Dragon Ball: Everything to Know About The Red Ribbon Army Hierarchy (2025)

The earliest arcs of Dragon Ball saw Goku traveling around the world, searching for the Dragon Balls with Bulma and Yamcha, and partaking in the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament with Master Roshi and Krillin. It wasn't until the introduction of the Red Ribbon Army that Goku first encountered real villains.

The Red Ribbon Army is a powerful military force with a strict hierarchy and even more strict rules. Their goal was to collect the Dragon Balls by any means necessary, and use them to take over the world. They were stopped by Goku, who worked his way through their hierarchy from the bottom until he toppled the entire organization, but through the survival of Dr. Gero and his android project, the Red Ribbon Army lived on.

The Red Ribbon Army is Led by a Commander & a Staff Officer

The leader of the Red Ribbon Army is a single commander, who is aided at all times by their right hand, a staff officer. The original commander, and founder, of the Red Ribbon Army was Commander Red. A diminutive, but ruthless man, he held absolute power over the organization, even holding the authority to execute the generals directly under his command, on the spot, for failure. When none of his men could get a job done, Commander Red used his vast wealth to call upon the world's greatest assassin, Mercenary Tao. He was also responsible for promoting worthy soldiers and assigning color-themed titles to each of his officers.

Staff Officer Black was Commander Red's second-in-command. While his duties primarily involved assisting and advising Commander Red, his authority was still above that of generals. After learning that Commander Red didn't care about world domination and only wanted to use the Dragon Balls to make himself taller, Staff Officer Black killed him and briefly held the position of commander before Goku took him down.

The Red Ribbon Army's Generals Report to Their Commander

See Also

Dragon Ball: 15 Things You Didn’t Know About The Red Ribbon Army

Generals are extremely powerful figures within the Red Ribbon Army and were next in line to lead it behind Commander Red and Staff Officer Black. Much like their commander and staff officer, generals hold the power to come up with whatever ridiculous rules they would like for their men to follow, and swiftly execute anyone who fails to follow them to the letter.

The two generals Goku encountered during his war with the Red Ribbon Army were General White and General Blue. General White commanded an important Red Ribbon Army base, Muscle Tower, with several sergeants serving under him in overseeing the army's android project. General Blue showed that while physical strength isn't a necessity for climbing the Red Ribbon Army's ranks, it certainly helps; not only is he a fighter, unlike Red, Black, and White, but he's the most powerful fighter in the army.

The Red Ribbon Army's Colonels Report to Their General

Colonels are highly respected figures within the Red Ribbon Army, with hundreds of soldiers under their command and free access to the army's jets and tanks. Just like their superiors, colonels are free to treat their own subordinates however they see fit, provided they follow the rules of the generals they serve under, themselves.

The first member of the Red Ribbon Army introduced to fans was Colonel Silver, who seemed to be unstoppable until having the misfortune of running into Goku. The other colonel to appear in Dragon Ball is Colonel Violet. She is notable for being the only woman in the Red Ribbon Army and being one of the few army members to survive Goku's assault on their base since she wasn't there for it. The existence of Colonel Violet stands in contradiction to General Blue's claim that the army has no use for women, potentially indicating that women could only join the Red Ribbon Army if they were worthy of being officers.

The Red Ribbon Army's Captains Are Situated in the Middle of the Hierarchy

More power than sergeant-majors and sergeants but less powerful than generals and colonels, the Red Ribbon Army's captains are in the middle of the hierarchy. Neither Captain Yellow nor Captain Dark maintains an imposing presence, nor are they shown to be capable in combat.

It is unknown if they are able to treat the soldiers who serve under them however they wish as their superiors do. Rather than report to a colonel, captains report directly to their general.

The Red Ribbon Army's Sergeant-Majors and Sergeants Are Near the Bottom of the Hierarchy

Only holding power over the infantry that serves under them, the Red Ribbon Army's sergeant-majors and sergeants are the least powerful and least respected officers in the organization. The number of men and resources they have access to are limited, and they're more likely to act as individual agents, acting under the command of their general.

Despite their lack of authority, the Red Ribbon Army's sergeants and sergeant-majors are among the strongest fighters in the group. Both Sergeant-Metallic and Sergeant-Major Purple (also known as Ninja Murasaki) are significantly tougher opponents than their superior, General White, as well as all the Red Ribbon Army's colonels and captains.

The Red Ribbon Army's Scientists & Androids Are Removed from the Rest of the Hierarchy

One of the Red Ribbon Army's most important projects was the development of artificial lifeforms, also known as androids. Operating outside the rest of the military hierarchy, Dr. Gero acted as the army's head scientist and oversaw the android project. Work on the androids was done in Muscle Tower, within Jingle Village. The local scientist, Dr. Flappe, was forced into working for the Red Ribbon Army. Dr. Flappe's most successful creation was Android 8, one of the most powerful characters in Dragon Ball, at the time of his introduction.

After Dr. Flappe was saved by Goku and the Red Ribbon Army was destroyed, Dr. Gero lived on, determined to get his revenge. Dr. Gero spent years attempting to create the ultimate artificial lifeforms, studying Goku and his friends, so his creations could reach the same levels of power. Android 16 was nearly perfect upon its completion, but Dr. Gero deemed him too powerful and dangerous. Similarly, Androids 17 and 18, who weren't entirely artificial but homeless teenagers Dr. Gero had kidnapped and converted into cyborgs, were too rebellious and needed to be locked away.

Eventually, Dr. Gero built a creation he was satisfied with to serve under him, Android 19, and converted himself to Android 20. Dr. Gero dreamed of rebuilding the Red Ribbon Army after killing Goku, but this dream went unfulfilled, as, upon being left with no choice but to release him and his sister, Android 17 killed Dr. Gero. With Android 19 killed by Vegeta and Androids 17, 18, and a newly freed 16 having no interest in rebuilding, the Red Ribbon army was seemingly no more. Although Dr. Gero's greatest creation, Cell, lived on for a short while later, he intended to destroy the Earth, rather than rule it.

Red Pharmaceuticals is the Last Trace of the Red Ribbon Army

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, it's revealed that Commander Red's fortune came from Red Pharmaceuticals, a corporation that was always behind Capsule Corp; and that he had a son, who now acts as the company's CEO, Magenta. Despite seemingly being a legitimate business, Magenta sought to rebuild the Red Ribbon Army and achieve world domination.

To make his dreams a reality, Magenta hired Dr. Hedo to continue the android project, resulting in the creation of Gamma 1, Gamma 2, and Bio-Android Cell. Magenta's plots were foiled, with Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 turning against him, and Bio-Android Cell being defeated by Gohan Beast and Orange Piccolo. Had Magenta been successful, the hierarchy of his new Red Ribbon Army likely would have differed from the original's, as he favored titling his underlings with numbers rather than colors.

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  Dragon Ball

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  Dragon Ball Z

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