https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L41JFbjzZvgDragonBall Z has 4 major antagonists bracketing the series into 4 parts. Although each part has its own sub-antagonists that serve as preamble to the final showdown.
The series is the sequel to the Dragonball manga, which becomes much more focused on battles rather than adventure.
Saga 1: Saiyan Saga
Major antagonist: Vegeta
Goku learns that he's actually an alien from an ancient exploded planet, populated by a warrior race known as the Saiyans. He was sent to earth and was supposed to kill the population, but befriended them instead. Saiyans have monkey tails, and turn into a great-ape form when they look at the full moon.
At the start of the arc he has to fight his brother, Radditz, while teaming up with his old rival Piccolo. Goku is killed in the fight and goes to Otherworld to train under the gods. He returns to find Vegeta and Nappa killing all his friends. He easily crushed Nappa and then fights Vegeta, who is suprised by his power and they both get worn down and beaten up. Vegeta is so beaten down he gets forced off the planet by the survivors of earth while Goku must spend months recovering his broken body.
Saga 2: Namek + Frieza Saga
Major Antagonist: Lord Frieza
Vegeta was hoping to use the earth's dragonballs to wish himself immortality and his overlord Frieza. But Freiza intercepts the messages and decides to head to the Namekian homeworld, Namek, to use their dragonballs instead. Vegeta arrives on the planet and so do the earthling survivors. Goku has to spend weeks recovering his body and is a late-arrival.
Vegeta fights Frieza's men and steals the dragonballs, the earthlings hide one of the balls so nobody can use them. When Frieza's elite soldiers descend from space they team up, but before they can use the balls they are confronted by the Ginyu Force. Vegeta is defeated. In this arc we learn that ever time a Saiayn is deafeated, his power greatly multiplies (zenkai boost). And there are legends of a "super saiyan", which Frieza fears.
Goku arrives and has spent months in the spaceship doing gravity-training. He easily beats Frieza's henchmen, but gets his body broken again. Vegeta and the earthlings attempt to make a wish on the dragon, but Frieza confronts them and they fight. Frieza is way too strong and defeats them all. Goku arrives with a Zenkai Boost and gives Frieza a very good fight. Frieza is still too strong, and kills Krillin. Goku loses his mind and, for the first time, transforms into a Super Saiyan. Then comes an epic 4 hour battle where Goku defeats Frieza, who blows up the planet in a rage. It's unclear if Goku makes it out alive.
Saga 3: Android/Cell Saga
Major Antagonist: Perfect Cell
Frieza's destroyed body is reconstituted and arrives on earth with his father. A mysterious warrior, who is a super saiyan, kills them. His name is Trunks. He knows exactly when Goku will arrive, and they talk. He reveals that he's from the future, and an incredibly destructive threat has rendered his world a living nightmare. A pair of evil androids. He tells Goku to train, and prepare. Goku dies from a mysterious heart virus in his timeline, so he gives Goku medicine.
Everyone trains, and Trunks arrives just as the androids begin their attack. Goku is defeated by their energy-drain technology, but Vegeta arrives and shows off his new Super Saiyin form, and crushes them with ease. Trunks reveals those were the wrong androids, and the real androids are unleashed. They have infinite energy and no life signs, so they cannot be detected with Ki.
They defeat Vegeta and start searching for goku to kill him.
As this is going on, a new threat is revealed. Cell, the ultimate android creation, has traveled to the past. He gains power by absorbing humans, and his goal is to absorb the androids to reach his perfect form. The Saiyans and their sons are training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, so the warriors of earth confront the androids and Piccolo fights evenly with them. Cell arrives and absorbs Android 17, reaching his Semi-Perfect form. Vegeta arrives after year in the time chamber with a higher grade of Super Saiyan and crushes him. But is curious to see his perfect form and lets him absorb the other android. His perfect form is way too much to handle. He says he will blow up the earth unless they fight him in a tournament.
Goku fights him first, and is no match. Surprisingly he reveals his son Gohan is even stronger than him, and in the fight reaches a new level of Super Saiyan. He destroys cell, but Goku is killed in the battle.
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