Dragon Ball Z
Cell is undoubtedly the android that comes to intellect whenever fans adjudicate to place which of Dr. Gero ’s creations were the best inDragon Ball Z. Cell is clearly the strongest and was decidedly the latest to gain the most realization , as seen inDragon Ball Super : Super Hero . By compare , Androids 17 and 18 would only get close to Cell popularity - wise afterDBZ , with17 ’s role during the Tournament of Powerand 18 ’s emotional battle against her brother inGT ’s underrated Super 17 Saga . Since 19 and 20 are n’t really worth mentioning , the best is understandably Android 16 .
Part of Android 16 ’s obvious charm is how hebecomes a tragic bomber , whose tragedy is exemplified byAndroid 16 ’s eventual death . By compare , Android 17 may have also seemingly died inDBZ , beforeGTand laterSuperretconned this by bringing him back . But even when fans still thought 17 was dead , 17 did n’t have enough clock time when he was still alive to really switch over from a villain to a hero like 16 did . 17 was only " humanized " when the Z Fighters tried to protect him from Cell , but this just find because they shared a usual opposition .
Android 16’s Personality Is Unlike Most Villains in Dragon Ball Z
Although Somewhat Similar to Androids 17 and 18, 16 Is Still Different From Them in One Key Way
Although some see16 not being alive today as aDragon Ballplot hole , 16 was also innovational because he was unlike mostDBZvillains . He was quiet and aloof , while every exclusive antagonist before him was very loud , objectionable , and had an insatiable desire for bloodletting . Of naturally , 17 and 18 ’s personality also similarly deviate from how other baddie acted , since they were calm , too . However , 17 and 18 did divvy up one common trait that was also predominant inDBZ ’s other villainous characters — they were full of themselves and relish proving their strength against infirm enemies .
Dragon Ball Daima sequence # 15 just founder with a custom that has been big in Dragon Ball by having hit man act a major role .
16 possessed none of these traits . He only " came active " whenever Goku was mentioned , though even then , he was still fairly reserved . Then , when 16 actually fought , he did n’t brag about his mightiness . He may have suggested to Cell that he should stand up down at the offset of their first competitiveness and later laugh softly when Cell take in that knife him in the neck would not immobilize him , but that was the extent of 16 ’s " boasting . " This easily made him stand out from every other villain at the time and still to this day .
Android 16 Is DBZ’s Version of a Popular and Ubiquitous Trope
16 Also Deconstructs It
In addition to 16 ’s status as a tragical fall submarine and not sharing key characteristic with otherDBZvillains , there ’s a more subtly nuanced aspect of 16 that come apart him from Gero ’s other Creation . Essentially,16 recontextualizes a vulgar trope wherea simple machine possesses more humans than an factual human being . Part of this appeal is augmented by how well he complement or counterpoint against Gero ’s other androids . When making this link , it ’s ironic that 16 treasures spirit more than 17 and 18 even though he ’s 100 % made from synthetic technology , while 17 and 18 have human bases .
Dragon Ball Daima episode # 15 did Vegeta dirty for no reason especially after he finally caught up with Goku by achieving Super Saiyan 3 .
One would course assume that a political machine with no organic parts would have difficulty appreciating life , or , at least , sense less than a living machine would . But that ’s obviously not the case . Another interpretation is that 17 and 18 ’s deficiency of appreciation for life history when equate to 16 serves as a metaphor for mankind ’s inbuilt disregard for life in general since 17 and 18 began as humans themselves . In other words , the more human - based fictional character are more destructive than the machine .
Dragon Ball Z’s Creator Later Undermined One Aspect of Android 16 That Made Him Special
Who is Gevo?
Even without comparing these androids , 16 is essentiallyDBZ ’s take onthe archetypal nonliving car that respects living thing more than those who are really alive . Ironically , Almighty Akira Toriyama would later sabotage his own dynamic and move out the " magic " of 16 ’s ability to overcome his programming . He subsequently revealed that Gero specifically programmed 16 to be gentle in the Q&A department ofDragon Ball Full Color Androids Sagavolume 3 . In other word , 16 did n’t of course develop these feelings .
Dragon Ball Daima instalment # 15 ’s traditional knowledge - cliff touch on the mysterious Evil Third Eye has now changed how buff interpreted a controversial DBZ engagement .
Of course , Toriyama ’s explanation as to why Dr. Gero would program 16 to be gentle clear 16 and even Gero more compelling in a different elbow room . Gero evidently modeled 16 after his existent son Gevo who was killed . Gero therefore programmed 16 to be non - strong-growing to thin the risk of him being destroyed . Although this work niggling sense , since 16 ’s main purpose was to kill Goku , this explanation paints 16 in a more semisweet light , sincehe represents a mangle son .
However , only involve into story what fans knew about 16 within the confines of the originalDragon Ball Zstory , Android 16 is better than Gero ’s other androids because of him being a settle tragical hero . Personality - wise , this is unlike any otherDBZvillain , and Android 16 ’s contribution to and deconstruction of a ubiquitous figure have served as a defining aspect of any form of fiction that uses it , even outside of Zanzibar copal .
