After the fight against Vegeta, Goku is recuperating at the hospital, while Vegeta is going back to Freeza's planet and also recuperating. Mr. Popo comes into the hospital and tell them about some other Dragonballs in Planet Namek, the Porunga dragonballs. Having heard this Bulma, Gohan, and Krillin decide to go to Planet Namek to gather those dragonballs and revive their friends that where lost in the battle against Vegeta and Nappa (Ten, Chaotzu, Piccolo, and Yamcha).
Along they way, Bulma, Krillin, and Gohan get introduced to many different characters, some minor and some major.
They arrive on Namek and come to find that Freeza is there as well (they learned about him through some of the minor characters along their journey). Freeza is also there in search of the Dragonballs, but he wants to wish for immortality. Vegeta arrives on Planet Namek as well, fully recovered from his injuries, and stronger than ever, and also in search of the Dragonballs (he too wants to wish for immortality). On planet Namek there are four villages. In each village there lives an elder possessing a dragonball. Fully prepared, Bulma sends news to Earth through this portable satellite phone (Master Roshi is on the other end on Earth). Gohan and Krillin curious about how Freeza looks hide and take a look at what they (Freeza and his goons) are up to. Gohan makes a comment that they (the Nameks) all look like Piccolo (Remember: Piccolo first discovers he is a Namek after being told by Vegeta and Nappa).
Since Gohan and Krillin where spying on Freeza, they couldn't help but join in and help the Nameks when they were being attacked by Freeza. This is when Gohan meets Dende (a young Namek, Dende and Gohan become great friends), Gohan and Krillin save him. Since Gohan and Krillin where helping the Nameks, Freeza ordered his"left-hand" man, Dodoria, after them. They were too fast for Dodoria and they escape him (this is while they are saving Dende). After they escape, Dodoria comes upon Vegeta. Dodoria bargains for his life and tells Vegeta the truth of what really happened to Planet Vegeta (when he was younger, Vegeta was told that a comet had hit his planet, Vegeta was away capturing a planet at that moment) (Vegeta is the Prince of Planet Vegeta, his dad was the King). Dodoria tells him (Vegeta) that Freeza was the one who had destroyed it, and Vegeta kills him (Dodoria). Back on Earth Yajirobe arrived at the hospital and visited Goku to give him some senzu beans. Right after eating it Goku was completely recovered and left to visit Dr. Briefs to see if the spaceship was ready (the spaceship that Goku had come to Earth in when he was a baby, Dr. Briefs was working on it to improve it, and added a gravity machine for Goku to train in). Since the spaceship was partially ready (it didn't have the cappuccino maker installed yet), Goku went on his way to Planet Namek. Kaio telepathically tells Goku that Ten, Chaotzu, Yamcha, and Picollo had arrived and were to receive his (Kaio's) training.
Vegeta decides to get at least one of the Dragonballs, therefore Freeza would not be able to make a wish, since seven dragonballs are needed to call forth the dragon. Vegeta is able to steal one of the dragonballs by destoying one of the villages. He hides the dragonball in the lake and comes upon Zarbon, Freeza's "right-hand" man. They fight and Vegeta is defeated and taken back to Freeza. He escapes and steals all of the dragonballs that Frezza had collected. Enraged, Freeza summons the Ginyu Force.
During the battle, Krillin and Gohan arrived to Guru's lair to retrieve a dragonball. There, Guru also unleashes the warrior's hidden powers.
(Gohan had also used Bulma's dragon-radar to track down a local dragonball- the one that Vegeta had stolen and hidden in the lake.) Vegeta follows Gohan and Krillin while Zarbon follows Vegeta.
All stop at the cave where Bulma created a house. Vegeta becomes aware of Zarbon and the two fight once again. Zarbon is killed.
Vegeta meets with Krillin and Gohan and offers to make an alliance with them, as he senses the arrival of the Ginyu Force. The dragonballs are gathered at once as Vegeta prepares to wish for immortality so that he can become powerful enough to defeat the "unbeatable force".
They become too late; the force has arrived. Ginyu, Jeice, Burter, Recoome, and Guldo stand before the three.
The Ginyu Force quickly steal the dragonballs and Ginyu flies away with them. A huge battle follows. Vegeta manages to kill Guldo, but is of no match for the others...
Goku finally arrives. He quickly beats Jeice, Burter, and Recoome. Vegeta takes this chance and kills off the injured members to Team Ginyu. Vegeta, no longer a threat to the heroes (for now), joins in the battle on Goku's side. Ginyu arrives. Ginyu does his body transfer ability on Goku and he swaps bodies with Goku. Vegeta beats Ginyu (in Goku's body). Ginyu switches bodies again. Goku is badly battered. Ginyu, again, attempts to switch bodies with Goku. Goku throws a frog to intercept the beam, and Ginyu permanently swaps bodies with the frog.
Goku is taken to recoperate in a Saiyan stasis pod. Vegeta gave Gohan and Krillin Saiyan armor suits. The dragonballs were gathered and the Porunga Shenlong was summoned. Three wishes were granted. The first wish revived Piccolo. The second transported him to Namek to join in the fight. At the third wish, Guru was killed so the dragonballs turned into stone. Now, the heroes must face the wraith of Freeza...
A battle follows. Freeza has killed nearly all the Nameks on the planet, so the Namek dragonballs have also turned to stone. The heroes are able to stand up to Freeza, so Freeza undergoes a power-up and enters a physical body change. As the battle intenses, Freeza does goes through more metamorphosis stages until his perfect form is reached. No one is certain who will win. Vegeta has been killed. The only true damage done to Freeza was the Krillin's Destructo Disc, which cut half of Freeza's tail. In a final attempt to defeat Freeza, Goku prepares a Genki-Dama. The fireball is cast and everyone thinks that Freeza has lost. However, Freeza survived...
Wasting no more time, Freeza does a blast that rips through Piccolo. Then, he engulfs Krillin in a fatal force field and crushes it. Goku sees the deaths of his friends and remembers all the innocent that Freeza has killed. Anger takes over Goku's body and Goku powers up. His hair turns gold and Goku reaches Super Saiyan level for the first time. Goku tells Gohan that Piccolo is still alive. Gohan takes Piccolo's body back to Goku's spaceship and then finds Bulma in his father's orders to travel back to Earth. Goku now goes on a one-on-one combat battle against Freeza...
Goku evades Freeza's attacks. Freeza, trembling in the chance that he may lose to Goku, an "inferior Saiyan monkey", shoors a fireball aimed at the planet. Namek's core is destroyed, and planet will explode in 5 minutes. Hurricanes form. Cliffs break off. Rubbish flies everywhere. An ominous look is set on what will happen...
Kami telepathically communicates to Kaio. He tells that he will make a plan with the Earth dragonballs and asks what wish to make. Kaio develops a plan to wish to revive all those killed by Freeza. In turn, Guru and Dende will be brought back to life and the Namek dragonballs will become available again. Then, the Porunga dragonballs can be used to make a wish to teleport everyone on Namek, except for Freeza, to Earth. Popo has gathered the dragonballs and the first half of the plan is followed. The Porunga Shenlong is summoned and is awaiting to grant the third wish. Freeza sees his chance to be granted immortality and races to the dragon. Vegeta, revived from the wish, also joins in the race. Dende arrives, but is Freeza makes his wish first. However, the Porunga Shenlong ignores Freeza and grants Dende's wish, which by Goku's plead was changed to leaving he and Freeza on Namek.
All who were affected by the wish are on Earth. Dende heals Piccolo. Guru, dying, transfers his role to Rooli to become the new Elder so that the Namek dragonballs may "shine again". Guru explains what has happened, and then dies. Goku fights Freeza to a stand-still, but time eventually showed that Freeza was no match for a Super Saiyan. In Freeza's pathetic final attack, two disc beams are tossed at Goku.
With skillful maneuvering by Goku, the beams slice Freeza in two instead. Freeza is dying and pleads for help. Goku gives him a bit of his energy to give Freeza a last chance. Freeza, unwilling to change and lose to a low-class Saiyan, does another fireball at Goku. Goku counters it and it overwhelms Freeza. The 5 minutes are up and Planet Namek explodes.
A spaceship passes by shortly after the destruction of Planet Namek. It's King Cold, the father of Freeza, finds the remains of Freeza's body flowing through space and quickly orders his henchmen to rescue his son. Freeza is literally rebuilt, as he becomes half robotic. Now, father and son plan to land on Earth to get revenge of what happened...
The ship lands on Earth.
The Z warriors on Earth are no match for Freeza, and now they must face him in addition to King Cold... without the help of Goku, to which all believed was dead. Cold and Freeza believe in swift victory in the destruction of Earth, but a figure appears out of nowhere. Vegeta recognizes the aura of the man to be that of a Saiyan, and resents the fact that there is another stronger than him. The mysterious visitor charges up and reaches Super Saiyan mode. With a few slashes with his sword, Freeza is truly killed. Then, the figure shoots a fireball at Cold, which pierces through his heart and automatically kills him.
The stranger introduces himself as Trunks, the future son of Bulma and Vegeta. In his time, he is being attacked by androids and everyone is dead except for him. He says that Goku is not dead, but escaped to Planet Yardat when Planet Namek exploded. Then, he tells that Goku should appear in a few seconds. The Z warriors are shocked, and Goku does appear. He really did take refuge in Yardat and learned how to teleport from its inhabitants. Then, Trunks introduces his purpose to seeking the Goku and the cast, and this leads to the Cell Series...
With the Dragonballs all of the Z fighters that had died in battle were brought back to life and Planet Namek was restored. Once again the Earth was safe, but not for long.