Staff Officer Black

Staff Officer Black (ブラック参謀 Burakku Sanbō) is the loyal adjutant to Commander Red, acting as his right-hand man in the Red Ribbon Army. Initially an unwavering supporter of Red, Black eventually becomes disillusioned with his leader's selfish ambitions and ultimately takes command of the army himself after assassinating Red. This dramatic betrayal positions him as the final antagonist of the Commander Red Saga.

Names	Staff Officer Black (ブラック参謀 Burakku Sanbō), Adjutant Black, Assistant Black, Officer Black, Commander Black
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Occupation	Red Ribbon Army Staff Officer Commander of the Red Ribbon Army (after Commander Red's death)
Origin	Dragon Ball Chapter 56: "The Dragon Ball Scramble"|ドラゴンボール争そう奪だつ戦せん|Doragon Bōru Sōdatsusen|lit. "The Struggle for the Dragon Ball" January 6, 1986 (Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1986 #06)
Alignment	Evil
Age	40s
Created By	Akira Toriyama
Height	Not Stated
Weight	Not Stated

Appearance

Staff Officer Black is a tall, dark-skinned man with a bald head, black eyebrows, and distinct facial features, including large red lips and a thin, subtle mustache. He typically wears formal attire: a white dress shirt with black armbands adorned with the Red Ribbon Army insignia, pinstriped grey slacks, a black tie, black shoes, and a black blazer with a red ribbon pinned on it.

In The Path to Power, his design is updated with a lighter skin tone, a more prominent mustache, and the addition of a full head of hair. His exaggerated features, including the lips, are also toned down for a less caricatured appearance.

Personality

Staff Officer Black is soft-spoken, intelligent, and highly competent, serving as a dependable aide to Commander Red. While he dutifully carries out Red's orders, from relaying commands to ensuring Red's comfort, Black also provides valuable insights, such as deducing that Goku had assistance in locating the Dragon Balls.

However, Black's loyalty has limits. Upon discovering that Red's true goal for the Dragon Balls is to wish for increased height rather than world domination, Black becomes enraged by Red's selfishness. His disillusionment culminates in him killing Red and assuming command of the army. In the anime, this act is also partially motivated by anger at Red for nearly causing his death with a trap ceiling.

Though dedicated to the Red Ribbon Army, Black displays a pragmatic and ruthless side. He is willing to sacrifice his subordinates for strategic gains, as seen when he fires a high-powered missile at Goku and the base, disregarding the lives of his troops. In The Path to Power, he similarly supports General Blue's execution after a mission failure and secretly develops the Battle Jacket without Red's knowledge, implying underlying ambitions even before his coup.

These traits, combined with his tactical mindset and eventual betrayal, make Staff Officer Black one of the more dynamic and morally complex figures within the Red Ribbon Army.

Biography

Dragon Ball

Red Ribbon Army Saga

Throughout Commander Red's pursuit of the seven Dragon Balls, Staff Officer Black serves as his diligent aide, performing mundane tasks like handing Red his cigars or offering compliments on his intellect. Despite his loyalty, Black frequently endures insults from Red, particularly regarding his proximity, as Red feels self-conscious about his short stature.

When Red hires Mercenary Tao to eliminate Goku for interfering with the Red Ribbon Army’s plans, Black initially doubts Tao's abilities. However, when Tao kills General Blue with a mere strike of his tongue, Black is left stunned. Tao's apparent success in defeating Goku and his promise to retrieve the Dragon Balls within three days temporarily reassures Black, allowing him to resume assisting Red, even indulging in a golf match together.

After Goku defeats Tao and promises to use the Dragon Balls to resurrect Upa’s father, he storms the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters to reclaim the stolen orbs. Black repeatedly advises Red to evacuate the fortress for safety, but Red stubbornly refuses. As Goku breaches their defenses, Black is forced into combat. Despite his efforts, Goku overpowers him, sending him crashing through a window. This accident ironically spares Black’s life when a trapdoor ceiling intended to kill Goku fails to harm him as he clings to the windowsill.

Listening from outside, Black overhears Red’s true intention for the Dragon Balls: to wish for increased height. Disgusted by the revelation and Red’s willingness to sacrifice the entire army for his selfish ambition, Black confronts him. Depending on the version, this is either prompted by Red’s gleeful speech about his goal or his panicked confession during Goku’s assault. When Red dismisses Black and the army as expendable, Black’s patience snaps, and he shoots Commander Red between the eyes, killing him instantly.

Now in command, Black offers Goku a position in his newly declared "Black Ribbon Army," but Goku refuses. They battle again, with Black ultimately retreating to pilot a super-powered mech, the Battle Jacket. Initially, the tide turns in Black's favor, as the suit allows him to overpower Goku. The fight spills outside, where Black gains the upper hand temporarily. However, Goku's speed and resilience turn the tide once more, forcing Black into desperation. In a reckless move, Black launches a powerful rocket, willing to destroy both Goku and his soldiers in a final attempt to claim victory. Goku deflects the missile, sending it harmlessly away.

Realizing he is outmatched, Black attempts to escape in the Battle Jacket, but Goku delivers a decisive double punch, shattering the mech. The resulting explosion kills Black, who is trapped inside, as the Battle Jacket lacked an essential feature—a parachute.

Fortuneteller Baba Saga

Black appears in a flashback when Bulma recounts Goku's exploits with the Dragon Balls to Grandpa Gohan.

Piccolo Jr. Saga

He is shown during Kami's narration of the wars and conflicts caused by the Dragon Balls.

Dragon Ball Z

Androids Saga

In Dragon Ball Z, Black is featured in a flashback as Master Roshi explains the history of the Red Ribbon Army war to Maron. Key moments include his confrontation with Goku and his death in the Battle Jacket's explosion.

Dragon Ball Super

Super Hero Saga

In Dragon Ball Super, Black is briefly seen during Krillin and Sergeant Nutz's recounting of the Red Ribbon Army's history to the Sunset City Police. An image shows him and Commander Red in front of the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters.

Dragon Ball GT

Super 17 Saga

In Dragon Ball GT, Black appears among Red Ribbon Army members sent back to Hell by Pan. At King Yemma's Check-In Station, he chats with General Blue about their collective failure. Later, Black, Blue, Major Metallitron, and Nappa confront Piccolo in Hell.

Film Appearances

The Path to Power

In this 10th-anniversary film, Black's role mirrors the original series. He kills Commander Red upon learning of his selfish wish, renames the organization the Black Ribbon Army, and battles Goku in his Battle Jacket. After destroying Android 8, he fights Goku, ultimately perishing when Goku's Kamehameha destroys the mech. Black's behavior hints at mental instability following his discovery of the Red Ribbon Army's false motives.

Super Hero

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Black appears briefly in the Red Ribbon Army recap, shown battling Goku and being killed when Goku destroys the Battle Jacket, causing it to explode.

Powers and Statistics

Tier: Unknown | High 8-C, higher with blaster, High 7-C with missile

Key: Base | With Battle Jacket

Powers and Abilities:

Peak Human Physical Characteristics, Martial Arts (Expert soldier), Vehicular Mastery (Via Battle Jacket), Dimensional Storage (Via Capsules)

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Flight (Type 4), Explosion Manipulation (Can shoot a large missile capable of destroying a mountain), Heat Projection (Can fire laser beams)

Attack Potency: Unknown (Was stomped by Kid Goku’s) | Large Building level+ (Can restrain Goku), higher with blaster, Large Town level with missiles (Destroyed a good chunk of a mountain with his missile)

Speed: Unknown | Hypersonic+ (Matched Kid Goku’s's speed)

Lifting Strength: Unknown | At least Class K, likely higher

Striking Strength: Unknown | Large Building level+

Durability: Unknown (Could not handle Kid Goku’s attacks) | Large Building level+ (Goku needed to go serious to destroy it)

Stamina: Average | Superhuman

Range: Standard Melee Range | Standard Melee Range; Hundreds of Meters with his missiles.

Standard Equipment: Pistol and Capsules | Missile and laser beams.

Intelligence: Above Average. He is a high ranking military officer of the Red Ribbon Army.

Weaknesses: Normal human weaknesses | None notable.

Attacks and Techniques

• Gun - Black carries an ordinary handgun.
• Battle Jacket - Black's ultimate weapon, a powerful mech suit.
  • Hikou – The Battle Jacket is able to fly with rockets.
  • Blaster – Energy beams can be fired from the Battle Jacket's right arm.
  • Full Power Energy Wave – An energy wave can be fired from the Battle Jacket's left arm's palm.
  • Rocket Launcher – There is a huge and powerful rocket launcher inside the back cavity of the Battle Jacket.
• Jetpack - In Dokkan Battle, Staff Officer Black uses a jetpack to fly.

• Giant Robot - A more powerful variant of the Battle Jacket used in The Path to Power.
  • Hikou - The ability to fly by using wings or special mechanisms.
  • Rocket Storm – Hundreds of small rockets fired from the chest in a machine gun-esque fashion (slightly similar to Super 17's Hell's Storm). Used by the Giant Robot variant in The Path to Power.
  • Laser Blast – The Battle Jacket's ultimate beam weapon fired from the chest. It is used by the Giant Robot variant in The Path to Power, as well as the original version in Dragon Ball: Origins 2.
  • Crushing in Hands – A physical technique which consists of crushing the opponent's bones. Used by the Giant Robot variant to destroy Android 8 in The Path to Power.

Trivia

• In Dragon Ball Z, several characters resemble Staff Officer Black:
  • Baseball player Pepper Johnson.
  • A member of the Battle Ball Team in the Imperfect Cell Saga.
  • A producer in the Great Saiyaman Saga episode "I'll Fight Too!" working on a Great Saiyaman film, alongside a director resembling Commander Red without the eyepatch.
• In the Dragon Ball GT Funimation dub, Black claims, "at least I didn't get beaten by a girl," contradicting his on-screen defeat by Pan. In the original Japanese version, he sarcastically remarks on General Blue's statement about hoping to go to Heaven, humorously suggesting he himself might become God.
• The Polish dub of GT loosely translates Black's line about Heaven, instead having him say he'd grow a cactus. This translation was likely an inaccurate rendering of the Japanese dialogue.
• In the Dragon Ball episode "The End of Commander Red," Commander Red, while criticizing his soldiers' poor performance against Goku, makes a passing reference to Staff Officer Black having a sister.
• The movie pamphlet for Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might states that Black has a power level of 150.