Cell/Biography

Biography

Background

Cell's genetic makeup

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 time machine, Cell had to revert to an egg, (or in the dub, his larval state).

Once he arrived in the past, Cell burrowed underground where he would remain for four years until he could grow back to his adult, humanoid self. Once this metamorphosis was completed, Cell emerged from the ground and molted his skin. Even though he had evolved into his mature, Imperfect form, Cell still feared that he did not have the power he needed to forcibly absorb the Androids. To increase his strength, his first actions were to exterminate several towns, absorbing the human inhabitants within.

Unbeknownst to Cell, Kami had witnessed his arrival into the present and grew to fear that he would become an even greater threat to the Earth than the Androids.

After the Z Fighters were defeated by the Androids and decided to evacuate a sick Goku, Bulma tells Future Trunks that she received evidence of a second Time Machine in a forest by Gingertown. When she, Trunks, and Gohan go to investigate, they find Cell's abandoned Time Machine and his leftover egg and molted skin.

Dragon Ball Z

Cell Saga

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

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

Imperfect Cell meets Piccolo

After completing his feeding on the humans in Gingertown, Cell is confronted by Piccolo. Piccolo calls Cell a freak of nature, but Cell's ki shocks him. The Richest man in Gingertown, being held by Cell, begs Piccolo for help, offering him whatever he wants. Piccolo tells Cell to let the man go, and that life has value, even a worthless one like that man's. Cell seemingly complies by dropping the man, who starts to crawl towards Piccolo. Cell, however, stabs the man in the back with his tail and absorbs him, shocking Piccolo. Cell then looks at Piccolo and tells him that he is next, calling him by name. Piccolo, stunned, asks how Cell knows his name and who he is. Cell then powers up, surprising Piccolo again, and tells Piccolo that he is his brother (although Cell does not know at this point that Piccolo fused with Kami). Piccolo again asks Cell who he is, demanding to be told everything. Cell asks why Piccolo would need to know that while inside of his stomach. Piccolo says that he would prefer to know who his opponent is before killing them, but he will make Cell an exception. Cell scoffs at this. Piccolo tells Cell that he doesn't know how he knows of the name Piccolo, and powers up. He then tells Cell that he unfortunately has the wrong person, which confuses Cell. Piccolo says that it was convenient that Cell killed all of the residents already, as now he does not have to hold back. He then hits Cell with a massive Ki Blast.

Cell vs. Piccolo

After a brief struggle where he easily beats around the creature, Piccolo asks Cell if that was all he has got and says he expected him to be more powerful. Cell says that Piccolo is not a bad fighter, but that he is not yet in his Perfect form. Piccolo asks if that is why he is attacking people, and Cell confirms that he is absorbing human energy to power himself up. Piccolo then angrily demands to know who sent him in the time machine, and Cell reveals that he sent himself, after reverting to his egg form due to the machine's small size. Cell says that he is surprised Piccolo knows about the time machine, but says that he will not know his next move. Cell then begins to charge a Kamehameha, shocking Piccolo when he recognizes the stance. Cell unleashes his blast, and Piccolo is surprised to see that it is indeed a Kamehameha. He manages to dodge, leaping into the air. Cell, however, ambushes Piccolo and grabs him from behind, pinning his arms and legs. Cell says that he has him now, and stabs Piccolo in the arm with his tail. He manages to suck energy from Piccolo's arm before the Namekian headbutts him and escapes. Piccolo's left arm, however, becomes withered and useless. Cell (now mistakenly confident in victory) explains who he is to Piccolo.

Cell about to stab Piccolo with his tail

After hearing the story of his creation and his plan to absorb the Androids, Piccolo reveals that he tricked Cell to give him the information while he took the time he needed to regenerate his arm and allow him to continue fighting. Piccolo tells Cell that even though he gained more energy from his arm, increasing his strength, he is still beyond the Bio-Android's capabilities, and Piccolo prepares to finish this fight quickly. Cell, admiring Piccolo's intellect and tactics, praises the Namekian, surprised himself he had fallen for Piccolo's folly. Piccolo however, states this tactic came from the mind of Kami. From this information, Cell comes to the conclusion that Kami and Piccolo have become one being once again, explaining Piccolo's power, which has kept him slightly above Cell's abilities. Cell, however, also concludes that due to this fusion the Dragon Balls have now become stone and unusable, thus, nobody can be revived from the dead, a tactic which works well in Cell's favor. Before Piccolo and Cell can fight again, Future Trunks and Krillin arrive at the scene. Future Trunks' presence in the past surprises Cell, as he deduces this is another timeline's version of him. Krillin asks why can he feel Goku's familiar ki coming from the monster, something Piccolo says he will explain later, after they have successfully destroyed the creature.

Cell uses Solar Flare to escape

Realizing that he is outnumbered, Cell decides to retreat and absorb more victims, and then finally absorb Androids 17 and 18. Piccolo calls Cell's idea a joke, remembering the mediocre Kamehameha Cell had fired before, something Piccolo states was a sign of Cell's limit of power, and thus, has no chance of escaping from Piccolo's much increased speed. Krillin also becomes shocked that Cell can use the legendary Kamehameha wave. Cell replies to Krillin by stating that not only can he use the Kamehameha, he knows all of Goku's techniques, including the Spirit Bomb. Shocked that Cell knows his name, Krillin thinks that Goku will be even more shocked than he is when he is informed of this. With this, Cell deduces that Goku has not died of his heart disease and is still alive, which makes him excited at the thought of fighting him. Cell, now with a full plan of escape, shouts that he will absorb Androids 17 and 18 and achieve his perfect form, stating that Piccolo must get stronger if he wants any chance of stopping him. Cell, now done with his threat, raises his hands and performs a Solar Flare, blinding his foes with a blast of bright light, making his escape and suppresses his energy to prevent them from finding him.

Cell halts a bus

As Cell runs through a woodland area, he chuckles at his own getaway, admiring his opponents stupidity. Cell now states that he must avoid the Dragon Team until he has absorbed enough energy from humans to increase his power higher than Piccolo and the Androids, and then, he will have an easy time absorbing them. Cell's only fear is the Shut Down Remote, which his enemies can use to deactivate the androids and then easily destroy them. However, Cell remembers that Piccolo said Gero's laboratory was destroyed, so the remote was most likely destroyed with it as well. Cell remembers another city nearby and prepares to have his next meal. Cell, however, notices Vegeta flying nearby, and makes sure to hide behind a tall tree trunk. Surprised Vegeta has not suffered his fate to the hands of the androids yet and that his power is greater than he had expected, realizing how different the timeline is with all the z-fighters alive, Cell decides to pick up the pace and make sure he absorbs more civilians as quickly as possible. In the anime, as Cell approaches Nicky Town, he encounters a bus full of Battle Ball Team players. Their bus is stopped by Cell as he simply stands in the middle of the road and ponders his next step. As Cell is blocking their route and ignoring the manager honking the horn, the entire Battle Ball team climbs out of the bus and takes him on. After catching a glimpse of Vegeta flying, Cell easily defeats and absorbs them.

Cell attacked by Krillin

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 Dragon Team 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. In the anime, he attacks two people at Basil Airport during his feeding, However, Cell encounters Krillin who rescues them. After a lengthy battle, Cell defeats Krillin and nearly absorbs him, although he is forced to let him live when seeing Piccolo and Tien zeroing in on his location. He escapes and hides from the pursuers by suppressing his power while taunting his foes.

This becomes a continuing factor, as the Z-Fighters obtained an aircraft that would allow them to mask their energy and not alert Cell. However, when Yamcha, Tien, Piccolo, and Krillin arrive in a town, Cell had anticipated their strategy and hid while gloating over his achievements.

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 18 transform to a stronger state, Cell wastes no time and quickly heads toward the area.

Cell confronts the Androids and Piccolo

As expected, he finds Piccolo and Android 17 engaged in battle. The battle ends in a draw, since the androids and Piccolo focus on Cell. Standing on a hill, Cell happily states that this day has been delayed for far too long, but now is the time where he can finally absorb Android 17 and Android 18 and achieve the completion he has desired since his creation. Cell also notices Android 16, gazing emotionlessly towards him. Judging from the Red Ribbon mark on his chest, Cell assumes with confidence that 16 is a fellow creation of Dr. Gero and that he must be a older model than the others, and weak enough to safely ignore. As Cell descends from the higher rocky formation of the island, he begins to charge his ki, which completely decimates the entire rocky mountain area of the island. At this point, his power has far surpassed the weakened Piccolo and Android 17's, and without any precautions, he approaches 17. Piccolo stands frightful and stiff, as Cell simply walks past the astounded Namekian to absorb Android 17 first. Before Cell can proceed with an attack, Piccolo demands to know how many victims Cell has just absorbed. Cell chuckles, and states that they are not victims, but part of something more amazing than anything they will ever achieve in their lifetimes.

Cell nearly kills Piccolo

As the monster prepares to absorb the Android, Piccolo attacks him, freeing Android 17 from his grasp. Cell then watches as Piccolo informs the androids of what he is and what he has planned to do with them. Cell carries on Piccolo's explanation and tells 17 that the power unlocked from the absorption will be beyond comparison, and that Dr. Gero's dreams of creating the ultimate super-being will be fulfilled. 17 denies this, stating that he is Gero's ultimate creation, and he won't join with him. Cell replies that the absorption will be carried out, with or without 17's permission. Android 17 prepares to fight, however, finally speaking, Android 16 orders 17 to retreat because Cell is far beyond both him and Piccolo. 16 explains that if Cell obtains his perfect form, killing Goku won't satisfy him, and he'll destroy the entire universe. Now surprised Android 16 is actually speaking, Android 17 is disappointed that the first thing he speaks about is cowardice. 17 dismisses the warning, thinking that he is much more powerful than Cell could ever be, and attacks. After knocking away Android 17, Cell fights and easily beats the weakened Piccolo, even managing to shrug off the Namekian's Light Grenade. After brutally breaking his neck and blasting a hole through Piccolo's side and tossing him into the sea, Cell is able to attack 17 again.

Cell battles Android 16

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. Cell and Android 16 clash with each other with the Bio Impact and Machine Impact rush attacks respectively, however, Cell catches Android 16 off guard and sticks his stinger right into his neck. Cell laughs and says that he cannot win, before attempting to absorb his bioenergy, however, 16's inorganic nature prevents him from absorbing any energy. 16 smiles and takes the stinger out of his neck, before tossing Cell into the ground by the tail. 16 steps on Cell's tail and literally tears it off of his body. Android 16 says that this will prevent him from absorbing 17 and 18. However, Cell simply regenerates his tail and gloats about the partial Namekian DNA he received from Piccolo. Android 16 realizes that he must destroy Cell completely so he will not achieve his perfect form, and attempts to kick him, only to be knocked back when Cell counters with two punches. 16 then launches his fist at Cell in retaliation and resorts to using arguably his most powerful technique, Hell's Flash, which forces Cell underground and scorches the island.

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 beating 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. 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 away, 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.

Semi-Perfect Cell, shortly after evolving

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 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. Eventually, 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 executes the Triclops, Goku intervenes by teleporting to their location using Instant Transmission, meeting Cell for the first time. Shocked to finally meet Goku, Cell greets him as the Saiyan informs Cell that while he is not strong enough yet, he will fight him in one day and win. Cell laughs at this supposed cowardice, before he is amazed by Goku teleporting him and Tien near the sea. He is shocked to discover Piccolo survived his attack and regenerated, as he realized his careless mistake of not properly killing him. Just when Goku grabs Piccolo and makes plans to leave, Cell who eagerly wants to fight Goku, states that they will not fight another day, but now, and flies towards him. Cell prepares to attack, though Goku uses Instant Transmission again, whisking the unconscious Tien and a barely alive Piccolo back to safety at The 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 destroys hundreds of islands in his search for Android 18

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 him in the original anime (In the manga and Dragon Ball Z Kai, Trunks instead warns Krillin not to attack Cell, who ignores him in his rage). 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 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 would never have been able to reach his Perfect Form were it not for Vegeta's foolishness.

Cell regenerates his body

Android 16 briefly tries to step in and attack Cell from behind, but the Bio-Android hears him and warns him of what will happen if he carries out his attack. 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 Super Saiyan Third Grade 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 or even his original purpose of killing Goku, 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, also relocating beforehand to draw their fire specifically to avoid risking damage to the ring. During the ten days 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 have been 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 with 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 also learns of Goku's Instant Transmission, which is how he was able to warp.

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 directed towards the Earth, with Cell knowing if Goku launched the technique, he would decimate the entire planet and confidently believe he wouldn't fire. However, 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, knowing he's approaching his limit, 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) by this, even more so when Goku, believing that it wouldn't be a fair fight for Gohan to beat Cell while he isn't in full power, decided to give Cell a Senzu Bean. 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 Super Saiyan Full Power, 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.

Cell takes his time torturing the indecisive youth and traps in him in a Bear Hug, while taunting him to make him angry. As it becomes clear Gohan lacks the resolve to stop Cell and is willing to suffer rather than get angry, Goku and Piccolo attempt a futile last-ditch effort by ganging up on Cell. Just then, however, Cell drops Gohan to the ground. Noting that Gohan's own pain seemingly will not get him angry, a frustrated Cell promises to enlist the help of his friends and father instead. As Cell flies off towards the rest of the group, Gohan screams for him to stop. The Bio-Android swiftly swipes the bag of Senzu Beans from a frightened Krillin's hands. He says that the beans are annoying, and flies back to the battlefield. He says that the rest of the Dragon Team are not worth dirtying his own hands on. Gohan asks what he is up to, and Cell says that he will do anything to unlock Gohan's rage. Gohan says that he cannot control it himself, and Cell says that this is why his friends must suffer. As Goku rues not taking a Senzu Bean while he had the chance, Gohan charges at Cell. Cell kicks him into some nearby rubble and yells at him to get mad for real.

Android 16 lunges at Perfect Cell in attempt to self-destruct and kill them both

Finally, Android 16 decides to destroy Perfect Cell and himself with the Self Destruct Device in his body. He sneaks up on Cell and restrains him with a Bear Hug (similar to how Chiaotzu tried to kill Nappa by self-destructing), with the purpose of killing them both. Piccolo notes that his lack of ki let him get in undetected. 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 he kicks away from the battlefield. Cell calls 16 a failed experiment and 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. Looking at the others, Cell says that it is now their turn, and counts that there are seven of them. Using the Namekian's ability to reproduce asexually, Cell 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. As the Dragon Team prepares to fight, Cell says that they cannot win; even though the Cell Juniors are small, they are his children.

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 Juniors 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.

Cell mocks Gohan after killing 16

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). Looking towards Cell with hatred and contempt, Gohan slowly walks towards the confused android, who is astonished by Gohan's growth. Cell's cocky attitude returns though, and exclaims that things are interesting now. Gohan, however, does not attack the android, but instead snatches the bag of Senzu Beans Cell had stolen from Krillin earlier, with Cell not quick enough to react. Gohan's first action is to mercilessly kill off the smaller Cell Juniors, which he defeats in a single hit each, before telling Trunks to give everyone a Senzu Bean.

Gohan delivers a devastating punch to Cell

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, although Gohan was not impressed, bluntly asking him "is that all you've got?" to Cell's initial shock) 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 for Gohan.

Cell's injuries, including severed an 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 a child. He attempts to harm Gohan with several different attacks, first two destructo 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 fear at his inability to defeat Gohan, he flies high into the air, preparing a Kamehameha at full power to destroy the Earth. 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, sending both Kamehameha's 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.

In his anger, making the same mistake Future Trunks made earlier, he begins a Super Saiyan Third Grade-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 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 Saiyan Power 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.

Cell returns to Earth

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, 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 an Energy Clash 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 crybaby 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. However, they keep trying anyway despite this, which inspires the despondent Vegeta to re-enter the fray.

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 left in complete disbelief over his loss and impending death, declaring himself to be the embodiment 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.

Buu Saga

Main articles: Other World Saga and Kid Buu Saga

Cell sent to Hell

In the anime, 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, in the anime, 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, in the manga 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

In the anime, 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.

Universe Survival Saga

Main article: Universe Survival Saga

Mr. Satan's re-enactment

In the manga, Cell appears battling Mr. Satan in a movie "re-creation" of Mr. Satan's battle with him. In one scene of the movie, Perfect Cell notes that Mr. Satan is stronger than him and cannot believe that such a being exists thus the re-creation does accurately portray Cell's arrogant personality even if it is historically inaccurate. Additionally Android 17 admits to Goku that he recognizes Goku by his voice which he heard from the time when he was still part of Cell's body as Android 17 never got the chance to meet Goku face to face.

In "Bonus Story 3", it is revealed that like their father, the Cell Juniors regenerated and weren't slain by Gohan as previously believed. However, Android 17 found and managed to tame them. As the Cell Juniors are effectively an endangered species of artificial lifeform due to their progenitor Cell's death, Android 17 allows them to live on Monster Island, with the Cell Juniors having become reformed as they protect the island from anyone they do not perceive to be a Ranger, as shown when they briefly attack Goten and Trunks, before noticing their Ranger Uniforms causing them to recognize the two as allies. Thus while Cell himself may be dead, he survived through the children he created during the Cell Games.

Super Hero Saga

Main article: Super Hero Saga Dr. Hedo uses Gero's notes on Cell in order to develop a far stronger version of the Bio-Android: Cell Max.

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.

Super Dragon Ball Heroes

Prison Planet Saga

Main article: Prison Planet Saga In the manga and game, Cell is one of the Ghost Warriors summoned by Hatchiyack, he battles Cooler alongside Bojack in the manga, forcing him to turn into Golden Cooler. In the game he fights Future Trunks.

New Space-Time War Saga

Main article: New Space-Time War Saga Cell is freed from his prison by the former Demon God Shroom.

Cell returns

Cell first appears after the Crimson-Masked Saiyan has ravaged the Pseudo Universe's Planet Vegeta and Goku cannot use Instant Transmission to save himself, Vegeta, Cumber and Hearts. The bio-android saves them by using his own Instant Transmission to transport them to Earth. When Vegeta asks why he is there alongside them, Shroom appears to tell everyone that he is there to assist in the takedown of the Crimson-Masked Saiyan. However, in his mind, Cell knows full well that he will not simply return to Hell so easily after being there for so long. Unbeknownst to Cell, Hearts reads his mind, though decides to keep his intentions between the two of them a secret for now.

Supreme Kai of Time Saga

Main article: Supreme Kai of Time Saga In the manga, Cell is the sole Super Evil Warrior that intrudes in the Super Space-Time Tournament during Round 2. He watches Vegeta and Turles battle each other on Planet Vegeta and believes the tournament will be a great opportunity to test the strength that he has accumulated since he had escaped Hell's clutches. He goes on to be empowered by Demigra and attacks Super Saiyan God Xeno Trunks, overpowering him, however with the timely arrival of the Future Warrior in Black, Cell's energy attack is blown back by their combined energy wave and he is destroyed.

Cell empowered by Demigra

The Cell that appeared in the Pseudo Universe (indicated by his halo) mysteriously stumbles into the area where Xeno Trunks and the Future Warrior in Black had battled, watching as Dark King Demigra summons Full Power Bojack, Super Android 13 and Lord Slug to confront the half-Saiyan duo and wreak havoc. When Demigra speaks into the mind of the evil combatants, enveloping them in evil energy, Cell also ends up being empowered and prepares to join the group of villains in their attack. After Cell joins the antagonistic group, they appear to outmatch the Saiyan hybrid pair and fire a blast in unison in order to finish Xeno Trunks off though the Future Warrior in Black appears to save him and the two decide to fight together against the evil threat.

Demon Invader Saga

Main article: Demon Invader Saga In one particular Space-Time, Cell is absorbed by Majin Ozotto.

Film Appearances

Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan Cell was given an indirect mention in the Japanese version of the film, where it was mentioned that the events of the film occurred during the ten days wait to the Cell Games.

Bojack Unbound

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound Although Cell does not appear in the film, his use of Unforgivable! was mentioned due to it as well as the resulting death of Goku and King Kai caused Bojack and his Galaxy Soldiers to break free from imprisonment.

Battle of Gods

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods Cell appears in the prologue that recaps his battle between the Z Fighters and his ultimate defeat and destruction by Goku and Gohan's Father-Son Kamehameha.

Broly

Main article: Dragon Ball Super: Broly When Goku mentions to Broly how a lot has happened on Earth, Cell makes a sequence of cameo appearances in flashbacks showing him in his Imperfect, Semi-Perfect, and Perfect Cell forms.

Super Hero

Main article: Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Cell appears in the initial flashback sequence detailing the Red Ribbon Army's history.

In the present day, Dr. Hedo uses Gero's notes on Cell in order to develop a far stronger version of the Bio-Android: Cell Max.

Other Dragon Ball Stories

Atsumare! Gokū Wārudo

Main article: Dragon Ball Z: Atsumare! Gokū Wārudo Cell absorbs people in West City, increasing his strength above Android 17 and Android 18. He punches Android 17 in the chest before absorbing him, and then quickly absorbs the surprised Android 18, achieving his perfect form. He confronts Goku, Gohan, Krillin and Future Trunks as they travel to investigate West City, introducing himself to them and proclaiming that he will avenge the Red Ribbon Army by defeating Goku. Leaping into the air, Cell charges at the Z Fighters, and holds his own against them. After Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan, Cell starts getting overwhelmed, and so he divides himself into four. Goku picks the real Cell and punches him in the face, sending him flying backward. Cell flees to build up his strength, swearing vengeance upon Goku.

Dragon Ball Online

Main article: Dragon Ball Online 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.

Xenoverse

Main article: Dragon Ball Xenoverse During the opening Prologue, Super Saiyan Full Power Goku faces Cell during the Cell Games and manages to knock him down before Cell recovers and is overcome by Dark Energy. Chronoa tells her attendant Future Trunks history is changing. During the animated opening, empowered by the Dark Energy, Dark Cell confronts Super Saiyan Gohan in Age 767 while Super Saiyan Goku faces Dark Frieza in Age 762 and Super Saiyan 2 Vegeta faces Dark Kid Buu in Age 774. These alterations cause Future Trunks to use Toki Toki City's Dragon Balls in Age 850 to summon Xeno Shenron to wish for a warrior capable of defending history to be summoned.

Dark Cell and Dark Cell Juniors' Father-Son Perfect Kamehameha

During the Cell Games in an altered timeline of Age 767, where Mr. Satan is empowered by Dark Magic and controlled by Mira which grants him Flight and advanced ki manipulation abilities. Cell and the Cell Juniors are also empowered, defeating the Z Fighters with Dark Mr. Satan's assistance which prevents him from aiding Android 16. As a result, Super Saiyan Gohan is powerless and killed by Dark Cell and two Dark Cell Junior's Father-Son Perfect Kamehameha. Seeking to correct this altered history Future Trunks and Chronoa of the Time Patrol send the Future Warrior to Age 767 to fix these alterations before they occur.

Dark Cell about to kill Mr. Satan while empowered by 1st Stage Villainous Mode

The Future Warrior arrives just in time to kick Mr. Satan out of the way to prevent Dark Cell from killing him while under the influence of first stage Villainous Mode. After returning to normal (as the first stage is temporary), Cell smiles upon seeing the Future Warrior indicating he senses their strength is formidable enough to entertain him. Mr. Satan however is angry at them for stealing his spotlight and inadvertently ringing him out as that rule was effectively still in play though Mr. Satan ignores it and Cell makes no objections to Mr. Satan entering the ring despite technically having been eliminated though this is presumably due to Mr. Satan being insignificant in Cell's eyes. The Future Warrior fights Cell while protecting Mr. Satan. However eventually Cell knocks Mr. Satan into a mountain like in the original history. The Future Warrior goes to check on him to ensure Mr. Satan's survival and Future Trunks confirms he is still alive as Goku steps up to fight Cell thus history is back on course. Unfortunately, Mr. Satan is taken over by Mira through Towa's Dark Magic sending Mira's energy into him. Dark Mr. Satan angered by the Future Warrior's interference powers up and flies using his ki forcing the Future Warrior to confront Dark Mr. Satan to keep him from interfering in Goku and Cell's match. The Future Warrior manages to defeat Dark Mr. Satan as Cell destroys the ring to declare the entire Earth as the arena to eliminate victory by ring out. However Dark Mr. Satan revives and continues fighting against his will despite his body being in tremendous pain from his injuries. The Future Warrior manages to subdue Mr. Satan freeing him from Mira's control while Goku forfeits and announces Gohan as his replacement.

Dark Cell gives birth to the Dark Cell Juniors

Dark Cell creates the Dark Cell Juniors who are more numerous than the original history. The Future Warrior joins in taking them down. Meanwhile Towa uses her magic on Gohan forcefully triggering his Super Saiyan 2 transformation with Villainous Mode. This turns Gohan into Dark SSJ2 Gohan who fights against Dark Cell. However, as a result Future Trunks manages to find Towa's location and tells them to join him there once the Dark Cell Juniors are dealt with. Future Trunks joins the fight against Mira which is allowed as Mira originates from another time. However, Mira toys with them while Towa takes the opportunity to undo Gohan forced transformation leaving him weakened just as Dark Cell returns following his self-destruction. Towa and Mira leave, and Future Trunks returns to the Time Nest as he cannot intervene in his own history (as his past self is present in the main timeline albeit deceased at the moment). The Future Warrior and Gohan manage to work together to weaken Dark Cell allowing Gohan with spiritual assistance from Goku to finish Cell off with the Father-Son Kamehameha correcting the timeline. Afterwards Chronoa puts the scroll back together causing the alterations to disappear restoring the proper timeline.

Demon God Demigra Saga

Main article: Demon God Demigra Saga

Dark Frieza, Dark Cell, and Dark Kid Buu after being revived by Demigra's Mirage in Age 778

However, after failing to control Beerus in Age 778, Cell is later revived by Demigra's Mirage in Age 778 using the Dragon Balls and possessed by Demigra giving him the third stage Villainous Mode transformation along with Frieza and Kid Buu who are also revived. Chronoa uses Toki Toki City's Dragon Balls to summon Xeno Shenron to inform Goku about the threat of Demigra and the three revived villains. Goku and the Future Warrior defeat Dark Cell, Dark Frieza, and Dark Kid Buu as well as free a possessed Vegeta, Gohan, and Gotenks. However, these alterations are enough to free Demigra from the Crack of Time allowing him to attack Toki Toki City and absorb Tokitoki only to be defeated by Super Saiyan 3 Goku and the Future Warrior.

Xenoverse 2

Main article: Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2

Time Patrol Recruitment Video

Cell first appears in his Imperfect form during the opening of the animated Time Patrol recruitment video as an example of the risks of altering history and why the Time Patrol is forbidden to alter history the way Future Trunks did before he became a Time Patroller.

Android Warfare Saga

An altered timeline of Age 767 is shown where Imperfect Cell empowered by the first stage Supervillain power up has already defeated Android 16 and Piccolo. Android 17 tries to fight him by Cell blinds him with a Solar Flare before hitting him with his tail knocking him in Android 18, allowing Cell to absorb both siblings while they are unconscious at the same time, bypassing his Semi-Perfect form entirely and into his Perfect form. Future Trunks is stunned and is forced to explain how Cell originally absorbed the Androids separately and surmises that now that he has achieved his perfect form the Cell Games might never occur. Chronoa asks if this means Krillin and 18 wouldn't get married, though Future Trunks is unsure if it would be affected though Chronoa insists that it is before asking Trunks to oversee the mission claiming that while he's no good at romance stuff he is good at punching things, though Future Trunks asks her to lay off that for a while, while Elder Kai sends the Future Warrior to Age 767 to correct the history change. The warrior arrives just as Piccolo is about to fight Android 17 who is also empowered by Towa with the first stage Supervillain power-up which Future Trunks notes will make Cell even stronger and orders them to dispel the enchantment before Cell arrives. 18 wonders who the warrior is as people just don't appear out of thin air though Android 16 can find no relevant matches before commenting on the warrior's race.

Imperfect Cell appearing after Android 17 is freed from Towa's Dark Magic

They manage to remove the enchantment just as Cell arrives and defeats Piccolo. Android 16 steps up to confront Cell though due to his power-up his power is now greater than 16's instead of being equal. The warrior is tasked with assisting 16 to ensure he is not destroyed as he will play an important role in the Cell Games. Eventually 17 demands Cell show himself only for Cell to appear behind and absorb him causing the mission to be a success, though Elder Kai notes that Cell’s success doesn't make it a happy ending though Chronoa states that its a part of the original history so they can't change it and things do eventually work themselves out in the end.

As a result, the Cell Games occur as they are supposed to unfortunately Elder Kai and Chronoa discover Mira plans to join the Cell Games which would definitely alter history, forcing them to send both Future Trunks and the Future Warrior to confront and prevent him from interfering with the historical tournament. Meanwhile Cell fights Goku during their Cell Games match as the Warrior and Future Trunks fight Mira. Though they manage to stop Mira, it is revealed that Mira was just playing the role of decoy in order for Towa to enact some unknown scheme. Future Trunks returns to the Time Nest due to his past self's presence in the main timeline leaving it up to the warrior to foil the Time Breakers plans and ensure the tournament plays out like it's supposed to. While the warrior helps fight against the Cell Juniors, Mr. Satan finds Android 16's head and throws him next to Gohan allowing the Android to speak his final words like in the original history resulting in Gohan Super Saiyan 2 transformation. Unfortunately, a wormhole opens connecting the main timeline to New Namek in Age 767 of The Return of Cooler timeline allowing several Meta-Coolers to travel to the main timeline. Meta-Cooler asks to join in taking part in the Cell Games which Cell allows, forcing the warrior to deal with the Meta-Coolers while Chronoa sends Future Trunks to New Namek to stop the Meta-Coolers by attacking their source, the Big Gete Star. The warrior defeats the Meta-Coolers and travels through the wormhole to aid Future Trunks, leaving Gohan to fight Perfect Cell alone. Working together the warrior fights the Meta-Coolers while Future Trunks manages to reprogram the Big Gete Star to self-destruct killing the Meta-Cooler Core which causes a chain reaction that destroys the remaining Meta-Coolers and Future Trunks destroys the wormhole with a couple ki blasts.

Gohan's Father-Son Kamehameha against Cell after history is corrected

Returning to the Cell Games in Age 767 in the main timeline, the warrior finds that Cell has revived after his self-destruction and Gohan prepares to defeat the Android for good but Super Perfect Cell is empowered with the first stage Supervillain power-up. Together the warrior and Gohan manage to weaken Cell enough for Gohan to finish him off with the Father-Son Kamehameha, restoring the timeline.

Dragon Ball Fusions

Perfect Cell first appears in the Timespace Rift in Story Event: "Power Detected!". Ziku detects the power of Goku and Piccolo causing Tekka's Team to decide to seek them out for training. Unfortunately, after Tekka opens the time hole the energy is coming from with Burst Ki, Ziku detects the energy of Vegeta, Frieza, and King Cold causing Kid Goku to tell everyone to run. As it turns out, Ziku was actually detecting Cell's energy and Perfect Cell emerges from the time hole charging a Kamehameha, which he immediately fires at Tekka's Team who are unable to flee in time. However, fortunately, Super Saiyan Adult Goku uses Instant Kamehameha to appear in front of them and counters Cell's Kamehameha with energy wave of his Instant Kamehameha. Goku says he sees Cell is still wreaking havoc, only for Cell to reveal he only attacked Tekka's Team to lure Goku out so he could take care of his unfinished business with Goku. However, Goku tells Cell that he would like to bring in some new blood to fight Cell. Cell wonders who that may be as he notes that Gohan is not present. Goku points to Tekka's Team as the new blood he was speaking of, though Cell dismisses them as puny brats. Goku agrees that while they may not be able to defeat Cell currently, he believes that he can make them strong enough to beat Cell if he is allowed to train them. Cell agrees to allow Goku to train them as he is interested in Goku's suggestion that they would give him a good fight. Goku also asks that Cell refrains from causing trouble until their training is complete while thinking to himself that if Cell where to start throwing his weight around, he might cause a certain someone to appear. However, Cell agrees as he is interested in seeing the despair on Goku's face when they fail.

Goku then spars with Tekka's Team using his base, Super Saiyan, and Super Saiyan Blue forms. After they finish sparring it is revealed by Goku that he was teaching them as to lay the foundation for teaching them the EX-Fusion technique. With the assistance of Bulma (communicating through Ziku), they explain it is a new type of fusion that uses Metamo-Rings and the Fusion Dance. After Tekka successfully performs one EX-Fusion with a member of their time before their training is complete and they return with Adult Goku to confront Cell in Story Event: "Beat Cell at Cell Games Arena!". Cell wonders who he will take on first, however Goku tells him to wait as he calls out to the other Cells nearby. Soon multiple Cells appear, and Cell reveals that it was a simple matter of opening a timespace hole and invite more copies of himself from other dimensions, in order to fill Goku and Tekka's Team with fear of facing an army of Perfect Cells. As Tekka's Team prepares to face the Cells, Goku transforms into his Super Saiyan form once more. Sensing Vegeta nearby, he asks him to take care of a few of the as well, however SSJ Vegeta appears angry at Goku for ordering him around, before ordering his new student Pinich to take care of one of Cells. Pinich tells his rival Tekka to not let him down. As a result, Tekka's Team faces off against five Cells. However, despite his best efforts and having an army of Cells, Perfect Cell and his counterparts are defeated. Cell expresses rage at Goku for once again defeating him and uses Instant Transmission to escape, causing Goku to wonder who's ki Cell locked onto to get away. Cell later joins forces with Frieza in an attempt to take revenge on Goku during the Timespace Tournament.

Cell appears alongside Frieza, Paprika and Wanta as members of Pinich's team to participate in the Timespace Tournament, taking on Tekka's team, though they are soon backed into a corner. He and Frieza urge Pinich to use Ultra Fusion to fight Tekka's team, goading him with the thought of disappointing Tekka if he refuses to do so. Giving in, Pinich performs an Ultra Fusion, becoming Ultra Pinich - though the sheer influence of Cell and Frieza combined override Pinich's control as the initiator of the Ultra Fusion, and Wanta and Paprika's influences disappear as well.

Ultra Pinich uses a dark Spirit Bomb-esque attack to wipe out everyone within the Time Rift, though Beerus and Whis arrive afterwards. Whis rewinds time and Beerus casually flicks away Ultra Pinich's attack, then threatens to kill Ultra Pinich (and Cell by effect) with a Sphere of Destruction. Goku deflects Beerus' blast and tells Tekka's team to go after Ultra Pinich while he and Vegeta hold Beerus off.

In a new area of the Timespace Rift (a demolished Kami's Lookout with fragments of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, dying planets, and meteorites being consumed by a massive black hole), Tekka and his team take on Ultra Pinich (who summons endless Cells and Friezas to assist him). Though the heroes manage to deal considerable damage to him, Ultra Pinich uses Piccolo's regeneration abilities through Cell to recover from the damage dealt to him. He fires a Power Ball skywards to use his Golden Great Ape form to attack Tekka's team, though the primal instinct brings Pinich back to his senses and allows him to take over the fusion from Cell and Frieza's grasp.

After Ultra Pinich is defeated and defuses, Pinich, Cell and Frieza are sucked into the black hole, with Tekka dashing in after them. Furious at their defeat, Cell and Frieza resort to using their EX Fusion Celluza, who vows to obliterate the pair. Tekka and Pinich use EX Fusion in response, and thrash Celluza until their power increases to an amazing 3000%. With one last explosive True Rolling Attack Pinich Punch, Tekka and Pinich's EX Fusion blows a hole through Celluza (similar to Goku's Penetrate! against King Piccolo), killing him (and Cell and Frieza by effect).

However post-game, Tekka's team runs into versions of Cell and Frieza from alternate timelines, Tekka's Team to take them on separately in separate Sub-Events.

The Breakers

Main article: Dragon Ball: The Breakers

Prologue

Perfect Cell is revealed to be a Raider within the Temporal Seam that Future Trunks is currently investigating and notices the Survivors. He uses a Solar Kamehameha to destroy the area where the Super Time Machine's key is located, though fortunately Future Trunks and the Survivor escape to another nearby area. When the Survivors activate the Super Time Machine, Cell detects it, but is confronted by Future Trunks and accepts his challenge. However, Super Time Machine fixes the Temporal Seam causing Cell to be erased along with it.

Unfortunately, when the Survivor activates a key in another area, Cell returns again having been brought into this Temporal Seam as well. He then battles the Survivor who utilizes a Transphere to use Goku's abilities until it reaches the time limit. Cell then destroys the Startup System, but the Survivors manage to escape with Future Trunks' help.