Colonel Silver

Colonel Silver (シルバー大たい佐さ Shirubā Taisa) is a high-ranking officer in the Red Ribbon Army. His first appearance in the anime depicts him leading aggressive raids on homes in his relentless pursuit of the Dragon Balls. His search eventually leads him to an antique shop, where the owner attempts to deceive him with a counterfeit Dragon Ball. Silver quickly identifies the fraud, recognizing that real Dragon Balls are unbreakable. Showing no mercy, he executes the shopkeeper and seizes a genuine Dragon Ball from the Pilaf Gang during his quest.

Names	Colonel Silver (シルバー大たい佐さ Shirubā Taisa)
Gender	Male
Race	Human
Occupation	Red Ribbon Army Colonel
Origin	Dragon Ball Chapter 55: "The Red Ribbon"|赤あかいリボン|Akai Ribon|lit. "A Red Ribbon" December 20, 1985 (Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1986 #05)
Alignment	Evil
Age	Unknown
Created By	Akira Toriyama

Appearance

Colonel Silver is a tall, muscular man with red hair. He wears a red scarf around his neck, blue trousers secured with a black belt featuring a golden buckle, and brown boots. Typically shirtless, he sometimes dons a long lilac jacket with brown shoulder accents.

Personality

Colonel Silver's personality varies widely depending on the dub. In the original Japanese version, he is quiet and serious, while in the Funimation dub, he is portrayed as cold, aggressive, and courteous to superiors, occasionally complimenting random citizens. The French dub depicts him as assertive, the Castilian dub as foul-tempered, and the Portuguese dub presents him as calm, understanding, and patient.

In the manga, Silver is acutely aware of Commander Red's notorious temper, particularly regarding delays in locating the Dragon Balls. He emphasizes to his subordinates the urgency of their mission, warning that failure will result in execution due to Red's lack of tolerance.

Biography

Dragon Ball

Red Ribbon Army Saga

Colonel Silver is introduced in the anime storming homes in search of Dragon Balls. His hunt leads him to an antique shop, where the owner attempts to deceive him with a fake Dragon Ball. Silver easily uncovers the ruse, recognizing that real Dragon Balls are unbreakable, and mercilessly kills the shopkeeper before seizing a Dragon Ball from Emperor Pilaf.

Later, he is shown exercising by lifting weights, punching a sandbag until it bursts, and defeating four professional boxers with ease. Summoned by Commander Red, Silver showcases his agility by dodging an attack from Red’s cat, earning praise for his skills. Red then orders him to locate a Dragon Ball hidden in the jungle, which leads to a confrontation with Goku.

Silver uses a rocket launcher to destroy Goku's Flying Nimbus temporarily and tries to steal Goku's bag of Dragon Balls. However, Goku quickly overpowers him, knocking him unconscious. Goku takes a Red Ribbon Army jet and its robotic pilot, leaving Silver to report his failure to Staff Officer Black.

In the manga, Commander Red states that Silver will be executed for his failure, but the execution is not depicted. In the anime, Silver is summoned back to headquarters for questioning. He begs for another chance, but Commander Red denies his plea, stating there are no second chances in the Red Ribbon Army. Guards are ordered to escort Silver out, but he dismisses them and exits on his own, leaving his fate uncertain.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

Supreme Kai of Time Saga

Colonel Silver appears as a competitor in the Super Space-Time Tournament alongside other Red Ribbon Army members, including Mercenary Tao, Ninja Murasaki, and General Blue. His team fails to advance to the second round, resulting in the erasure of Silver and his space-time.

Demon Invader Saga

In an alternate space-time, Colonel Silver is absorbed by Majin Ozotto.

Film Appearances

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

Colonel Silver makes a cameo appearance in the Red Ribbon Army recap featured in the film.

Powers and Stats

Tier: 8-C

Classification: Human

Powers and Abilities:

Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Skilled Hand-to-Hand Combatant, Marksmanship, Explosion Manipulation (Via Bazooka), Flight (Via Airplane), Dimensional Storage (Via Capsules), Inorganic Physiology (Type 2; Via Robot)

Attack Potency: Building level+ (Able to easily defeat four professional boxers with a single punch each, kept going even after taking a kick from Goku.)

Speed: Superhuman (Shocked Goku when he ran past and swiped the bundle of cloth containing the Dragon Balls and Dragon Radar from Goku's hands)

Lifting Strength: Class 100

Striking Strength: Building level+

Durability: Building level+ (Kept going even after taking a kick from Goku.)

Stamina: Peak Human

Range: Standard Melee Range, Tens of Meters with Gun and Bazooka

Standard Equipment: None notable

• Optional Equipment: Bazooka, Airplane, Capsules, and Robot

Intelligence: Above Average (One of the head officers of Red Ribbon Army, skilled in combat)

Weaknesses: Overconfident

Trivia

• Colonel Silver is the only major Red Ribbon Army officer, alongside General White and General Blue, who does not command any named subordinates. General White has Ninja Murasaki, Buyon, Major Metallitron, and Android 8, while General Blue has Captain Dark. In the manga, only two unnamed soldiers appear under Silver’s command.
• A character named Brown, whose rank is unclear and who only appears in the Red Ribbon Army theme song, has a unique dynamic with Silver. In the manga, Brown's discovery of a Dragon Ball before Silver’s success pressured Silver to find another Dragon Ball quickly under the threat of execution by Commander Red. In the anime, Brown rallies troops to aid Silver during an ambush by Emperor Pilaf.
• After executing the Antique Shop Owner for giving him a fake Dragon Ball, Silver remarks, "Boring conversation anyway," referencing Han Solo's famous line from Star Wars.
• A character resembling Colonel Silver is seen during Hasky's chase of Goku through West City, hinting at the possibility of Silver surviving his final encounter with Commander Red.
• The eagle emblem on Colonel Silver's belt is a nod to the SHOCKER organization from Kamen Rider.