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Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール] #31
Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 15: The Terror of Cell
Cell has been awakened--a bioengineered monstrosity designed to become the ultimate weapon, a being that eats whole cities to grow stronger. To stop its rampage, Piccolo challenges Cell while the Super Saiyans undergo unimaginable training in a room where one year passes for every day outside. But Cell's true goal is to merge with Androids #17 and #18, which will increase its strength exponentially. As Cell becomes even stronger, Piccolo has only one chance: destroy #17 and #18 before Cell can merge with them, or no force on earth will stand a chance!
192 pages, Paperback
First published August 4, 1992
122 people are currently reading
842 people want to read
About the author
Akira Toriyama
1,905 books1,729 followersAkira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 85 reviews
August 15, 2025
EN Our friends now face a new threat: Cell.
Cell is an enemy shared by both Son Goku and his friends, as well as the Androids. Former foes have suddenly found themselves fighting side by side.
--
PT Os nossos amigos enfrentam agora uma nova ameaça: Cell.
Cell é um inimigo comum tanto para Son Goku e os seus amigos como para os Androides. Antigos inimigos encontraram-se, de repente, a lutar lado a lado.
Cell is an enemy shared by both Son Goku and his friends, as well as the Androids. Former foes have suddenly found themselves fighting side by side.
--
PT Os nossos amigos enfrentam agora uma nova ameaça: Cell.
Cell é um inimigo comum tanto para Son Goku e os seus amigos como para os Androides. Antigos inimigos encontraram-se, de repente, a lutar lado a lado.
September 26, 2014
After the bullshit of the last volume I’m glad things are getting better in volume 15 but this whole section still isn’t a great part of the Dragon Ball Z saga.
Son Goku recovers and, realising his weakness against the androids, takes Son Gohan, Vegeta and Trunks to train in the Chamber of Spirit and Time. In the chamber time is distorted so one year inside equals one day on Earth - but only two can enter at once, so Vegeta and Trunks go in first while Goku and Gohan watch the chaos unfolding below.
Poor Piccolo. There are a lot of characters in the cast but so few that are actually effective at this point. Take away the Saiyans and you’ve only got him! The dude is taking on every single bad guy himself but he never beats any of them. That’s been his lot for a while now - he holds his own but all of the major victories are reserved for Goku! So he fights Cell and temporarily sends him into retreat, then he takes on the horribly named android #17, and then calamity strikes.
Because Cell’s able to conceal his chi, he could absorb an entire city’s worth of people, giving him the energy burst he needed to take on the androids. His mission: to absorb them and become an unstoppable force even against the fully powered-up Saiyans.
As strange as it sounds, I can accept super-powerful beings if they’re organic and train for their strength and whatnot but what I hate most about these androids and Cell is that they’re artificial beings and they’re powerful to a ridiculous degree - except they’re just robots! It’s weird that I can accept stuff like Super Saiyans but not robots that sophisticated, but there we go - that’s why I hate the androids and, though I like him a bit better, don’t much like Cell.
There’s more happening in this volume so I liked it better than the last one - there’s finally some traction after the Freeza arc and this one is beginning to take shape. Akira Toriyama is really good at juggling multiple plotlines and he’s at his best when he’s got at least three or four going at once, like he does here. I may not like this storyline much but it’s steadily improving and heading in the right direction. Volume 15 is a moderately good Dragon Ball Z book though Toriyama usually produces work much better than this.
Son Goku recovers and, realising his weakness against the androids, takes Son Gohan, Vegeta and Trunks to train in the Chamber of Spirit and Time. In the chamber time is distorted so one year inside equals one day on Earth - but only two can enter at once, so Vegeta and Trunks go in first while Goku and Gohan watch the chaos unfolding below.
Poor Piccolo. There are a lot of characters in the cast but so few that are actually effective at this point. Take away the Saiyans and you’ve only got him! The dude is taking on every single bad guy himself but he never beats any of them. That’s been his lot for a while now - he holds his own but all of the major victories are reserved for Goku! So he fights Cell and temporarily sends him into retreat, then he takes on the horribly named android #17, and then calamity strikes.
Because Cell’s able to conceal his chi, he could absorb an entire city’s worth of people, giving him the energy burst he needed to take on the androids. His mission: to absorb them and become an unstoppable force even against the fully powered-up Saiyans.
As strange as it sounds, I can accept super-powerful beings if they’re organic and train for their strength and whatnot but what I hate most about these androids and Cell is that they’re artificial beings and they’re powerful to a ridiculous degree - except they’re just robots! It’s weird that I can accept stuff like Super Saiyans but not robots that sophisticated, but there we go - that’s why I hate the androids and, though I like him a bit better, don’t much like Cell.
There’s more happening in this volume so I liked it better than the last one - there’s finally some traction after the Freeza arc and this one is beginning to take shape. Akira Toriyama is really good at juggling multiple plotlines and he’s at his best when he’s got at least three or four going at once, like he does here. I may not like this storyline much but it’s steadily improving and heading in the right direction. Volume 15 is a moderately good Dragon Ball Z book though Toriyama usually produces work much better than this.
September 6, 2022
Piccolo (updated version) goes up against Cell! A quick wake-up call for Cell, forcing Cell to go hunt for androids so he can quickly become his own completed version. Meanwhile, it's training time for our beloved Saiyans! Nothing like a quick shortcut to get things rolling (Room of Spirit and Time). The volume ends by putting Cell back on top in the power hierarchy and panic ensues!
December 15, 2021
I think I'm starting to figure out what's the problem with the later Dragon Ball storylines.
You often get stories where a lone hero takes down a number of villains, sequentially or at once, from the weakest to the strongest, usually growing more skilled and powerful themselves as they do. It's a pretty compelling way to structure things and gives a lot of growth and excitement.
But these story arcs do the opposite. You've got one enormously powerful villain, and a whole bunch of heroes trying to take him down. Yet it doesn't follow through: we don't root for the villain, we don't see his character growth, instead we're still firmly in the camp of the heroes and we see them grow and develop only for it to all fall flat in the end.
Piccolo finally completes his character arc, brings himself full circle, and is complete and whole again - and a lot more powerful. And he accomplishes nothing, soon gets nearly killed, and is sidelined once again. Android 16 steps into the ring and reveals himself to be way stronger than anyone thought he could be - strong enough to take on the villain toe-to-toe. And he has his moment for a few minutes, a chapter or two, then the villain manages to transform, and 16 will join Piccolo at the edge of the field and stay there. And Tien reveals his new super-move and manages to slow Cell's new form down for a bit... but only for a bit. What if he'd joined the fight five minutes earlier to back up 16? They might actually have won! And in the next volume, we'll see Vegeta and Trunks go through the same thing.
And unlike in the first sort of story structure, unlike a string of villains to fight a hero, the heroes here never actually die or truly retire, meaning they'll continue to be around in the sidelines and remind us they exist but accomplish nothing of substance.
Cell really needed a bunch of minions. Buu is going to need a bunch of minions. Lesser foes for Tien and Piccolo and maybe even Yamcha to defeat, protecting some children or something. That'd give them weight again. Alas.
You often get stories where a lone hero takes down a number of villains, sequentially or at once, from the weakest to the strongest, usually growing more skilled and powerful themselves as they do. It's a pretty compelling way to structure things and gives a lot of growth and excitement.
But these story arcs do the opposite. You've got one enormously powerful villain, and a whole bunch of heroes trying to take him down. Yet it doesn't follow through: we don't root for the villain, we don't see his character growth, instead we're still firmly in the camp of the heroes and we see them grow and develop only for it to all fall flat in the end.
Piccolo finally completes his character arc, brings himself full circle, and is complete and whole again - and a lot more powerful. And he accomplishes nothing, soon gets nearly killed, and is sidelined once again. Android 16 steps into the ring and reveals himself to be way stronger than anyone thought he could be - strong enough to take on the villain toe-to-toe. And he has his moment for a few minutes, a chapter or two, then the villain manages to transform, and 16 will join Piccolo at the edge of the field and stay there. And Tien reveals his new super-move and manages to slow Cell's new form down for a bit... but only for a bit. What if he'd joined the fight five minutes earlier to back up 16? They might actually have won! And in the next volume, we'll see Vegeta and Trunks go through the same thing.
And unlike in the first sort of story structure, unlike a string of villains to fight a hero, the heroes here never actually die or truly retire, meaning they'll continue to be around in the sidelines and remind us they exist but accomplish nothing of substance.
Cell really needed a bunch of minions. Buu is going to need a bunch of minions. Lesser foes for Tien and Piccolo and maybe even Yamcha to defeat, protecting some children or something. That'd give them weight again. Alas.
October 31, 2017
Cell!!!!
No. 16!!!
Goku despertó, la habitación del espíritu y el tiempo!
La absorción de no. 17
Este tomo esta muy emocionante.
Necesito más !!!
No. 16!!!
Goku despertó, la habitación del espíritu y el tiempo!
La absorción de no. 17
Este tomo esta muy emocionante.
Necesito más !!!
October 12, 2017
I love that Piccolo gets some time to shine in this volume, however that is short lived as with every other warrior. My one big fault for Dragon Ball is that all the side characters get shafted, examples being Yamacha and Krillin who always die or Piccolo becoming super powerful but ultimately he's just as powerful as before. The one thing about Naruto I love so much is the side characters got time to shine and seeing them train actually paid off and that isn't the case in Dragon Ball.
April 20, 2016
To find all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com
Previously on Dragon Ball Z
(I) Goku is technically in a coma as he is recuperating from a deadly virus.
(II) Trunks who is the son of Vegeta and Bulma come from the future and help Goku in order to guarantee a better future.
(III) Dr. Gero androids are awakening and tracking to kill Goku but a new evil lurks among on Earth and Piccolo has confronted this beast.
That is what you missed on Dragon Ball Z!
This volume had me conflicted because it had fantastic battle scenes and ton of kicking ass but Akira Toriyama ruined the whole aspect of time traveling for this series and because of this big reveal in the previous volume then it makes me wonder why did Trunks even bother going back into the future. I didn't mention this rant in the previous volume because it would be tedious but it wouldn't make an impact until this volume.
Trunks revealed that if you go to the past and change the events then no matter what happens the future that Trunks belongs will not be affected by this change of outcome. For example, in Trunks future the androids are still alive so he went to the past to warn Goku and help the gang. If they destroy the androids then the future is changed but when Trunks goes back to his present, the androids still exist. Personally if that is how the time machine works then why bother going to the future if nothing in your timeline is accomplish and you could possibly get killed. I do not like that at all. Back to the story...
Piccolo is fighting with this creature which we discover his name is Cell. Sadly we also learn that Cell is a creation of Dr. Gero which no one ever knew about because he was created underground by super computers. Dr. Gero was able to invent this mosquito type robots who took samples of Piccolo, Goku, Vegeta, Freeza, and King Cold DNA and blend together so supposedly Cell is Piccolo's brother but Piccolo is no longer himself since he blended with Kami-Sama.
We learn that Cell comes from the future who killed Trunks in order to get into his ship and had to revert to the process of growing to revert to being a cell inside an egg. He didn't choose to come to the past but within 3 years he was able to grow and mature to his natural state and now he wants to be achieve his ultimate form. In order to achieve that he needs to absorb both androids #17-18 to be complete because Trunks destroyed them in the future. In the mean time Cell is gather his strength by absorbing people which he killed thousands already but if it continues and reaches almost millions then he will be deadly and powerful enough to kill the androids.
Piccolo witness this first hand and wasn't able to kill Cell as he escaped to get stronger. Trunks learns about this encounter and heads with Kuririn to Dr. Gero's lab to check and see where is Cell and to destroy him so that way the brand new future will not feature Cell. For the upcoming days leading to Goku being fully cured, Piccolo and the gang are trying to track and attack Cell but they fail overtime because once they arrived to the new city where Cell is absorbing people, he wipes the entire city clean and disappears before their arrival.
When Goku wakes up, he knows everything that is going on since he was able to detect chi while he was sleeping and overheard the conversations in Master Roshi's house. He overheard Vegeta's idea that he needs to surpass the Super Saiyan state in order to defeat Cell and the androids which Goku agrees. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks decide to head to Kami-Sama's chambers because he has a room that distorts time from being inside a room for a whole year but for the outside world it has only been 24 hours since you've been inside that room.
By having that opportunity of time, Goku and the rest are able to train and hopefully Vegeta is lucky to attain Super Saiyan 2.0 before Cell kills off the androids. As the drama is going on, the androids arrive at Goku's place and discover that he disappeared and Android #16 gives the brilliant idea that Goku may be hiding in Master Roshi's Island and heads off in that direction and confronts the whole gang when they arrive.
Piccolo makes the connection that if he kills the androids then Cell will lose so they head off into a deadly battle and he completely forgot that Cell is able to detect Chi and immediately half-way into the battle, Cell makes the connection that it is the androids and heads to kill them. When he arrives, everyone starts to panic and try to runaway. Piccolo attempts to fight Cell in order for the androids to escape but is defeated instantly.
Android #16 takes charge of the scene and tries to give plenty of time for Androids #17 & 18 to escape but Android #17 is a complete idiot who is stubborn to take advice and flee. Android #16 obviously wasn't able to destroy Cell and Android #17 fell for Cell's trap and absorb him. Now Cell is one step closer to achieving his ultimate form and now time is in the essence for the gang and hopefully Goku and Vegeta are able to stop Cell in his tracks. The ending leaves us with Tenshinhan helping the androids escape before Cell is able to kill Android #18. We won't find out more until the next volume so stay tuned until next time on Dragon Ball Z...
Previously on Dragon Ball Z
(I) Goku is technically in a coma as he is recuperating from a deadly virus.
(II) Trunks who is the son of Vegeta and Bulma come from the future and help Goku in order to guarantee a better future.
(III) Dr. Gero androids are awakening and tracking to kill Goku but a new evil lurks among on Earth and Piccolo has confronted this beast.
That is what you missed on Dragon Ball Z!
This volume had me conflicted because it had fantastic battle scenes and ton of kicking ass but Akira Toriyama ruined the whole aspect of time traveling for this series and because of this big reveal in the previous volume then it makes me wonder why did Trunks even bother going back into the future. I didn't mention this rant in the previous volume because it would be tedious but it wouldn't make an impact until this volume.
Trunks revealed that if you go to the past and change the events then no matter what happens the future that Trunks belongs will not be affected by this change of outcome. For example, in Trunks future the androids are still alive so he went to the past to warn Goku and help the gang. If they destroy the androids then the future is changed but when Trunks goes back to his present, the androids still exist. Personally if that is how the time machine works then why bother going to the future if nothing in your timeline is accomplish and you could possibly get killed. I do not like that at all. Back to the story...
Piccolo is fighting with this creature which we discover his name is Cell. Sadly we also learn that Cell is a creation of Dr. Gero which no one ever knew about because he was created underground by super computers. Dr. Gero was able to invent this mosquito type robots who took samples of Piccolo, Goku, Vegeta, Freeza, and King Cold DNA and blend together so supposedly Cell is Piccolo's brother but Piccolo is no longer himself since he blended with Kami-Sama.
We learn that Cell comes from the future who killed Trunks in order to get into his ship and had to revert to the process of growing to revert to being a cell inside an egg. He didn't choose to come to the past but within 3 years he was able to grow and mature to his natural state and now he wants to be achieve his ultimate form. In order to achieve that he needs to absorb both androids #17-18 to be complete because Trunks destroyed them in the future. In the mean time Cell is gather his strength by absorbing people which he killed thousands already but if it continues and reaches almost millions then he will be deadly and powerful enough to kill the androids.
Piccolo witness this first hand and wasn't able to kill Cell as he escaped to get stronger. Trunks learns about this encounter and heads with Kuririn to Dr. Gero's lab to check and see where is Cell and to destroy him so that way the brand new future will not feature Cell. For the upcoming days leading to Goku being fully cured, Piccolo and the gang are trying to track and attack Cell but they fail overtime because once they arrived to the new city where Cell is absorbing people, he wipes the entire city clean and disappears before their arrival.
When Goku wakes up, he knows everything that is going on since he was able to detect chi while he was sleeping and overheard the conversations in Master Roshi's house. He overheard Vegeta's idea that he needs to surpass the Super Saiyan state in order to defeat Cell and the androids which Goku agrees. Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks decide to head to Kami-Sama's chambers because he has a room that distorts time from being inside a room for a whole year but for the outside world it has only been 24 hours since you've been inside that room.
By having that opportunity of time, Goku and the rest are able to train and hopefully Vegeta is lucky to attain Super Saiyan 2.0 before Cell kills off the androids. As the drama is going on, the androids arrive at Goku's place and discover that he disappeared and Android #16 gives the brilliant idea that Goku may be hiding in Master Roshi's Island and heads off in that direction and confronts the whole gang when they arrive.
Piccolo makes the connection that if he kills the androids then Cell will lose so they head off into a deadly battle and he completely forgot that Cell is able to detect Chi and immediately half-way into the battle, Cell makes the connection that it is the androids and heads to kill them. When he arrives, everyone starts to panic and try to runaway. Piccolo attempts to fight Cell in order for the androids to escape but is defeated instantly.
Android #16 takes charge of the scene and tries to give plenty of time for Androids #17 & 18 to escape but Android #17 is a complete idiot who is stubborn to take advice and flee. Android #16 obviously wasn't able to destroy Cell and Android #17 fell for Cell's trap and absorb him. Now Cell is one step closer to achieving his ultimate form and now time is in the essence for the gang and hopefully Goku and Vegeta are able to stop Cell in his tracks. The ending leaves us with Tenshinhan helping the androids escape before Cell is able to kill Android #18. We won't find out more until the next volume so stay tuned until next time on Dragon Ball Z...
February 16, 2025
Such suspense!!
December 23, 2024
Cell is scary.
May 19, 2021
6/10 stars
So this volume was ok. Poor Piccolo, even after merging with Kami and becoming whole once again he's no match for Cell as the genetically engineered being goes through his transformations. Still, it's a better fate than that of Android #17, whose only plot point was to ramble about aimlessly and enjoy life before serving as fodder for Cell...
What I love in this volume, though, is Gohan's and Piccolo's relationship. Toriyama is able to emphasize it even through tiny details, and showcase the depth of loyalty, devotion and care that lies there.
The android-philosopher version of Rutger Hauer is quite likeable here, I must admit. I'm warming up to him.
So this volume was ok. Poor Piccolo, even after merging with Kami and becoming whole once again he's no match for Cell as the genetically engineered being goes through his transformations. Still, it's a better fate than that of Android #17, whose only plot point was to ramble about aimlessly and enjoy life before serving as fodder for Cell...
What I love in this volume, though, is Gohan's and Piccolo's relationship. Toriyama is able to emphasize it even through tiny details, and showcase the depth of loyalty, devotion and care that lies there.
The android-philosopher version of Rutger Hauer is quite likeable here, I must admit. I'm warming up to him.
February 1, 2019
No complaints here.
February 27, 2021
This one was so good, its the birth of Cell and we learn of his origin and how Dr Gero's computer made him and he is from future and wants to absorb the androids and become even more powerful and there is a great moment where Goku wakes up, he is training and then there is the whole fight between Piccolo and him and its epic and we just see how powerful Cell is as he has the cells of other z-warriors and its gonna be a big challenge! The threat feels so organic and epic and is really well done, the action scenes mwah. Just too good and the art is even better!
August 5, 2024
Me when I'm Tienshin Han and I finally do something 😍😍😍
Yamcha doesn't die in this one again, and he even had a line or two, so it gets a couple stars.
The android plotline had so much potential and I was really enjoying it, so Cell's sudeen retcon introduction is pretty dissapointing, even if I knew it was coming. Still, plenty of good action and decent moments here. We'll see if the arc can work its way back out of the whole the editors put it in
Yamcha doesn't die in this one again, and he even had a line or two, so it gets a couple stars.
The android plotline had so much potential and I was really enjoying it, so Cell's sudeen retcon introduction is pretty dissapointing, even if I knew it was coming. Still, plenty of good action and decent moments here. We'll see if the arc can work its way back out of the whole the editors put it in
September 29, 2017
Mientras Goku se recupera y se mantiene convenientemente alejado de la trama principal, Piccolo se sube las medias e intenta parar a Cell antes de que pueda transformarse en su "forma perfecta". Este tomo tiene un montón de peleas variadas, entre distintos personajes y muchas escenas heroicas, es bastante divertido, pero aún sigue siendo de lo más flojo de la serie.
May 19, 2022
Cell is here and it is awesome! This villain definitely feels like the next successor to Freeza and I kind of enjoy how the Androids have shifted into their own third faction instead of being the overall villains. Very interested to see how this will wrap up!
April 21, 2022
Nigdy nie lubiłam androidów, ani Komórczaka ><
August 2, 2022
Cell's definitely the coolest villain so far. I'm excited to see where this fight goes once Vegeta and Trunks make it out.
January 22, 2025
Fusion time 💪🏼♾️🧠
October 5, 2022
this series is just the same thing over and over but it somehow gets weirder every time
May 15, 2023
Cell is a cool character and makes a bit more sense than the androids as a big bad. He has genetic material from all the main Dragon Ball characters so has a lot of their strengths like Piccolo's regeneration. Goku and Gohan are training in a special room where time passes by slowly.
April 30, 2022
The big bad is now Cell! I don't think I appreciate cell as much as Frieza or Vegeta so far, but I feel like we are early into his arc. And while I'm enjoying this series a lot still, I find myself becoming less impressed with the story. Not that it is bad, but that it's basically on repeat. Stronger bad guy. Stronger training. Somehow becomes stronger than you were before which was already stronger than anyone had been able to ever surpass anyway and now it just keeps getting surpassed more and more! If it's going to continue with that until the end it will be disappointing. Still love the characters though, and the interactions between the bad guys and stuff is still great. Finishing thought: I really enjoyed 16's involvement at the end of this volume. Fantastic stuff.
December 17, 2016
Actual Rating: 4.55
This was a fantastic read. The story just gets better and better. Also, the characters are amazing and I love reading about the heroes that are in the Dragon Ball franchise. In the volume, we begin the Imperfect Cell Saga. This is the least powerful version of Cell. He has the ability to absorb other people's powers and ki. There were awesome battle scenes, and I really loved the transformation to New Cell after he absorbed one of the androids, and this makes him more powerful. Can't wait to see him get defeated. This was another amazing installment to the series. I can't wait for Volume 16. Overall, an incredible read.
This was a fantastic read. The story just gets better and better. Also, the characters are amazing and I love reading about the heroes that are in the Dragon Ball franchise. In the volume, we begin the Imperfect Cell Saga. This is the least powerful version of Cell. He has the ability to absorb other people's powers and ki. There were awesome battle scenes, and I really loved the transformation to New Cell after he absorbed one of the androids, and this makes him more powerful. Can't wait to see him get defeated. This was another amazing installment to the series. I can't wait for Volume 16. Overall, an incredible read.
September 3, 2025
The Cell Saga doesn't have the same magic; I can't say exactly what's missing, but it doesn't help that Cell follows the same "stages" trope as Frieza. I still think that a stronger tie in to the original DB series would have also helped. That being said, Toriyama's art is still phenomenal and there are plenty of characters to keep things interesting. (I won't lie that nostalgia plays a large factor for me as well, having grown up with the show.) And I appreciate that Piccolo takes center stage in this volume, too; Toriyama continues to find new and creative ways to delay Goku and Vegeta’s involvement in a fight, so that the others can participate/die first!
January 22, 2021
Zum Inhalt:
Cell ist eine fürchterliche Schöpfung von Dr. Geros Computer, erbaut aus Zellenmaterial der stärksten Kämpfer. Obwohl er schon unglaublich stark ist, sinnt er auf seine Vollendung, die er erst erreicht, wenn er sich mit den Cyborgs C17 und C18 verbindet. Die Gruppe Z hat alle Hände voll zu tun, Cells Vervollkommnung zu verhindern.
Um Son-Goku und seiner Genesung eine Chance zu geben stellt sich Piccolo dem grausamen Wesen Cell entgegen. Dabei erfährt er erstmals, welche Kraft Cell hat und welches Ziel das Wesen verfolgt. Um sich vollständig zu entwickeln will Cell die Roboter C17 und C18 aufsaugen und soll ab dann unbesiegbar sein. Etwas, was Piccolo nicht zulassen will und kann. Doch er verliert den ersten Kampf und so muss er sich zurück ziehen. Währenddessen machen Trunks und Kuririn das Labor von Doktor Gero ausfindig, sichern Baupläne zu dem Wesen Cell und zerstören die Einrichtung schließlich, um in der Zukunft gegen das Wesen vorwirken zu können. Auch Vegeta ist unterdessen nicht tatenlos. Er stellt sich den Robotern C16, C17 und C18 entgegen. Doch die Kraft der Cyborgs ist immens. Als Piccolo auf die Cyborgs trifft ist auch Cell nicht weit und beginnt damit sein Werk zu vollenden.
- Achtung Spoiler -
Mit dem 31ten Teil der Dragon Ball Reihe präsentiert Akira Toriyama wieder ein Meisterwerk an Kampfkunst und Fantasiefiguren. Immer wieder lässt der Autor sich neue Dinge einfallen die begeistern, verwundern und überraschen. Obwohl ich die Serie nun schon so lange lese, kann ich noch immer nicht sagen, was wohl als nächstes passieren wird. Durch die Krankheit von Son Goku müssen die anderen Kämpfer des Team Z gegen die starken Cyborgs antreten und sich auch noch gegen Cell behaupten. Das ist schwer und treibt die Freunde an ihre Grenzen. Selbst der eitle Vegeta muss sich eingestehen, dass er keine Chance gegen die Cyborgs hat und auf Son Goku angewiesen ist. Dieser überwindet im Laufe der Story seine Krankheit und hat eine Idee, wie sie alle in kürzester Zeit an Stärke gewinnen können - wieder eine Situation, die nicht vorhersehbar war und mich total begeistert hat. Was mich in dem Teil schockiert hat ist, dass Akira Toriyama Piccolo sterben lässt. Damit verschwindet ein Charakter, den ich eigentlich sehr gut leiden konnte. Man hofft, dass Toriyama Piccolo wieder durch die Dragon Balls auferstehen lässt. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass das auch zeitnah passiert.
Der Hauptteil der Story beschäftigt sich wieder einmal mit dem Kämpfen. Am Rand erfährt man mehr über die Cyborgs, Dr. Gero und seine Machenschaften. Die Freunde versuchen auch auf anderem Weg gegen Cell zu wirken. Die Ideen sind zwar gut, aber ich denke, dass das vergebene Lebensmüh ist. Die Freunde werden sicher wieder einmal gerettet - und zwar durch niemand geringeren als Son Goku höchstselbst.
Empfehlen möchte ich den Manga weiterhin allen Lesern, die der Reihe etwas abgewinnen können und jenen, die eine actiongeladene Mangaserie suchen. Hier kommt ihr definitiv auf eure Kosten.
5 von 5 Sternen
Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551736219
ISBN-13: 978-3551736215
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 10,7 x 1,6 x 17,6 cm
Cell ist eine fürchterliche Schöpfung von Dr. Geros Computer, erbaut aus Zellenmaterial der stärksten Kämpfer. Obwohl er schon unglaublich stark ist, sinnt er auf seine Vollendung, die er erst erreicht, wenn er sich mit den Cyborgs C17 und C18 verbindet. Die Gruppe Z hat alle Hände voll zu tun, Cells Vervollkommnung zu verhindern.
Um Son-Goku und seiner Genesung eine Chance zu geben stellt sich Piccolo dem grausamen Wesen Cell entgegen. Dabei erfährt er erstmals, welche Kraft Cell hat und welches Ziel das Wesen verfolgt. Um sich vollständig zu entwickeln will Cell die Roboter C17 und C18 aufsaugen und soll ab dann unbesiegbar sein. Etwas, was Piccolo nicht zulassen will und kann. Doch er verliert den ersten Kampf und so muss er sich zurück ziehen. Währenddessen machen Trunks und Kuririn das Labor von Doktor Gero ausfindig, sichern Baupläne zu dem Wesen Cell und zerstören die Einrichtung schließlich, um in der Zukunft gegen das Wesen vorwirken zu können. Auch Vegeta ist unterdessen nicht tatenlos. Er stellt sich den Robotern C16, C17 und C18 entgegen. Doch die Kraft der Cyborgs ist immens. Als Piccolo auf die Cyborgs trifft ist auch Cell nicht weit und beginnt damit sein Werk zu vollenden.
- Achtung Spoiler -
Mit dem 31ten Teil der Dragon Ball Reihe präsentiert Akira Toriyama wieder ein Meisterwerk an Kampfkunst und Fantasiefiguren. Immer wieder lässt der Autor sich neue Dinge einfallen die begeistern, verwundern und überraschen. Obwohl ich die Serie nun schon so lange lese, kann ich noch immer nicht sagen, was wohl als nächstes passieren wird. Durch die Krankheit von Son Goku müssen die anderen Kämpfer des Team Z gegen die starken Cyborgs antreten und sich auch noch gegen Cell behaupten. Das ist schwer und treibt die Freunde an ihre Grenzen. Selbst der eitle Vegeta muss sich eingestehen, dass er keine Chance gegen die Cyborgs hat und auf Son Goku angewiesen ist. Dieser überwindet im Laufe der Story seine Krankheit und hat eine Idee, wie sie alle in kürzester Zeit an Stärke gewinnen können - wieder eine Situation, die nicht vorhersehbar war und mich total begeistert hat. Was mich in dem Teil schockiert hat ist, dass Akira Toriyama Piccolo sterben lässt. Damit verschwindet ein Charakter, den ich eigentlich sehr gut leiden konnte. Man hofft, dass Toriyama Piccolo wieder durch die Dragon Balls auferstehen lässt. Bleibt zu hoffen, dass das auch zeitnah passiert.
Der Hauptteil der Story beschäftigt sich wieder einmal mit dem Kämpfen. Am Rand erfährt man mehr über die Cyborgs, Dr. Gero und seine Machenschaften. Die Freunde versuchen auch auf anderem Weg gegen Cell zu wirken. Die Ideen sind zwar gut, aber ich denke, dass das vergebene Lebensmüh ist. Die Freunde werden sicher wieder einmal gerettet - und zwar durch niemand geringeren als Son Goku höchstselbst.
Empfehlen möchte ich den Manga weiterhin allen Lesern, die der Reihe etwas abgewinnen können und jenen, die eine actiongeladene Mangaserie suchen. Hier kommt ihr definitiv auf eure Kosten.
5 von 5 Sternen
Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551736219
ISBN-13: 978-3551736215
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 10,7 x 1,6 x 17,6 cm
March 5, 2019
The Cell Saga really kicks off in this volume! After Vegeta gets his ass handed to him by Android 18, the Z Fighters scramble to figure out a solution to take out the powerful duo. Goku, finally cured from his heart disease, tells of the Room of Space and Time above Kami's place where in one day you can get a whole year's training...so Vegeta and Trunks take the first shift in the room with Goku and Gohan left to watch the devastation from above. Piccolo takes the lead with Cell and realizes they are again out of their league. Now fused with Kami, Piccolo is some sort of Super-Namekian and fairly evenly matched with the bug-looking Cell. Cell was another of Gero's experiments, being secretly created in Gero's basement lab and having a computer feed it intel on the Z-Fighters and pumping the DNA of the fighters into its body. With Piccolo's cells in it, Cell can regenerate body parts. He's also super fast so chasing him around proved difficult. His ultimate goal is absorbing Androids 17 and 18 to complete his transformation...and it's absolutely disgusting how it goes down. When he does take down the arrogant 17, androids 16 and 18 flee with Tien making a distraction for them to get away. With this absorption, Cell is so powerful he surpasses Piccolo and any of the Z-Fighters current states.
While this book was primarily transitional, it was still interesting. It was a better look at Cell with the exposition on how he came to be. I always get a little queasy when he opens up his tale to suck up the androids...yuck. But it was very much an action-packed volume with only a tad bit of story progression at the end. Semi-Perfect Cell is a little goofy looking though an improvement on his Imperfect form.
While this book was primarily transitional, it was still interesting. It was a better look at Cell with the exposition on how he came to be. I always get a little queasy when he opens up his tale to suck up the androids...yuck. But it was very much an action-packed volume with only a tad bit of story progression at the end. Semi-Perfect Cell is a little goofy looking though an improvement on his Imperfect form.
November 6, 2025
Great escalation, the Cell Saga just continues to get better and better. There are MULTIPLE really great fights in this book, but for me Piccolo vs #17 is the highlight with being honestly one of the more entertaining matchups of the series so far.
With each volume I enjoy the Androids more and more. Their adolescent arrogance paired with an overall laid back approach to life makes them really entertaining to follow, even if they are too powerful for my liking. This volume does some great convincing for #16 to be the best character of the trio.
But of course the real tension comes from Cell, whose presence is enough to simultaneously evoke hype and dread. The showdown in Ginger Town at the start, and his meeting of the Androids at the end do great at his setup. However I am worried of the repetitive nature of the big bad being so overwhelmingly powerful that the strongest attacks don’t even make them flinch. That being said, where Cell feels interesting is his ability to utilise the heroes’ abilities as well as similar tactics such as using 17’s voice to try and manipulate 18.
This is also probably the coolest that Tien Shinhan has been and I hope he doesn’t die (even if they find another crazy way to bring him back). Oh and the whole Spirit and Time room for training is really intriguing and I can’t wait to see how Trunks and Vegeta’s dynamic will have changed after training together for a year, but I imagine we will see a lot more of that in the next book.
VERDICT: 9/10
With each volume I enjoy the Androids more and more. Their adolescent arrogance paired with an overall laid back approach to life makes them really entertaining to follow, even if they are too powerful for my liking. This volume does some great convincing for #16 to be the best character of the trio.
But of course the real tension comes from Cell, whose presence is enough to simultaneously evoke hype and dread. The showdown in Ginger Town at the start, and his meeting of the Androids at the end do great at his setup. However I am worried of the repetitive nature of the big bad being so overwhelmingly powerful that the strongest attacks don’t even make them flinch. That being said, where Cell feels interesting is his ability to utilise the heroes’ abilities as well as similar tactics such as using 17’s voice to try and manipulate 18.
This is also probably the coolest that Tien Shinhan has been and I hope he doesn’t die (even if they find another crazy way to bring him back). Oh and the whole Spirit and Time room for training is really intriguing and I can’t wait to see how Trunks and Vegeta’s dynamic will have changed after training together for a year, but I imagine we will see a lot more of that in the next book.
VERDICT: 9/10
not-gonna-read
August 6, 2025Despite myself not interested in Dragon Ball Z I do have a large amount of respect for the franchise.
As I said before in my review of Dragon Ball, this kickstarted the trends for later Shonen manga and that's something to admire about the entire Dragon Ball series. Shonen manga series have taken elements from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot. I feel like I was a bit too old when I was first introduced to the starters of Shounen and Shojo. Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon were introduced to me a bit too late after I had started reading & watching series like InuYasha, Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Code Geass.
Again, I still think it's an admirable franchise despite my personal feelings towards it. (I don't hate it but I didn't love it either) It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. There are many things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.
While I don't love Dragon Ball Z, it has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.
As I said before in my review of Dragon Ball, this kickstarted the trends for later Shonen manga and that's something to admire about the entire Dragon Ball series. Shonen manga series have taken elements from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot. I feel like I was a bit too old when I was first introduced to the starters of Shounen and Shojo. Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon were introduced to me a bit too late after I had started reading & watching series like InuYasha, Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Code Geass.
Again, I still think it's an admirable franchise despite my personal feelings towards it. (I don't hate it but I didn't love it either) It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. There are many things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.
While I don't love Dragon Ball Z, it has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.
January 5, 2025
Volume 31: Chapter 362-373
Arc 18: Imperfect Cell Saga
The monster name is Cell. He is created by Dr. Gero's computer. A tiny bot gathered a cell from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and other various person during recent battles. That's why Cell can have the same chi and techniques. But, he is not perfect yet. To do so, he must constantly suck the life force from the human. To complete his form, he supposedly merged with Android #17 and Android #18. Krillin and Trunks destroy the lower basement of Dr. Gero's lab to prevent the current Cell from created. Trunks managed to get the blueprint of the androids.
Vegeta and Goku wants to transcend the Super Saiyan. To do so, they will train in Hyperbolic Time Chamber. 1 year in that chamber equal 1 day in the real world. Vegeta enters with Trunks and Goku enters with Gohan. The androids arrived at Master Roshi house. Piccolo fights Android #17. Cell sneaks in the battle. Piccolo and Android #17 fight Cell but Piccolo was defeated. Android #16 join the battle but Cell managed to absorb Android #17. Tien Shinhan trying to stop Cell.
Arc 18: Imperfect Cell Saga
The monster name is Cell. He is created by Dr. Gero's computer. A tiny bot gathered a cell from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo and other various person during recent battles. That's why Cell can have the same chi and techniques. But, he is not perfect yet. To do so, he must constantly suck the life force from the human. To complete his form, he supposedly merged with Android #17 and Android #18. Krillin and Trunks destroy the lower basement of Dr. Gero's lab to prevent the current Cell from created. Trunks managed to get the blueprint of the androids.
Vegeta and Goku wants to transcend the Super Saiyan. To do so, they will train in Hyperbolic Time Chamber. 1 year in that chamber equal 1 day in the real world. Vegeta enters with Trunks and Goku enters with Gohan. The androids arrived at Master Roshi house. Piccolo fights Android #17. Cell sneaks in the battle. Piccolo and Android #17 fight Cell but Piccolo was defeated. Android #16 join the battle but Cell managed to absorb Android #17. Tien Shinhan trying to stop Cell.
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