| Cell | |
|---|---|
| Dragon Ball character | |
 Cell's transformations/forms as drawn by Akira Toriyama; Imperfect (left), Semi-Perfect (middle) and Perfect/Super Perfect (right) | |
| First appearance | Dragon Ball chapter #361 The Mysterious Monster, Finally Appears!!, 16 February 1992 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1992) |
| Created by | Akira Toriyama |
| Voiced by |
|
| In-universe information | |
| Race | Bio Android |
| Family | Dr. Gero (creator) |
| Children | Cell Juniors |
| Abilities |
|
Cell (Japanese:セル,Hepburn:Seru), later known asSemi-Perfect Cell,Perfect Cell, andSuper Perfect Cell, is a fictional character andantagonist in theDragon Ball manga series created byAkira Toriyama. He makes his debut appearance in chapter #361 "The Mysterious Monster, Finally Appears!!", first published inWeekly Shōnen Jump on 16 February 1992.[2]
Created byDoctor Gero, a main member of theRed Ribbon Army, Cell is an evilartificial life form created using theDNA andcells from several significant strong characters in the series. He travels back in time from an alternate timeline to become a perfect being and defeatGoku.
AfterKazuhiko Torishima,Toriyama's former editor duringDr. Slump and earlyDragon Ball, expressed dissatisfaction with first Androids#19 and#20 and later Androids#17 and#18 asvillains, 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 theJapanese voice of Cell and revealed that when he voiced the forms of Cell, the first form was 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 EnglishFunimation dub, Cell is voiced byDameon Clarke.[7] Clarke considers Cell one of his more "fun and entertaining" characters.[8] Clarke said that he based the voice of Perfect Cell off ofTerence Stamp'sGeneral Zod fromSuperman II.[9] Sometime around the release ofResurrection 'F', in whichFrieza returned, Clarke said he began receiving questions about a film featuring Cell's return, which he supported.[10]
Thanks to being genetically created from the DNA of several of the Z-Fighters (specificallyGoku,Vegeta, andPiccolo), as well as the villainFrieza and his fatherKing Cold, being spliced together; Cell has the superhuman abilities of all the aforementioned characters. What makes him distinct from other Android models is the ability to generate, manipulate, and strengthen himself with a life energy calledki 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 Z-Fighters use, such as theKamehameha and theSolar Flare. Cell is specifically designed to continuously evolve by absorbing Androids#17 and#18 to achieve his final and most powerful stage, with 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 asGoku's teleportation move referred to asInstant Transmission.
Cell is an artificial life form (referred to as a "Bio-Android") created byDoctor Gero's supercomputer from cell samples of the universe's strongest warriors, possessing the genetic information ofGoku,Vegeta,Piccolo,King Cold, andFrieza in an underground complex beneathGero's secret laboratory. The Cell that appears as the primary antagonist of his titular arc is from the future, awakening after his development is complete to find that the Androids have been destroyed byTrunks. After he killsTrunks, Cell uses his time machine while regressing into an egg to travel back four years, to before the androids appeared, arriving in the present timeline.[11] After hatching andmetamorphosing from his larval, cicada-like form into his insect-like Imperfect form, Cell kills off thousands of people and absorbs them to increase his power in preparation to absorb the Androids. After he has managed to absorb the energy of entire cities of people, Cell findsAndroid #17 during his fight withPiccolo. Cell then breaksPiccolo's neck[12] beforeAndroid #16 holds the mechanized villain off. However, he eventually finds an opportunity to absorb#17 and evolve into Semi-Perfect Cell. Cell quickly dispatches#16, but he is unable to absorb#18 thanks to the intervention ofTien Shinhan, who holds him back at the cost of his life force[13] before being rescued byGoku, along with a survivingPiccolo.
Cell tries to findAndroid #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.[14] At the brink of defeat, Cell talksVegeta into letting him absorbAndroid #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 defeatsKrillin,[15]Vegeta,[16] andTrunks, but spares all of them so that they can come to his 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.[17]
A week later, in the first round of the Cell Games, he quickly defeatsMr. Satan before moving ontoGoku, who quits upon realizing Cell is stronger than him.[18]Goku then nominates his son,Gohan, as Cell's next opponent, to everyone's surprise. ThoughGohan puts up a good fight and proves himself his father's superior,[19] Cell takes the upper hand due toGohan's pacifistic nature. Wanting to avoid killing Cell if he can help it,Gohan warns Cell that if he is pushed too far, he will lose control of his anger and kill him, which only drives Cell to torment him further, excited to see this power. He spawns Cell Juniors (セルジュニア,Seru Junia), miniature versions of himself who begin to fight the heroes, causingGohan's rage to slowly swell. It is only when Cell mercilessly kills#16 after he had encouragedGohan to fight thatGohan snaps, transforming into a Super Saiyan 2.[20]Gohan effortlessly and violently kills all the Cell Juniors and then proceeds to overpower Cell himself, aiming to prolong his suffering, dealing so much damage that Cell regurgitatesAndroid #18 and reverts to his previous form.[21] In desperation, Cell tries to self-destruct and destroy the Earth, butGoku sacrifices himself by using his Instant Transmission technique to teleport himself and Cell toKing Kai's planet, where Cell explodes, killing everyone there.[22]
Cell, however, survives thanks to his unique physiology, which allows him to regenerate from a specialnucleus in his head and grow more powerful whenever he has almost been killed, returning to his Perfect form even stronger than before.[23] He quickly killsTrunks, and whenVegeta attacks him in retaliation, easily swats him aside. Cell tries to killVegeta with an energy blast, butGohan takes the blast in his place, injuring his arm.[24] With victory in his grasp, Cell decides to destroy the planet with one lastKamehameha, claiming he has the power to destroy the entireSolar System.[25] Assisted by his father in spirit,Gohan retaliates with his ownKamehameha, ultimately overpowering Cell withVegeta's help, destroying his cell nucleus and killing him once and for all.[26]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 destroysAndroids #17 and#18. Afterward, he realizes from his previous travels that Cell is likely to emerge soon. Three years later,Trunks is confronted by the Cell of his timeline, who plans to killTrunks and use his time machine in the same way his alternate self had. This Cell knew thatTrunks had traveled back and learned of him in the past, but still believes himself more powerful thanTrunks. However,Trunks showcases his newfound power and quickly dispatches him, finally bringing peace to his part of the timeline.[27]
In later episodes of the anime, Cell makes numerous cameo appearances, usually as comic relief. In his posthumous appearances, he is shown causing trouble in Hell along withFrieza,King Cold, and theGinyu Force. He is defeated byGoku andPikkon and sent to prison and is later seen watchingGoku's battle withMajin Buu on a crystal ball, openly wondering whyGoku quit against him and then went on to fightBuu, whom he acknowledges to be a stronger opponent than himself.[28]
A few years later, whenTrunks travels back to the past again,Trunks reacts in confusion to seeingGoku alive as he remembers his death from Cell's self-destructing.Goku informs him of his resurrection that occurred after Trunks had returned to his time. Not long after,Bulma is revealed to have retained the Time Capsule that Cell had stolen fromTrunks to return to the present timeline. Cell is remembered byTrunks when he notes the differences betweenGohan 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 toKrillin andGoku,[30] attacking the pair and growing in size beforeKrillin concentrates and dispels the illusion by confronting his fear.[31]
Although the original Cell does not appear in the filmDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, his schematics were used by the revived Red Ribbon Army to create a stronger model designated as "Cell Max", 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.
InDragon Ball GT, afterGoku is sent to Hell by accident, he confronts both Cell andFrieza, whose bodies have been rendered temporarily immortal due to the upset in the balance between the two worlds. Though Cell andFrieza trapGoku with their new joint attack and freeze him using a witch below them,[32] they too are frozen after venturing down to gloat at him, and due to being dead, are unable to thaw out asGoku did.Goku accidentally breaks the ice Cell andFrieza are trapped within, in pieces, implying that Cell andFrieza 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 andFrieza also appear in the GT live-action show, with new forms.
Cell appears in a TV ad forDragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, questioning why he is not in the film whileFrieza brags that he is, Cell then remarks thatFrieza only has a non-speaking appearance.[34]
Cell appears inTeamFourStar'sDragon Ball Z Abridged, voiced by Curtis "Takahata101" Arnott.[35][36]
Cell appears in severalvideo games as a boss and playable character, most notably theBudokai,Budokai Tenkaichi andRaging Blast series. He is also a playable character in theDragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game. In several games, Cell has forms that have been created specifically for the installment.
In the 1995 gameDragon Ball Z: Super Battle, afterGoku defeats Cell, he gives him a Senzu Bean and allows him to live. Cell responds by promising to return and win.
InDragon Ball Z: Budokai, Cell has a nightmare where he accidentally absorbsKrillin and becomes Cellin (セルリン,Serurin), with the form leaving him weaker.[37] In the 2003 gameDragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, Cell is revived by Bobbidi and becomes a Majin, his appearance being altered with the letter "M" on his forehead alongside black lining appearing under his eyes. This form is short-lived, asMajin Buu terminates Bobbidi, and absorbs Cell shortly afterward.[38]
In the 2005 video gameDragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, Cell defeatsGohan and confrontsSuper 17, defeating him when the two fight over a shared interest in killingGoku.
In the 2015 gameDragon Ball: Xenoverse, Cell appears as a mentor for the player, teaching thePerfect Kamehameha,Perfect Shot,All Clear andGravity Impact to the player. Within the context of the game's story mode, Cell defeatsGohan until the player intervenes in their fight,[39] and the version of the character fromTrunks' timeline reaches his Perfect form thanks to Towa's strengthening, though he is destroyed by the player andTrunks.[40]
In the 2016 gameDragon 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.[41] Cell reaches his Perfect form after defeating both Piccolo and #16, then absorbing #17 and #18 at the same time.[42] When an empowered Android #17 fights Piccolo, Trunks warns the player that Cell succeeding in absorbing this version of #17 would mean an even larger power boost than in the main timeline.[43] Cell himself shows up empowered, easily defeating Android #16. Cell later fights alongside the corrupted Cell Juniors, and welcomes Metal Cooler to the Cell Games.[44]
In the 2018 gameDragon Ball FighterZ, Cell defeats Android 18[45] and is confronted by Goku and Krillin while aiming a beam at her and Android 21.[46] After being defeated,[47] Cell uses theSolar Flare to escape.[48] Cell laments his lack of power before being confronted by Frieza,[49] who offers him a deal where the two share information with each other.[50] The player then controls Cell after Goku is shot by Android 21,[51] and fights Android 21 with Cell.[52] Cell escapes from Android 21 with anotherSolar Flare, and the player returns to Goku[53] from the strain on Cell's body[54]
Cell is also a playable character in the crossover fighting gamesBattle Stadium D.O.N. andJump Force, as well as a supporting character inJump Ultimate Stars.
InDragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, Cell appears with several playable forms each with unique special attacks.[55]
In 2004, fans of the series voted Cell the fourteenth most popular character for a poll in the bookDragon Ball Forever.[56] In 2015, Jacob Yothment ranked Cell No. 3 on his listTop 10 Villains of the Dragon Ball Franchise,[57] Shawn Saris ofIGN ranked Cell No. 7 on the listTop 13 Dragon Ball Z Characters,[58] and Otakukart.com ranked Cell No. 2 on the listTop 10 Dragon Ball Villains.[59] In 2016, Cell was ranked No. 6 on the saikoplus.com list10 Most Popular Characters in Dragon Ball Z.[60]
Michael Zupan assessed Cell as theDragon 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."[61] 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.[62] 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.[63]
The concept of the Cell Games and its execution were criticized. D. F. Smith ofIGN criticized Cell's decision to hold a fighting tournament instead of destroying Earth as a sign that the author has run out of ideas.[64] Reviewer Josh Begley had disapproval toward the tournament as he believed it would feature "endless fighting and no real plot progression."[65] Luke Ryan Baldock took issue with the tournament based season for its lack of plot and high amount of action.[66]
Cell: Oh, I'm sorry! Are you scared at my return?
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.
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...
Android 17: You gotta be kidding me!
Trunks: If Cell absorbs 17 in this state, he'll grow terrifyingly strong!
Cell: Heh.. Ha ha ha... Very well. Allow me to welcome you to the Cell Games.
Krillin: What have you done to my wife?!
Cell: Well, if it isn't Goku and his annoying, nose-less sidekick...!
Krillin: Cell! You're through!
Cell: Solar Flare!
???: Ha ha ha! A sorry sight you were, Cell.
Frieza: What say you to a deal? Tell me what you know... and I'll be happy to tell you what I know.
Android 21: Don't tell me... You're the one who was linked with Goku earlier.
Android 21: Very well... More fun for me, I suppose. And it saves me the trouble of hunting you down!
Goku: Wha? Hey, you're back!
Android 21: But... judging from the amount of his fatigue, the link won't hold much longer..
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