Cell

Directory: Characters → Villains → DBZ villains → Bio-Androids Template:Character

"You see, I'm perfect, my strength is perfect, and with that I shall bring equally perfect destruction through the rest of the universe." — "Combine Your Strength! The Final Kamehame-Ha!"

Cell (セル, Seru) was the ultimate creation of Dr. Gero, who came from a future timeline, designed to possess all the abilities of the greatest fighters to have ever inhabited or visited Earth; the result was a "perfect warrior", possessing numerous favorable genetic traits and special abilities. He was one of the few Red Ribbon Androids not directly completed by Dr. Gero; he was completed by Dr. Gero's Super Computer. He is the titular primary antagonist of the Cell Saga, taking the role Android 17 and Android 18 had been destined to play.

Appearance

In his Imperfect form, unlike his larval form, Cell walks fully upright on two legs. His facial features have not yet fully developed, and he still retains an orifice-like mouth (which generally obscures four sharp teeth, as revealed in "Silent Warrior"), rather than traditional human-like features seen in later forms. The two sections of his head shoot off in a V-shape, rather than nearly straight upward, as in the next two forms. Cell is later shown using the power he absorbed from his victims by having a golden aura with the appearance of wailing souls. Cell has orange color parts near his abdominal area, the back of his head, and even near his groin area. He has two wings which are both emerald green with black spots. He has an emerald green and lime green mix all over his exoskeleton (including head, arms and legs). He has three fingers in the manga, but five fingers and three toes (just as similar as Frieza and King Cold) in the anime. He has a tail like Frieza and King Cold, but also has a stinger included at the end of it. He has black sections as well near his abdominal area, in the middle between the two sections on his head, and even the black part of opposite side of his tail. He even has azure veins in both of his arms, legs, and even some in the joints in his upper body. His eyes are pink (blue in the manga colored pages) with thin reptilian slits.

In his Semi-Perfect form, Cell's wings disappear, and he becomes much more humanoid, he also becomes quite a bit more muscular. While the nose is not yet fully formed (as it is in the next stage), he now has an actual mouth. The two jutting sections of his head now go straight into the air. In this form, he is at his 2nd largest (next to his Power weighted form) with his height being one and a half times that of Vegeta. His tail is longer and slightly thicker than before, and protrudes from his back, as well as becoming segmented orange and black. His voice is deeper than his previous form. The back of his head and the black section on his forehead are now formed together as a ball in between the two sections on his head. His lips are now the color pink, and the black sections above his lips look like a mustache (except it is part of his skin). He now has light blue eyes in this form (a direct result of absorbing Android 17). He even has boot-like feet in this form and metal-like plates all around both of his ankles. He has the same shape of ears as Frieza's, except that his have an orange line that goes down to the chin and to both sides of the ears. His wings regress completely into his back. In his self-destruction form, Semi-Perfect Cell bloats himself, his belly greatly expanding in size. He also claimed that his bloated appearance was unstable, and that a single touch may set him off when dissuading Gohan from trying to stop him.

Cell becomes much more humanoid in his Perfect form, complete with both a fully-formed nose and mouth. His tail is retracted and now used for the creation of Cell Jrs, although it is shown in various media that he can still extend it from his back and absorb other people (as seen in Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai). Along with his previous two forms, Cell can brandish an aura with the same color as a Super Saiyan. He is also smaller than in his previous form, being roughly about Piccolo's height. His wings have grown back and now are shaded black. His exoskeleton is colored light-green with black spots and has black plates located on his shoulders and chest, and the plates on his ankles as well as the previously orange section near his groin are now shaded black. His skin is now pale all in his face, neck and hands, he now has purple lines in both sides of his cheeks, similar to Frieza in his first three forms, and the orange line across his ears and chin is now changed into a yellow color. His eyes are now pink, and his blue veins are now purple. In his Super Perfect state, Cell's appearance is identical to his Perfect form. Nonetheless, his power increases exponentially. His aura crackles with surges of blue electricity, much like a Super Saiyan 2. In the video game Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, Super Perfect Cell's intense energy flow makes his carapace glow a lighter shade of green.

Personality

"You fool! Don't you realize yet you're up against the perfect weapon?!" — "Save the World"

Cell has an original personality, with various other characters' personality traits added in; Gero's computer redesigned the weak parts of the original personality, adding in the personalities of various different characters to make him the perfect weapon. Throughout the Androids Arc, Cell's personality changes drastically with each transformation. At first, Cell's desire to complete his evolution by absorbing both Android 17 and Android 18 is what fuels him in his imperfect form. Upon reaching his final form, his eagerness to test the limits of his newfound power is what defines his character. Cell is unique among most villains of the series in that he is quite sophisticated. Because of his genetic composition from other warriors, he is able to psychologically manipulate those warriors and exploit their weaknesses to his advantage. He also found the Dragon Balls' reviving ability to be a nuisance, as evidenced by his relief when he learned that the Dragon Balls were rendered inert due to Piccolo and Kami's fusion.

Some initial sketches of Cell (Daizenshuu 4)

Initially, Cell is completely single-minded in the pursuit of his goals and is very cautious, sneaky, cunning, and calculating in achieving his main goal of perfection. Upon reaching his first transformation, he becomes far more brash and impulsive in his actions, relying less on strategy and more on brute force, often becoming clouded and losing his ability to think rationally when things don't go his way. Upon reaching perfection, Cell displays a number of traits shared by those whose cells he possesses; Piccolo's cunning, Vegeta's pride, Goku's laid-back disposition, Frieza's smugness, and the Saiyan lust for battle. He is also shown to be calm and genuinely polite in this Perfect form. Perhaps Cell's most distinguishable trait in this form is his uninhibited vanity, which he shamelessly puts on display by launching the Cell Games, a tournament organized for the sole purpose of showing off his newfound power. It can also be seen during Cell's confrontation with Gohan when he affirms his true purpose: the annihilation of anything he considers imperfect, a category in which he places everyone and everything but himself. But when he is outmatched he quickly becomes desperate and makes mistakes. Ironically, the arrogant trait Vegeta displayed to allow Cell to achieve his perfect form was the same trait Cell used to force Gohan to awaken his hidden powers, which led to his own downfall, almost directly emulating Vegeta.

In the English manga, Cell is referred to as "it", while in the anime (and the Japanese versions of both), he is referred to as "he." He is likely described that way in the English manga to emphasize the fact that he is an artificial being.

As Imperfect Cell, Cell is completely single-minded in the pursuit of his goals to complete his evolution, as he is extremely eager to discover what attaining perfection would feel like. His desire is to absorb both Android 17 and Android 18. Imperfect Cell is very cautious, sneaky, cunning, and calculating; he does not chase after the Androids directly, since he knows he cannot beat them before he absorbs enough human energy. Although obsessed with attaining perfection, Cell was willing to temporarily put aside his plans to absorb 17 and 18 if it meant that he had to deal any possible threat to his plans, as seen how he chose to dispatch Piccolo and attempted to do so with 16 rather than immediately going after 17 and 18.

However, despite his usually cautious and savvy nature, Imperfect Cell could still be seen to be somewhat arrogant, seen by how he openly revealed his plans to Piccolo when under the impression that he had won.

After he achieves his Semi-Perfect form, Cell no longer cares about absorbing other creatures, and becomes obsessed with finding Android 18 to complete his quest for perfection. He also becomes slightly more arrogant because of his power increase, as well as rash and impatient. His arrogance is short-lived though; he is easily outclassed by Vegeta's 2nd Grade Super Saiyan form. After finding that his Semi-Perfect form is no match for his opponent, Cell convinces Vegeta to allow him to absorb Android 18 to attain the Perfect Form (which he is able to do as he appeals to Vegeta's ego and the natural Saiyan drive to fight stronger opponents, both of which Cell is aware of, as he possesses Vegeta's cells).

According to his bios in the video games Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, in his new form, he seems to feel that he is the most powerful living specimen on the planet, and it is suggested that this arrogant attitude may have been influenced by Vegeta's genes (meaning Vegeta's cells may become more prominent while in this form, which seems to be supported by the fact he uses at least two of Vegeta's signature moves in this form, albeit only in the anime: Galick Gun and a modified Big Bang Attack). It may also be due to his absorption of Android 17 and the genes of Frieza, both of whom are very egotistical and intolerant of the idea of anyone being better than themselves. To further support the notion of his superiority, Android 16, who barely survives his brief encounter with this form of Cell, thinks to himself that there should be no one in the universe ready to challenge him at this point (and that it is odd how he is still so obsessed with achieving completion), until this preconception is shattered by Cell's embarrassment against the self-proclaimed "Super Vegeta."

After absorbing No. 18 and becoming perfect, Cell becomes significantly more arrogant in this form, due to the massive increase in power. After attaining the perfect form he had long desired, Cell admitted to Trunks that he had found himself with no other purpose, even killing Goku, which was Dr. Gero's intended purpose for Cell, did not seem to satisfy him. Thus, he saw his Cell Games as the opportunity to discover a new purpose; to test his new-found power. This could also be attributed by his own vanity.

In this form, Cell gains Frieza's polite mannerisms (though without the snide sarcasm) and sadistic personality, relishing in seeing people terrified, as he admitted to Future Trunks when he revealed his intention for the Cell Games. This was further shown in the anime, while waiting for the Cell Games, he chose to terrorise the people of Earth simply for his own amusement.

Much like Goku, Cell seems to take on a carefree and laid-back attitude, not losing any form of his composure until he was faced with the prospect of a being stronger than him. Cell has adopted Goku's, as well as Vegeta's, desire to battle strong opponents, which was another purpose of the Cell Games. The fact that prior to facing Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, Cell still chose to hold back his full power, Cell was willing to handicap himself in order to challenge his own limits. Despite this, however, if Cell finds that his opponents were not of a challenge, he would not hesitate to finish the battle quickly or discontinue it. This reflects on how his arrogance, that he saw unchallenging opponents unworthy to fight him. Before fighting Gohan, Cell saw Goku as the only worthy opponent, and displayed excitement when fighting him. Cell even displayed anger when Goku had decided to forfeit his battle against Cell.

After coming back in his Super Perfect form, the huge influx of power causes his already inflated ego to increase dramatically. He becomes notably more deranged, frequently shouting and exhibiting bizarre facial ticks at random intervals (although this may be largely due to his rage over being humiliated by Gohan). In addition, the intro narration for Cell Returns has the narrator referring to Cell as a "demented demon". Cell also became more hotheaded and rash, seen by how he immediately chose to risk destroying the entire solar system simply to defeat Gohan.

After returning from his brush with death, Cell saw himself as true perfection, believing himself to be immortal, as was he was unable to die (save for the unlikely possibility of dying in battle). Even as he was slowly destroyed by Gohan's final attack, Cell could not comprehend why he was defeated, exclaiming that he was perfection itself.

"Like Piccolo I can fully regenerate as long as my core remains. Like the Saiyans my power increases greatly after I heal from near death, and like Frieza I can survive anywhere." — Super Perfect Cell in "The Horror Won't End"

Cell's primary genetic makeup: Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta and Frieza

First colored image of Cell, made for the anime staff ("Ginger Town Showdown")

Cell is composed of cells from Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Frieza, King Cold, and according to the manga title page, a number of other lifeforms (in the FUNimation dub, it is also stated that he has cells from Krillin and Gohan). Strangely, most sources fail to include King Cold as one of his genetic donors, including the anime on some occasions. He also possesses the information on Nappa, Raditz, Chiaotzu, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Future Trunks which were collected by Dr. Gero's remote tracking device and stored in the Super Computer. Cell is therefore able to use their attacks (ex. Kamehameha, Regeneration etc.). His genetic composition is very much a part of his character. It is also implied that, when using these attacks, he often changes his genetic code so he can match the genetic source of his attacks, as when he is going to fire the Kamehameha at Piccolo, Gohan and Vegeta sense Goku in the distance, with the former being near Goku at the time. In his Imperfect Form, he is clever, calculating, and single-minded about achieving his Perfect Form. In his Semi-Perfect Form, he is a little more arrogant. In his Perfect and Super Perfect forms, he is extremely arrogant; he becomes very smug and he believes that every other living creature is inferior to him, and is shown to be very polite until he loses his temper. Upon meeting Piccolo for the first time in Gingertown, Cell tells Piccolo that the computer programmed some genetic traits to be more dominant than others. He bears a strong resemblance to Frieza in all of his forms, such as his tail and the talon-like feet of his first form, and his face while in his perfect form. His feet in his Perfect form are a type of Bio Suit shoes worn by Frieza's race. His head-piece in his Perfect Form is a Namekian trait, so it is likely a recessive trait obtained from Piccolo's cells. He can also revert a few stages at will if necessary, as evidenced when Cell reverts from his Imperfect form to his Larval form in order to use Trunks' Time Machine.

File:Imperfect Cell.png

Cell in his adult form

Cell is designed to have the ability to absorb any biological mass by stabbing his victims with his tail. This process, called "bio-extraction," drains all the organic mass out of the target from the inside out. This attack increases Cell's power, the exact amount depending on the victim's power level. Cell is also designed to absorb Dr. Gero's other Androids (Android 17 and Android 18) whole, integrating them into his systems. Each time he absorbs an Android, he evolves into a more powerful being, however he cannot absorb completely mechanical Androids such as Android 16.

Upon assimilating both Android 17 and Android 18, he gains the ability to asexually reproduce, creating blue, child versions of himself, called "Cell Juniors".

He is also able to change his voice to one of his other forms at will, as Perfect Cell uses his Imperfect form's voice during his announcement of the Cell Games in "The Doomsday Broadcast" when explaining that he is the "creature from Nicky Town". He is also able to manipulate his voice into someone he's absorbed. This is demonstrated when Semi-Perfect Cell changeed his voice to 17's to try to convince 18 to merge with the Bio-Android.

Biography

Dragon Ball Z

Cell Saga

Main articles: Imperfect Cell Saga, Perfect Cell Saga, and Cell Games Saga

Imperfect Cell meets Piccolo

The version of Cell that plays a large role in Dragon Ball Z hails from an alternate future timeline where he has already evolved to his Imperfect form. Unfortunately for him, neither Future Android 17 nor Future Android 18 are present, having already been taken out by his version of Future Trunks. In order to complete his evolution, Cell kills Future Trunks and steals his Time Machine, going back in time to the date set by Future Trunks in the "standard" timeline when both Androids are still functional, sometime around four years prior to the Androids' arrival. In order to fit into the machine, Cell has to revert to an egg.

"I'm going to absorb you next!" — Imperfect Cell to Piccolo in "I Am Your Brother! The Monster with Goku's Energy!"

Cell vs. Piccolo

Once in the past, he hides underground for four years until he can grow back to his adult, humanoid self. After emerging in his Imperfect form, Cell still fears that he does not have the power he needs to forcibly absorb the Androids. To increase his strength, his first actions are to exterminate several towns, absorbing the human inhabitants within. After completing his feeding on the humans in Ginger Town, Cell is confronted by Piccolo. While Piccolo wonders who Cell is, Cell reveals that he himself knows of Piccolo's identity as the Demon King Piccolo (although Cell does not know at this point that Piccolo fused with Kami), and cryptically responded that he and Piccolo were "brothers" when he demanded to know how he knew him. After a brief struggle where he is beaten around several times, he manages to absorb enough of Piccolo's power to make himself stronger, draining the biomass from one of Piccolo's arms. Cell (now mistakenly confident in victory) explains who he is to Piccolo. After hearing the story of his creation and his plan, Piccolo reveals that he tricked Cell to give him the time he needed to regenerate his arm and allow him to continue fighting. It is also during this time that he learns that Piccolo and Kami fused, and, realizing what that meant for the Dragon Balls, was glad because it meant he won't have to worry about the Dragon Balls reviving those he consumed. Future Trunks and Krillin then arrive at the scene. Future Trunks' presence in the past surprises Cell, as is the fact that Goku has not died of his heart disease and is still alive. Outnumbered, Cell quickly uses Solar Flare to temporarily blind his opponents and escape, masking his energy to prevent them from finding him.

Cell confronts the Androids and Piccolo

Realizing that he is still far below his enemies' power levels, Cell decides to use a hit-and-run strategy at this point, hiding from the Z Fighters while going from town to town (including Nicky Town, Basil Airport, and Chazke Village) absorbing humans and gaining the power he needs to be able to take on the Androids. Piccolo and Tien work on tracking him while Future Trunks and Krillin kill the current (main) timeline's Cell while still in his infancy. At Basil Airport during his feeding, Cell eventually encounters Krillin and nearly absorbs him, although he is forced to let him live when remarking Piccolo and Tien zeroing in on his location. Eventually, after absorbing several tens of thousands of humans, Cell detects a large ki; knowing that this has to be Piccolo, he deduces that the only thing that could make him fight so hard would be the Androids. Gleeful at the opportunity to finally absorb 17 and transform to a stronger state, Cell wastes no time and quickly heads toward the area. As expected, he finds Piccolo and Android 17 engaged in battle.

Cell interrupts the fight and attacks Android 17. At this point, his power has far surpassed Piccolo and Android 17's, and without any precautions, he approaches 17. As the monster prepares to absorb the Android, Piccolo attacks him, freeing Android 17 from his grasp. When Android 17 learns what Cell has planned, he dismisses the threat, thinking that he is much more powerful than Cell could ever be, and attacks. After knocking away Android 17, Cell fights and easily beats Piccolo, even managing to shrug off the Namekian's Light Grenade. After blasting a hole through Piccolo's side and tossing him into the sea, Cell is able to attack 17 again.

Cell defeats Android 17 easily and is about to absorb him when Android 16 becomes involved. Android 16 states that according to his calculations, he is just equivalent to Cell in both strength and speed, and portends that he will be the one to kill Cell. After a struggle where it is revealed that Cell is unable to absorb Android 16's energy, 16 throws Cell underground and blasts him using his Hell's Flash.

File:CellImperfectAbsorbingAndroid17.png

Imperfect Cell absorbing Android 17 to achieve his Semi-Perfect form

Android 16 advises 17 and 18 to leave, but 17 is convinced that even if 16 didn't kill Cell, it still proved that the three of them were unbeatable, fully sure that together, the whole world will soon be their playground (in Kai, 17 wants revenge on Cell for the beat-up Cell gave him earlier and decides he will finish Cell). Cell uses this opportunity to burst out of the ground directly behind Android 17 and, whilst sadistically laughing, he quickly absorbs 17 and evolves into his Semi-Perfect form.

Semi-Perfect Cell, shortly after evolving

After Cell's absorption of Android 17, Android 16, knowing that he is now well outmatched, attempts to flee with Android 18, but Cell easily intercepts them, thanks to the added speed of Android 17. In a display of his new power, he takes a direct hit from Android 16 without injury and then easily blasts the Android, nearly destroying his head effortlessly. Cell turns to Android 18, but she threatens to self-destruct before joining him if he approaches, which will leave him unable to attain his complete form. In an attempt to pacify her, he pretends to be Android 17 by mimicking his voice (a trait probably gained from his absorption) and tells her how wonderful it is to be part of Cell and fulfilling "the great" Dr. Gero's vision. Android 16, still functional but badly damaged, warns her of the ploy, something she already knows since both she and Android 17 despised Dr. Gero, they would never compliment him.

When his plan fails, Cell prepares to attempt to absorb 18 by force regardless, knowing that he is fast enough to prevent her from destroying herself and more than capable of overpowering her. He is prevented by Tien however, who uses his Neo Tri-Beam attack several times to stall Cell, destroying much of the landscape and nearly killing himself. Though Cell does not take any significant damage from the assault, it manages to hold him at bay long enough for Android 16 and Android 18 to make their escape. Though Tien is exhausted to the point of death (and soon falls unconscious), Cell insults Tien for stalling his plans and decides to finish him as retribution. Before he can fire though, Goku intervenes and teleports to their location using Instant Transmission, meeting Cell for the first time. Goku informs Cell that while he is not strong enough yet, he will fight him in one day and win. Cell, who eagerly wants to fight Goku, states that they will not fight tomorrow, but now, and flies towards him when Goku grabs Piccolo. Before Cell can make contact, Goku uses Instant Transmission again, carrying an unconscious Tien and a barely alive Piccolo back to safety at Kami's Lookout before Cell's punch lands. Cell is in awe of Goku's ability to teleport, but dismisses it, saying that his priority now is to find 18.

Semi-Perfect Cell, underwater, tries to find Vegeta

Without anyone to oppose him, Cell continues his search for Android 18. After losing her in a group of islands, he threatens to destroy all the islands nearby unless 18 shows herself. When 18 does not answer under 16's orders, Cell proceeds to destroy the islands, one-by-one, in an attempt to flush the Android out. Having just completed his first year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Vegeta approaches and challenges him. Cell is soon shocked to discover that Vegeta is significantly more powerful than his new body, as the fight is entirely one-sided. Even after powering up to full power, he is unable to injure the Saiyan, who now calls himself "Super Vegeta."

Semi-Perfect Cell absorbing Android 18 to achieve his Perfect Form

During their fight, Cell becomes incredibly frustrated as he cannot land a hit on the Saiyan Prince, and states if it was not for Vegeta's interference, he knows he would have achieved his perfect form by now and have crushed everyone in his path. With Vegeta keen on knowing more about how strong Cell's final form may be, Cell appeals to Vegeta's ego, stating that if he were in his Perfect body, he would be a much better challenge. Vegeta, wanting a stronger opponent, agrees to Cell's proposition. When Future Trunks refuses to allow it, Cell calls on Vegeta to remove him as an obstacle while he goes after the recently discovered Android 18. Cell charges the Android with Future Trunks (also in his 2nd Grade Super Saiyan form) in hot pursuit, until Vegeta kicks Future Trunks out of the way. Future Trunks retaliates by quickly blasting Vegeta, barely damaging him, but surprising him with the guts to attack his own father nonetheless, and going after Cell again, but Cell is ready and uses the Solar Flare to temporarily blind everyone long enough for him to absorb Android 18. Cell then puts up an impenetrable barrier while he evolves yet again, this time to Perfect Cell.

Cell kicks Krillin

After Cell achieves his goal of becoming perfect, Krillin becomes enraged by Android 18's absorption and immediately attacks Cell, with Future Trunks assisting. However, Cell continues to admire his new body, completely ignoring Krillin and Future Trunks' assault, barely registering Krillin and Future Trunks' hits and takes Krillin's Destructo Disc attack to the neck with the disk breaking on impact, not even flinching. He then "lightly" kicks Krillin away, making Krillin fly across the island, leaving Krillin in a near dead state. Vegeta, unimpressed by the display, is eager to resume their battle, which Cell obliges. The tables then turn since their last battle, and now Cell merely toys with Vegeta at the beginning, taking on his attacks without any sign of damage. Vegeta then delivers a powerful kick to Cell's head, with almost all of his energy converted towards the attack, but Cell is not affected in the slightest (his head turns only slightly from the attack), leaving Vegeta in a momentary state of shock and disbelief. When Cell strikes back, the kick he delivers blows Vegeta away, smashing him through several rock formations, after which Cell proceeds to mockingly thank him, outright stating that he never would have been able to reach his Perfect Form were it not for Vegeta's foolishness.

File:CellRegenerates.jpg

Cell regenerates his body

Vegeta then challenges Cell to take his next attack head on without dodging it and prepares his ultimate attack, the Final Flash. While Vegeta charges his deadly beam, Cell continues to stand calm and collected, smiling while Android 16 looks in disbelief. Cell however, does become slightly concerned when Vegeta finally fires the attack. Cell takes the full brunt of the attack, vaporizing everything to the right side above his torso. Though Vegeta believes himself to be victorious, Cell proves otherwise; his cells from Frieza allow him to survive and function with virtually any wound and those of Piccolo allow him to regenerate from the damage instantly. Almost immediately following the attack, Cell regrows the destroyed area and is back to normal. Vegeta, now desperate, fires off dozens of Ki bolts, but Cell simply walks through it and with one swift combination of attacks, incapacitates the Saiyan.

With Vegeta out of the picture, Future Trunks is free to fully power up without worrying about injuring his father's pride. He soon reaches the 3rd Grade Super Saiyan stage. When Cell finally sees Future Trunks' powers, he believes Future Trunks to be stronger than himself, although claims that Future Trunks still has no chance of winning. He explains that the downside of the increased muscle mass in this form drained Future Trunks' stamina quickly and made him significantly slower as well. This theory proves correct, as Cell easily dodges Future Trunks' punches and kicks, mocking Future Trunks while he does so.

Cell in his first Power Weighted Perfect form

Cell chides Future Trunks, stating that simple brute force is worthless and quickly demonstrates that he too can increase his muscle size if he desires by revealing that he is also able to increase his muscle size in the same manner as a 3rd Grade Super Saiyan and briefly assumes this buffed state to demonstrate the mistake Future Trunks made increasing his muscle mass without balancing his speed. At this point, Future Trunks loses all hope and allows Cell to kill him. Cell considers it, but decides not to after realizing how much more powerful Vegeta and Future Trunks had become in just a few days, and that Goku would be challenging him soon. He instead decides to hold a tournament in ten days, to test his new power. He also admits to Future Trunks that he has no interest in conquest, he wants just entertainment, primarily through the fear of others. Cell then leaves the island while Future Trunks stares in shock and confusion.

Cell creating the Cell Games arena

Using telekinesis, Cell spends the next morning creating the arena for his tournament, the Cell Games. He then interrupts a live news broadcast to inform everyone around the world about the games, and states that he would take on as many challengers as there are;  if he is able to survive them all, then he will exterminate all life on the Earth. While Cell is at the arena waiting for the day of the competition to arrive, Goku arrives briefly through Instant Transmission to check Cell's power level and they engage in small talk. This is then followed by an attack by the Earth's army, but this proves hopeless as Cell, with a single gesture, destroys them all with a form of psychokinesis. During the ten day wait, Cell mostly stays at his ring and trains, sometimes stands perfectly still, meditating in silence. On the day of the Tournament, Mr. Satan attempts to fight Perfect Cell first, although he is easily knocked away with one flick of Cell's wrist and is disqualified. Throughout the entire tournament, he runs from the media covering the story, claiming that he is suffering from intense stomach pains and calls the techniques in the ring "tricks" or "illusions". Goku and Perfect Cell then begin to battle, although, Cell wishes that Goku would be the last opponent on the list, wanting to "save the best for last". In a heated display of power, technique and ability, Goku seems to be able to keep up against the mechanically engineered monster. Perfect Cell pulls out all kinds of tricks, performing various moves such as the Special Beam Cannon and the Kamehameha wave.

Cell waiting at his arena

Goku and Perfect Cell battle for a while until Perfect Cell grows tired of being confined to the small ring, not wanting their match to stop due to one of them going out of bounds. Without much warning, Perfect Cell destroys the ring and makes the battle an all-out fight, just to make things more interesting for him, with no rules applied. Goku throws everything he can at Perfect Cell, and suddenly flies into the air and charges a Kamehameha, which is directly towards the Earth, with Cell knowing if Goku launched the technique, he would decimate the entire planet. Cell becomes noticeably afraid as Goku powers up the energy blast, but Goku tricks him by performing Instant Transmission to teleport directly in front of Perfect Cell, and unleashes the blast on him. The entire top half of Perfect Cell is disintegrated. While some of the Z Fighters are content, believing Cell has died, Krillin, Vegeta and Future Trunks know otherwise, and indeed the other half of Perfect Cell jumps to its feet and regenerates. Goku and Cell continue their ongoing brutal struggle, with Goku firing dozens of ki blasts in a row, putting Cell in a tight spot, as he cannot escape. Cell manages to finally halt Goku's assault by using a Perfect Barrier, protecting himself from the blasts, and destroying quite a lot of the battlefield. Goku knows that if he continues, the Earth will be destroyed or Cell and himself will die fighting each other, and he then suddenly forfeits the match to Cell, shocking both Cell and the other Z Fighters. He reasons that only one person can defeat Cell, and reveals the fighter to be his son, Gohan. The Z Fighters are shocked or furious (noticeably Vegeta and Piccolo), however, Cell is amused, believing the match will be fun, and he will get to make Goku suffer for his idiotic decision by torturing his only son.

Cell powering up to fight Gohan

It takes a while for the battle to commence between Gohan and Perfect Cell, and even longer for Gohan to get serious. Underestimating his opponent, Cell attacks Gohan directly, making him crash into a rock formation. Like most of the Z Fighters, Cell at first believes the boy to be dead, but Gohan emerges with barely any injury, surprising Cell. As a Full-Power Super Saiyan, he starts out somewhat better than Goku, and his increased speed manages to dodge most of Cell's attacks, but in the end, his efforts are no good, which noticeably worries the spectators (except Goku). As the battle continues, Gohan demands that Perfect Cell stop fighting, and he tells him that the power he could harness when he becomes enraged is beyond his control, which may lead to devastating results for Cell. However, Cell begins to laugh, as the story does not scare him, but it only fuels his desire to push Gohan to the limit, much to Gohan's horror. Finally, Android 16 decides to destroy Perfect Cell and himself with the self destruct device in his body. He wraps his arms around Perfect Cell's torso (similar to how Chiaotzu tries to kill Nappa by self destructing), with the purpose of killing them both. To Android 16's surprise, Krillin informs that the bomb had been removed by Bulma when she re-programmed him earlier during repairs. Cell then gains the upper hand and destroys all of Android 16 but his head, which rolls over the battlefield. Cell even claims that even if the bomb did blow up, he would most likely not be affected too much, despite his fearful look when he found out what Android 16 was intending to do. Realizing that no physical pain on Gohan's own body will unleash his hidden potential, Cell then creates seven smaller blue versions of himself from his tail and christens them Cell Juniors. After they are born, Cell orders them to attack the Z Fighters, but not kill them, and begins to wonder if harm on Gohan's friends and father will finally reveal Gohan's power.

Despite their childish appearances and attitudes, the Cell Juniors easily clobber the Z Fighters, being close to Perfect Cell's own power. Only Piccolo (in the anime), Vegeta and Future Trunks manage to hold them off for a while, but eventually, all of them are brutally defeated (even Goku, who was weakened from his fight with Perfect Cell). As Gohan watches these maniacal minions heartlessly beat his friends and father, he becomes angry, but it is still not enough.

Perfect Cell, noticing Gohan's anger, orders the Cell Jr.'s to kill everyone. At this point, Mr. Satan discovers the head of Android 16, which, surprisingly, can still talk. Android 16 pleads to Mr. Satan to take him near Gohan (throw him if he had to), for the sake of the world. Mr. Satan complies despite his fear, and the Android's head lands near Gohan.

Gohan delivers a devastating punch to Cell

Android 16 gives some advice and words of encouragement to Gohan, saying it is okay to fight sometimes to defend loved ones and to protect nature. Perfect Cell, overhearing this, claims that this was good advice and promptly crushes Android 16's head beneath his foot, wires and parts scattering across the battlefield as Gohan watches in shock. This is the breaking point for Gohan, and he finally snaps. This enrages Gohan to the very limits and pushed him to a new level, Super Saiyan 2, the Super Saiyan level ascended beyond a Super Saiyan (although it was not named at this point in the series). Perfect Cell is pleased when Gohan reaches this form, but Gohan's first action is mercilessly killing off the smaller Cell Juniors, which he defeats in a single hit each.

The already astounded Z Warriors, with the exception of the satisfied Goku, are amazed as Gohan and Perfect Cell began to battle, with Gohan dominating the powerful Android. Even after Cell, to everyone's surprise and horror, powers up to maximum (a power deemed "unfathomable" by the Z Fighters) and lands a hard blow to Gohan's face, Gohan is not affected in the slightest. With just two punches, Gohan almost incapacitates Cell completely, to the complete dismay of Cell, refusing to believe that he could have sustained that much damage. Perfect Cell knows he is no match against Gohan.

File:CellAfterGohansKamehameha.png

Cell's injuries, including severed a arm and leg, after getting hit by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan's Ultimate Kamehameha

Gohan then begins dodging all of Cell's attacks, taunting him, with Cell continuing to not believe in this power Gohan sustains, refusing to be outdone by some sniveling saiyan brat. He attempts to harm Gohan with several different attacks, first two destruct discs aimed at Gohan, to which he simply catches them and destroys them. He then uses one of Piccolo's signature attacks: The Special Beam Cannon, which Gohan simply deflects. He finally attempts to hit Gohan with a barrage of small amounts of ki, which do not even seem to reach Gohan or even land a blow on him. In anger at his inability to defeat Gohan, he flies high into the air, preparing a kamehameha wave at full power. All of the Z fighters believe it to be the end, as they believe Gohan is unable to stop it, yet Gohan does not seem concerned at all and responds with his own kamehameha wave, sending both kamehameha waves right back at Cell. Cell is unable to avoid it or stop it, and he is decimated by the attack. This almost destroys Cell, with his left arm and leg gone and the right area of his head destroyed. When Goku tells him to finish Cell off in his weakened state, Gohan tells Goku if he is joking, saying he wants to see Cell suffer much more. Both Goku and Piccolo are rather shocked at this statement, and Piccolo seriously wonders how much the anger has affected his thought process. Goku warns Cell that since he is backed into a corner, knowing he can't win, they have no idea what he would do now that he is desperate. Yet Gohan waits too long, allowing Cell to regenerate his lost limbs with Piccolo's regenerative cells.

Making the same mistake Future Trunks made earlier, he begins a 3rd Grade Super Saiyan-like transformation that reduces his speed drastically, making him unable to hit Gohan. Future Trunks notes this during the Cell Games, saying "it's making the same mistake he mocked me for!" Though his raw strength in this state dwarfs that of most of the Z Fighters, Gohan is still able to effortlessly cripple him in a single heavy kick to the stomach (a heavy hit to the head in the manga). The blow is enough to make Cell throw up, and in doing so, expelling Android 18 from his body.

Goku arriving with Semi-Perfect Cell at King Kai's planet

Cell reverts to his Semi-Perfect form when he regurgitates Android 18. In filler, Gohan messes around with Cell in this form, scaring him into falling into a hole. Cell eventually gets so desperate, that he bloats up like a balloon and tries to blow himself up in an attempt to destroy the Earth, knowing he is well outmatched. With no other options, at the last second, Goku uses Instant Transmission to teleport Cell to King Kai's planet where he, King Kai, Gregory, and Bubbles all die. With this, Cell technically fulfilled his purpose (as laid out by Dr. Gero), killing Goku.

Even after self-destructing at King Kai's planet, one single cell survives the explosion due to the fact that his design provided for such. Using the regenerative abilities he inherited from Piccolo, Cell is able to completely recover. His cells also retain a memory of his Perfect Form, allowing him to regenerate into that form again despite his loss of both the Androids at this point (Android 17 is also killed in the explosion of Cell's Semi-Perfect body). Due to his Saiyan trait of extreme power increase thanks to a Zenkai after healing from injury, he becomes much stronger than he previously is in his Perfect Form, even at full power or when buffed up. Apparently, Cell himself is previously unaware of this ability, as he is shocked that he is still alive. Only then does he fully grasp what Dr. Gero meant by the perfect being.

Using Instant Transmission (acquired from Goku), Cell, having become Super Perfect Cell, returns to Earth, kills Future Trunks with the Full Power Death Beam, and explains how he survived. Enraged, Vegeta blindly rushes at him in his Super Saiyan form, but is slapped aside. Cell attempts to kill Vegeta with a ki blast, but Gohan intercepts Cell's attack. Due to the sheer power of the attack and the fact that he is unable to actually defend against it, Gohan is left without the use of his left arm and his ki supply reduced to less than half. Cell then wickedly reveals that he has decided to destroy the Earth and then use the Instant Transmission his cells learned from Goku to teleport to various planets in order to destroy each one in the process. The whole situation crushes Gohan's will to fight, as he notes that Cell has a significant amount of power at his disposal, also saying that it was all his fault, since he was the one who didn't destroy Cell when he had the chance, which is what made Goku have to sacrifice himself in the first place. Vegeta feels guilty and disappointed in his inability to provide a lot of support in the final battle against Cell, then apologizing to Gohan, believing that Cell has already won. Gohan is surprised by his response, then realizes the reason he is apologizing because he knows they have lost.

Super Perfect Cell firing his Solar Kamehameha

Goku then telepathically communicates with Gohan with the support of King Kai. Goku ensures Gohan that he is alright and he is fine in Other World and he is with King Kai. Gohan apologizes for causing his death, but Goku tells him it is nothing to worry about, yet telling him to focus all of the energy he has on Cell. Gohan insists that he only has half the power he had originally, making it impossible to beat Cell, but Goku still insists that Gohan can beat him. Gohan then prepares a kamehameha wave, much to Cell's delight that he will at least have some fun and competition when destroying the Z fighters and the solar system.

Gohan desperately engages Cell in a Kamehameha wave struggle at the behest of the late Goku. As the struggle commences, Gohan is seen losing ground, and Goku tells him that he has more energy than this. Gohan tells him that that is the limit of his energy, and that he is still the weak cry baby that he has always been. Goku tells him that is not true, and that he needs to put more energy into his attack, and Gohan pushes forward, making the struggle at even odds again. At this point, the manga and anime take two slightly different approaches on the clash and, consequently, Super Perfect Cell's power. In the anime, Cell gains the upper hand several times, nearly overwhelming Gohan nonchalantly. The other fighters try to distract Cell by attacking him, but fail as Cell simply flares his aura and knocks them all back.

Super Perfect Cell being completely destroyed by Gohan's Father-Son Kamehameha

As he is about to finish off Gohan, Vegeta distracts Cell with a surprise blast to the side of his head, being much stronger than the others. Vegeta's blast does what the others failed to do. In the manga, while Cell still gains the upper hand, the only one to get involved is Vegeta, and he only needs to do this once. Regardless of the story however, Gohan catches Cell momentarily off guard thanks to Vegeta, allowing Gohan to draw out all of his power to overwhelm Cell. Gohan produces a Father-Son Kamehameha that dispels Cell's Solar Kamehameha and engulfs the evil Bio-Android in the gigantic blast. Cell is completely disbelieving that he has lost because he (according to himself) is the incarnation of perfection, before his body is completely destroyed by Gohan's attack. All of his cells are incinerated by Gohan's Kamehameha, resulting in his death.

Majin Buu Saga

Main articles: Great Saiyaman Saga and Kid Buu Saga

Cell sent to Hell

In anime filler, after Cell is killed by Gohan he is sent to Hell by King Yemma. Though in the Other World, Cell still causes trouble, striking up a partnership with Frieza, King Cold and the deceased Ginyu Force soldiers Guldo, Recoome, Burter, and Jeice. He is defeated along with his allies by Goku and Pikkon, and ultimately sentenced to the Other World Prison. Frieza and Cell would occasionally train together in Hell. Later, he and the other deceased villains are shown watching Goku's battle with Kid Buu on a huge Crystal Ball in Hell.

Dragon Ball Super

God of Destruction Beerus Saga

Main article: God of Destruction Beerus Saga While image training in his family's radish field, Goku pictures Perfect Cell as the second opponent he faces (after 50% power Frieza). Cell attempts to attack Super Saiyan Goku with an energy wave, however Goku stops him from firing it, and proceeds to fire several punches and kicks at Cell, who apparently dodges them, only for Goku to land a heavy blow to Cell's head, finishing him off. Goku then proceeds to fight an image of Kid Buu.

"Future" Trunks Saga

Main article: "Future" Trunks Saga

Cell in Dragon Ball Super

When Goku and Krillin are training together and sent by Roshi to find a medicine called "Paradise Grass" they enter a strange forest to look for it, however due to the nature of the forest they encounter a manifestation of Cell, and other enemies from the past, who attack them. Goku constantly destroys the illusion of Cell, who constantly comes back until Goku makes him and the other illusions disintegrate by focusing his ki to de-power them, as they were running off it.

Dragon Ball GT

Super 17 Saga

Main article: Super 17 Saga

Cell absorbs Kid Goku in Hell

Cell teams up with Frieza to try and kill Goku, but Goku easily dominates them. During the battle, Cell is able to absorb Goku through his tail and though he does gain more power, the victory is only momentarily, as Goku soon forces his way out of Cell's body. Within that brief time, Cell states that the power he had absorbed was nearly overwhelming. He is eventually defeated along with Frieza. Cell was last seen frozen by the coldest ice from Hell, broken in pieces by Goku, and arrested by the ogres.

Other Dragon Ball Stories

Dragon Ball Online

File:Cell dbonline.jpeg

A teaser for Cell-X

Around Age 1000, the demon scientist Towa resurrected Cell (likely to try and harvest Goku's DNA from inside him) and placed him inside a capsule to regrow, she modified Cell into "Cell-X" and ordered Captain Bacterian and his pirates to collect energy for Cell-X to aid in his-recuperation.

Cell-X during his battle with the Time Patrol

Eventually Cell-X grew impatient and escaped from Captain Bacterian's dungeon on Papaya Island for an abandoned cave behind a waterfall. After turning the cave into his lair, he began reproducing, creating an army of Cell-like Bio-Androids, and sending them to collect energy for him.

Later on, the Time Patrol headed into Cell-X's cave and fought his Bio-Android spawn, eventually reaching Cell-X himself, after a fight, the Time Patrol defeated Cell-X and he was killed once again.

Power

Manga and Anime

In his Imperfect Form, Cell has the power of his genetic materials at the time their DNA had been collected. Before traveling back to the past, Cell was easily able to kill the Future Trunks (base form) of his timeline. However even after absorbing fifteen thousand humans, he was no match for Piccolo (who had newly fused with Kami) despite Piccolo wearing weighted clothing (Piccolo with weighted clothing was stated to be equal to Android 17 by Android 16). According to Piccolo, Imperfect Cell at this point was stronger than Android 18 and by extension Super Saiyan Vegeta.

After absorbing at least six hundred thousand humans, coupled with energy previously absorbed from Piccolo, he was able to outclass both Android 17 and Piccolo, even withstanding the latter's most powerful attack without any visible damage. According to Android 16, Imperfect Cell's power was equal to his own, which is confirmed when both were able to fight evenly.

In his Semi-Perfect form his power increased to the point that he far surpassed Android 16. In addition, he was also able to withstand repeated Neo Tri-Beams from Tien Shinhan. However he was severely outclassed by Vegeta in his 2nd Grade Super Saiyan form and in the anime was also beaten by Super Saiyan Future Trunks during their brief battle.

Perfect Cell becomes far stronger still. He turns the tables on Vegeta claiming that he was still "warming up". However, despite his power it was said that being hit by Vegeta's Final Flash would obliterate him, and by his own admission his strength is inferior to Super Saiyan Third Grade Future Trunks. Although he is still able to beat Trunks due to the disadvantage of lowered speed that comes with the strength. He can also increase his muscle mass like Future Trunks, though he chooses not to. It is later revealed, however, that what Vegeta and Trunks went up against was only Cell's standby "warming up" power level - after witnessing Super Saiyan Full Power Goku powered up to the maximum, Cell powered up just enough to gain a slight advantage over him. In the anime Cell also displayed the ability to use Multi Form with all of his copies retaining full power instead of only having 1/4 of it. He also implied after faking a ring-out that while he was indeed suppressing his power as Goku was, he himself intended to gradually unveil his full power for the duration of the match. At that point, after being dealt a fair amount of damage he stated that if Goku were to take a Senzu bean he might win, but even that was a joke - as he still wasn't using the full extent of his powers. At the suppressed level he used against Goku, it was said that Android 16's self-destruct device could wipe him out. Perfect Cell's full power is only finally revealed once Cell decides to power up to combat Super Saiyan 2 Gohan - resulting in Cell's aura being altered from a white color to a gold color (in the manga). At this point he becomes much stronger than Goku or any other fighter other than Gohan, who still outclasses Cell grossly with his new found power.

In his power-weighted state while at full power Cell is physically stronger than before but his speed fails to match the might. Nonetheless, Power Weighted Perfect Cell is still outclassed by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. While Future Trunks implies that Power Weighted Cell is stronger than Super Saiyan 2 Gohan in terms of brute strength in the anime dub, the manga and anime demonstrate that Cell's endurance does not increase enough to withstand Gohan's power, as he was able to cripple Cell with a single kick to the stomach (and in the case of the anime, stun Perfect Cell by smashing into his face just beforehand) and make him regurgitate Android 18.

In his Super Perfect form, Cell seems to be comparable in strength to Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. Cell was also strong enough to defeat an angered Vegeta by merely slapping him away. Eventually Vegeta distracted Cell long enough for Gohan to overcome Cell's Solar Kamehameha with a Kamehameha. In this state, Cell's Kamehameha is said to be strong enough to wipe out the entire Solar System.

In the Super 17 Saga of Dragon Ball GT, Cell and Frieza are stated to have powered up after training in Hell for many years and confidently challenge Goku even after having witnessed him fight an opponent such as Kid Buu. Upon briefly absorbing Goku and achieving his "Overloaded" form, Cell's power briefly reaches even greater heights, though he loses it when Goku escapes him.

Video games

As the Time Patroller in Dragon Ball Online defeats Perfect Cell-X before heading back to the battle between Super Saiyan Goku and Full Power Frieza, it is possible that Cell-X possess power lower than Full Power Frieza (during the battle of Namek). However it is alternatively possible that Perfect Cell-X possess much greater power, as he is capable of holding his own against Pure Majins who possess power equal to that of Kid Buu. Dragon Ball Heroes indicates that Perfect Cell-X is more powerful than Perfect Cell, as he appears as a transformation for him in the game.

In the PSP game Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, Super Perfect Cell gains a huge boost in power after being brought back from death (enough to defeat Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks, when the latter does not fight seriously), but not as strong as Super Saiyan 2 Teen Gohan after being consumed by rage or Gotenks when the latter fights seriously.

When he appears at the Timespace Tournament in Dragon Ball Fusions, Cell has become strong enough that his Kamehameha is able to match that of Super Saiyan Goku's (who at this point was much stronger than he was at the Cell Games).

Cell's Power level in his Perfect Form is listed as 900,000,000 in Scouter Battle Taikan Kamehameha. In a special mission in the game, it increases even higher to 1,079,956,055.

Techniques

Main article: List of techniques used by Cell

Forms and transformations

Larva

Larva Cell floating in his incubator

The Larva is Cell's evolutionary stage. Cell's basic design was thought up by Dr. Gero as the ultimate artificial human while Gero was in a good mood due to successfully completing Android 19. Cell's original, larval form floats in Dr. Gero's secret basement laboratory. In the present timeline, the Present Cell is killed by Future Trunks and Krillin when they discover the basement (which included some blueprints). In Future Trunks' timeline, Future Cell is alive, searching for the Androids, when Future Trunks returns from the present timeline, but gets killed by Future Trunks' Heat Dome Attack. In another alternate timeline, Cell grows to full-size, cracks out of the machine, turns from a larva into its imperfect form, kills Future Trunks in order to steal his Time Machine, reverts to his larval form, and travels back to the present timeline in order to absorb Android 17 and Android 18.

Cell in his larva form.

He burrows deep into the ground where he remains for four years, during which time he undergoes a slow, natural evolutionary process as he prepares to change into his imperfect form. Once ready, Cell emerges from the ground to shed his skin. This form's effectiveness in combat is never shown, but it was at the very least able to produce an energy blast strong enough to melt through the canopy of the time machine.

Imperfect Form

Imperfect Cell's first appearance in Dragon Ball Z

Imperfect Cell (不完全体セル, Fukanzentai Seru) or 1st form Cell (第ー形態セル Dai Ichi Keitai Seru) is Cell's mature form prior to his absorption of Android 17 and Android 18. The state is alternatively called First Form.

When Cell powers up to his maximum, he transforms into a Super Saiyan-like state via his Saiyan cells, however due to lack of hair the only change is that he gains the Super Saiyan aura around himself.

In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Perfect Cell is shown to be capable of creating an Imperfect copy of his Imperfect form when he creates one to assist in the Future Warrior's Training under him.

Semi-Perfect Form

Main article: Form Change

Semi-Perfect Cell

Semi-Perfect Cell (半完全体セル, Hankanzentai Seru), or Second Form (第2形態 Dai Ni Keitai), is a form Cell achieved after absorbing Android 17, but before getting to Android 18 (though several video games show that Cell would still take this exact form no matter the order). This form makes its debut on Dragon Ball Z episode 152 (137 in the edited version), "Say Goodbye, 17", which premiered on August 12, 1992. This form is called #17 Absorption in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3.

Self-Destruction Form

Main article: Unforgivable!

Semi-Perfect Cell in his self-destruction form

Semi-Perfect Cell's Self-destruction form is a transformation that Cell takes out of desperation in order to kill the Z Fighters along with the Earth. The explosion he releases when in this form is strong enough to reduce him to a single cell, and obliterate King Kai's planet along with everyone on it at the time.

Perfect Form

Main articles: Form Change and Super Saiyan

Perfect Cell

Perfect Cell (完全体セル, Kanzentai Seru), also called Cell: Perfect form, is the ultimate form of Cell, which he assumed after absorbing both Androids 17 and 18.

In this form, Cell uses his own equivalent of Super Saiyan whilst powered up and fighting, resulting in him gaining the form's golden aura.

Power Stressed

Main articles: Power Stressed, Super Saiyan Third Grade, and Great Namek

Perfect Cell in his first power stressed form

The bulky Power Stressed form is the result Perfect Cell taking on the bulky Super Saiyan Third Grade form. It makes its debut in "Trunks Surpasses His Father!", the 386th chapter of the Dragon Ball manga, issued on August 11, 1992. It makes its first anime appearance in "The Cell Games", the 165th episode of Dragon Ball Z (150th in the 276-episode version), which premiered on November 18, 1992.

Cell takes his giant second power stressed form, when he loses his temper against Gohan

Cell takes this form for his meteor attack in Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension. He is fully playable in this form in Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, Dragon Ball Heroes, and Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale. The form also makes an appearance in the final battle of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai, where Gohan must defeat Cell, despite the fact he should actually be in his Super Perfect form.

The second time Perfect Cell takes on his Power Weighted form, he becomes much larger than before, presumably thanks to the presence of Piccolo's Namekian cells in his body. In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, this form is referenced by the Z-Soul, A power-based transformation... which grants a large increase in attack and defense when Ki is at max, however movement speed is reduced and no guard can be made.

Super Perfect Form

Main article: Saiyan Power

Super Perfect Cell

Super Perfect Cell (超完全体セル, Chō Kanzentai Seru), also called Cell: Perfect, or Revived Cell (復活セル; Fukkatsu Seru) is a version of Cell's perfect form after he receives a Zenkai from his recovery after a botched self-destruction that takes the lives of Goku, King Kai, Bubbles and Gregory. Despite Cell's loss of Android 18 (and after he self-destructs, Android 17), his cells retain the memory of his Perfect Form, which makes it possible for him to regenerate back into that form. This form is officially named in the video games. The form is called Cell (Full Power) in Dragon Ball: Xenoverse. He claims to have powered up like Gohan has and his aura gives off bio-electricity in a similar manner, suggesting that this may be Cell's equivalent of a Super Saiyan 2.

Upon his arrival in Other World, Cell appears to return to his regular Perfect form. He does not use his Super Perfect form again except in the story of the PSP game Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, where he escapes from Hell due to Janemba's influences and utilizes his Super Perfect form when fighting a strong opponent.

Overloaded Form

Cell after absorbing Goku

In Dragon Ball GT, while Cell and Frieza are fighting Goku in Hell, Cell actually absorbs Goku for a brief while, gaining all of his power. His appearance actually does change, becoming much more muscular and being surrounded by electricity, before Goku crawls out of Cell from his tail. The form is named Cell, Overloaded on one card in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game.

Other forms

Cellin

"How could I be defeated by a weakling like Yamcha?!" — Dragon Ball Z: Budokai

Cellin

Cellin (セルリン, Serurin) is the product of Cell absorbing Krillin in a what-if scenario in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai. Cell has a nightmare during his wait for the Cell Games to start. In this nightmare, Cell succeeds in absorbing Android 17, but accidentally absorbs Krillin who pushes Android 18 out of the way before she could be absorbed, resulting in what would look like a fusion between a Cell Jr. and Krillin: Cellin. Cellin appears as Perfect Cell but has a diminutive body (around the size of a Cell Jr.), with Krillin's characteristics and his gi's orange color, even with the Turtle School symbol on his back and chest, Krillin's six marks on his head and even his spots as well as a clogged up voice. With his power level taking a drastic drop, Cell is barely able to defeat Yamcha and is destroyed with one shot from Tien Shinhan's Tri-Beam. Cell then wakes up startled, seeing that he is still standing in his Cell Games Arena, during the middle of the night, normal. Relieved, Cell mutters "I guess ten days is just too long to wait for the tournament," referring to the Cell Games.

Fused with Dark Dragon Ball

Main article: Dark Dragon Ball

Xeno Cell fused with the Two-Star Dark Dragon Ball

After the Dark Dragon Balls scatter through space and time, one of them merges with Cell.

Cell's appearance when merged with the Dark Dragon Ball slightly alters, with his eyes becoming blank, and the Dark Dragon Ball appearing on his chest, with black lines coming out of it. This version of Cell is known as Xeno Cell. Cell can further transform into Cell-X in this state.

Majin Cell

Main article: Babidi's Mind Control

Majin Cell

Cell appears in this form in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 and Dragon Ball Z 2 V. He appears the same as in his Perfect state except with an M on his forehead and black lining around his eyes like with Vegeta when under the trance. In the story mode of Budokai 2, he and Frieza are revived and turned into Majins by Babidi, and are once again beaten by Goku and the other Z Fighters. When Majin Buu kills Babidi, Cell and Frieza turn back to their old selves and do not remember anything of being controlled by Babidi, though they still continue to obstruct the heroes all the way to the ending chapter. Once beaten for the last time, they are absorbed by Super Buu. They eventually return to Hell once Super Buu is defeated.

Dark Magic transformation (Demigra)

Main articles: Dark Magic transformation (Demigra) and Villainous Mode

Cell transformed by Dark Magic

In the finale of Xenoverse Démigra resurrects Super Perfect Cell and possesses him in order to have him fight the Future Warrior alongside Frieza and Kid Buu. He and Frieza are perfectly aware that they are being actively manipulated by Demigra, but they would rather have their revenge first and foremost, instead of breaking free of his control. When fought in game Cell also has Villainous Mode active, however when playable he lacks this additional form.

Supervillain

Main article: Supervillain

Perfect Cell transformed by dark magic

In Xenoverse 2, Perfect Cell is transformed by the dark magic of the Time Breakers. In this form his skin becomes a whiter color, his eyes glow dark pink and he gains the Time Breaker's broken infinity on his forehead.

Powered Up Form

Cell's Powered Up Form

Cell attains this form at some point during Dragon Ball GT as shown during the Dragon Ball GT (1997 live show). Frieza and Cell are looking for Goku, so Pan and Trunks trick them into thinking Goku is coming so they can flee. Cell and Frieza then begin searching for Goku once more.

Cell-X

Cell-X

After being resurrected by Towa, Cell was turned into Cell-X, this version of Cell was giant and spider-like in appearance. In Dragon Ball Heroes it is noted by Cell that his body is in extreme pain while transforming. After the transformation is complete, Future Trunks states that Cell-X posses bottomless ki.

As more energy was collected for him he continued to get more powerful but was defeated by the Time Patrol in Age 1000. In this form Cell no longer likes to fight directly, instead spawning smaller Bio-Androids to do his work for him.

Fused with Dark Dragon Ball

Main article: Dark Dragon Ball

Cell-X fused with the Two-Star Dark Dragon Ball

In Super Dragon Ball Heroes, Cell-X is actually a giant form of Xeno Cell (who is fused with a Dark Dragon Ball), as a consequence, he has a slightly different appearance from his original incarnation seen in Dragon Ball Online. Cell-X makes is introduced in the second mission of the original series (SDBH2).

Fusion

Vegecell

Vegecell is a hypothetical fusion of Semi-Perfect Cell and Vegeta. It is a "Fusion Frenzy" card in the Dragon Ball Z Collectible Card Game, however, the card itself does not depict the fused character, instead showing the two fusing characters beside each other.

Ultimate Maxi Fusion

Main article: Ultimate Maxi Fusion

The Ultimate Maxi Fusion

The Ultimate Maxi Fusion's Golden Great Ape form

The strongest fused warrior, resulting from Frieza and Cell manipulating Pinich into using Maxi Fusion with them. Frieza and Cell are the ones who retains control of the fusion and use it to kill Goku and destroy the planet, however their plans are thwarted by Whis who rewinds time, and then Beerus, who reflects his attack away. Ultimate Maxi Fusion then fights Tekka's team in both his Super Saiyan and Golden Great Ape forms, but is defeated.

Cellza

Main article: Cellza

Cellza

After the defeat of Ultimate Maxi Fusion, Frieza and Cell EX-fuse into Cellza as a last resort against Tekka and Pinich, however the two also use EX-Fusion and manage to defeat Cellza in the final battle.

Video Game Appearances

Super Perfect Cell as he appears in Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Cell has made an impact in many Dragon Ball Z video games, mostly as a boss or high-end in the Budokai series see Cell in his Imperfect, Semi-Perfect, and Super Perfect (after exploding and then gaining a power boost due to his Saiyan cells) states as well. In addition, in the original Budokai game his bulky form from when he battled Gohan was accessible as a boss fight only.

In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai he transforms into a what-if in his dreams where seen he absorbs Krillin instead of 18 and turns into Cellin (who looks like a fusion between a Cell Jr. and Krillin). Although Cell's arc is not the final in the series, the buck often stops there in many games, including Dragon Ball Z: Sagas, the first Budokai, and Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit.

In the game, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2, Cell and Frieza can be put under Babidi's influence like Vegeta or Dabura, becoming Majins. Later Cell can also be absorbed by Super Buu.

In Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2, Cell makes an appearance alongside Frieza in the Fusion Reborn movie saga, even though he was absent in the movie itself. In the Arcade Mode of Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai, Cell is the only evil character to get his wish fulfilled (Broly does not count because he did not have a real "wish", Frieza also does not count due to the "wish" being a misunderstanding on Shenron's part). playable character. Though sometimes featured in only his Perfect Form, the more recent games In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, Cell appears in his Perfect and Super Perfect forms as well as Dark Cell and Villainous Mode (with Imperfect Cell appearing only in a cutscene). In the "worst case scenario" caused by Time Breakers' alterations to history, Cell overwhelms Gohan's Father-Son Kamehameha with the help of two Cell Juniors, with the Z-Fighters unable to help out thanks to Hercule in Villainous Mode defeating them. After repairing the Cell Saga's timeline, Cell becomes available as a mentor to the Future Warrior; though he initially claims the training is only a "game" to alleviate his boredom, he later warms up to the Warrior, believing that Goku's DNA is making him excited at the prospect of fighting such a strong opponent. The attacks that Cell teaches are All Clear, Gravity Impact, Perfect Shot, and Perfect Kamehameha.

In Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Cell appears in his Imperfect, Perfect, and Super Perfect forms as will as Dark Cell, Villainous Mode, and Supervillain forms. In the altered history, Mira attempts to join the Cell Games, but is stopped by Future Trunks and the Future Warrior, though it is later revealed to have been a distraction to by time for Towa to enact her plan for that era. After Mira and Towa leave, the Future Warrior arrives just as Cell is giving birth to Dark Cell Jrs. in order to spark Gohan's anger. The battle pretty much plays out as it did in the original history, with Mr. Satan throwing Android 16's head near Gohan allowing him to speak to Gohan before his head is destroyed by Cell, causing Gohan to transform. However the Cell Jrs. remain in battle longer than they did historically, forcing the Future Warrior to deal with them while Gohan fights Cell. After the Cell Jr. are defeated, a wormhole opens up causing Metal Coolers from the Big Gete Star's attack on New Namek to appear and join in on the Cell Games. The Warrior manages to defeat the Metal Coolers that come through the wormhole and then uses it to travel to New Namek to help Future Trunks stop the Metal Coolers from altering history. This allows the events of the Cell Games to progress normally. After the Big Gete Star and wormhole are destroyed, the Future Warrior returns to the Cell Games, where they find Gohan confronting Super Perfect Cell after he revives from his self-destruction. As Cell is stronger than he was historically, the Future Warrior has to weaken him so Gohan can defeat him with the Father-Son Kamehameha, restoring the timeline.

Outside of the main story, their is a Parallel Quest where due to a miscalculation Imperfect Cell's Time Machine ends up traveling to the Cell Games where he comes face-to-face with his perfect self. Imperfect Cell is pleased to learn that Dr. Gero's Supercomputer was right after he learns his counterpart had absorbed 17 and 18. Imperfect Cell surmises that if he were to absorb Perfect Cell, it would grant him an even more perfect form. However due to the nature of the quest, he never gets the chance.

Like in Xenoverse, the Future Warrior from Xenoverse 2 can train under Perfect Cell, who will teach the warrior the same techniques he teaches in Xenoverse. Interestingly, during "School Quest: "Lesson 2", he will create a copy of his Imperfect form to test the Future Warrior. There is even an unlockable clothing option called Cell's Suit (Perfect) which is a suit modeled after Cell's Perfect form, though it lacks Cell's wings as they appear as an accessory called Perfect Cell's Wings. Perfect Cell's Wings also include Perfect Cell's head protrusions when worn in addition to his wings. There is also another accessory called Cell Head which is basically Perfect Cell's head protrusions without the wings.

If the Future Warrior wears Cell's Suit while talking to Cell when he is their instructor, Cell will comment on the Warrior's attempt to look like him and finds it amusing, though he hopes they understand that looking like him has nothing to with his power.

In Dragon Ball Fusions, Cell can use EX-Fusion with Frieza to form Cellza.

Cell appears as a boss in:

• Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen
• Dragon Ball Z: Sagas (PS2, GCN, and Xbox)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (GBA)
• Dragon Ball Z: Battle Taikan Kamehameha
• Dragon Ball Z: Scouter Battle Taikan Kamehameha
• Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu (DS)

Cell makes a minor appearance in:

• Cult Jump (Game Boy)

Cell is a playable character in:

• Dragon Ball Z: Gekitō Tenkaichi Budōkai (Famicom)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden (Super Famicom)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden 2 (Super Famicom)
• Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension (Super Famicom)
• Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden (Mega Drive)
• Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors (GBC)
• Dragon Ball Z: Collectible Card Game (GBA)
• Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors (GBA)
• Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (GBA)
• Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2 (DS)
• Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai (PSP)
• Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road (PSP)
• Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 (PS1)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Legend (Saturn & PS1)
• Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout (PS1)

Cell in Zenkai Battle Royale

• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (PS2 & GCN)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 (PS2 & GCN)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (PS2)
• Data Carddass Dragon Ball Z (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (PS2)
• Data Carddass Dragon Ball Z 2 (Arcade)
• Super Dragon Ball Z (PS2 & arcade)
• Battle Stadium D.O.N (PS2 & GCN)
• Dragon Ball Z TV game
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PS2 & WII)
• Dragon Ball Z: Bakuretsu Impact (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PS2 & WII)
• Dragon Ball Z: W Bakuretsu Impact (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Infinite World (PS2)
• Dragon Ball Z: Dragon Battlers (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast (PS3 & 360)
• Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 (PS3 & 360)
• Dragon Ball Z: Tenkaichi Tag Team (PSP)
• Dragon Ball Kai: Ultimate Butōden (DS)
• Dragon Ball: Zenkai Battle Royale (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Heroes (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi (PS3 & 360)
• Dragon Ball Z For Kinect (Xbox 360)
• Dragon Ball: Tap Battle (Android2.3, iOS)
• Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z (Xbox 360, PS3, PlayStation Vita)
• Dragon Ball: Xenoverse (Xbox One, PS4, Xbox 360, PS3, Steam)
• Dragon Ball Discross (Arcade)
• Dragon Ball Z: Extreme Butōden (3DS)
• Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle
• Dragon Ball Fusions (3DS)
• Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 (PS4, Xbox One, Steam)

Voice actors

• Japanese: Norio Wakamoto
• English dubs:
  • Animaze dub: Jonathan David Cook
  • Westwood dub: Dale Wilson
  • FUNimation dub: Dameon Clarke (most media), Travis Willingham (video games from Dragon Ball: Raging Blast onwards aside from Xenoverse)
  • Blue Water dub: Ben Jeffery
• Latin American Spanish dub: Ricardo Brust (DBZ), Salvador Reyes (Kai)
• Brazilian Portuguese dub: João Batista (DBZ), Raul Schlosser (GT)
• Castilian Spanish dub: Alejo de la Fuente
• French dub: Georges Lycan, Julien Kramer (Kai)
• German dub: Stefan Gossler
• Italian dub: Enrico Bertorelli
• Polish dub: Jarosław Domin
• Portuguese dub: António Semedo
• Hungarian dub: Balázsi Gyula (DBZ), Katona Zoltán (DBGT)
• Catalan dub: Jaume Mallofré
• Hebrew dub: Giora Kenneth
• Thai dub: Kaiwan Wattanakrai
• Cantonese dub: Lu Kwok Kuan
• Basque dub: Jon Ander Alberdi 
• Korean dub: Seok-Pil Choi
• Valencian dub: Felip Bau
• Tagalog dub: Robert Brilliantes

Battles

Dragon Ball Z

• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Future Trunks
• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Super Namek Piccolo
• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Krillin (Anime only)
• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Super Namek Piccolo (Second Round)
• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Android 17
• Cell (Imperfect Form) vs. Android 16
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Android 16
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Tien Shinhan
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Vegeta (Super Saiyan Second Grade)
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Krillin
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Android 16 (Second Round)
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Android 18
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Future Trunks (Super Saiyan Second Grade) (Anime only)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Krillin and Future Trunks (Super Saiyan Second Grade)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Vegeta (Super Saiyan Second Grade)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Future Trunks (Super Saiyan Third Grade)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Caroni (Anime only)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Piroshki (Anime only)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Mr. Satan
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Goku (Super Saiyan Full Power)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Gohan (Super Saiyan Full Power)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Android 16
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Gohan (Super Saiyan 2)
• Cell (Semi-Perfect Form) vs. Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) (Anime only)
• Cell (Super Perfect Form) vs. Vegeta (Super Saiyan Second Grade)
• Cell (Super Perfect Form) vs. Gohan (Super Saiyan 2), Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Piccolo, Krillin, and Vegeta (Super Saiyan) (The Fighters other than Gohan and Vegeta are Anime only)
• Cell (Perfect Form) vs. Pikkon (Anime only)

Dragon Ball GT

• Cell (Perfect Form) and Frieza (Final Form) vs. Goku

List of characters killed by Cell

• Alternate Future Trunks – Killed by Cell in another alternate timeline. Cell strangled him with his tail so he could steal his Time Machine.
• Humans – Thousands of people are killed when Cell blows up inhabited islands in search of Android 18 and many others were killed through absorption. He annihilated a quarter of a city when making his global broadcast about the Cell Games. He also killed many military soldiers in his first battle with Piccolo, and during the ten-day waiting period of the Cell Games. Though, they were later revived with the Dragon Balls.
• Richest man in Gingertown – Killed through absorption in front of Piccolo. He was revived with the Dragon Balls.
• ZTV reporter – Killed by Perfect Cell's ki blast.
• Dr. Gero – Killed by Perfect Cell after Gero returns and attempts to gain Cell's assistance in Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors.
• Android 16 – Body destroyed by Cell using a Ki blast, but his head was still functioning. 16 was utterly destroyed when Cell stomped on and crushed his head while 16 was speaking to Gohan, telling him to fight Cell, inducing Gohan's Super Saiyan 2 transformation. Android 16 may have been "revived" with the Dragon Balls, but he was never seen afterwards.
• Goku – Killed when Cell self-destructed, after Goku teleported him to King Kai's planet. He was later revived when Elder Kai gave him his life 7 years later.
• King Kai – Killed when Cell self-destructed, after Goku teleported him to King Kai's planet.
• Bubbles – Killed when Cell self-destructed, after Goku teleported him to King Kai's planet.
• Gregory – Killed when Cell self-destructed, after Goku teleported him to King Kai's planet.
• Android 17 – Killed when Cell self-destructed, as he was still inside Cell at the time. He was later revived with the Dragon Balls.
• Future Trunks – Killed by Cell with a beam through the chest. He was later revived with the Dragon Balls.

Trivia

All forms

• Cell was named after the English word for "cell" because he absorbs humans and transforms. Insects served as the model for Cell's design. Besides his design, the way in which he hatches from an egg and sheds his skin as he grows was also based on insects. Thus Cell very much resembles an insect in both in appearances and in the way he goes through different stages of metamorphosis.
• The series author Akira Toriyama mentions in an interview that drawing Cell's design is hard. He says that, picture-wise, the spots on his body were really tough; it was very tedious to draw them every time.
• As King Piccolo had previously also enjoyed himself by taking over the world as if it were a game and tried to rule the world through fear, Akira Toriyama wondered in an interview if Cell's similar way of doing things is from the influence of his Piccolo cells.
• Cell is unleashed in the Age 786 in his timeline and died in Age 767 in the main timeline (19 years before his alternate self would be unleashed into the world).
• All four forms of Cell had some sort of characteristic of the Z Fighters who challenge him in his personality. Imperfect Cell is sneaky and calculating like Piccolo, Semi-Perfect Cell is vain and arrogant like Vegeta, Perfect Cell was laid back and only wanted to fight powerful opponents like Goku, and Super Perfect Cell is hotheaded and cocky like Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.
• Cell repeats two fatal mistakes that are made by another Z Fighter fighting him. Cell tricks Vegeta into letting him become complete so he could see his true power; later, Cell attempts to unlock Gohan's hidden potential as well, eventually resulting in his death. Like Future Trunks, Cell powers up to his maximum and beefs up, which makes him stronger but slows him down so that he cannot land a single hit on Gohan. This leads to him being kicked in the stomach and regurgitating Android 18, reverting him to his Semi-Perfect form.
• This incarnation of Cell kills an incarnation of Future Trunks twice: first in his Imperfect form when he steals Future Trunks' Time Machine and second in his Super Perfect form when he kills Future Trunks during the Cell Games. Ironically, the latter Future Trunks also kills Cell twice: first alongside Krillin while Present Cell is in his larval form and second in his own time while Future Cell is in his Imperfect Form.
• In the Budokai games, even if Cell has reached his Semi-Perfect, Perfect, and Super Perfect forms, whenever he receives a powerful hit and screams in pain, he sounds just like Imperfect Cell. This is due to the fact that Cell's forms were each given their own distinct voice in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z; in the Japanese version, Norio Wakamoto uses his natural speaking voice for all of Cell's forms, meaning that the Budokai development team had programmed the games to fit his voice rather than Dameon Clarke's (similarly to how adult Goku still retains some of kid Goku's sound clips in the English version of the games). This mistake continued on into the Budokai Tenkaichi series as well, as take-damage voice cuts were never recorded for those forms.
• Despite not being the last villain in the anime, Cell is the final boss in a few Dragon Ball Z games released after the Majin Buu Saga, such as Budokai 1, DBZ: Sagas, Super Dragon Ball Z, Harukanaru Densetsu, and Burst Limit.
• In all of Cell's 'adult' forms, there is one area of his body that never changes, the black diamond area in the center of his chest, which is similar to Frieza's.
• Considering how Cell can transform back into his larval form at will, Cell's immortality claim could be true when considering the immortal jellyfish, a sea creature that reverts to younger stages of its life to reset its lifespan.
• In Dragon Ball Super, it is revealed that Bulma kept the Capsule containing Cell's Time Machine for research purposes, which later proves vital for the Z Fighters during the "Future" Trunks Saga after Black destroys Future Trunks' Time Machine. Using her Future counterparts notes, Bulma is able to repurpose Cell's Time Machine into a replacement for Future Trunks' original Time Machine, allowing Future Trunks, Goku, and Vegeta to travel to the future in order to stop the evil Black. This is quite ironic as Cell's Time Machine originally belonged to Future Trunks' deceased counterpart from Cell's Timeline.
• Cell is the only main villian in Dragon Ball Z that was not killed or defeated by Goku (Frieza was killed by Goku in Resurrection 'F'). Ironically, Cell is the first villain who successfully killed Goku (as Piccolo was more of an anti-hero when he killed Goku during the battle with Raditz).
• Cell's introduction was the result of a long debate between Akira Toriyama and his former editor Kazuhiko Torishima over the appeal of the villains that Toriyama was using for the Androids Arc. Toriyama had already created Androids 17 and 18 to replace Dr. Gero and 19, who Torishima described as "an old man and a China doll", only for Torishima to deride 17 and 18 as "a couple of brats". This led to the creation of Cell, who Torishima finally approved of.

Imperfect Cell

Lavos from Chrono Trigger

• His mouth in this form resembles that of an Arlian, except that his mouth opens when he talks.
• The first core form of Lavos from the video game Chrono Trigger resembles Cell in his Imperfect Form. The characters from this game were designed by Akira Toriyama.
• In the Nintendo DS game Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans, the enemies Sandman, Yorgan, and Failed Experiment are slightly modified and recolored versions of Imperfect Cell.

Semi-Perfect Cell

• Though his Semi-Perfect form is in between his Imperfect and Perfect/Super Perfect forms, the latter three of which all have wings, his Semi-Perfect form does not possess wings.
• Semi-Perfect Cell was introduced after Akira Toriyama's editor at the time, Yū Kondō, expressed dissatisfaction at Imperfect Cell's insectoid appearance; this led Toriyama to give Cell the ability to transform, and with it, the inception of Semi-Perfect Cell.
• Semi-Perfect Cell is Akira Toriyama's favorite Android; he had actually planned on having him play a more active role, but was forced to bring him into his Perfect form earlier than anticipated after Yū Kondō complained that the Semi-Perfect form looked too silly.
• Surprisingly enough, Semi-Perfect Cell is the inspiration of the meme "Shoop da Whoop," due to a furious scream of outrage he utters upon his defeat by Vegeta in his 2nd Grade Super Saiyan form. (Said scream was shown during the closing scenes of "Hour of Temptation.")

Perfect Cell/Super Perfect Cell

• In the manga and Japanese anime, there is a plot hole with regards to how Cell is able to regenerate. According to Cell, an organ inside his head allows him to regenerate, so long as that organ is not destroyed. Goku had previously destroyed Cell's entire upper body, head included, which should have prevented the evil Android from regenerating. This plot hole is not present in FUNimation's English dub of the anime, where Cell states that "every cell in his body has a life of its own", and that one survived, which allowed him to regenerate.
• In Dragon Ball Xenoverse, if the Time Patroller speaks to Cell when he is a mentor, Cell will occasionally say "I want to travel time freely like you. No matter what period I go, I will always be the strongest. My time machine can't be used anymore. What a pity.".
• In Dragon Ball Z 2: Super Battle, if Cell is defeated in Goku's story mode, Cell is given a Senzu bean in which Cell says he will come back and have his revenge. 7 years later, Cell is seen in a group photo with the rest of the Z Fighters.

Gallery

Cell growing Cell's birth in Dr. Gero's lab Cell, in a flashback, invading a town In his timeline, Cell kills Future Trunks by strangling him Gohan, Future Trunks, and Bulma discover Cell's moult Cell's moult Cell (Dragon Ball Full Color) Cell11.JPG Imperfect Cell Cell shows an evil grin at Piccolo Cell in a destroyed city Cell facing Piccolo Cell powers up Cell attacks Cell Cell Cell halts a bus Cell finds a city, Nicky Town Cell trying to catch people in Basil Airport Cell in Basil Airport Cell looking up at Krillin Cell vs. Krillin Cell attacked by Krillin Cell looking at Krillin while upside down Cell in Chazke Village Cell powers up Cell throws Android 17 Cell dashing at Android 16 Cell regenerating his tail, after Android 16 pulled it off Imperfect Cell Cell attacks Cell is angry Cell begins to transform Cell transforms into his Semi-Perfect form Semi-Perfect Cell Semi-Perfect Cell Semi-Perfect Cell Cell attacked by Tien Shinhan Cell struggles against the Neo Tri-Beam assault Cell realizes Androids 18 and 16 are escaping Cell attempts to escape Cell is angry Semi-Perfect Cell angry Semi-Perfect Cell flying Semi-Perfect Cell shocked Cell punched in the stomach by Super Vegeta Semi-Perfect Cell blocks an attack Semi-Perfect Cell faces Super Vegeta Semi-Perfect Cell flying Semi-Perfect Cell putting into practice the Solar Flare Semi-Perfect Cell charges a ki sphere in his hands Semi-Perfect Cell smiles Semi-Perfect Cell finds Android 18 Perfect Cell Cell achieves perfection Perfect Cell The first appearance of Cell's perfect form Cell looking at his perfect body Perfect Cell Cell about to get hit by Krillin's Destructo Disc Cell smirks Cell close up Cell fighting Vegeta Perfect Cell Perfect Cell Cell mocking Vegeta Cell watching Vegeta Cell preparing to take on Vegeta's Final Flash Cell while the Final Flash approaches him Cell scared Cell after taking Vegeta's attack Final Flash 24.png Cell damaged Cell damaged Cell about to kick Vegeta Cell powers up Cell threatens Future Trunks Cell charges energy in his hand Cell spares Future Trunks Perfect Cell leaves the islands Cell finds an area for the Cell Games Cell flying Cell flies Cell Cell at a TV station Cell kills a reporter Perfect Cell Cell broadcasts his announcement of the Cell Games Cell charging an Ultimate Blitz Perfect Cell destroys the city Cell flying Cell waiting in the Cell Games Arena Perfect Cell Cell Cell flying up to space Cell flying up to space Cell in space Cell raises one arm Perfect Cell on Earth Cell approached by the Earth's military Cell after being attacked by the Earth's military Cell after the attack of the Earth's military Perfect Cell Cell getting ready to fight Goku Goku and Cell (manga) Cell about to get hit by Goku's Kamehameha Cell's top part of his body destroyed by the Instant Kamehameha Cell looks behind him Perfect Cell Cell eating a Senzu Bean Cell powers up Perfect Cell in the DBZ Kai opening Cell listening to Gohan's story Perfect Cell Cell prepares his Barrage Death Beam Cell elbows Gohan Cell bearhugs Gohan Cell forcing Gohan to release his hidden power Cell after executing Android 16 Super Saiyan 2 Gohan vs. Perfect Cell Perfect Cell charges an attack Perfect Cell Finger Blitza.jpg Perfect Cell fires rapid ki blasts Cell powers up Cell suffers from a punch to the stomach Cell after being punched Cell kicks Gohan Cell beaten by Gohan Cell about to spit out Android 18 Cell uses Instant Transmission Super Perfect Cell returns Cell after killing Future Trunks Cell confronts the Z Fighters Super Perfect Cell Cell attacks Vegeta Cell prepares a Solar Kamehameha Cell charges his Solar Kamehameha Cell fires the Solar Kamehameha Cell in Hell in DBZ Cell in Hell Cell attacked by Pikkon Cell in a jail cell with Frieza, King Cold and the Ginyu Force Frieza and Cell in Hell in Dragon Ball GT Cell and Frieza in Hell Cell absorbs Goku Cell powers up after absorbing Goku Cell and Frieza after being defeated by Goku Cell in his first form (WJ #21, 22, 1992) Cell in his 2nd form Perfect Cell art for V-Jump (December 1993) Art of Perfect Cell by Akira Toriyama Perfect Cell as he appears in the manga Perfect Cell in the manga Cell in Dragon Ball SD Imperfect and Semi-Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball SD Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball SD Cell in Gekito Tenkaichi Budokai A beat-up Perfect Cell in Super Battle Cell using the Kamehameha in Idainaru Son Goku Densetsu Cell being destroyed in Idainaru Son Goku Densetsu Cell in Budokai 1 HD Cell in Budokai 3 HD Perfect Cell in the opening of Sagas Perfect Cell in Super Dragon Ball Z Cell in Battle Taikan Kamehameha Cell prepares a Kamehameha Cell powers up his attack Cell in Battle Taikan Kamehameha Cell in Scouter Battle Taikan Kamehameha Perfect Cell in the opening of Budokai Tenkaichi Super Perfect Cell in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Super Perfect Cell in Budokai Tenkaichi 2 Semi-Perfect Cell in Budokai Tenkaichi 3 A Cell fighting puppet in Shin Budokai - Another Road Battle against Cell-X Cell-X Cell in Burst Limit Perfect Cell in Raging Blast 2 Perfect Cell in Ultimate Butōden Power Weighted Cell card for Dragon Battlers Imperfect Cell in Ultimate Tenkaichi Semi-Perfect Cell in Ultimate Tenkaichi Perfect Cell in Ultimate Tenkaichi Perfect Cell in Ultimate Tenkaichi Power Weighted Perfect Cell in Zenkai Battle Royale Cell attacks the Elite and Berserker Cell taunts the Hero in the 1st DBH promo Cell vs. Super Saiyan Goku Cell fights with Super Saiyan Goku Cell faces the boy Cell grabs the Hero Cell approaches the boy Cell approaches Cell and Majin Buu in the DBH: Ultimate Mission animation Cell and Majin Buu grinning Cell attacked by the Namekian and Majin Heroes Cell attacked by the Namekian and Majin Heroes Cell fights with the Namekian and Majin Heroes Concept art for a Dragon Ball Heroes promotional movie Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball Heroes All of Cell's forms in Dragon Ball Heroes A team of Cell in Battle of Z Perfect Cell in Battle of Z Cell in Xenoverse Perfect Cell in Xenoverse 14 - 5.png Cell in Xenoverse cut scene Cell (Imperfect Form) Xenoverse 2 Cell (Perfect Form) Xenoverse 2 Cell (Super Perfect Form) Xenoverse 2 Cell (Supervillain) Xenoverse 2

See also

• Cell (Collectibles)

References

Template:Frost Demons