Cell (Dragon Ball)
Cell | |
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Dr. Gero (creator) | |
Children | Cell Juniors |
Abilities |
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Cell (
Creation and conception
After Kazuhiko Torishima, Toriyama's former editor during Dr. Slump and early Dragon Ball, expressed dissatisfaction with first Androids #19 and #20 and later Androids #17 and #18 as villains, Toriyama created Cell.[3][4] Toriyama has expressed some kind of regret regarding the design of Cell, calling it tedious to draw all the little spots on his body.[4] In addition, he did not initially plan for the character to be able to transform, but gave him this ability after his then-current editor Yū Kondō described Cell as "ugly."[3] Toriyama intended for Cell's second form to last longer than it did; Kondō found the form to be silly and urged him to hasten the first appearance of the next transformation.[5]
Norio Wakamoto is the Japanese voice of Cell and revealed that when he voiced the forms of Cell, the first form is monster-like, he used a raspy voice which he said was a pain. He toned it down for the second, and by the final form, he was able to perform comfortably.[6]
In the English Funimation dub, Cell is voiced by Dameon Clarke.[7] Clarke considers Cell one of his more "fun and entertaining" characters.[8] Sometime around the release of Resurrection 'F', in which Frieza returned, Clarke said he began receiving questions about a film featuring Cell's return, which he himself supported.[9]
Abilities
Thanks to being genetically created with the DNA of the Z-Fighters, along with Frieza and his father being spliced together; Cell has the superhuman abilities of all the aforementioned collective. What makes him distinct from other Android models is the ability to generate, manipulate, and strengthen himself with a life energy called ki very similar to most naturally-born organic users of it. He also can mask his presence to avoid detection and can generate an aura similar to a Super Saiyan. Along with telepathy and telekinesis, Cell knows how to use the special attacks the Dragon Team uses, such as the Kamehameha and the Solar Flare. Cell is specifically designed to continuously evolve by absorbing Androids 17 and 18 to achieve is final and most powerful stage, which each form gaining monstrous boosts in overall physical strength, durability and speed. He can also increase his power by using his tail to absorb bio-energy from any living creature.
Due to the Saiyan cells embedded in his being, Cell is able to imprint on a near-death experience and grow stronger, while memorizing new techniques at his disposal, such as Goku's teleportation move.
Appearances
Dragon Ball Z
Cell is an artificial life form (referred to as a "Bio-Android") created by Doctor Gero's supercomputer from the cell sample of the universe's strongest warriors, possessing the genetic information of
Cell tries to find Android #18, destroying islands to intimidate her into showing herself, but before he can destroy the island that #18 is hiding on, Vegeta appears and overwhelms him with newfound power.[13] At the brink of defeat, Cell talks Vegeta into letting him absorb #18 so he can give him a better fight, and upon doing so, he assumes his final form, which is much more human like. In this form, Cell easily defeats Krillin,[14] Vegeta,[15] and Trunks, but spares all of them so that they can come to his own fighting tournament, the Cell Games (セルゲーム, Seru Gēmu) to find a worthy opponent to face him, intending to destroy Earth when he wins and wanting to enjoy the fear he causes in others.[16]
A week later, in the first round of the Cell Games, he quickly defeats
However, Cell is able to survive thanks to his unique physiology, which allows him to regenerate from a special nucleus in his head and grow more powerful whenever he has almost been killed, returning to his Perfect form even stronger than before.[22] He easily kills Trunks, and when Vegeta attacks him in retaliation, he easily swats him aside. Before he can kill him, Gohan takes the blast in his place, which breaks his arm.[23] With victory in his grasp, Cell decides to destroy the planet with one last Kamehameha, claiming he has the power to destroy the entire Solar System.[24] Assisted by his father in spirit, Gohan retaliates with his own Kamehameha, ultimately overpowering Cell with Vegeta's help, destroying his cell nucleus and killing him once and for all.[25] Mr. Satan, however, takes credit for the victory and becomes a hero.
Upon being resurrected by the Dragon Balls and returning to the future, Trunks destroys Androids #17 and #18, though realizes from his time travel that Cell is likely to emerge soon. Three years later, Trunks is confronted by the Cell of his timeline, who plans to kill Trunks and use his time machine in the same way his alternate self had. Future Cell realized Trunks travelled back already and learned of him in the past but thinks Trunks is no match for him. However, Trunks showcases his newfound power and easily kills him, finally bringing peace to the future.[26]
In filler episodes of the anime, Cell makes numerous cameo appearances, usually as comic relief. Cell tries absorbing two siblings but is prevented from doing so by Krillin, giving chase to the three and nearly killing Krillin before he notices Piccolo and Tien Shinhan on the way and escapes.
Dragon Ball Super
A few years later, when Trunks travels back to the past again, Trunks reacts in confusion to seeing Goku alive as he remembers his death from Cell's self-destructing. Goku is able to inform him of his resurrection that occurred after. Not long after, Bulma is revealed to have retained the Time Capsule that Cell had stolen from Trunks to return to the present timeline. Cell is remembered by Trunks when he notes the differences between Gohan as a child, in particular when he fought Cell, and him as an adult upon meeting him for the first time in years.[29] An illusion of Cell appears in the Forest of Fear to Krillin and Goku,[30] attacking the pair and growing in size before Krillin concentrates and dispels the illusion by confronting his fear.[31]
Although the original Cell does not appear in the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, his schematics were used by the revived Red Ribbon Army to create a stronger model designated as "Cell Max", being a red-armored variant of Cell's Semi-Perfect form that lacks the original Cell's ability to regenerate. Serving as the film's final antagonist, he was activated by a desperate Magenta before his mind was fully developed, coming across as a mindless, rampaging monster.
In other media
In Dragon Ball GT, after Goku is sent to Hell by accident, he confronts both Cell and Frieza, whose bodies have been rendered temporarily immortal due to the upset in the balance between the two worlds. Though Cell and Frieza trap Goku with their new joint attack and freeze him using a witch below them,[32] they too are frozen after foolishly venturing down to gloat at him, and due to being dead, they cannot thaw out as Goku did. Goku accidentally breaks the ice Cell and Frieza are trapped within to pieces, implying that Cell and Frieza have been erased from existence.[33] However, in a future scene, Frieza and Cell are seen being taken away in a jail cell with tape over their mouths. Cell and Frieza also appear in the GT live-action show, with new forms.
Cell appears in a TV ad for Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, questioning why he is not in the film while Frieza brags that he is, Cell then remarks that Frieza only has a non-speaking appearance.[34]
Video games
Cell appears in a number of
In the 1995 game Dragon Ball Z: Super Battle, after Goku defeats Cell, he gives him a Senzu Bean and allows him to live, Cell promising to return and win.
In
In the 2005 video game Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, Cell defeats Gohan and confronts Super 17, defeating him when the two conflict over a shared interest in killing Goku.
In the 2015 game
In the 2016 game Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Cell shows up in his Perfect Form and fights Trunks, also meeting Android 16 for the first time and fighting alongside him.[39] Cell is able to reach his Perfect form after defeating both Piccolo and #16 and absorbing #17 and #18 at the same time.[40] When an empowered Android #17 fights Piccolo, Trunks warns the player Cell that succeeding in absorbing him would mean an even larger power boost than in the main timeline.[41] Cell himself shows up empowered, easily dominating Android #16. Cell later fights alongside the corrupted Cell Juniors, and welcomes Metal Cooler to the Cell Games.[42]
In the 2018 game Dragon Ball FighterZ, Cell defeats Android 18[43] and is confronted by Goku and Krillin while aiming a beam at her and Android 21.[44] After being defeated,[45] Cell uses the Solar Flare to escape.[46] Cell laments his lack of power before being confronted by Frieza,[47] who offers him a deal where the two divulge information to each other.[48] The player becomes connected to Cell after Goku is shot by Android 21,[49] and fights Android 21 while controlling Cell's body.[50] Cell escapes from Android 21 with another Solar Flare, and the player returns to Goku[51] from the strain on Cell's body[52]
Cell is also a playable character in the crossover fighting games
Reception
In 2004, fans of the series voted Cell the fourteenth most popular character for a poll in the book Dragon Ball Forever.[53] In 2015, Jacob Yothment ranked Cell No. 3 on his list Top 10 Villains of the Dragon Ball Franchise,[54] Shawn Saris of IGN ranked Cell No. 7 on the list Top 13 Dragon Ball Z Characters,[55] and Otakukart.com ranked Cell No. 2 on the list Top 10 Dragon Ball Villains.[56] In 2016, Cell was ranked No. 6 on the saikoplus.com list 10 Most Popular Characters in Dragon Ball Z.[57]
Michael Zupan assessed Cell as the Dragon Ball villain with the most buildup, writing, "The Z Fighters throw everything they have at this character, and just when you think he's beat... he transforms into something more powerful."[58] Dennis Amith of J!-ENT described Cell as "the toughest enemy that the team has fought yet" and liked how the efforts of the other characters trying to stop Cell is the main focus of that part of the series.[59] J. Steiff and T. D. Tamplin used Cell as an example of the concept of "leveling up" in anime and believed Cell follows this concept well.[60]
The concept of the Cell Games and its execution were criticized. D. F. Smith of IGN criticized Cell's decision to hold a fighting tournament instead of destroying Earth as a sign of the author has run out of ideas.[61] Reviewer Josh Begley had disapproval toward the tournament as he believed it would feature "endless fighting and no real plot progression."[62] Luke Ryan Baldock took issue with the tournament based season for its lack of plot and high amount of action.[63]
See also
References
- ^ "Norio Wakamoto (visual voices guide)". Behind The Voice Actors. Retrieved 6 June 2023.
- ^ "週刊少年ジャンプ 1992/02/16 表示号数11". Media Arts Database (in Japanese). Agency for Cultural Affairs. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
- ^ a b "Shenlong Times 2". Dragon Ball 大全集 2: Story Guide (in Japanese). Shueisha: 6. 1995.
- ^ ISBN 978-4-08-782754-5.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Q&A" section, Dragon Ball Full Color Androids Saga volume 4, 2014
- ISBN 978-4-08-873705-8.
- ^ "Dragon Ball Z Kai's Buu Saga to Air on Toonami". Anime News Network. Retrieved 14 July 2017.
- ^ Madman (17 December 2013), Dameon Clarke (voice of Cell) talks DragonBall Z + Borderlands, retrieved 14 July 2017
- ^ Florida Supercon (24 August 2015), Borderlands Handsome Jack, Dameon Clarke Q&A at Florida Supercon 2015, retrieved 14 July 2017 – via YouTube
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" A Farewell to Arms, vol. 31 (3 March 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" New Piccolo...Last Piccolo?, vol. 31 (21 April 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" The New Cell, vol. 31 (12 May 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Cell's Last Chance, vol. 32 (23 June 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" The Complete Cell, vol. 32 (14 July 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" A Reversal, vol. 32 (21 July 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Cell's Idea, vol. 33 (1 September 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Last Resort, vol. 34 (8 December 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" The Successor, vol. 34 (15 December 1992).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Gohan Unleashed, vol. 34 (2 February 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Cell, Brought to Bay, vol. 35 (23 February 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" The End of the Cell Game, vol. 35 (2 March 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Gohan's Pain, vol. 35 (9 March 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" The Tables Turn, vol. 35 (16 March 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Father and Son, vol. 35 (23 March 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Kamehameha vs. Kamehmeha, vol. 35 (30 March 1993).
- ^ Akira Toriyama (w, a). "Dragon Ball" Peace to the Future, vol. 35 (27 April 1993).
- ^ "Our Hero Awakes". Dragon Ball Z. Episode 146. 1 July 1992.
- ^ "Vegeta's Respect". Dragon Ball Z. Episode 280. 18 October 1995.
- ^ "Master and Pupil Reunited Gohan and "Future" Trunks!". Dragon Ball Super. Episode 52. 17 July 2016.
- ^ "Goku and Krillin Back to the Old Training Grounds". Dragon Ball Super. Episode 75. 22 January 2017.
- ^ "Beat The Fearsome Foes! Krillin's Fighting Spirit Returns!". Dragon Ball Super. Episode 76. 29 January 2017.
- ^ "The Resurrection of Cell and Frieza". Dragon Ball GT. Episode 43. 23 April 1997.
- ^ "17 Times 2". Dragon Ball GT. Episode 44. 30 April 1997.
- ^ "2013 Dragon Ball Film's TV Ad Has Voice Cameo by Cell". Anime News Network. 21 March 2013. Retrieved 20 March 2013.
- ^ Dragon Ball Z: Budokai
- ^ Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2
- ^ Dimps (24 February 2015). Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: Oh, I'm sorry! Are you scared at my return?
- ^ Dimps (24 February 2015). Dragon Ball Xenoverse. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: Did you bring your friend along for the ride? Is he from the past, too? I'm warning you, interfere and I'll exterminate you.
- ^ Dimps (25 October 2016). Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: So it would seem this stranger is my ally. You know, to be honest, I didn't think there were any more left alive...
- ^ Dimps (25 October 2016). Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Android 17: You gotta be kidding me!
- ^ Dimps (25 October 2016). Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Trunks: If Cell absorbs 17 in this state, he'll grown terrifyingly strong!
- ^ Dimps (25 October 2016). Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: Heh.. Ha ha ha... Very well. Allow me to welcome you to the Cell Games.
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Krillin: What have you done to my wife?!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: Well, if it isn't Goku and his annoying, nose-less sidekick...!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Krillin: Cell! You're through!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Cell: Solar Flare!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
???: Ha ha ha! A sorry sight you were, Cell.
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Frieza: What say you to a deal? Tell me what you know... and I'll be happy to tell you what I know.
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Android 21: Don't tell me... You're the one who was linked with Goku earlier.
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Android 21: Very well... More fun for me, I suppose. And it saves me the trouble of hunting you down!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Goku: Wha? Hey, you're back!
- ^ Arc System Works (26 January 2018). Dragon Ball FighterZ. Bandai Namco Entertainment.
Android 21: But... judging from the amount of his fatique, the link won't hold much longer.
. - ISBN 978-4-08-873702-7.
- ^ "Top 10 Villains of the Dragon Ball Franchise". thelatestpull.com. 9 April 2015.
- ^ "Top 13 Dragon Ball Z Characters". IGN. 3 August 2015.
- ^ "Top 10 Dragon Ball Villains". Otakukart.com. 25 December 2015.
- ^ "10 Most Popular Characters in Dragon Ball Z". saikoplus.com. 25 February 2016. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
- ^ Zupan, Michael (23 June 2014). "Dragon Ball Z: Season 5 (Blu-ray)". dvdtalk.com.
- ^ Amith, D. Dragon Ball Z - Season Five DVD Review Archived 12 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ISBN 978-0-8126-9713-1.
- ^ Smith, D. F. Dragon Ball Z - Season Six DVD Review Archived 29 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Dragon Ball Z Season 5 Blu-ray Anime Review". The Fandom Post. 3 March 2015.
- ^ Baldock, Luke Ryan (27 February 2013). "Dragon Ball Z Season 6 DVD Review".
Further reading
- Murakami, Harumi; Kyogoku, Ryota; Ueda, Hiroshi (2011). "Creating Character Connections from Manga". Icaart 2011: 677–680. S2CID 32113590.