Buyon

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 English-language anime dubs, works as a hired killer for the Red Ribbon Army, tasked with killing Goku and taking his Dragon Balls. He is the younger sibling of Master Shen, the Crane Hermit who is Master Roshi’s longtime rival. Tao wears a pink gi made specially for him, featuring the kanji for "kill" on the front and the English words "KILL YOU!" on the back. He kills General Blue using only his tongue, murders Bora, the guardian of Korin Tower, with Bora’s own spear, and appears to kill Goku.

After this initial success and collecting most of Goku’s Dragon Balls, Goku confronts him again with new strength gained from Korin. Tao is caught in the blast of his own grenade and is believed dead. Master Shen later enters his students Tien Shinhan and Chiaotzu in the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, ordering them to harm and kill Goku and Master Roshi’s other students to avenge his brother. Tao is later revealed to have survived and been turned into a cyborg using the money from his assassination work.

He enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament backed by Master Shen, but is easily beaten by Tien Shinhan, his brother’s former student. In the anime, Tao appears again in filler episodes during the fifth season of Dragon Ball Z. In Japanese, Chikao Ōtsuka voices him in Dragon Ball, and Yukimasa Kishino voices him in Dragon Ball Z. In the Ocean dub, Scott McNeil provides his voice, while in the Funimation dub, Kent Williams voices him, the same actor who voices Dr. Gero.

Android 17

Android 17 is an artificial human built by Doctor Gero for the Red Ribbon Army. He and his sister, Android 18, are unleashed by Gero as a final attempt to stop Goku’s allies, but they immediately betray and murder their creator. The pair then hunt for Goku, though 17 is eventually captured and consumed by Cell. He is resurrected later when the Dragon Balls revive everyone Cell killed.

During the events of Dragon Ball Super, 17 works as a forest ranger on a secluded island that hosts many rare species. The series also reveals he is married and has three children, two of whom are adopted. He joins Universe 7’s team for the Tournament of Power and ultimately secures the victory for them. Using his wish from the Super Dragon Balls, he asks for all the erased universes to be brought back.

Akira Toriyama created 17 and 18 after his editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, disliked Androids 19 and 20 as the planned villains soon after they appeared. A cameo by 17 during the Boo arc was originally meant for Lunch, a character who otherwise never appears in the second half of the manga. In 2014, Toriyama revealed that Android 17’s birth name is Lapis. In all Japanese media, Shigeru Nakahara provides his voice.

For the English Funimation dub, Chuck Huber voices 17. Huber considered this his biggest role, noting that “nobody liked Garlic Jr. as much as they liked Android 17.” He described the part as his easiest and a “voice actor vacation,” because director Christopher Sabat told him to speak more calmly and not force a particular voice. Personally, Huber thought the character was a “giant jerk,” but he still enjoyed playing him for that reason.

Android 16

Android 16 is a massive, fully robotic android built in the image of Gevo, Doctor Gero’s son, who was a high-ranking Red Ribbon Army soldier killed by an enemy bullet in an unknown battle. Gero considered 16 a failure and left him powered down until Android 18 turned him back on and set him free. Unlike 17 and 18, 16 has a built-in system that can detect and follow energy levels instantly. He does not enjoy combat the way his fellow androids do.

His only programmed directive is to find and eliminate Goku, and he follows it without question. Despite his intimidating, bulky frame, 16 is kind and gentle, much like Android 8, and he cares deeply for nature and human life. He sees Cell as a destructive force that threatens both. When he tries to shield 17 and 18 from Cell, 16 is severely damaged, but Bulma and her father fix him.

After the repair, he puts his mission to kill Goku on hold to help fight Cell. Like 17 and 18, 16 was built with a self-destruct feature, but it was taken out during the repairs. This fact only comes to light when 16 attempts to blow himself up to destroy Cell, but Cell fights back and destroys him instead. Only 16’s head and consciousness remain, but Cell later crushes it, which finally pushes Gohan to transform into Super Saiyan 2, the level of power needed to defeat Cell.

In the Japanese version, 16 is voiced by Hikaru Midorikawa; in the Ocean dub, by Scott McNeil; and in the Funimation dub, by Jeremy Inman.

Android 21

Android 21 first appears in the main 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 drains the power of various Dragon Ball characters and to the emergence of hostile cloned versions of those characters. As players progress through the game's narrative, her backstory and true nature come to light, and she serves as the final boss for all three of the game's story arcs.

Like Cell, Android 21 is a Bio-Android who carries the genetic material of many powerful characters, giving her immense strength, endurance, and speed. She has two forms with contrasting personalities: a human-like form with a kind disposition, and a true form that resembles Majin Buu, complete with pink skin, similar clothing, and a malevolent personality driven by a desire to consume all life. She can fly and generate energy beams using her ki.

Much like Buu, she can transform objects or living beings into confectionery or other sweet foods by shooting an energy beam at them, satisfying her insatiable hunger. She can also copy and replicate the abilities of other characters by stabbing them with an energy blade that projects from her hand. Once the story mode is completed, she becomes a playable character in all game modes. A second playable version, featuring her human design and lab coat, was added as downloadable content in February 2022.

Android 21 and the cloned enemy characters 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 video 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's design.

Vomi is briefly seen during a media presentation by senior members of the reconstituted Red Ribbon Army as they try to recruit her surviving grandson, Dr. Hedo.