Adjutant Black

Did You Know?

• General Blue has special telekinetic abilities that allow him to paralyze others and control objects.
• Android 8's creator is revealed to be Doctor Frappe in the Dragon Ball anime.
• Doctor Gero eventually implants his own brain into a replica of his body and calls himself Android 20.

Mercenary Tao {{anchor|Taopaipai}}

Mercenary Tao, known as General Tao in some English dubs, is a professional killer hired by the Red Ribbon Army to take out Goku and claim his Dragon Balls. He is the younger sibling of Master Shen, the Crane Hermit, who is the longtime rival of Master Roshi. Tao is easily recognized by his custom pink gi, which features the kanji for "kill" on the front and the English phrase "KILL YOU!" on the back. He dispatches General Blue using only his tongue, slays Bora, the guardian of Korin Tower, with Bora's own spear, and appears to kill Goku.

After this initial victory, Tao collects most of Goku's Dragon Balls, but Goku later returns with enhanced abilities from training with Korin. During their rematch, Tao is caught in the blast of his own grenade and is presumed dead. Seeking revenge, Master Shen enters his students Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu into the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, ordering them to harm or kill Goku and Master Roshi's other pupils. Tao, however, survived and used the money from his assassination work to become a cyborg.

He enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament with Master Shen's backing but is soundly beaten by Tien Shinhan, his brother's former student. In the anime, Tao appears in additional filler episodes during the fifth season of Dragon Ball Z. In Japanese, he is voiced by Chikao Ōtsuka in Dragon Ball and by Yukimasa Kishino in Dragon Ball Z. The Ocean dub features Scott McNeil as his voice, while the Funimation dub uses Kent Williams, who also voices Dr. Gero.

Android 17

Android 17 is a Red Ribbon Android built by Doctor Gero. He and his sister Android 18 are unleashed as a last-ditch effort to stop Goku's friends, but they turn on their creator and kill him. The pair then hunt for Goku, but 17 is later absorbed by Cell. After Cell is defeated, those he killed are revived by the Dragon Balls, bringing 17 back to life.

By the time of Dragon Ball Super, 17 works as a forest ranger on a remote island that is home to rare animals. He is married and has three children, two of whom are adopted. Recruited for Team Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power, 17 secures the victory for his team. He uses his wish on the Super Dragon Balls to restore all the universes that were erased during the tournament.

Akira Toriyama created 17 and 18 because his editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, disliked Androids 19 and 20 as the planned arc villains soon after they appeared. A brief cameo by 17 during the Boo arc was originally meant for Lunch, a character who otherwise does not appear in the second half of the manga. In 2014, Toriyama revealed that Android 17's real name is Lapis. Shigeru Nakahara voices Android 17 in all Japanese media.

In the English Funimation dub, Chuck Huber provides the voice. Huber considered 17 his biggest role, noting that Garlic Jr. was not as popular. He found the part his easiest, calling it a "voice actor vacation," because under Christopher Sabat's direction he did not need to use a special voice and was told to speak more calmly. Huber personally thought the character was a "giant jerk," but still liked him for that trait.

Android 16

Android 16 is a massive, entirely mechanical android built in the image of Gero’s son, Gevo, who was a high-ranking Red Ribbon Army soldier killed by an enemy bullet during an unspecified battle. Gero considered 16 a failure and kept him deactivated until Android 18 turned him back on and set him free. Unlike Androids 17 and 18, 16 has a built-in system that can detect and track power levels instantly. He does not enjoy combat the way his fellow androids do, and he strictly follows his programming: find and eliminate Goku.

Despite his intimidating, bulky frame, 16 is kind and gentle, much like Android 8. He cares deeply for nature and humanity, and he sees Cell as a destructive evil that threatens both. While trying to shield 17 and 18 from Cell, 16 is severely damaged, but Bulma and her father later repair him. After his repairs, he temporarily puts aside his mission to kill Goku in order to help fight Cell.

Like 17 and 18, 16 was originally built with a self-destruct mechanism, but it was taken out during his repairs. This fact only comes to light when 16 attempts to blow himself up to destroy Cell, but Cell retaliates and destroys him instead. His head and consciousness survive the attack, but Cell later crushes his head, an act that finally pushes Gohan over the edge, triggering his transformation into Super Saiyan 2—the power needed to defeat Cell.

In Japanese media, Hikaru Midorikawa provides his voice; in the Ocean dub, Scott McNeil; and in the Funimation dub, Jeremy Inman.

Android 21

Android 21 first appeared as a key figure in the story mode of the video game Dragon Ball FighterZ. She is introduced as a mysterious scientist working for the Red Ribbon Army, linked to a strange phenomenon that leaves many Dragon Ball characters powerless and to the emergence of hostile clone versions of those characters. Over the course of the game's three story arcs, her background and true identity are slowly uncovered, and she serves as the final boss in each arc.

Like Cell, she is a powerful Bio-Android built from the genetic material of numerous strong fighters, granting her superhuman strength, endurance, and speed. She has two forms with contrasting personalities: a human-like form with a kind nature, and a true form resembling Majin Buu, with pink skin, similar clothing, and a malevolent drive to consume all life. She can fly and fire energy beams using her ki. Like Buu, she can turn objects or living beings into sweets or other confections by hitting them with an energy beam, satisfying her constant hunger.

She can also copy and use the abilities of others by stabbing them with an energy blade projected from her hand. Once the story mode is finished, she becomes a playable character for all game modes. A second playable version, featuring her human design and lab coat, was released as downloadable content in February 2022. Android 21 and the cloned enemies from Dragon Ball FighterZ appear in the animated opening credits of the Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission update for the Dragon Ball Heroes digital card game, but have not yet appeared in the promotional anime itself.

She also appears in other games, including Super Dragon Ball Heroes, Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle, Dragon Ball Legends, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. The 2022 film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero reveals that Android 21's human base is Vomi, the wife of Dr. Gero and the mother of Gevo, who served as the model for Android 16. Vomi is briefly seen during a media presentation by senior members of the rebuilt Red Ribbon Army as they try to recruit her surviving grandson, Dr. Hedo.