spending just 10 real-world days to get a decade of practice. The character promptly defeated Gas, an opponent Goku and Vegeta had been struggling against, with a single blow.

The combination of the name "Black Frieza" and years of "Frieza is racist" memes created the perfect storm.

How It Spread

The meme reaction was immediate. Within hours of chapter 87's release on August 17, 2022, Twitter was flooded with Black Frieza edits and jokes. One of the first major viral posts came from @TooRealUnreal, who edited Black Frieza's manga panel to include a Yankee hat with a tilted brim, a gold chain, and a bottle of Hennessy in each hand, earning over 25,000 likes in two days.

Twitter users ran with the joke from every angle. One widely shared tweet read: "Toriyama gave the most racist being in existence the N Word pass," paired with skull emojis and a panel of Black Frieza looking menacing. Others pointed out that Vegeta had warned Goku about Frieza getting stronger, framing it as a vindication moment.

YouTube reacted just as fast. Dragon Ball content creator MaSTAR Media uploaded a video titled "BLACK FREEZA IS REAL! FREEZA NEW FORM REVEALED!" on August 17, 2022, pulling in over 196,000 views and 10,000 likes within five days. User kishinpain posted a meme video on August 20 that hit 230,000 views and 25,000 likes in just two days.

The 2019 fan dub by Typically Kesi got a second life, as fans retroactively declared Frieza had "earned" his vocabulary through his new mixed-race status courtesy of the Black form. ComicBook.com published a roundup of the meme explosion, calling it "peak hyped" and noting that the Dragon Ball fandom's meme game was rivaling even The Boys.

Power scaling discussions also dominated anime forums. Black Frieza's casual defeat of Gas, who had been one-on-two against Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta, established the form as the strongest transformation in Universe 7. The stamina issues that plagued Golden Frieza appeared completely eliminated. Fans debated what this meant for the series going forward, with many noting that Goku and Vegeta now needed entirely new power-ups just to compete.

Media

How to Use This Meme

Black Frieza memes follow a few common patterns:

The "Frieza got the pass" joke: Take a panel or still of Black Frieza and add cultural signifiers (fitted hats, jewelry, slang) to play on the name. Typically paired with captions about Frieza's new "status" or "energy."

The power scaling flex: Use Black Frieza panels as a reaction image when someone or something arrives late but immediately dominates. The format works for "who would win" threads, sports moments, or any situation where an unexpected arrival outclasses everyone present.

The fan dub callback: Share or reference the Typically Kesi fan dub audio, applied to new contexts or current events where someone shows up with overwhelming force.

The "should've listened" format: Screenshots of Vegeta warning Goku about Frieza, paired with the Black Frieza reveal, used to represent situations where an ignored warning proved correct.

The memes work best when they lean into the ironic tension between Frieza's established racism and his new form's name.

Cultural Impact

Black Frieza's meme explosion was covered by multiple major anime and entertainment outlets. ComicBook.com ran a feature on the meme flood within days of the chapter's release, compiling fan reactions and noting the speed at which the internet responded. Game Rant published an in-depth explainer breaking down the transformation's lore significance and what it meant for the series' power hierarchy.

The meme also reignited a broader conversation about racial coding in anime. Frieza's long history of calling Saiyans "monkeys," a detail baked into the character since the original Dragon Ball Z, had always carried real-world undertones. The "Black Frieza" name made that subtext impossible to ignore, and fan discussions about whether the name choice was intentional spread across Reddit, Twitter, and anime forums.

From a narrative standpoint, the form set up the future direction of Dragon Ball Super's story. With Frieza now established as stronger than both Goku and Vegeta, the series had a clear new antagonist and motivation for the protagonists to train further.

Fun Facts

Frieza achieved Black Frieza by training for 10 years inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, with only 10 days passing in the outside world.

Neither Goku nor Vegeta have ever spent more than 3 years inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, making Frieza's 10-year stint unprecedented in Dragon Ball lore.

The Golden Frieza form introduced in Resurrection 'F' had a fatal stamina drain weakness. Black Frieza appears to have completely eliminated this flaw.

A compilation video of every time Frieza says "monkey" in the anime, uploaded in 2020, had already built up 180,000 views before the Black Frieza reveal made it even more relevant.

The Dragon Ball franchise has a long history of meme-generating moments, with "It's Over 9000!" being one of the earliest internet memes, originating from a 2006 YouTube Poop video.

Derivatives & Variations

Black Frieza drip edits:

Fans edited the manga panels to give Frieza streetwear, chains, and accessories. @TooRealUnreal's Yankee hat edit was one of the first and most popular[3].

"You N****s In Trouble" fan dub revival:

The 2019 Typically Kesi fan dub was widely reshared and remixed with Black Frieza visuals after the reveal[3].

Power scaling comparison memes:

Charts and tier lists placing Black Frieza above all other Dragon Ball transformations, often used in "who would win" debates[2].

"Frieza pulling up" reaction format:

The image of Black Frieza arriving became a generic reaction image for someone showing up and immediately dominating a situation[1].

Cross-series edits:

Fans applied the "Black Frieza energy" concept to characters from other anime, particularly other villains known for racism or overwhelming power.

Frequently Asked Questions

Black Frieza

2022Reaction image / fan edit / fandom jokesemi-active

Also known as: Black Freeza

Black Frieza is a 2022 Dragon Ball Super meme from Frieza's transformation reveal, spawning reaction images and edits that exploited years of character racism jokes colliding with his form being literally named 'Black.

Black Frieza is a Dragon Ball Super meme that erupted across social media in August 2022, following the reveal of the villain Frieza's newest transformation in chapter 87 of the manga. The "Black Frieza" form instantly became meme fuel because of years of fan jokes about Frieza being the most racist character in anime, with his habit of calling Saiyans "monkeys" now colliding with a power-up literally named "Black." The result was a wave of edits, fan dubs, and jokes that turned a manga plot twist into one of the biggest anime meme moments of 2022.

dragon ball memes anime manga race and identity memes aave memes villain memes

Overview

Black Frieza is the latest and most powerful transformation of the Dragon Ball villain Frieza, debuting in chapter 87 of the Dragon Ball Super manga. In-universe, the form gives Frieza a dark black and purple color scheme and enough raw power to one-shot opponents that Goku and Vegeta couldn't beat together. But the meme isn't really about power scaling. It's about the collision of Frieza's long-running reputation as anime's most openly racist villain with a transformation whose name, "Black Frieza," set off every joke the internet had been saving up for years.

The memes typically take two forms: edits of Black Frieza styled with stereotypical "Black culture" signifiers (chains, fitted caps, Hennessy), and jokes about Frieza "earning" a particular vocabulary upgrade through his new form. Fan dubs, image macros, and reaction tweets all play on the same core irony.

Frieza's racism has been a running gag in the Dragon Ball fandom for over a decade. Throughout Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, one of Frieza's defining traits is his hatred of Saiyans, whom he consistently calls "monkeys" due to their Great Ape transformation. The real-world connotation of that word wasn't lost on fans. On June 27, 2020, YouTuber Saiyan Goku uploaded a supercut of every instance of Frieza saying "monkey" in the anime, pulling in over 180,000 views in two years.

This characterization led to a long-running joke that Frieza is the most racist character in anime. Fan creators took it further, recording voice lines of Frieza using the N-word and dubbing them over clips from the show. One of the most widely shared was a fan-animated dub of Frieza saying "You n****s in trouble," reuploaded to YouTube by the channel Typically Kesi on September 6, 2019.

All of this context exploded when Dragon Ball Super chapter 87 dropped on August 17, 2022. Frieza, absent for most of the Granolah arc, returned with a new power-up that the manga explicitly named "Black Frieza". The form was obtained through 10 years of training inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, spending just 10 real-world days to get a decade of practice. The character promptly defeated Gas, an opponent Goku and Vegeta had been struggling against, with a single blow.

The combination of the name "Black Frieza" and years of "Frieza is racist" memes created the perfect storm.

Origin & Background

Platform
Dragon Ball Super manga (source material), Twitter / YouTube (viral meme spread)
Key People
Akira Toriyama & Toyotarou, community-created meme format, @TooRealUnreal, Typically Kesi
Date
2022

Frieza's racism has been a running gag in the Dragon Ball fandom for over a decade. Throughout Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, one of Frieza's defining traits is his hatred of Saiyans, whom he consistently calls "monkeys" due to their Great Ape transformation. The real-world connotation of that word wasn't lost on fans. On June 27, 2020, YouTuber Saiyan Goku uploaded a supercut of every instance of Frieza saying "monkey" in the anime, pulling in over 180,000 views in two years.

This characterization led to a long-running joke that Frieza is the most racist character in anime. Fan creators took it further, recording voice lines of Frieza using the N-word and dubbing them over clips from the show. One of the most widely shared was a fan-animated dub of Frieza saying "You n****s in trouble," reuploaded to YouTube by the channel Typically Kesi on September 6, 2019.

All of this context exploded when Dragon Ball Super chapter 87 dropped on August 17, 2022. Frieza, absent for most of the Granolah arc, returned with a new power-up that the manga explicitly named "Black Frieza". The form was obtained through 10 years of training inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, spending just 10 real-world days to get a decade of practice. The character promptly defeated Gas, an opponent Goku and Vegeta had been struggling against, with a single blow.

The combination of the name "Black Frieza" and years of "Frieza is racist" memes created the perfect storm.

How It Spread

The meme reaction was immediate. Within hours of chapter 87's release on August 17, 2022, Twitter was flooded with Black Frieza edits and jokes. One of the first major viral posts came from @TooRealUnreal, who edited Black Frieza's manga panel to include a Yankee hat with a tilted brim, a gold chain, and a bottle of Hennessy in each hand, earning over 25,000 likes in two days.

Twitter users ran with the joke from every angle. One widely shared tweet read: "Toriyama gave the most racist being in existence the N Word pass," paired with skull emojis and a panel of Black Frieza looking menacing. Others pointed out that Vegeta had warned Goku about Frieza getting stronger, framing it as a vindication moment.

YouTube reacted just as fast. Dragon Ball content creator MaSTAR Media uploaded a video titled "BLACK FREEZA IS REAL! FREEZA NEW FORM REVEALED!" on August 17, 2022, pulling in over 196,000 views and 10,000 likes within five days. User kishinpain posted a meme video on August 20 that hit 230,000 views and 25,000 likes in just two days.

The 2019 fan dub by Typically Kesi got a second life, as fans retroactively declared Frieza had "earned" his vocabulary through his new mixed-race status courtesy of the Black form. ComicBook.com published a roundup of the meme explosion, calling it "peak hyped" and noting that the Dragon Ball fandom's meme game was rivaling even The Boys.

Power scaling discussions also dominated anime forums. Black Frieza's casual defeat of Gas, who had been one-on-two against Mastered Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta, established the form as the strongest transformation in Universe 7. The stamina issues that plagued Golden Frieza appeared completely eliminated. Fans debated what this meant for the series going forward, with many noting that Goku and Vegeta now needed entirely new power-ups just to compete.

Media

How to Use This Meme

Black Frieza memes follow a few common patterns:

The "Frieza got the pass" joke: Take a panel or still of Black Frieza and add cultural signifiers (fitted hats, jewelry, slang) to play on the name. Typically paired with captions about Frieza's new "status" or "energy."

The power scaling flex: Use Black Frieza panels as a reaction image when someone or something arrives late but immediately dominates. The format works for "who would win" threads, sports moments, or any situation where an unexpected arrival outclasses everyone present.

The fan dub callback: Share or reference the Typically Kesi fan dub audio, applied to new contexts or current events where someone shows up with overwhelming force.

The "should've listened" format: Screenshots of Vegeta warning Goku about Frieza, paired with the Black Frieza reveal, used to represent situations where an ignored warning proved correct.

The memes work best when they lean into the ironic tension between Frieza's established racism and his new form's name.

Cultural Impact

Black Frieza's meme explosion was covered by multiple major anime and entertainment outlets. ComicBook.com ran a feature on the meme flood within days of the chapter's release, compiling fan reactions and noting the speed at which the internet responded. Game Rant published an in-depth explainer breaking down the transformation's lore significance and what it meant for the series' power hierarchy.

The meme also reignited a broader conversation about racial coding in anime. Frieza's long history of calling Saiyans "monkeys," a detail baked into the character since the original Dragon Ball Z, had always carried real-world undertones. The "Black Frieza" name made that subtext impossible to ignore, and fan discussions about whether the name choice was intentional spread across Reddit, Twitter, and anime forums.

From a narrative standpoint, the form set up the future direction of Dragon Ball Super's story. With Frieza now established as stronger than both Goku and Vegeta, the series had a clear new antagonist and motivation for the protagonists to train further.

Fun Facts

Frieza achieved Black Frieza by training for 10 years inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber on another planet, with only 10 days passing in the outside world.

Neither Goku nor Vegeta have ever spent more than 3 years inside a Hyperbolic Time Chamber, making Frieza's 10-year stint unprecedented in Dragon Ball lore.

The Golden Frieza form introduced in Resurrection 'F' had a fatal stamina drain weakness. Black Frieza appears to have completely eliminated this flaw.

A compilation video of every time Frieza says "monkey" in the anime, uploaded in 2020, had already built up 180,000 views before the Black Frieza reveal made it even more relevant.

The Dragon Ball franchise has a long history of meme-generating moments, with "It's Over 9000!" being one of the earliest internet memes, originating from a 2006 YouTube Poop video.

Derivatives & Variations

Black Frieza drip edits:

Fans edited the manga panels to give Frieza streetwear, chains, and accessories. @TooRealUnreal's Yankee hat edit was one of the first and most popular[3].

"You N****s In Trouble" fan dub revival:

The 2019 Typically Kesi fan dub was widely reshared and remixed with Black Frieza visuals after the reveal[3].

Power scaling comparison memes:

Charts and tier lists placing Black Frieza above all other Dragon Ball transformations, often used in "who would win" debates[2].

"Frieza pulling up" reaction format:

The image of Black Frieza arriving became a generic reaction image for someone showing up and immediately dominating a situation[1].

Cross-series edits:

Fans applied the "Black Frieza energy" concept to characters from other anime, particularly other villains known for racism or overwhelming power.

Frequently Asked Questions