Commander Red

Conception and creation

The Red Ribbon Army, led by Commander Red, was conceived by Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama. He based the group's Muscle Tower base on the video game Spartan X, known internationally as Kung-Fu Master, where enemies appear quickly as the player climbs a tower. That game itself drew from two Hong Kong martial arts films: Jackie Chan's Wheels on Meals and Bruce Lee's Game of Death. Some Red Ribbon Army soldiers wear uniforms similar to those of the Hitler Youth, the Nazi Party's youth organization, though they lack the swastika armbands.

General Blue, a major character, is portrayed as a stereotypically homosexual figure, conceptually resembling Sturmabteilung co-founder Ernst Röhm. Toshio Furukawa, Blue's Japanese voice actor, found the role challenging because of the character's sexuality. In the North American English manga release by Viz Media, Adjutant Black, called Staff Officer Black in the English anime, had his lips shaded in. IGN's D.F. Smith described the character as a "ridiculous caricature of a black man."

Toriyama introduced Androids 17 and 18 after his former editor Kazuhiko Torishima criticized Androids 19 and 20 as villains. When Torishima also disliked the younger duo, Toriyama created Cell. The Red Ribbon Army returned as the main antagonists in the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, with new characters driving its revival. Producer Akio Iyoku explained that bringing back the organization as villains would be interesting because a group with different personal agendas could unite against the heroes, and he hinted at something involving the group's new Android creations.

Members

Commander Red is the supreme leader of the Red Ribbon Army, which is organized like a pyramid structure. His second in command and adjutant is Staff Officer Black, followed by commanding officers such as General Blue, and so on. Doctor Gero, the chief scientist, creates the Red Ribbon Androids and Cell. The organization functions as a military dictatorship where orders from a superior officer are absolute, but each member may act according to their own ambitions.

Goku's struggle with the army begins when he resumes his search for his Grandfather's Dragon Ball after a martial arts tournament. Commander Red directs his forces to raid settlements worldwide for the Dragon Balls, ostensibly for world domination. Goku first defeats Colonel Silver, who is later sentenced to death by Red for losing to a little boy. Though the leadership sees Silver's defeat as an anomaly, Goku becomes a genuine threat after defeating General White's forces at Muscle Tower, which include the android brute Sergeant Metallic, the ninja Sergeant Major Purple and his four identical brothers, and the large extraterrestrial monster Buyon.

Other members include Colonel Yellow, an anthropomorphic tiger; Colonel Violet, the only known female operative; and hired help such as the assassin Mercenary Tao and the anime-exclusive thief Husky. During the Commander Red Saga, Black discovers that Red's motivation for world domination is a ruse; Red, an exceedingly short man, secretly wants to wish himself taller. Black turns on Red and attempts to rename the army the 'Black Ribbon Army', but is killed by Goku after wiping out most remaining forces. Following the army's downfall, Doctor Gero continues his research on Android operatives to seek revenge against Goku.

Reception

Carl Kimlinger of Anime News Network opined that the Red Ribbon Army arc represented Dragon Ball at its peak in tone, balancing the frivolity of early Dragon Ball with the ponderous solemnity of Dragon Ball Z. He found the Red Ribbon Army effective villains, as it was the first time Goku faced 'real bad guys' rather than goofy wannabes like the Pilaf Gang. Kimlinger noted that the complete defeat of the army set the stage for the Android Saga in Dragon Ball Z. D.F. Smith commented that the Red Ribbon Army storyline is indicative of a time before political correctness gained traction in popular media, and that the concept never gained significant traction in Japanese popular culture.

In his view, some of the antiquated writing and character design is less light entertainment and more a throwback '80s cultural artifact; he formed the view that while the series never loses its anthropological or historical interest, storylines like the Red Ribbon Army arc may be challenging for viewers to enjoy straight. Individual members have received varied receptions. Uonuma Usui from Nobuhiro Watsuki's Rurouni Kenshin manga is modeled after Mercenary Tao; Watsuki stated that Tao made a strong impression as the first villain to defeat Goku.

Craig Elvy from Screen Rant said Android 8 is a minor but important influence on Goku's character development, linking their interactions to Goku's merciful attitude as an adult. Android 16 is considered the franchise's best villain by Brandon Zachary, who described the character as a tragic figure bringing a somber side to the Dragon Ball universe. In a 2004 poll, Japanese fans voted Androids 17 and 18 as the 18th and 10th most popular characters respectively.

Sheldon Pearce from Complex found both 17 and 18 interesting and gave them high rankings. The fight between 17 and Piccolo is considered one of the greatest in Dragon Ball Z by David Dennis Jr. from Uproxx.