Cell May Be Strong, But Dragon Ball Z's Best Android Is the One You'd Least Expect
Cell is undoubtedly the android that comes to mind whenever fans try to identify which of Dr. Gero's creations were the best in Dragon Ball Z. Cell is clearly the strongest and was definitely the latest to gain the most recognition, as seen in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. By comparison, Androids 17 and 18 would only get close to Cell popularity-wise after DBZ, with 17's role during the Tournament of Power and 18's emotional battle against her brother in GT's underrated Super 17 Saga. Since 19 and 20 aren't really worth mentioning, the best is clearly Android 16.
Part of Android 16's obvious appeal is how he becomes a tragic hero, whose tragedy is exemplified by Android 16's eventual death. By comparison, Android 17 may have also seemingly died in DBZ, before GT and later Super retconned this by bringing him back. But even when fans still thought 17 was dead, 17 didn't have enough time when he was still alive to truly switch over from a villain to a hero like 16 did. 17 was only "humanized" when the Z Fighters tried to protect him from Cell, but this just happened because they shared a common enemy.
Android 16's Personality Is Unlike Most Villains in Dragon Ball Z
Although Somewhat Similar to Androids 17 and 18, 16 Is Still Different From Them in One Key Way
Although some see 16 not being alive today as a Dragon Ball plot hole, 16 was also innovative because he was unlike most DBZ villains. He was quiet and aloof, while every single antagonist before him was very loud, obnoxious, and had an insatiable desire for bloodletting. Of course, 17 and 18's personalities also similarly deviated from how other villains acted, since they were calm, too. However, 17 and 18 did share one common trait that was also prevalent in DBZ's other villainous characters — they were full of themselves and enjoyed proving their strength against weaker enemies.
Goku vs Guns: Dragon Ball Daima Finally Settles a Popular (and Surprising) Debate
Dragon Ball Daima episode #15 just broke with a tradition that has been prominent in Dragon Ball by having guns play a major role.
16 possessed none of these traits. He only "came alive" whenever Goku was mentioned, though even then, he was still pretty reserved. Then, when 16 actually fought, he didn't brag about his powers. He may have suggested to Cell that he should stand down at the start of their first fight and later chuckled when Cell realized that stabbing him in the neck would not immobilize him, but that was the extent of 16's "boasting." This easily made him stand out from every other villain at the time and still to this day.
Android 16 Is DBZ's Version of a Popular and Ubiquitous Trope
16 Also Deconstructs It
In addition to 16's status as a tragic fallen hero and not sharing key characteristics with other DBZ villains, there's a more subtly nuanced aspect of 16 that separates him from Gero's other creations. Essentially, 16 recontextualizes a common trope wherea machine possesses more humanity than an actual human. Part of this appeal is augmented by how well he complements or contrasts against Gero's other androids. When making this connection, it's ironic that 16 treasures life more than 17 and 18 even though he's 100% made from synthetic technology, while 17 and 18 have human bases.
Despite a Super Saiyan 3 Surprise, Dragon Ball Still Can't Help But Disrespect Vegeta
Dragon Ball Daima episode #15 did Vegeta dirty for no reason especially after he finally caught up with Goku by achieving Super Saiyan 3.
One would naturally assume that a machine with no organic parts would have difficulty appreciating life, or, at least, feel less than a living machine would. But that's obviously not the case. Another interpretation is that 17 and 18's lack of appreciation for life when compared to 16 serves as a metaphor for mankind's inherent disregard for life in general since 17 and 18 began as humans themselves. In other words, the more human-based characters are more destructive than the machine.
Dragon Ball Z's Creator Later Undermined One Aspect of Android 16 That Made Him Special
Who is Gevo?
Even without comparing these androids, 16 is essentially DBZ's take on the archetypal nonliving machine that respects living things more than those who are actually alive. Ironically, creator Akira Toriyama would later undermine his own dynamic and remove the "magic" of 16's ability to overcome his programming. He later revealed that Gero specifically programmed 16 to be gentle in the Q&A section of Dragon Ball Full Color Androids Saga volume 3. In other words, 16 didn't naturally develop these feelings.
Dragon Ball Finally Addresses the Franchise's Most Improbable Defeat and the Answer Is Genius
Dragon Ball Daima episode #15's lore-drop concerning the mysterious Evil Third Eye has now changed how fans interpreted a controversial DBZ battle.
Of course, Toriyama's explanation as to why Dr. Gero would program 16 to be gentle makes 16 and even Gero more compelling in a different way. Gero apparently modeled 16 after his real son Gevo who was killed. Gero therefore programmed 16 to be non-aggressive to reduce the risk of him being destroyed. Although this makes little sense, since 16's main purpose was to kill Goku, this explanation paints 16 in a more bittersweet light, sincehe represents a murdered son.
However, only taking into account what fans knew about 16 within the confines of the original Dragon Ball Z story, Android 16 is better than Gero's other androids because of him being a fallen tragic hero. Personality-wise, this is unlike any other DBZ villain, and Android 16's contributions to and deconstruction of a ubiquitous trope have served as a defining aspect of any form of fiction that uses it, even outside of anime.
