Frieza , also known as Freeza in Funimation's English subtitles and Viz Media's release of the manga, is a fictional character and villain in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. Frieza makes his debut in Chapter #247: Dark Clouds Swirl Over Planet Namek , first published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on October 24, 1989, as a galactic tyrant feared as the most powerful being in the universe.