Android 18

Android 18 (Japanese: 人造人間18号, Hepburn: Jinzōningen Jū Hachi Gō, lit. "Artificial Human #18") is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. She and her brother, Android 17, were forcibly turned into cyborgs by Dr. Gero to serve his vendetta against Son Goku. The present-timeline version of the character has very little to no interest in fulfilling Gero's orders and becomes a supporting character in the series. In the alternate-timeline, Android 18 is a ruthless killer that has a reign of terror along with Android 17 over Earth that last for twenty years until they are destroyed by Trunks.

Creation and design

Android #18, along with Android #17, were conceived after Akira Toriyama's former editor Kazuhiko Torishima expressed disapproval with Androids #19 and #20 as villains. Following their introduction into the series, Torishima soon afterward became dissatisfied with her and #17 as well, resulting in the creation of Cell.^[1][2] Toriyama stated that he was pleased with Android #18 because she was a type of girl he had not drawn before, and that he liked her slanted eyes.^[3] In 2014, he revealed her real name was Lazuli (ラズリ, Razuri).^[4]

Yūsuke Watanabe, who wrote the screenplay for the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, had originally written the film to take place at Android #18 and Kuririn's wedding, but Akira Toriyama wrote it to take place at Bulma's birthday party. Watanabe thought Toriyama made the change because he wanted fans to imagine the wedding for themselves.^[5] In promotional material for Battle of Gods, Toriyama drew her with purple hair.^[6][7]

Android #18 is introduced wearing a denim jacket and skirt, dark blue leggings, brown boots and a black shirt with white and black sleeves.^[8] After arriving at Goku's home, she gains a new outfit from going through his wife Chi-Chi's closet; a white short sleeve shirt underneath a black vest, a pair of blue jeans, black gloves with a ring on the left arm and black flats with orange socks.^[9] In Battle of Gods, her clothing changes again; she wears a black shirt with purple sleeves, blue jeans, a pearl necklace with a thunder pendant embedded on it and black flats with white socks. Her attire remains mostly unchanged for the sequel Resurrection 'F' apart from her no longer wearing the necklace and wearing blue boots.

Appearances

In the main timeline, Android 18 is activated by Dr. Gero along with Android 17 after he returns to his laboratory following his unsuccessful attempt to defeat Goku's allies. After Gero is killed by Android 17, Android 18 activates Android 16 and the three begin their quest to find and kill Goku. When they encounter Vegeta, Android 18 decides to fight him and easily bests him in battle, receiving only damages to her clothing. When Trunks, Tenshinhan and Piccolo become involved, she and Android 17 easily defeat the trio. Before leaving to continue her quest, she kisses Kuririn on the cheek. The androids go to Goku's home and do not discover him there, leading them to journey to Kame-Sennin's house, but they do not find him there either due to his having departed not long before. 18 watches Android 17's battle against Piccolo until Cell arrives, revealing his intent to absorb the pair. Piccolo is dispatched by Cell and Android 17 is absorbed, but Android 18 and 16 are given time to escape thanks to Tenshinhan holding Cell back. She and Android 16 hide on an island after this, where she refuses to leave his side and watches Vegeta's fight against Cell before Kuririn approaches her with a remote to turn her off. He destroys it, realizing his love for her, and Android 18 is soon afterwards absorbed by Cell, allowing him to reach his final form. However, a strong blow from Son Gohan causes him to regurgitate her. After Gohan defeats Cell, she is healed and declines Kuririn's advances for the time-being, despite him using the Dragon Balls to have her self-destruct device removed.

Seven years later, she has married Kuririn and has a daughter with him named Marron (マーロン, Māron). She convinces Kuririn to participate in the 25th Tenka'ichi Budōkai for the money along with her. She manages to make it to the final match against Mr. Satan, but throws the fight after she secretly arranged to have the prize money shared with him so as not to ruin his reputation. After Majin Boo is released, #18 joins the other at Dende's taking refuge. After Boo finds them and escapes the Room of Spirit and Time, leaving Gotenks and Piccolo inside, #18 is killed when she is turned into chocolate and eaten by him. She is later brought back to life and gives energy to Goku's Genki-dama.

In the alternate-timeline, Android 18 and 17 are murderers. They kill Gohan and then nearly kill Trunks three years later when he confronts the pair during one of their killing sprees. When Trunks returns from the past, she is killed by him.

Voice actors

In the Japanese version of the entire Dragon Ball anime series and subsequent related media, Android 18 is voiced by Miki Itō.

Android 18 is voiced by Enuka Okuma in the Westwood Media English dub of Dragon Ball Z and by Jennifer Bain in the Blue Water English dub of Dragon Ball GT. Android 18 is voiced by Meredith McCoy in the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT except for several video games since 2006 and Dragon Ball Z Kai, where she is voiced by Colleen Clinkenbeard. For an alternate English dub of the second TV special The History of Trunks produced by the AB Groupe in France for various European markets, Android 18 was voiced by Sharon Mann.^[10]

Abilities

Lazuli, after being made into an android, possesses superhuman strength, durability, speed and reflexes.^[11] She also has the ability to fly.^[12] Thanks to her conversion into an android, she has immortality. With Android 17, she performs the Accel Dance (アクセルダンス, Akuseru Dansu), a move where the two androids relentlessly beat an opponent before knocking them to the ground and following it up with firing their Photon Strike (フォトンストライク, Foton Sutorīku, renamed "Sadistic Dance" in the English anime dub).^[13] She is capable of using the Power Blitz (パワーブリッツ, Pawā Burittsu), a sphere energy wave she fires after drawing back her hand.^[14] Android 18 after the defeat of Cell gains the ability to use the Kienzan (気円斬, lit. "Energy Disc Razor", renamed "Destructo Disc" in the English anime dub), an attack where she creates an electric floating disc by putting her hand in the air, it is also one of Kuririn's main techniques.

Appearances in other media

In the anime-only sequel, Dragon Ball GT, Android #18 falls under Baby's control when the latter takes over Earth. Later she is nearly possessed by Android #17 to merge with him,^[15] but is helped out of his control by Kuririn, who is then killed. Android #18 tries to fight him, but is defeated and left for dead.^[16] Android #18 comes to Goku's aid when he is fighting Super 17, the combination of #Android 17 and Hell Fighter 17. It is through her intervention that Goku is able to defeat him.^[17]

Android 18 appears in the 2015 Dragon Ball Super anime.

In Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly, Android #18 tries to retrieve money from Mr. Satan that he owed her from their deal that she would lose the tournament so she would not publicly upstage him. She fights against Bio-Broly along with Kuririn, Goten and Trunks and saves civilians from being killed by him.

In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Android 18 is present at Bulma's birthday party. After Beerus begins attacking following being enraged by Boo taking his pudding, Android 18 tries to fight him, but is defeated with a single strike to the neck by Beerus.

She has a small role in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', where she shaves Kuririn's head before he goes off to fight Freeza.

Her first appearance in a Dragon Ball game was Dragon Ball Z III: Ressen Jinzōningen.

In Dragon Ball: Xenoverse, the alternate-timeline version of Android 18 appears in the game's story, killing Trunks in an altered version of that reality caused by in-game villain Towa. When the player comes to that time, she fight him and Trunks alongside Android 17, but the pair are defeated and forced to retreat, being absorbed by Cell after this. The mainstream timeline version of the character appears as a mentor for the player, teaching them her moves. It is revealed by Android 18 that she only agreed to train the player since she was financially compensated by Kaioshin of Time.

Reception

In a review of the eight season of Dragon Ball Z, Anime News Network praised Android 18 for being cunning.^[18] Chris Homer of The Fandom Post felt Android 18's "getting in the spotlight" was one of the decent moments in the Super 17 storyline.^[19]

David F. Smith of IGN believed the subplot of the relationship between Android 18 and Kuririn helped to keep the Cell arc "a little more interesting".^[20] Smith ranked the development of the relationship #6 on his list "Dragon Ball Z: Top 10 Plot Twists".^[21]

Android 18's role in the franchise past the Cell storyline has been met with mixed reception. Android 18 was ranked #4 on Santiago Rashad's list "Top Ten Misused Dragon Ball Characters". Acknowledging her as probably "the most popular female in the franchise outside of Bulma", Rashad wrote that the "lack of her presence in many situations draws cries of sexism inherit in the show, but more than that, it shows how biased towards the Saiyans Toriyama was at that point." Rashad felt her "entire life as a fighter" was ended by her relationship with Kuririn and while she had better roles in the films Bio-Broly and Battle of Gods, an opportunity for the character to be used well during the main series would have been during the fight against Boo. In conclusion, Rashad wrote, "The fact she was ignored to such an extent within the main series is a travesty because she not only remained the most powerful woman, she was one of the most powerful fighters that wasn’t a Saiyan. Then again, maybe that’s why she was forgotten: because she wasn’t a Saiyan."^[22] Her role in Dragon Ball Super has also been criticized.^[23]

Android 18 was the visual inspiration for the Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters character Blue Mary.^[24]

References