Cooler, eldest son of King Cold and older brother of Frieza, belongs to the hybrid mutant "Frieza Race," inheriting familial cruelty and ambition while developing distinct traits and abilities through dedicated training. He stands taller than Frieza, with deep purple skin and natural armor-like carapaces on his chest, shoulders, shins, and head, differing from his brother's leaner build.
Initially overshadowed by Frieza's innate power, Cooler trained to achieve a unique fifth transformation beyond their race's standard forms. This form significantly increased his height, physical power, and ki, surpassing Frieza, and allows him to maintain his true form indefinitely due to mastered energy control. Cooler combines intellectual pragmatism with ruthlessness: he avoids underestimating opponents, verifies kills personally, and strategically targets challenging planets. He treats subordinates with relative respect, fostering loyalty, yet attacks vulnerable foes, including children, and employs ambushes without hesitation.
His rivalry with Frieza is central; he views Frieza as arrogant and spoiled, admitting he would have killed Frieza himself if Goku had not. Despite this animosity, they occasionally collaborate against common threats like the Saiyans, as seen in narratives like *Dragon Ball: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans* and the *Xenoverse* series. In *Xenoverse*, Cooler assists Frieza on Namek due to familial obligation while maintaining his ambition. He shows no loyalty to King Cold, killing him when defeated or when Cold sought aid, viewing such failures as dishonorable.
After defeat by Goku on Earth, Cooler's surviving consciousness merged with the self-repairing Big Gete Star, becoming Meta-Cooler. This biomechanical form grants inorganic physiology, self-sustenance, teleportation via Instant Transmission, and high-mid regeneration. The Big Gete Star produces infinite Meta-Cooler clones, each capable of analyzing opponents through 3D scans and evolving defensively after damage. Meta-Cooler exhibits heightened sadism and arrogance, traits less pronounced in his organic form.
In *Super Dragon Ball Heroes*, Cooler participates in multiverse-spanning conflicts. During the Prison Planet arc, he battles Goku and Vegeta. In the New Spacetime War arc, Fu traps him in a duplicated universe where he allies with Hearts against familiar foes. His power scales to "Complex Multiverse level," swatting Berserk Super Saiyan Goku and clashing with adversaries like Cumber. His Golden Form elevates his strength, allowing him to trade blows with Super Saiyan 3 Cumber and overpower him as Golden Meta-Cooler. His speed is "Immeasurable," enabling combat with characters who traverse timelines.
Cooler's abilities include advanced martial arts and ki manipulation for attacks like the concentrated Death Beam and planet-destroying Supernova, plus the Nova Chariot energy charge. His strategic acumen allows rapid ki gathering and power concealment for ambushes. As Meta-Cooler, he absorbs energy to empower himself and his clones, though this absorption can be overloaded. Destroying the Big Gete Star's core or the Destron Gas Machine permanently defeats him.