#ultimate android (cell)

[neskalmierby]

Dragon meshi Z: What if Marcell achieved her perfect form early

[tobiasdrake]

I know you haven't done your deep-dive fighting style posts in a while, but I was curious if you'd want to do one for Cell? I think his whole deal as a composite of multiple powerful fighters could be interesting to consider...

Oh, sure. Let's talk about Cell.

Cell is a complicated creature. The surface level is just that he's a regenerating bio-android who can use everybody's attacks, but we're gonna go a bit deeper than that. The first thing to note about Cell is that he, very unusually, does not have a ki signature. Rather, he has five ki signatures; One for each of his five genetic donors.

There is no distinct "Cell" ki the way there is for "Yamcha" ki or "Gohan" ki. Cell reads like Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold are all standing in a circle holding hands or something. But this isn't just a neat detail; It also informs on his fighting ability.

Cell is able to use moves like the Kamehameha because he has their wielders' ki. Which has wild implications for how ki and martial arts works, if we're being honest. Apparently your techniques are stored in your ki like genetic muscle memory. He can also perform the Taiyoken/Solar Flare because that, too, is stored in Goku's ki.

Cell taps into one of his five wells of ki to call on that person's moves. But that comes with drawbacks. Cell's Kamehameha against Piccolo was weak and unimpressive because the well of Goku ki he has inside of him was taken from the fight with Vegeta, and we're a long way past that.

Cell-Goku's ki just isn't strong enough to power a very impressive attack, compared to the Nameless Namekian.

Further, because these abilities are stored like genetic memory, Cell himself doesn't fully understand what he's capable of.

He knows what these abilities are on a conscious level. He knows that he can do them. But he lacks experience. He has a wealth of technical knowledge without practical understanding of how to apply it.

He has a good laugh at Trunks over this shit.

But when it's his back against the wall, he's no better than Trunks.

Cell may have Goku's, Piccolo's, and Vegeta's ki, but he is no Goku nor Piccolo nor even Vegeta. He doesn't know how to fight when he's on the backfoot. He doesn't know how to turn things around when the tide shifts against him. How to plan his moves out in advance and then execute that plan to overcome a superior foe.

Because for all his advanced knowledge, he's still green.

He's sitting in an engineering workshop with the best tools that billions of dollars of wealth can buy and a middle-school education. He only knows how to dominate.

Which frequently bites him in the ass.

Likely as a consequence of how many raging egomaniacs are packed inside of him, Cell has a severe overconfidence problem. He conducts himself as if he were invincible, at one point even going so far as to let Vegeta hit him with his best shot and very nearly paying the ultimate price for his foolishness.

Sometimes it's only Piccolo's regeneration that keeps him from losing fights that, with his power, he should be winning handily. He coasts a lot on being very hard to put down.

Cell's comfort zone is when he can step out onto the field, having leveled up so far that nobody can touch him. He's not playing a fighting game. He's playing an RPG. If the fight turns against him, if he can't overwhelm his opponents, he turns his tail and runs for his life so he can grind some XP and try again.

And when he can't do that, he turns to more desperate measure like crying about the unfairness or trying to nuke the planet to murder-suicide his opponents. Thought, admittedly, the former was a ploy to manipulate Vegeta.

Cell's an extremely sore loser, is basically what I'm getting at here. He has a hard time figuring out ways to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, instead preferring to simply ragequit when fights turn against him. While also going out of his way to help his opponents power up, secure in the misguided belief that he's untouchable.

Cell has two modes: "I am invincible!" and "Oh no I'm vincible what do I do!?" The latter of which is a problem Goku, Piccolo, and Vegeta have all faced over their lives and come up with a variety of answers to, but for which Cell mostly falls back on "I need a level-up so I can be invincible again."

Cell's fight with Goku is his best. It's the one fight he has that genuinely feels like he and his opponent are both giving as well as they get.

It's this fight, keeping pace with Goku, that pushes Cell to his most interesting places as a fighter. Though, conspicuously, he's sandbagging and secretly this is yet another fight in Cell's comfort zone, where the true threat to him is minimal.

Uh, except when Goku outplays him.

See above, re: Cell nearly losing fights he should be winning handily.

Nonetheless, we get to see Cell at his best here. Which still pretty much consists of the basics: Punch, kick, Kamehameha here or there. And at one point pulling 17's force field out from desperation.

Cell's inexperience leads him to have difficulty anticipating his opponents' moves or gauging their strength.

And, fitting for a copycat fighter, he also has seemingly no capacity to innovate new ideas, strategies, or techniques for himself. Over the course of the Cell Games, he pulls "My Kamehameha will destroy the Earth if you don't stop it!" three separate times.

He really has no better ideas than this one. Which he stole from Vegeta.

But he also doesn't make a lot of use of his copycat abilities either. He mainly relies on the easy ones: The Kamehameha and Taiyoken, both of which are described as pretty simple and easy to perform. Though this isn't because he can't do more complex moves, as we see him break out Frieza's Death Beam in his fight with Gohan.

He has other moves. He just doesn't use them much.

(This is not the case in the anime, where he not only makes far more use of his technique pool but also they increased his number of donors to give him a wider pool of moves to copycat.)

I would be loathe to describe Cell as lazy. He puts a lot of effort into grinding XP in his own special way so that his Android manhunt can go off successfully. But his art is lazy. His style. His technique.

Out of all the major Dragon Ball characters, Cell is the most complacent. He was born already knowing everything he thinks he needs to know, and demonstrates little to no desire to refine his abilities on a technical level the way Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, and even Frieza do.

He has a built-in roadmap of shortcuts to power, and so far as he's concerned, that's all he needs to become unstoppable.

[galacticxflower]

Zangya: “I have a bad feeling about who it is...Janemba.”

S. L. Will: (He was training in his customized Gravity Chamber at 1000Gs until he sensed an unknown presence. He turns the machine off and opens up the chamber. He was in his training tank top and short leggings.) “Is someone out here?”

Zangya, one of Bojack's Galaxy Soldiers and the only female of the group was on Earth, and was looking for someone to challenge her to a match, until she saw S.L. Will.

"Well, hello." She smiled.

[peskellence]

could I please request some reed900... 👉👈

Nines' skin is malfunctioning, but Gavin reassures him (in his own, Gavin way) that he accepts him as he is? Skin or no skin?

thank you. bless. kiss. forever indebted💕

Say less, friend, I've got you 🫡

Fail Safe

Pairing: RK900/Gavin Reed

Tags: M/M, Established Relationship, Fluff, Praise and Affirmation, Self Acceptance.

AO3 Link

Summary: Gavin and Nines are on security duty when an unexpected cyber attack results in the android's synthetic skin being compromised. Despite his worries, Gavin reassures him that their bond runs deeper than the pieces they are made of.

Word Count: 4.7K

Gavin and Nines had been assigned to security duty at the opening ceremony for a new Jericho Community Centre. It was due to be a pretty contained event, nothing overly flashy or publicised. Normally, it wouldn't demand any police involvement, but there had been whispers the Anti Android Alliance planned to attend—staging some sort of protest. 

This turned out to be true, although not in the way that could've been anticipated. It seemed a particularly enlightened Dipshit In Charge had decided the usual M.O. of bats and bricks wouldn't cut it. Instead, they were going to make some waves with a street-deployed cyber attack. Send their 'message', whatever deranged bullshit that might be, by taking out some local figureheads with a home-brewed virus. 

Fuck knows how they'd manage to string together the spaghetti code with their three collective brain cells—or how they'd loaded up said clusterfuck onto the batons concealed in their pockets. Nevertheless, about five minutes into the presentation, they started swinging. Weapons bared and flung into the faces of nearby pedestrians as they tried to make their way to the stage. 

Shit hit the fan, but fortunately, not for their targets.

It turned out the engineering at Fuckhead H.Q. was just as shitty as the planning, as the would-be attempt at corporal justice folded like a house of cards. Most of the batons didn't work, and with the ones that did, the virus wasn't able to execute the way they'd wanted. 

The intent had been to infiltrate the android's core systems through mass corruption of their internal networks. Ultimately, overloading the CPU and causing permanent shutdown, but without plugging the device directly into an access port—which they clearly had no idea how to do, and their targets weren't about to help with—its reach was incredibly limited.

Basically, it couldn't do shit. Stalling at the first line of defence: the chassis. Digital garbage hurled at a plastic wall. 

Nines had been hit by one of the bastards—stuck in the side of the neck as he wrangled them away from a Jericho representative. Handling of the situation became a lot less gentle after that, with the man catapulted onto the floor, squealing like a pig as the android pinned his flailing limbs. Gavin had moved to assist, feeding the guy a couple of teeth for his trouble.

Total accident, of course. The man just happened to move his face as he was getting the cuffs on, and it just happened to slam into the detective's fist. 

He didn't get much of the chiding he'd usually expect for this, as the virus had started to do its thing. Working across his partner's body, flickering in patches like a broken LCD. The corruption branched down his throat before retreating beneath his collar in search of available access. 

Much like with the other android's affected, it failed. Nines was fine, mostly: the only exception being that the malware had managed to fuck up one of his less important functions. His synthetic skin. 

At least, that's what the Cyberlife Tech on the phone suggested was happening when they decided to call. The glitches spread, with the majority hidden beneath clothes—but Nines could undoubtedly feel the effects of corruption taking hold. While he wasn't sure if this was something they really needed to worry about, the concept alone left a bad taste in Gavin's mouth.

They were forced to leave reinforcements to book the fucker responsible, as well as the rest of his brain-dead friends. A shame, as the detective would have loved to acquaint him with the book about to be thrown his way. Maybe give him a black eye to go with the dental bill. 

As they made their way home, the vibrancy of glitches had started to decrease, fading into a translucent creep that filmed across the skin. Whatever receptors were present to lend cloaking abilities were beginning to short-circuit, creating an expanding kaleidoscope of freckles and plastic. 

Gavin used full siren privileges to run every red light they encountered, determined to weave through the traffic as quickly as possible. He had never seen the android so panicked—frenzied—like the car would be at risk of imploding if it didn't imminently materialise outside their home. 

With his understanding of Michigan Traffic Laws becoming increasingly lax, Nines continued to rip into the rep held at knifepoint in his temporal channel. He hadn't bothered to lock communication to his internal server and instead was speaking out loud—in a tone that a more diplomatic man might describe as 'a bit confrontational.'

In reality, he had gone all seven shades of middle-aged-mom-with-an-expired-coupon. Demanding the guy listen to every minute detail of his grievance and inform him how quickly it could be resolved. 

Gavin would have found this hilarious had the intensity not been a little terrifying. Instead, it inspired him to punch the gas harder, resulting in a chorus of beeps as he pulled a particularly dangerous manoeuvre around a sharp bend. 

It didn't seem to matter what the squeaky-voiced foetus on the line said; each suggestion was ruled unacceptable. Commencing a perpetual cycle of 'that isn't fast enough' and 'speak with your supervisor' and 'this is an emergency, William; it should be prioritised accordingly.' The rep responded to each chastisement with small, deflated whimpers, like a punctured balloon expelling air.

The virus, now engaged fully, worked in stages to target each section of artificial skin. Limbs faded out in sporadic blotches as glossy pinpricks expanded their way into dense bands of white. They tunnelled through rapidly shrinking pockets of flesh, with Nines looking like a six-foot lava lamp by the time they finally reached the apartment.

Admittedly, it was a strange image—with this something the android seemed astutely aware of. He had charged for the bathroom and locked himself in within seconds of entering their home, informing Gavin with no uncertainty he would not be coming out until help arrived.

This was all well and good at first, but after three hours—and five espressos—nature was calling. Not softly, either, having been forced to wait for a good fucking while. 

The pressure grew, and rather than risk a hole being punched through the wall of his bladder, Gavin concluded he couldn't hold it. Rapping his knuckle on the wood, he pressed his face against it, making a pointed appeal to his partner.

"Nines, I need a piss. Let me in for a sec." 

The request went ignored, bouncing uselessly off the door and crumpling at his feet. Frustrated, he knocked again, using his available grip to jiggle insistently on the handle. 

"Come on, I'm desperate. Open the fucking door."

"The Cyberlife technician will be here soon," an even tone greeted him, undercutting the demand. "I am confident you can wait a few more minutes."

"It's been more than a few, jackass."

"The operative advised that their arrival would fall between 2 and 7. As we are nearing 6:45, we can anticipate—"

Gavin disrupted the explanation with a prolonged groan of protest. His head lulled back as he grappled with a growing temptation to slingshot it through the panel. "Those windows mean jack shit. You'll be lucky if the bastard shows up before June. Hell, you'll be lucky if he shows up at all." 

There was a weighty pause as though Nines was attempting to formulate some form of mind-shattering retort. Words of assurance so profound they would effectively conclude the debate—as well as any and all that followed.

Despite having a world of knowledge quite literally wired to his brain, the android gave him nothing. Treading over the same tired deflection with a small, dejected huff. "Just wait. It won't take long." 

"If you don't let me in, I'm gonna go in the litter box—or the kitchen sink."

The latter threat inspired a visceral reaction. Gavin swore he could see the red casting from his partner's temple, seeping through the cracks under the door. "You wouldn't dare." 

"Try me. It's full of dishes. You want that on your conscience?"

As though taking a moment to grapple with the grim proposal, Gavin was made to wait in anticipation of his partner's reply. A lull that seemed to stretch endlessly, as he tried not to focus on the uncomfortable pressure in his groin. Crossing his legs, he tapped his foot impatiently—a motion that would have likely attracted the attention of a marauding cat were she not out harassing strays. 

There were muffled sounds behind the door, like rustling fabric, followed by the telltale scrape of something heavy being moved. It seemed like Nines had gone to the effort of barricading himself inside, just in case Gavin managed to break through the flimsy hold of the lock.

"Turn around and keep your eyes forward. I will only leave this room on the condition you do not look." 

"Yeah, sure, whatever," the man grunted, eyes rolling at the theatrics. "I swear I won't look. Scouts honour."

Another rustle followed—and a click—as an internal mechanism was turned and released. The door creaked forward, with casts of fluorescents from beyond the passage starting to leak into the hallway. True to his word, Gavin turned around. Gaze fixed on a nearby wall—as though the flecked chips of paint were the most engaging things he had ever seen.

The panel swung open completely, anchored on creaking hinges, and steady steps crossed the threshold. They did not progress much further, as Nines failed to meet the steady foundation of the carpet, instead greeted with a cat toy being compressed beneath his weight. 

The worn squeaker of the felt mouse strained to its absolute limit, wheezing in a prolonged cry, until it slipped out from beneath his toes and careened across the room. 

Shit.

Nines opposed the trajectory, fumbling back and colliding firmly with the weathered plaster behind him. Dangerously close to where they kept their beast of burden's scratching post.

Shit. 

Gavin wasn't sure if the glitching had affected his partner's durability, but he didn't want to find out. Certainly not by being forced to remove him from a surprisingly solid pillar of plywood. 

Nines already had one near miss today. The last thing he needed was for the engineer's visit to end up a real emergency.

Don't turn, don't—

His head whipped around despite all resistance. It had been out of instinct, really, with no malicious intent intended. An innate compulsion to assist, justifying that he would've been more of an asshole if he'd wilfully allowed his boyfriend to skewer himself.

It only occurred just how badly he had fucked up when he saw him. 

The partners froze, eyes locked, and the room around them seemed to vanish. The structural integrity of limbs and furniture was immediately forgotten as Gavin's heart plummeted into his ass. 

Nines looked horrified. His LED flashed like a warning beacon, crimson pulses growing in frequency the more his eyes widened. He stayed that way for a period. Paralysed. Like a startled deer out on a highway, about to be struck by an oncoming vehicle. 

It was nothing like him at all, and Gavin found it deeply unnerving. He then proceeded to make it worse, executing all the same grace of a violent roadside collision. Allowing the first slack-jawed musing that popped into his skull to tumble tactlessly from his lips:

"Oh shit."

The red illuminating Nines' face took on a different meaning in the wake of the outburst. He had broken free of his prey-like stupor and emerged angry—furious. Taking laboured strides toward the bathroom, levelling his partner with an increasingly scornful glare.

"I told you not to look." 

Gavin winced at the accusation dripping from the words, as they were dragged through the snarled curl of the android's mouth. Damage control was needed, but he was unable to engage the appropriate mental factions. 

Instead, he attempted to downplay his previous stunned reaction—gesturing his boyfriend up and down with feigned indifference:

"This is why you've been holding the shitter hostage?" He noted how his arm cast shadows against the sheened wall of plastic, masking his intrigue with a scoff. "Really, that's it?"

Nines jerked back, expression pinched as though he had been struck in the face. "What do you mean, 'that's it'? Gavin, look at me."

"So you're a bit pale. Grey round the gills. You should've seen me this one time at Summer camp." Gavin chuckled preemptively, arms folded across his chest as he attempted to recall the memory. "Man, I'd eaten like seventeen s'mores, and I swear they'd laced the marshmallows with laxatives because, after that, I couldn't…"

He trailed off as the pronounced scowl etched deeper into his partner's face. Informing it wasn't the time for jokes—and that the legendary saga of Preteen Gavin and the Exploding Bowels would have to wait for another day. 

"... Seriously, what did you think I was gonna do?" he challenged, abandoning the playful lilt in favour of something serious. "Freak out and run for the hills because you look like a robot? Because newsflash, genius, I kind of got that. Your skin turns into a goddamn Rorschach every time we do it. Not to mention the static orgasms—" 

Nines raised a hand to stop him, clearly not appreciating the growing vividness of the account. "There was a time when this would have been an issue. Please don't insult me by denying that."

His voice was stern—gravelly with a mixture of frustration and hurt—as his expression hardened further. A feat the detective had thought impossible. 

He bore into him with sharply trained eyes, still the same vibrant grey they'd always been—despite everything else that had changed.  

Remorse struck hard, twisting his gut and nearly knocking him back. Nines was right: not long ago, this would have been a big deal. 

The consequence of a roadblock which spanned the numerous tangled alleys of his mind. Something established by years of resentment, growing uncontrollably over time. Soon, it had become impossible to bypass, not that he'd made much effort to try. Facing the beast, he just knew it was insurmountable.

That was until Nines arrived, rolling up to the rickety wagon he'd parked against the barrier and all but ripping him out. Tugged from his seat by the goddamn ears as he kicked and howled in protest.

"Plastic fucker—"

Of course, it wasn't all that dramatic. It didn't happen immediately, and definitely not in a single pull.

The occurrence had been slow and gradual, with Gavin only starting to scream when he realised what was happening. Because the closer they got—moved from aggrieved associates to unexpected friends—the more he had to challenge everything he understood about being alive. A painful, arduous process that forced him to confront wrongs he didn't even know he'd committed.

The conclusion should have brought relief, but instead, it was hollow. Something was still missing—and it sure as hell shouldn't have been. His entire worldview had been uprooted, enriched, and expanded by Nines' perspective.

What more could he possibly want?

Then came that one night spent together on surveillance. They'd been scoping out some low-life dealer: a notorious scumbag who had been running operations out of the back room of an underground nightclub. It was a particularly seedy establishment, turning out to be more 'brothel' than 'party spot.'

They had been forced to adjust their approach, cosying up to one another in an effort to assimilate with the handsy patrons. Not that Gavin was complaining—which, in itself, brought to light something extremely damning. The emergence of a serious problem, one that threatened to blow up his fragile state of composure with a fucking grenade. 

A particularly enlightening moment occurred—where Nines had him pinned to a wall, held firm by his wrists—when he realised it was too late. The problem was there. Had been for a while. Shaped into the contours of a chiselled jawline and a cool, bright stare he wanted to drown in.

"Keep still, detective. Eyes on me. I believe I have a visual." 

The request had been low, practically purred against his ear. It had sent his heart rate skyrocketing, blood rushing in frantic pumps through the lingering echoes of words still dancing in the canal. 

Oh fuck. 

After that, he couldn't keep convincing himself that he was content with friendship. He wanted more, wanted this, without having to pretend. Desperation drove him to the insane stunt he pulled seconds later. If it failed, he could always claim it was part of their 'performance.'

An excuse that wasn't needed.

Their lips had met, and after a fleeting blip of hesitation, Nines reciprocated. Practically melting into him, abandoning his wrists in order to capture the sides of his face. Like he was holding something valuable— worthy of care and reverence.

They'd lost their visual on the target, as well as any hope of catching up to their boss, but the impromptu trip to a motel had been worth the berating they received from Captain Fowler. 

It couldn't be overstated just how grateful Gavin was that Nines had chosen to give him a chance. To show acceptance despite everything he had put him through. 

Because even if he was better, nothing could change the foundational truths of the man he was. The innumerable faults that would continue to persist despite all best efforts. Recklessness, arrogance, and spite. Baggage that came wheeled on a dolly cart, stacked to the ceiling.

None of it mattered. 

The android took it all—willingly—and without any ultimatum. From the start, the only expectation had been that Gavin would do right by both of them by not fighting the way Nines made him feel.

And nothing had ever made him feel this way. The kind of unconditional devotion and adoration that seemed unique to them, as well as the simple comfort of being together. 

He owed Nines everything. The least he could do was offer some modicum of the same security. Especially now, when he seemed so vulnerable. 

"You know your skin deactivates every time you go into sleep mode, right?" 

The effort backfired horribly. 

If Nines hadn't already seemed willing to take up permanent residence in the bathroom, this declaration came close to cinching it. His eyes widened to near-comedic proportions, looking like they might careen from their sockets. "Excuse me?" 

Gavin, realising that this had decidedly not been the approach to take, acted quickly to rectify the mistake. "I'm kidding; I just thought it might make you feel better."

The android was seldom listening, making clear that the damage was done as he sidled closer to the bathroom. The exposed soles of his feet pressed against the linoleum, and Gavin's body howled, desperate for its overdue reunion with his porcelain throne.

"This is—just—I mean, you look—" 

"I am well aware of what I look like," Nines interjected. His already tense posture had grown increasingly stiff, as though his back was being supported by a cast iron rod, "and just how far this version of me must detract from your preferences."

The words struck hard—much more so than the previous blow. Any ensuing attempts at fumbled retorts were abandoned as he blinked, stunned into silence.

"The issue will be resolved, and once it has, you needn't concern yourself with my default appearance."

Wait. Hold up.

"Now, if you excuse me, I will wait in the bedroom."

Awareness unfolded, leaving him floored—thoroughly astonished at how Nines, the paragon of informed deduction, could have been so cataclysmically wrong when it sought to matter most. To be able to speak so matter-of-factly, with such a candid degree of confidence, about something that couldn't be further from the truth. 

His legs moved before his brain could catch up, placing him decisively into the path between his partner and their bedroom. 

"Don't you dare go storming off like you're some goddamn teenager," he hissed, in full awareness that his standing there wasn't actually stopping anyone. Nines could quite easily pick him up and fling him across the room like a frisbee, although he trusted him not to. 

"What else would you propose I do? Allow you to defecate in our kitchen because I refused to accommodate?" 

"You aren't even giving me time to think." The injustice of the situation was becoming more pronounced, flaring hot in Gavin's ribs. "You're just assuming the worst of me, acting like I'm gonna be a total dick about this." 

This proved enough to pierce through his partner's haze of contention. The sharpness in his eyes faded, giving way to a flicker of regret. His softened gaze then fell to the side, heavy with shame. "...That was not my intent. I'm sorry." 

"It's fine." 

Clearly, it wasn't. The tension between them persisted despite the conclusion to their argument. It was suffocating, and Gavin couldn't help but notice how, despite making no further attempts to physically flee, his partner was still trying to hide. Sinking into himself, hands wrapped in a tense bind across his chest. 

"...Nines." The name was gentle, settled on a pensive purse at the end of his lips. "Let me see you. Please."

The android didn't respond immediately, hesitation evident in every microscopic shift of his frame. Eventually, his arms slackened and fell back, revealing the expanse of exposed white torso. While still unsure of the idea, demonstrated in his continued refusal to look up, it was clear Nines was extending some form of invitation—one that Gavin accepted.

He traced his fingers carefully up the stretch of the android's chest. It was not made of a singular uniform piece as he had previously assumed, but rather, a complex network of small, interwoven panels. Segmented into varied shades of white and grey, connected by subtle welds.

As he delicately tested the marks with the heel of his palm, he noted how remarkably smooth they felt, blending seamlessly with the rest of the body.

Not everything beneath the chassis was covered, with pockets of plastic so thin they were practically translucent. It revealed a dense network of wires—vibrant blues shifting through the synthetic circulatory system, pumped in steady flows of biofluid. 

The liquid originated from the centre of his ribs, beneath a protrusion in the sternum. Something that pressed to the surface—formed in a subtle ring. It pulsed gently, and the longer he looked, the more he was able to detect rhythmic glows of light.  

Gavin whistled low, noting how the pace of the component increased when he placed a hand across it. Blue bled through his fingers, illuminating the veins and tendons beneath his skin. It seemed so calm and balanced compared to the uneven tempo of his own raging pulse. 

"I didn't think you'd be able to see so much…" he mused, voice low with admiration. "It's fucking incredible. You know that, right?" 

"I am a machine," Nines said bitterly—the word of contention spat with disdain, like a curse. "A collection of polymers and circuitry, designed and constructed together to perform a practical function. There is nothing remarkable about it."

"What you just described is a dishwasher. This is not a dishwasher; this is—" He scoffed in self-deprecation, realising just how unequipped he was to describe the gravity of what he was seeing. In the absence of any poise or delicacy, the man opted for honesty. "You're like some crazy modern artwork, a goddamn masterpiece." 

"Stop lying to me."

"I'm not. You'd be able to tell if I was, right?"

Nines had nothing to say to that. His mouth jutted open, a tumultuous train of thought evident in the shifting glow of his LED before it wordlessly snapped shut. 

"Look, even if you weren't objectively the coolest thing I've ever seen in my life, it still wouldn't matter."

The android still refused to look at him, posture locked painfully tight, but as Gavin traced a delicate finger around his regulator access panel, there was a hint of a shudder. Bristling through his shoulders, as the tension held there started to wane.

"I know you don't wanna hear this—because it doesn't fit into your tortured soul narrative—and honestly, there's no way to say without it sounding like something out of a shitty romcom—"

He was stalling for time and not effectively. This sort of sentiment wasn't his strong suit. It didn't come naturally, which Nines was aware of. Still, if there was ever a time to be nauseatingly, cavity-inducingly sweet, this was it:

"Truth is, I love you, and that's got absolutely jack shit to do with what you look like. It's because of what's on the inside, or whatever."

"You love me for my thirium pump regulator?" 

The finger stalled in motion. 

Gavin looked up to discover Nines was facing him, a mischievous grin tugging his lips. He glowered despondently and made a hasty attempt to retract his arm. "Shut up, you know what I meant."

The limb didn't get far, as Nines captured it by the wrist, keeping it anchored to his chest. "I did," he assured, caressing the skin, marking trails of bone and ligament with the end of his thumb. 

Until the languid motions slowed as synthetic muscles seized. An aftershock of the previous state of anxiety. It was such a minor slip in control that anyone else would have unlikely noticed. Gavin knew better—keenly able to detect the change. 

"This really doesn't bother you?", the android asked, accentuating the question with increased pressure against his carpus. 

"Does it bother you that I have a mole on my chest the size of a quarter? Or that you can do a dot-to-dot with my stab wounds?"

"Of course not. Why would that matter?" 

"Exactly." The man huffed, punctuating the point with an affectionate prod to the android's temple. "Come on, you're the one with the supercomputer brain; just think about it for a second."

Whatever equanimity his partner was still clinging to unravelled in an instant. He looked genuinely overwhelmed, struck by a tidal wave of emotion which he could barely seek to contain. The breaks showed fast, leaking through in small hitches of crackling breath. 

"Gavin, I—" He stopped as though desperately seeking to regain some degree of composure. "You have no idea how much this means to me."

"Don't be a moron." He ushered him forward, capturing the hand still wrapped around his wrist. "Come here." 

The android did not resist the embrace, sinking into it, as he enclosed the man with powerful limbs. Cradling the back of his head, digits toying with tousled brown strands.

"Sap," Gavin teased, although he revelled in their proximity just as much. Indulging greedily as he peppered kisses across a tempting expanse of shoulder. "You don't need to hide yourself from me. Ever. I'm here for you—and nothing else."

The charged sounds grew louder, like the rumble of a car engine, sending vibrations through Nines' throat. This was before he cupped his partner's chin and allowed the sound to escape through tightly pressed lips. 

He moved with the sort of fervent passion that might suggest he was scared Gavin would disappear—but really, spoke more to the gratitude of knowing he wouldn't. It was only as he had fully breached the cavern of his mouth, and their hips were beginning to rock in sequence that the android finally pulled away. 

Gavin was left mesmerised—and a little dazed—by the unexpected boldness. It didn't matter how often Nines did this or what other shows of licentious spontaneity happened to follow; he couldn't foresee a time when it wouldn't knock him off his feet. 

How was he supposed to ground himself when he was perpetually flung into Cloud Nine, reminded of just how lucky he was? 

"...Besides." He chuckled richly, the sound rolling into the part of tenuously divided lips. "Bald really isn't a bad look on you. It's kind of hot." 

The man could practically hear the tight flourish of his partner's eyes before he graciously conceded to the attempt at flirting. "Oh, really? Is that so?"  

With a hum of affirmation, Gavin leaned down, forming a seal on the junction between the android's shoulder and neck. "You ever wanna…you know…with the dome out. I'm game."

"Perhaps another time." Nines then returned a hand to the back of his scalp. Burrowing into the hair before resting a cheek softly against his temple. "Right now, I would like it if we could stay like this."

Gavin dutifully complied, removing his lips in favour of nestling against the collarbone. He savoured the gentle rush of warmth that radiated beneath the chassis. It felt like home, and his eyes slid closed, entirely at peace.

"Yeah, that sounds good to me." 

[pleasantspark]

Hi how are you doing I been wanting to ask if you could do a DBZ cooler, frieza, cell, and ginyu with an S/O who is like lute from hazbin hotel , they are their right hand and are ruthless and merciless in battle and are very loyal to them

Cooler, Frieza, Cell and Ginyu (ERMWHATTHEHFIL!? Edition) with a diehard warrior - Headcanons

Thanks for the request anon! I might do my ERMWHATTHEHFIL!? Versions.

Cooler

Even though Salza was subservient to Cooler, and his second in command, you proven to be very loyal. Like loyal to a fault, whereever he goes, you follow.

You did anything for him. Even kill traitors (tho it was just people who questioned you.)

Cooler loved you, no like seriously.

Frieza

Even though you were a Saiyan, he found you to be loyal.

He's incapable of showing actual appreciation so he starts praising you (Think of Ocean Dub)

His feelings were rivaled out by appreciation and dedication. He will be most likely to not sacrifice you.

Cell

You were someone who died and went to HFIL. Cell was the first to greet you.

As such you learned the way around HFIL thanks to the efforts of the Android, you became his best friend and first one at least. Everything that you did, you did for him. Even if its outrageous.

Cell after all this time felt true appreciation for you.

Ginyu

Jeice never liked you, you were his replacement. So, Ginyu obviously put your needs before anyones. Even the other members.

You're pretty badass, like you knocked out Vegeta when he tried to flirt with you (you're the only saiyan female left.) This caused Jeice to switch up.

Ultimately, you ended up choosing Ginyu.

[villainkinconfessions]

I don’t know what to say really, every post I read here drones on pathetically and I feel stupid for even wanting to be a part of this. But it’s not like I’m any better than any of you anymore. The more I rot in hell the more I come to realize I never even had a choice. I never had any choice in anything other than having a hand in my own death. How pathetic. And I was made to be the ultimate lifeform. A pinnacle of engineering and perfection. I killed millions to fufill what I thought was my purpose of becoming the greatest being to ever exist. And It wasn’t even my own dream. I never even met the man who placed the idea into my mind. I loathe that. I am damned to hell for living a life that was never truly mine. Maybe I am just an android and nothing more. I can’t even tell what I feel. But I know I don’t regret what I did. At least to them. I hope that boy who dared to cross me all those years back is still haunted by the thought of my return. Of my face. Of how his father forced his hand against me. Of his father’s idiotic sacrifice. I hope he thinks of me like a demon. Because I think of him the same.

- Mr. Perfect Cell 🪳

The playing field is level here. Villains. One in the same, regrets or not. -----Mod Clockwerk

[lilkrissmuffet]

Hey how are you doing so imagine the butterfly bio female get into an intense heat one night, she can help but think about cell while touching herself but feels unsatisfied so decides to sneak outside her creators house to see him, and beg him to take her and her pheromones are strong enought to get him in the mood ?

Short answer? Her 'creator' ain't getting her back 😂

Longer, more satisfying answer:

Mother had warned you time and time again. That he was too dangerous, too unpredictable. Even if he had ultimately decided to spare this wretched planet a terrible fate, Perfect Cell was still not to be trusted.

Not like that would stop you tonight.

You were on fire. Burning from the tips of your butterfly wings to the biological core deep within, the one that separated you from all of Mother's other, clunky, mechanical creations. They had no soul, no heat. Not like you.

Now that same heat was consuming you in your own bed, more powerful than your programming could ever hope to override. And you knew exactly how to douse the flames. Drifting towards and through the open window, moonlight fills your iridescent wings like delicate stained glass. You knew that your body was not built with fragility in mind, but your heart had yet to be tested. Part of you hoped he might be gentle.

Another part didn't care.

~

"How did you manage to find me, little one?", Cell wonders, the ghost of a smirk playing at his lips. He almost seems impressed. "Why, I thought I had sufficiently suppressed my-"

"Pheromones." You answer simply, concisely, sounding every bit like Mother even if you have yet to realize it. "You and I both share entomological DNA, yes? Therefore, you release pheromones, just as I do. I do not need to detect energy signatures when I can simply smell you from miles away."

You found him standing sentinel atop the roof of the tallest skyscraper in West City. His eyes had been closed then, deep in thought. But now here you were, practically demanding his attention.

"Huh. And you were desperate enough to come all the way up here to see me? How cute..."

You can practically hear the glimmer of sharp, white teeth revealed by his grin as Cell snatches your tiny wrists and yanks you into his arms. You gasp softly, a mere fly in his web, your cheek pressed to his hard, armored chest. He's surprisingly warm, his low, deep voice rumbling from within.

"Mm. Now that you mention it...you do seem to carry a most delectable scent, my dear." The tips of Cell's claws trace up the length of your spine to the base of your wings. He chuckles quietly when you shiver in his tightening grasp.

"Do you think you can...assist me with my problem, Mr. Cell?", you ask timidly, your own words breathless and heavy with the weight of your need. He can feel the heat through your synthetic flesh, and it beckons him like nothing else.

"Look at me, pet." The android purrs, deftly slipping his other hand beneath your chin, arching your slender neck to meet his magenta gaze, "That's Mr. Perfect Cell to you...But if you really want to know what I think..."

He leans down then, tilting your head to the side to brush his impossibly smooth lips against the willowy antennae-like appendages that serve as your ears. Sound is not the only thing they're sensitive to- your body quivers like a lone leaf on a branch at Cell's touch, his long fingers seeking out the source of that ever-enticing aroma. A honeyed ambrosia that teases a hunger into his voice, so raw that you'd never expect it.

"I think," he growls, suddenly spinning around and dipping you back over the edge of the roof like a dancer, his movements graceful and swift. Pressing a deceptively chaste kiss to the hollow of your throat, he allows you to dangle above the city while his mouth lingers, savoring the taste of your skin. You fall silent with shock, staring up at the moon with stars in your eyes until terror screws them shut. Stimulates your vocal cords to cry out into the night.

"You should've listened to your mother."

💚

[lanymme]

One of the things I really appreciated about Rani in Extra and CCC is that she’s such a fresh take on the Android Learning About Humanity—that you don’t have to give up what you are to be a person.

Like part of her arc is definitely about her learning to trust her own feelings and make her own decisions and think of herself as a person—to accept that her Professor designed her not just to be a tool, but to be her own person; in Extra she learns to make her own judgements and proceed with upholding the mission her Professor entrusted to her, and in CCC she comes to understand that her humanlike characteristics and subjectivity aren’t just a stain on her ability to perform well, but that she was designed to look like a person and feel like a person because her Professor wanted to—that she’s like her daughter.

But the thing is, she never stops thinking of herself as on object, a creation. She still takes pride in her abilities as computer, in her form and design as a legacy of Atlas and of her Professor’s mind, and in her capacity to serve as a useful appliance. She connects with Hakuno because they are both non-human, things that have been cut off from their original purpose and stranded on the moon.

And I think that’s genuinely so cool. She’s a treasured friend of the other student council members and a powerful tool at their disposal. She’s a person, and she’s a non-human, and she has a better rapport with the NPCs, who view her as something more like one of them. She gets along well with AI Sakura, who is sort of going through her own version of this process.

She was sent to investigate and possibly destroy the Moon Cell as the final expression of the dying Atlas Institute’s duty to guard the future of humanity against world-ending threats, even if it means her own destruction. She is the product of Atlas’s entire legacy: their ultimate creation, and their final researcher, both at the same time. And as a researcher and as a device, she is entrusted with the same purpose: to avert the destruction of humanity, even it should mean sacrificing herself.

And whether she witnesses Hakuno shut down the Angelica Cage and returns to earth to carry on that legacy, or falls in battle to the person she prepared to carry out that mission through her assistance, she achieves that goal the way any Atlas marvel or steadfast scientist would.

[ultrasizeddb]

On a whim Fu decided to pull the strongest variants of beings across the multiverse. The most powerful and unique forms of the warriors of universe 6,7,ETC. Why? To “gather data” on these new forms.

THE SHOWCASE!

FU:

Your lovely host! The great prince of darkness with large hips and the ability to mess with anything he wants. Has a beautiful feminine appearance as well. Currently in a relationship with Saiki

GOKU:

The Guardian:A Goku that took the role of Kami when he was younger. Due to this he now lives upon the look out and has several magical techniques. Due to all this divine training his lowest forms rank near the realm of the Gods.

The Dragon:After vanishing with Shenron this Goku was transported to the land of eternal Dragons. Now featuring small reptilian traits and the dragon balls lodged into his massive pecs.

The Lord in Black:A Goku Black who was taken over by Fu. His violent urges contained by a mask but his power able to mostly flow freely bulking up as he’s able to grow to to high levels of SSR or turn into a SSR oozaru

The Monkey God: Goku honed his SSJ4 so much that he can walk around casually in it. He is much more taller with an immense amount of strongfat.

VEGETA:

The Immortal:Due to getting his immorality on Namek Vegeta was able to become stronger than ever. Abusing Zenkai boosts and winning most battles with ease. Basically invincible as he has replaced Beerus as U7s destroyer.

The Monkey King:After Kakarot left Vegeta tuned and perfected SSJ4. Now walking around in the form as his mostly causal appearance. Except when Bulma tells him to return.

The Parasite:A Baby Vegeta who defeated Goku and created his tuffle empire. Served a spoiled by his people he’s become a permanent fat gorilla.

GOHAN:

The Beast:A Gohan who suffers from a mutation where when he’s angry his body grows into a great ape. Usually trying to suppress his anger it grows harder as his forms grow stronger.

The Professor:A Gohan who achieved Super Saiyan 4 but only uses it under very particular circumstances as his body wildly bulks up when he activated the form.

The Hope:A future Gohan who was assisted by the Supreme Kais. His body filled with Godly power ups with his remaining arm greatly bulking up.

TRUNKS:

The Noble Son:A Trunks who lived a soft cushy life of peace growing rather feminine. His lady like charms being a benefit in many situations.

The Time Patroller:The Trunks usually trying to stop Fu only to be expanded in random ways.

PICCOLO:

The Grand Elder:Due to being held under water by Freeza during their battle this Piccolos body bloated up rapidly. Now he’s a large sloshy blob of his old self living on Namek.

The Demon King:A Piccolo who had his potential unlocked early and successfully subjugated Earth. He keeps the other warriors of earth trapped within his bountiful muscle.

FRIEZA:

The Universal Emperor:Thanks to training much eariler Friezas power has soared but with a side effect. His true form is a blob of blimped out muscle that he needs his lower forms to contain. If he reaches his Black form one pec is the size of Earth.

COOLER:

The Living Black Hole:As he and the Big Getty Star became one Cooler is now a gigantic metallic Kaiju who gulps down planets do keep himself powered.

The Monstrous Conqueror: Regular Cooler who's second form is immense and beefy, able to rival Frieza. His Golden form is able to become bigger than a planet, one pec can make them seem small. He has another form that turns him into a literal dragon that is bigger than multiple planets.

ANDROID 17:

The Ranger:Due to living so quietly and comfortably 17 has gained a large flabby dad bod. With his butt being able to bounce away damage.

The Super Battery:When Super 17 was battled by Goku he took all the energy without blowing. Now packed with large muscle he struggles to keep in control.

CELL:

The Ultimate Life Form:After a victory against Gohan, Cell gathered the powers and techniques of every mortal and Godly being he can. But at the cost of his figure rapidly expanding.

VEGITO:

The Eternal Master:Due to the potara being permanent and permanently absorbing Buu. This Vegitos body has rapidly expanded muscles and power so overwhelming he breezed by most battles with ease. Now training the strongest of his timeline.

BUU:

Zen Buu:”A very strong Buu from a DIFFERENT series but you don’t need to know much. Just know I’m basically a God. Just can’t use Hakai….can I? Meh I’ll just make cookies.”

JANEMBA:

The Super Demon:After being purged by Gogeta, Saiki wasnt fully cured of Janembas power. Her body randomly expanding in the big fat yellows of base Janemba or the red muscular bulk of Super Janemba. Saiki got permanently changed to a female due to a mutation from Janemba. Saiki happens to be in a relationship with Fu.

BEERUS:

The BIG brother:The large cocked God of destruction usually bugged by his brother on @bigchampa When he’s angry his muscles bloat up and he’s constantly hungry. Just like his brother, he has access to a female form he can go into at will.

WHIS:

The Divine Servant:The Whis from the same timeline as the previous Beerus. Able to expand his large rump across universes to appease his horny master.

MORO:

The Universe Eater:Having devoured the very multiverse this variant of Moro can rewrite his very own story. But suffers from his body growing very fat anytime he uses said powers.

ANDROID 21:

The Monkey Queen:Thanks to awakening during the Tuffle invasion. This 21 was able to devour both her variant of Baby and Goku in their great apes form. Leading her to become a great ape at will.

BROLY:

The Legendary Super Saiyan:After his defeat at the hands of Goku this Broly was pulled his timeline by Fu. Being given a tail and years worth of training. Now a mythical beast and personal servant to the demon king.

The Scarred Solider:A Broly who was found eariler by Goku and after years of training gained full control over his power. Choosing to live as a hermit while his power rises.

GOTEN:

The Chosen Son:A Goten who was the final line of defense against his timelines Cell. Despite his young age he’s trained nearly non stop with a surviving Krillin.

CHI-CHI:

The Ox Queen:Thanks to wanting to grow stronger to protect her family. An ancient power has awaken in Chi-Chi causing her to become a giant of muscle and fat.

BULMA:

The Queen of Saiyans:In another world Bulma was able to help revive the Saiyan race. A mixture of the dragon balls and machinery allowing for a new planet vegeta. With her being the first queen in generations.

ANDROID 18:

The Spoiled Housewife:After settling down and Bulma undoing a power block. 18 has become a lazy obese housewife who can with ease still beat around Super Saiyan Gods.

The Queen of Earth:After devouring the Z-fighters and the future warriors. This 18 has pressed her fat ass in the throne of the old king of earth. Commanding an army of servants less they become her food.

VIDEL:

The Strongest Hero:Thanks to more rigorous training Videl or The Great Saiyawoman is a real world super person. But her identity is hard to keep secret as only one woman has such a build.

GINE:

The Survivor:Thanks to leaving planet Vegeta before its destruction. With the mother of Goku landing on yardrat becoming a wise master of dozens of abilities. Has a skinny voluptuous build and able to an oozaru along with some super saiyan forms.

FASHA:

The Admiral:A Fasha viewed as valuable by Freiza and kept alive. Eventually taking over his empire after the death of his family and publicly devouring him. With her recruiting every Saiyan she could. Has a tall bulky build. Her oozaru form is bigger abs more muscular than most.

PAN:

The Berserker:A mutation in Pan refuses her the ability to become Super Saiyan. But in truth her hybrid DNA causes her to become an unstoppable disastrous monster similar to Broly.

BRA:

The Strongest:Born with comically high potential and a pride only a Saiyan could have. This Bra values only a good battle and becoming unbeatable. A young adult with a very muscular build.

Cheelai:

The Ultimate Ass-istant:An overly curvy alien that usually provides food and her big body to please Broly and Beerus. With her possibly having more power locked away.

Supreme Kai(Lishin)

The Mixture:A version of Shin who accidentally fused with the West Supreme Kai. Leading to him becoming a curvaceous femboy with a bit of a hot head.

Caulifla:

The Gang Leader:A Caulifla that works as a pupil of Champa and Vados. An Incredibly fat futa whose power can crack planets with a stomp if she’s not careful. Along with her intense libido.

Kale:

The Exiled:A hefty Kale who is unaware she’s related to the royal family. Usually sticking around with Caulifla and unable to control how much she bulks up in her legendary state.

Kefla:

The All Powerful Student:The Pupil of Vegito and another perma-fusion. Shes the Destroyer in training of her universe. Usually being skinny but heavily bulking up the more power she uses.

Cabba:

The Royal Guard:A much older and stronger Cabba from around the time of GT. His body now much more muscular from his training with Vados believing there’s something he can unlock with a decent enough push.

Botamo:

The Wall:Just canon Botamo but able to seal people in his invincible belly permanently. His limbs are also extremely muscular.

Bergamo

The Pack Leader:Thanks to being the strongest warrior of his universe his potential was unlocked. Leading to an ultra beefy body.

Zamasu

Zero Mortal God:The companion to Goku Black and the former Kai of universe 10. Usually having a slim build with a large butt he sometimes swells up in random body parts when angry.

Gogeta

Super Saiyan 4 Ultimate Primate: An unknown phenomenon caused them to be remained permanently fused but it also enhanced their fusion. Along with being very tall, he is extremely muscular with a beer gut thanks to his appetite.

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

🫀The Heart's Savior.

Guys, we have come to the end, but how is it that they say? The end of something will be the beginning of something else. There will always be so much to say about Yamcha and I don't want to stop that soon. For now I would like all Dragon Ball fans to consider this topic, not because I wrote it. I am well aware that I am not the first person to talk about it, and I am glad that someone other than me has noticed, but in Yamcha's case it is never enough. The more the merrier! Even at the cost of repeating ourselves…. It doesn't matter! In latin they used to say repetita iuvant, meaning that something by dint of being repeated is eventually learned. Can it stew? Maybe. But it's still better than keeping quiet, right? And I believe that all of us Yamcha fans have a sacred right to protect one of the most misunderstood and unnecessarily mistreated characters ever.

Well, it's time to begin, but before we go into the last, most important chapter, I would like to remind you one last time of the previous two parts, so that we have a clearer and more obvious situation. I mean, at this point it's really impossible to ignore that Yamcha is useless. PART 1: The Past PART 2: The Present

PART 3: The Future

It is no accident that I wanted to divide the topic in a temporal sense. As I had said at the beginning, in the Androids and Cell Arc, Yamcha has seriously contributed to improving the past, the present and the future. He didn't fight with his muscular body, but by bringing the resounding strength of his heart into play, he made sense of Dragon Ball's most important chapter. At least it is the most important to me. Not only because it is the first and only time the warriors are really all together, but also because this is where the story begins to expand with the appearance of alternate realities. Everyone does their own thing, and while I regret that Yamcha was not given a real action moment in which to shine (with the exception of the fight against that Cell Junior together with Tien to save Goku), I'm still glad that in the same arc in which Toriyama tried to completely sideline him, Yamcha left his mark. And believe me, it is a very important mark.

We could say that Yamcha saved everyone's mood, everyone's heart, everyone's soul…. The meaning will always be the same. We are not on Planet Vegeta, where everyone is callous and devoid of humanity. We are on Earth, on that planet that made Goku an outstanding saiyan and especially the protagonist everyone has loved for years. This means that if you can't feel pure emotions, you can't go anywhere. You can't even get on the Flying Nimbus! We learned this with OG Dragon Ball: if you don't act from the heart and for the heart, you certainly won't make a good end. This is what Jackie Chun/Muten Roshi explains to Tenshinhan when he tries to convince him to abandon the path of evil and take the path of good. It was an important teaching, and it saddens me that Akira Toriyama has completely forgotten it since forty years later he has failed to reward the character who most of all was a living heart.

If you think about it, this is really Goku's strong point: his heart. In the beginning he always acted for the sake of someone else: he wanted to look for the dragon ball with four stars because it reminded him of his grandfather, then he collected them all to bring Upa's father back to life, then again to save Krillin, Muten and Chiaotzu. Always thanks to his heart he became a Super Saiyan for the first time and thanks to his good feelings he was able to save the earth many times. So it is really his heart that made him legendary. It is because of it that he was able to go on, become stronger and be the ultimate hero. ...So... Why should Yamcha be any less? He is a human, so what? He possesses superhuman strength. There is nothing different from a saiyan awakening his feelings. Both of them go against the grain. They are two sides of the same coin. Whatever...

To recap:

Yamcha saved the past. He has taken care of Goku since he was little, helped him when Goku's innocence hindered him, always supported him, and always stepped forward whenever he was in danger of getting hurt. Finally, he took care of his heart, the most important core of Goku's character, during his illness.

Yamcha saved the present. While everyone feared the worst or simply struggled without much success, Yamcha was always ready to comfort and warm that chill that could have turned the present into Trunks' horrible future. He took care of Tien, or at least he would have liked to, then Gohan and finally Krillin, helping him to hope on his chance with Android 18. It seems little, but in everyday life such a turnaround is more important than a victory against an invincible monster. After all... What remains when peace returns?

Although The Past and The Present show how big Yamcha's heart is, we still have to admit that up to now he has taken care of his friends. This is an easy thing to do. I mean, any human with a heart of gold would do all this for someone he loves, but Yamcha's value goes beyond that. After all, it is when you leave your comfort zone that you truly realize how much you are worth, and that is what I am referring to when I say that Yamcha has been the strongest of all. Nietzsche once said:

Love your enemies because they bring out the best in you.

It's true. By loving those who hate you, those who have hurt you or simply those who do not appreciate you, you become incredibly better, because you can overcome the evil you get and make it your strength in a sense.

That's exactly what Yamcha does, but you know, I even believe that he doesn't do it completely to feel better. I think he does it because he knows how to love. That's always the point: by knowing how to love he automatically knows how to forgive and overcome the hatred that he would have the right to feel. Therefore, dear friends, today we will talk about how Yamcha cared even for those whom he was not bound to love for different reasons. I want to say this will be the part that will touch me the most. I'm pretty sure I'm going to be sentimental as hell but I can't help it. Yamcha is a treasure chest of emotions and I want to express them just as he would. To talk about what follows means first of all having to come to terms with the most humiliating thing of all: Yamcha and Bulma's breakup. I don't want to dive into details, not in this topic, but what I do want to point out is that for me Yamcha never cheated on Bulma.

Look at him. One who has cheated would not react like that. You can see that he is pissed off and disappointed, rather than mortified or distressed about the mistake he made. I am more accepting of the speculation that Bulma simply preferred Vegeta, although here we open a big digression about yet another writing problem in Dragon Ball. Consequently, as I see it, Yamcha suffered the breakup as a real tragedy, came out as a victim of it, and therefore his heart was severely wounded by it. With these things in mind, it is logical to think that what we see from this point on is literally a saint-made man, because not only does Yamcha accept the new reality with Bulma, but he even stays by her side to continually watch over her until the end of DBZ.

Once again Yamcha stays. He is there, he does not back down, and with his head held high he faces the greatest disappointment of his life, because without ever forgetting this we must consider that his goal was (is) always love. He strongly desired to marry Bulma and have children with her, but in the end she chose to do this with the one who had once killed her boyfriend.

Heartbroken and disillusioned, Yamcha would have many reasons for never speaking to Bulma again. Yet he does. He stays close to her, and in facing this great humiliation he proves not only that he has that usual big heart, but also that he is seriously better than those who treated him as if he were worthless. Yeah, I am really talking about Vegeta. I hope I am not annoying any Vegeta fans, but believe me, for any Yamcha fan it is impossible to accept certain attitudes that the saiyan prince had with the earthling.

Don't worry, though. I am not going to denigrate a character to glorify Yamcha. It's not my style and frankly he doesn't need it. He already shines on his own, it's just that unfortunately his brightness is obscured by super energy attacks. I will simply show the evidence, but more importantly I will talk about how Yamcha loved even Vegeta and Trunks.

Actually, why he helped Trunks should not surprise us. Trunks did nothing wrong to Yamcha. He is simply the son of Bulma and Vegeta, and even if that means Yamcha has lost his Bulma forever, that is certainly not a valid reason to hate this boy. Well, if we clearly allow ourselves to be guided by instinct and the most impetuous emotions, it is quite normal to think that Yamcha may also have felt frustration at seeing that son who should have been his. Trunks is the most concrete form of Yamcha's humiliation: not only is he not his son, he is even Vegeta's son. From this point of view, Trunks represents the beginning of a new hope for the planet but also the end of Yamcha's hopes. It's a subplot that nobody gives a damn about, but as much as I love Trunks, I can't help but think every time I see him, "oh boy, Yamcha's downfall is coming."

Whatever… These are assumptions we don't have to worry about. Yamcha may have had a small moment of annoyance with little Trunks, but he is still an innocent child, and what's more, although he is Vegeta's son, he is also Bulma's son, and Yamcha loves Bulma. Now as a friend, but he still loves her. So loving Bulma necessarily means loving Trunks as well. This to me is a great proof of his inner strength that I mentioned earlier, although at this point I wonder... Is his strenth really that inner? It seems so damn noticeable to me. Now let's take a closer look at the whole situation.

Through Trunks' words we learn for the first time about the breakup between Yamcha and Bulma. Trunks very naively explains that the main reason was Yamcha's attitude toward the girls. Bulma got fed up and so she broke up with him once and for all. Leaving aside the fact that Yamcha playboy is a kind of joke, because we have seen many times how in reality he has always been the exact opposite, it is highly probable that this statement is unfortunately the result of Bulma's usual hysteria toward Yamcha. I say "usual" because we have plenty of evidence on this. For example, in OG Dragon Ball we saw how she was pissed off at Yamcha simply because a fanclub of pretty girls had formed for him. This trifle had been enough for Bulma to leave Yamcha alone in the city, and go with Goku to search for the dragon balls. It is not hard for me to imagine that much of Yamcha's alleged faults were simply in Bulma's head. Perhaps she feared losing him and consequently imagined realities that Yamcha would never allow.

The fact is that in my opinion Trunks' explanation should not be taken as true. Future Bulma told his son a lot of lies, surely for good, because living in such a tragic time it was right to ease the boy's soul by telling him about his father's noble deeds. The point is that Future Bulma knew perfectly well that Vegeta was neither a saint nor a hero. She never knew the Vegeta of the Buu Arc. She had only experienced the impassive, distant, indifferent, and untamable Vegeta, the one you still had to worry about because you still couldn't tell if you could trust him or not. But Vegeta was still the father of her son, and her son was the only thing she had left of Vegeta. So out of love for her son, Bulma has elevated Vegeta, and as one does when telling a fanciful fairy tale in which one exaggerates many things, Future Bulma necessarily has fictionalized how she and Vegeta ended up together. I try hard to think of it that way. I find it in very bad taste that Future Bulma spoke ill of Future Yamcha, who died and did not have a chance to tell his side. So I just assume that she told this bullshit not to insult Yamcha's memory but to comfort young Trunks. As I said, the lie about Yamcha is not the only one. To glorify Trunks's father, Future Bulma also tells that Vegeta had a hidden and "warmer" side, but in reality even she was not sure about that because in the future Vegeta had never shown affection toward their son. It was a supposition she made up to give her son hope.

In short, through Future Bulma's words we can imagine that Future Yamcha is a moron, while Future Vegeta is a pretty decent man. Cold but decent. Mind you: accusing Yamcha of being "something of a playboy" does not just mean that he is a jerk who gets off on girls. Above all, it means that Yamcha is unintelligent, vile, and without dignity. But when Trunks gets into the time machine and goes back to the past, which for us is the present, all the cards get messed up and a very different reality jumps out. From here on, the paths diverge. There are those who believe Future Bulma's words and those who find the whole thing a terrible stretch. True or not, everything Yamcha does in this saga completely negates the idea that he was a shitty person with no brain or heart. Trunks sees that, but he also sees something more important: Vegeta is not as worthy as he thought.

In this scene, the tension is very high. It is not just a clash between a saiyan and an earthling. It is a clash between one who has lost everything and one who has taken everything. After all, Vegeta took Yamcha's life once and a few years later he took his girlfriend. The way Vegeta tries to cut Yamcha out of Dragon Ball has always bothered me, simply because many fans have taken all his insults against Earthlings as true. Nowadays, unfortunately, there are many who believe that Yamcha is really scum. Seeing him in this scene with that clenched fist, his gaze threatening but equally filled with goodness tugs at my heartstrings. However, the best part of this scene is really Trunks' reaction.

He seems really upset. Somehow it's as if he wants to stop it, but not just because Vegeta is taking it out on Yamcha. Trunks comes from a future where love no longer exists. There is only fear, anger, frustration. He lives in a world where there is no time to laugh, joke, play, simply feel human, and he suffers a lot from that. His warm melancholy is directly proportional to the cold evilness of the two androids. With this interpretation in mind, I am quite convinced that in this scene Trunks saw the two androids in his father. Or rather, it is as if Trunks was upset by his father's coldness very similar to that of androids. Understand me, it is as if he at that moment is witnessing the confrontation between the two times: Yamcha represents the happy past, Vegeta the ruthless future. Moreover, Trunks in those days is fully experiencing the reality he desires in his time. There is his father, there is Goku, there are his friends, laughing is still possible but most of all, the planet is so alive that hope and love do not even have to be searched for in a mad rush because they are part of it. They have not yet been eradicated as in his future. As I had already said, hope and love are precisely what convinced Trunks to accomplish this feat. Not only that. If you remember what I wrote in the previous part, I openly stated that Yamcha is the representation of these two feelings. So... Joining all the dots, it really seems that in this scene Trunks is standing up for his own ideals. If Yamcha is love and love is what Trunks wants back in a world now filled with hatred, it is only natural that he would side with the earthling. I mean, he is fed up with witnessing injustice. Besides, Trunks has respect for Yamcha as Fighter-Z. He knows that Yamcha also tried to fight against the androids and that unfortunately he did not succeed, so it is natural for him to stand up for him. It is that code of honor that is created between warriors. Well, I really think Trunks realizes here what I was saying at the beginning: Yamcha is not that much of an asshole and Vegeta is not that much of a saint. At this point Trunks seriously needs proof that negates everything he is observing. It is just a detail. The best is yet to come.

Before we get to that, I would like to briefly address the relationship between Yamcha and Trunks. We have come to understand by now that Yamcha acts out of love and precisely because of this he does not look the recipient in the face. The fact that Trunks is Vegeta's son does not matter to him. Trunks is a good guy who even though he materialized the separation between Yamcha and Bulma still saved the world by going back to the past. Moreover, as already mentioned, he is Bulma's son. All this is enough for Yamcha to respect, love and protect him.

This is a decisive moment. Trunks' death acts as a catalyst for the final fight, but more importantly it makes Vegeta bring out that "side." Everyone remembers the prince's anger against Cell after seeing his son die, but... How many remember who was the first to rescue Trunks?

Come on, seriously?! I would never have said that. ...Yes, hell, yes. Of course would have said that. There are so many characters who witness this tragic death but it just so happens that the first one to intervene is Yamcha. I don't think it's random. And even if it was, that's pretty damn consistent with his character. You see. He reaches Trunks even before Vegeta, but that certainly does not mean that Vegeta loves Trunks any less. I just mean that, despite all that Trunks represents to Yamcha, Yamcha rushes to save him, moved again by that unconditional love that distinguishes him from all others.

The very brief scenes in which Yamcha protects Trunks' corpse together with Tien are wonderful. For two sensitive souls like Yamcha and Tien, it is really the least to defend the one who allowed them to live a little longer. It is really moving to see how Yamcha and Tien take care of the body to prevent it from being profaned. Little does it matter to them that there are dragon balls and that Trunks can be brought back to life even if full of scratches and wounds. The respect for the corpse is the only priority, with or without dragon balls, and this attitude is so human that it brings tears to my eyes every time I realize how special these two earthlings are.

I mean... Trunks's corpse could have been lying there somewhere and been picked up at the end. He was dead, not unconscious like Android 18. Watching over his body was not strictly necessary, but Yamcha and Tien do it anyway. And they do it because they are the best characters in Dragon Ball their humanity is their secret weapon. A pity that for Toriyama it is just a joke.

The relationship between Trunsk and Yamcha is only part of the whole. We could trace it to the same kind of paternal bond that Yamcha establishes with Goku and Gohan, but in Trunks' case it becomes even more fascinating because he is literally the son she would have wanted with her Bulma. Of course, it's just a feeling. I highly doubt that Yamcha ever realized that he possessed "daddy-like" attitudes, and then we also have to say that protecting someone younger than you doesn't mean you do it because you have the makings of a father. To be precise, Yamcha does have it, but he certainly doesn't act thinking that everyone is his missing child. That's just the way he is, and that's why I insist on the idea that he could have been a perfect dad. Perhaps the most perfect.

I am insisting on the father figure because Future Trunks strongly misses his dad. He tells us that he was too young to remember him and that the idea of meeting him for the first time in the past moved him. But why did it move him? Let's remember it: thanks to Future Bulma. With her fantasies about Future Vegeta she colored Trunks' dark life a little, even though at the time she was not sure what she was telling. It didn't matter. All that mattered was that Trunks at least grew up with the idea that the past was a good place thanks in part to his father. As we read in this scene, therefore, we understand that Trunks has a serious need to create memories of his own. It is also a way to give a visual image to his mother's stories, like when a child prefers a book with pictures to a book with only text. That is why Future Trunks stays close to his father, observes him, that is all he needs. As we have noticed, however, things are not quite as he imagined them to be. Vegeta is not what he expected, but the joy of being able to be with him is enough for him to accept him as he is. But... Is it really enough? Think about it. After such a long and difficult journey, after so many legendary tales and especially after so many expectations, how much can it hurt to return home with fewer answers and so many more questions? We do not know exactly what happened during the training between Vegeta and Trunks in the Room of Spirit and Time, but we can safely assume that Vegeta did not open up as Trunks would have liked. It was certainly an emotional moment for him, but not enough to say, "yeah, man, he's really my dad."

The decisive moment occurs precisely during Trunks' death. Earlier we saw that the first one to rescue him is Yamcha, but "obviously" nobody cares because all the attention goes to Vegeta. I understand that. This is the moment when the saiyan prince finally shows his feelings for someone else for the first time. It is not just revenge. Behind Vegeta's reaction is love, and this very feeling will make him frighteningly strong. This naturally amazes everyone, but I am sure that the reaction of the Z-Fighters is due not so much to the increase in his strength as to the fact that Vegeta is having an emotional reaction of this caliber. No one has ever seen him like this. He has officially changed for the better. I am sure Vegeta fans recognize in this scene the split between the ruthless Vegeta of the saiyan saga and the Vegeta we will see in the Buu saga. A new Vegeta has just been born, and everyone has noticed him, even Yamcha who has not had a positive idea about him until then. Actually, it must be said that Yamcha had forgiven Vegeta before anyone else. When Yamcha was still with Bulma, he had agreed to let the saiyan be hosted at his girlfriend's house.

Tien had been the voice of truth. Perhaps his third eye had glimpsed the future, I don't know, but it is quite disturbing to think that some time later this fateful decision would seal the break between Bulma and Yamcha.

What matters for now is that Yamcha has the gift of forgiveness. He did it with Tien when he broke his leg and, although in a different way, he did it with Vegeta who committed much more heinous acts against him. The only difference is that Vegeta never apologized. Once again it is Yamcha who takes a step forward, or rather three steps forward: he forgives the man who killed him, he forgives the man who took away the woman he loved and finally he forgives the man who deprived him of the chance to become a father. Excuse me, but I believe that these three battles are much more intense and difficult than any of the battles we see in Dragon Ball between our heroes and strong monsters. Especially if we think about the fact that Yamcha stays, which doesn't mean that he is just there: the way Yamcha is, it means that he learns to love even those who hurt him and especially to act for their good.

There is only one problem. Trunks cannot see all the love that Vegeta radiates for him. The essence of this scene lies precisely in the fact that finally Future Bulma's tales of Vegeta become real, but what good is all this if Trunks has no way to witness it? A new tale is needed, but this time a real one, based on facts and no longer on memories. A tale that can definitively confirm that Vegeta has a good side and especially cares about his son. So someone must necessarily step up and help Trunks hope again just because of this fantastic news.

...You again, Yamcha?! Then it is a vice! Or maybe you are simply the most beautiful Dragon Ball character ever. Well yes, guys, it is indeed Yamcha who tells Trunks about Vegeta's unexpected heroic feat. He could have told them Krillin or anyone else, but Yamcha's sensitivity precedes all others. In a sense it is as if he is the first to realize that Vegeta has actually changed. We are at the end of the battle. Trunks has been brought back to life and everyone is at Kami's palace. After some small talk and the twist between Krillin and Android 18 (to which Yamcha contributed), the fighters part ways to return home. Yamcha and Trunks head to West City and it is during this journey that Yamcha confesses to the boy what happened. To many it may seem like the least, but think about it very carefully: how many in Yamcha's place would have done the same? I mean, at that moment Yamcha is praising Vegeta for what he did for Trunks. In different words, Yamcha is praising the very man who took away his life, his woman, and the possible marriage he has dreamed of all his life. He had no reason to do it, yet he did it. He could have kept quiet, or told Trunks anything else by deliberately omitting the part about Vegeta out of some sort of personal revenge, but he does not. He does not do it because Yamcha's big heart does not allow him to act in such a mean way. At this very moment he no longer cares what Vegeta did to him. It was enough for him to see him go crazy over Trunks' death to change his mind and accept the fact that Vegeta has changed. That is all Yamcha cares about. Yamcha cares that love guides people, and in this case he cares that Bulma and little Trunks are finally in good hands. The rest no longer matters. The disappointment, humiliation, and anger he feels toward the whole disastrous situation that happened between him, Vegeta, and Bulma is water under the bridge. Yamcha has officially moved on. But it's not just about that. Here Yamcha demonstrates superhuman empathy. He never heard the revelation that Future Trunks told Goku when he first appeared. He did not hear that Trunks had no memories of his father and that this distressed him terribly, yet Yamcha senses this. We have seen how he has formidable intuition, so I am not surprised to believe that he sensed this need in Trunks. He must have imagined that in the future he misses his father figure, and so without a second thought he wanted to give him that warmth that you feel when your father loves you. Once again Yamcha went further and reasoned about situations that are much broader than people think. He took care of the present, but he also took care of the future, and this time without receiving anything in return. Telling Trunks about Vegeta doesn't change his life, but it certainly improves it. It enriches him and he just through all this love that he literally gives to anyone feels stronger and better. Making others feel good is his personal mission. Here we can see that he did it, he got his victory. Trunks' face as he says "my father did?" is full of pride because simply the circle has come full circle. Trunks got the confirmation he was looking for because he knew because of Future Bulma, but he needed to verify it. Yamcha gave peace to his tormented soul.

So guys... I hope it's clear to everyone that if this iconic scene exists, it's really because of Yamcha. I mean, surely Vegeta and Trunks would have said goodbye to each other regardless. But the power of this scene lies precisely in the fact that Trunks knows exactly what happened, what Vegeta did for his son, and as we have seen if he knows it is precisely thanks to Yamcha. In short: Yamcha helped redefine the relationship between Vegeta and Trunks. Yamcha, who as we have seen is the bearer of hope, finally made sense of why Trunks embarked on this journey. He made all of Trunks' dreams come true and in a way allowed him to become stronger, because let's face it, what allows Trunks to beat the androids in his future is not just the super training and battles he does in the past, but more importantly the chance to have experienced all the emotions he was missing and that motivated him to improve his time.

When Trunks returns home, one of the first things he does is tell about the very thing his father did. And if he tells it, let us remember, it is always because of Yamcha. Do you see what I mean? He doesn't give a damn about winning against Cell and the androids. What Trunks takes with him is mostly the emotions accumulated during this incredible experience. Telling about how those monsters were beaten would not have added anything new, because they live in a world where people fight for survival. Telling instead how love and teamwork made all the difference is completely new for him. That is what really matters. We are humans, not robots. There is no point in struggling if you don't have emotions with you. Trunks finally got them. He is finally different from the androids and can now defeat them.

I think the best part of this scene is Future Bulma's reaction. Here we learn that she had indeed ventured a little in telling Trunks about Vegeta. She was not sure about Vegeta's good side either, but she still told her son about it to comfort him. We can see how shocked she is to learn such news. From here we can infer that Future Vegeta was not even a partner in attendance. Somewhat like the Vegeta of the present. In fact, his closeness to Bulma and Trunks occurs after Cell Arc. Not having been able to experience it, Future Bulma was left with the idea that Vegeta had an unexplored good side that she never really saw. She only guessed at it. Therefore, we can say that Yamcha's words have resolved even Future Bulma's doubts. In the present, Yamcha must have noticed the substantial difference between him and Vegeta vis-à-vis Bulma. If Yamcha was affectionate and close, Vegeta is distant and cold. He probably resents that Vegeta behaves this way toward Bulma. Assuming Yamcha sensed that Trunks' future was loveless, it is easy to imagine that he also thought Future Bulma was left alone with her conflicts. After all, Vegeta's change occurred only in the past because some events were changed with Trunks' arrival. It is an exception. I like to think that Yamcha also wanted to help Future Bulma by letting her know that Future Vegeta could learn to love if he had a little more time. Why he did this we will never know. We may think that he did it because Yamcha still loves Bulma, but that would be reductive. Yamcha did it because he just loves. Giving hope is what he does best. It is quite ironic that Yamcha helped the same person who besmirched his memory by telling that he was some kind of playboy. I think it is particularly noticeable here how great Yamcha actually is. Of course he does not know what Future Bulma actually told about him. Trunks only reveals it to Goku, and the only one who hears it is Piccolo. But I am sure that even if Yamcha had known that Future Bulma did not speak highly of him, he would still have done his best to take care of her in every time arc. Lastly he simply enhanced Vegeta's own image. I think it is the most immense act Yamcha could do: to love his greatest enemy. I proudly say that Yamcha, after taking care of the past and the present, has saved even the future. Without exaggeration, he is the one who maintained the link between these three time arcs. If I may say so, he is precisely the one who most represents the theme of this saga.

I would like to conclude with two thoughts...

Any nostalgic Dragon Ball fan knows full well how important Goku's grandfather is. Son Gohan is a kind of angel who watches over the little saiyan from the very beginning, via the dragon ball with the four stars. There is one scene in particular that moves me so much. This is the exact moment when Son Gohan relinquishes this role of guardian angel to Goku's friends. If we want to dwell on Yamcha, I think he is the one who most of all took these words literally. Not only because indeed Yamcha took care of Goku during his illness, but especially because he extended this commandment. Yamcha has really taken care of everyone who is connected to Goku for some reason, precisely because Goku's happiness also depends on those around him. Taking care of Goku also means taking care of his affections, and Yamcha, as we have seen, has done this with everyone. He took care of his wife Chichi, his son Gohan, but also Tien and Krillin, two of Goku's great friends, and finally the saiyans and Bulma. I like to think that it all starts from this very scene, even though Yamcha has always been inclined to help anyone.

At the end of the Cell Arc, the carefree atmosphere of Dragon Ball returns. The one we can't do without, the one that brings us back, when gags were the soul of this story. The reason for all the laughter we witness at Kami's palace is Yamcha. He is the one who makes people laugh because he is afraid of Android 18 and he is the one who relieves the tension by entertaining everyone with his jokes. Among these jokes is one really particular one that on the surface makes him look like an idiot.

Theoretically we should mock him because he has not exactly been lucky in love. His one experience was shattered. Bulma even describes him as a playboy, so his line seems rather grotesque. Butl... After all we've seen, did Yamcha really say bullshit? Okay, he may not be lucky in love relationships, but who says that the love he is talking about is only that which is born between two guys? We saw through him that love is not only between lovers. Love can be between friends, brothers, fathers and sons, ex-girlfriends and even rivals. It doesn't matter who gets it and how they get it: the important thing is only to get it. Yamcha is the one who most spreads love in Dragon Ball. He is the one who gives soul and humanity to Dragon Ball. It is sad to think that he is the one who does not get love in return. But he doesn't care. By giving love he feels loved.

Since hope is what Dragon Ball is based on…. I continue to hope that Yamcha, too, will one day get his well-deserved victory in battle. Because... Let's face it, as a character he has long since won.

Thank you, Yamcha.

Thank you for coming so far. This is definitely my most difficult and exciting topic. It was crazy to write so much about Yamcha but it was worth it. I don’t care how many people read. Having left this opinion could be useful in the future, maybe not, but it’s okay: analyzing Yamcha’s soul was like rediscovering the beauty of being human. I think that’s the most important thing.

[dragon-ball-meta]

Dr. Gero originally calculated Goku to have only gotten so strong over the years. Yamcha was mistaken as Goku to be roughly around Goku’s strength.

If Gero made sure to make himself and 19 to be enough to beat Goku why did he make 16, 17, and 18 to be far stronger? What would cause Gero to have needed the rest of the androids to be that much stronger?

Well, why would you stop at just "strong enough"? Gero's goal was to build the ultimate killing machines, to utterly dominate Goku AND his friends, and ultimately to commend as he saw fit to conquer and destroy (hence why the Cell project was started and then continued by his computer). The issue was the instability. With 16, he made the mistake of making too much like his own son, and his sentimentality prevented him from being able to destroy this defective model. 17 and 18 seemed ideal; unassuming, seemingly normal, would blend right in with the populace. But their human will proved too strong to control. He Ultimately decided on the energy absorption models both because 19 was easy to control, maintain, and tweak, but the unique ability to absorb an opponent's energy and use it against them made them quite lethal in combat, as well as covering the possibility that they may indeed have miscalculated Goku's strength. Even if Goku shows up somehow stronger than either of them, their ability to absorb his own energy, weaken him, and strengthen themselves would compensate. And by placing himself in one as well, he ensures his own will can be carried out.

[blundergato]

the western dbz fandom has got to be the worst fandom ever

i just see people complaining that daima is not super and its like...i dont get it. its like being served a delicious burger and going "you know what, id rather actually just have a dog turd"

i think the u.s. starting with dbz irreparably damaged how the series is seen here; too many fans only care about the next multicolored transformation and nonsensical power progression because even though Dbz isn't that at all, without the adventurous setting and background that dragon ball introduced, that's how its seen.

dbz lampshades the whole transformation thing because even though it introduces a lot of them, super saiyan 1 is the only one that does any work for a majority of the series. the series final battle ENDS with goku going super saiyan 1 and throughout a lot of the series, its mastering that form that matters above all else. the others are either gimmicks and/or one offs. but i guess fans just took every transformation way too seriously.

and then super just...goes banana shoes with the transformations and completely shatters its own worldbuilding. you introduce the strongest character in the entire series with beerus at the very beginning. well..goku has to have a way to SORT of match him, so he gets super saiyan god. well now, youve introduced a huge problem. who could possibly stand up to goku at this point? he was already the strongest in the universe and now hes like a billion times stronger than that. well...you just introduce a bunch of new universes where lots of people are apparently that strong now, continuously and nonsensically increase the strength of beerus since they wrote themselves into a goddamn corner and bring back old ass villains from the dead and be like "he did some push-ups and now he's caught up to everyone"

and despite ALL of that, continue to introduce more and more and more multicolored transformations that are stronger than the last, but not stronger than beerus for some reason. jiren is stronger than a god of destruction? goku beats jiren with his ultimate transformation? what do you mean he's still weaker than beerus? freeza did 10 more push-ups and now hes WAY stronger than goku's ultimate form...the one that beat the dude that is supposed to be stronger than a god of destruction? man f**k you.

on the other hand you have dragon ball daima, which is not doing any of that shit, one because it's supposed to take place before super, giving it a hard limit (thank GOD) with the transformations and because it's generally slower paced and actually taking its time to flesh out its worldbuilding, unlike super. it puts a lot of weight and respect on even just the regular super saiyan form.

you still have the issue of "how do you challenge the strongest dude in the universe" which is tackled in episode one. make him a kid. introduce a new world where the atmosphere slows everything down. done. goku still is stronger than MOST of the challenges put in front of him, but he does have to work a little bit for the bigger threats, while setting up a reasonable way to challenge him for real down the road. it feels like they actually tried to come up with a solution rather than super's "everyones just as strong as gods for no reason."

they also approach the teased big bad in a smart way. who is the last villain that gave goku trouble? majin boo, who he couldn't beat with his raw power alone. so why not go that route again? you have arinsu trying to recreate some sort of boo like being ALONG with having a backup plan with the dragon balls. is bringing a new version of boo a little derivative? sure, they did that with android 21 who was an amalgamation of cell and boo, but at least in daima's context, it absolutely works because of the lore and groundwork they laid beforehand.

with all that said, seeing fans shit on daima because there isnt...ultra instinct super mega perfected times 10 form or vegeta's VERY royal blue and purple form or freeza black and yellow black and yellow black and yellow, is infuriating. like, why? that shit is so boring. and the fights in super were TERRIBLE. daima has had less than 10 episodes and i think it has already topped the best that super offered in terms of fight scene creativity and fun. Daima is also expanding dragon ball's lore in a way that feels organic to what was always already there vs the god of destructions/angels/multiverse shit that super threw in.

[tobiasdrake]

What villainous DB character, canon or non-Canon, do you think would be most interesting to see join the main caster after their time as a villain.

Cell.

Cell is a character who strikes me as aimless. Once he achieves his Perfect Form, he's just spitballing. He won. He achieved the only goal he has left. Everything else is just Cell scratching his head and figuring out what to even do with himself now that he has nothing left to achieve.

"Time to kill my opponents with my newfound power."

"No, actually, maybe it'll be more fun to host a tournament and let them get buff first."

"I mean, it's as good an idea as anything, I guess, since fighting Goku is going to be boring."

And after the tournament, I can, uh... I'll be a slasher movie villain. Wear that hat for a while. That makes sense, sure."

"You know, now that we're here, I realize that hosting a tournament was a dumb idea. I really just wanted to fight Goku. I don't give a shit about the rest of this."

This man is lost. He's achieved the ultimate power in the universe but... what is it for? What is he supposed to do with it? Beyond killing Goku, there is no reason. No goal. He spends the rest of the arc fumbling around for something to do with it.

Cell is standing on the other side of the Victory threshhold looking around and going, "...okay, so what next?" and grasping at whatever straws are within reach to fill that void.

He's an amoral villain who relishes his supreme power and likes to lord it over other people, to be sure. But there's not really any difference between him, Piccolo, and Vegeta. Except that those two got to undergo character arcs while Cell got killed off.

In fact, I'd argue that Vegeta is worse. I will die on the hill that Vegeta is the most sinister person in the Cell arc. My favorite part of the arc is when they're all, "Oh no, Cell wants to eliminate the villains we've been trying to fight. That would be bad because it'd make him strong, and he's evil so it's bad for him to be strong. I have a plan: Let's power up Vegeta!"

It's just that Vegeta's one of us. He's a genocidal monster but he's in the nakama so we're just going to stand here looking at each other awkwardly while he beats his son.

Cell is somewhere between Piccolo and Vegeta on the heinousness chart. His only motivation to begin with was to follow the roadmap to strength that Gero left him, and his only agenda item now is to prove how strong he is by fighting all of the other characters. The only reason he's still a villain is because he's sadistic and cruel.

And.

Like.

Are you sure we have the moral high ground on that?

Are you sure?

Honestly, if Cell had survived the Android arc, he'd probably just fall into Goku's orbit. It is remarkably easy to see Cell becoming yet another rival training to defeat Goku and prove once and for all that he, Cell, is the best in the universe.

[arkham-dossiers]

Patient File: Cell

The ultimate creation of the brilliant scientific mind Dr. Gero, Cell is a bio-organic lifeform created from the cells of many powerful warriors such as Goku, Tienshinhan, Piccolo, Vegeta, Freeza and King Cold.

Beginning as Imperfect Cell, this monster was committed to the same goal as any warrior: growing stronger. For Cell, this meant killing people and absorbing their life force. His ultimate objective, however, was absorbing two specific victims: Androids 17 and 18, as the supercomputer Dr. Gero programmed to create Cell designed him specifically to evolve to his perfect form through their forced assimilation. Because he would be vulnerable pursuing this goal no matter how much life force he absorbed, nature granted Imperfect Cell a sneaky and sly personality. He was quick-thinking, cautiously calculating, and adapted well to unforeseen situations. This allowed him to evade the Z Warriors long enough to grow in power to the point of being able to challenge Androids 17 and 18. Despite Piccolo and Android 16's best efforts to prevent it, Imperfect Cell is able to absorb 17 by using 17's own teenage overconfidence against him.

Now Semi-Perfect Cell, his psyche undergoes a change along with his appearance. Overwhelmed with the dramatic uptick in power that came with absorbing Android 17, Cell becomes far more arrogant and less prone to thinking. He also becomes obsessive about achieving his goal of absorbing Android 18. Whereas as Imperfect Cell he could afford to take his time, as Semi-Perfect Cell he is like someone who has had a dopamine high and is now desperate for another one. As a result of these new factors, Semi-Perfect Cell is highly volatile and intolerant of setbacks. This might have led to his undoing had it not been for Vegeta allowing him a window of time to actually come up with a strategic idea, which he utilized to absorb 18.

At last, he becomes Perfect Cell. Whereas the great power gained from absorbing the first android had made Cell more unstable, the greater power gained from absorbing the second actually stabilizes him again. He achieves a state of zen, his purpose for which he was designed having finally been achieved. After this, there is nothing for him, nothing left in him....nothing, of course, but the influence of the cells that are flowing through his artificial veins. The desire for a challenging opponent to test his power against and validate his ego from his Saiyan cells, the sharp perceptiveness from the cells of Tienshinhan, the megalomaniacal theatricality and brooding isolationism from the cells of Piccolo (his first and second lives respectively), and the faux-regality and sadistic cruelty from the cells of Freeza and his father. They all blend together to shape Perfect Cell's personality, as well as his new motivation: live for pleasure, at the expense of everyone else, the "imperfect" lifeforms whom he looks so down upon. To this end, he initiates the Cell Games, aptly named since both things it accomplishes - fighting other warriors and terrorizing the planet's civilian population - are like a game to Cell.

Unfortunately for Cell, he inherits the weaknesses of those whose cells he shared as well as their strengths. Goku ends up playing to these weaknesses, exploiting the same flaws in Cell that Cell had earlier exploited in Vegeta. With the promise of Gohan achieving a higher form of power that would offer Cell the ultimate challenge, Cell deliberately stokes Gohan's rage until he transforms into Super Saiyan 2. Cell is then not met with the ultimate challenge, as a challenge by definition can be overcome. Instead, he is met with the ultimate brick wall, a power that so thoroughly dwarfs his own and a combatant who's all too willing to give him a taste of his own sadistic medicine. This triggers a complete psychological breakdown in Cell, which only increases when Gohan punches him so hard that he pukes out Android 18, thus reverting back to Semi-Perfect Cell.

With his perfection gone and no chance of victory, Cell initiates his self-destruct mechanism in the hopes of taking Earth with him, a desperate move that is thwarted thanks to Goku's sacrifice. But then, because his core nucleus was not destroyed, Cell fully regenerates as Super Perfect Cell, back in perfect form but now with his power elevated to match that of Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. While this is able to reverse his prior breakdown, the aftereffects are still clear in how much more aggressive Cell is. Worse still is the new conclusion he has come to thanks to all of this: he isn't meant to live just for fun, but for destruction. He isn't perfect because he's the most powerful, but because of the destruction that power can wreak yet survive through. Cell decides that Dr. Gero wanted him to upend the established order and eliminate all life in the universe, refilling it with perfect bio-organic life such as himself, which in his Perfect form he is capable of doing.

Thankfully, Gohan, with the aid of his father's spirit, is able to fully and finally obliterate the monster before things can reach that point.

Diagnosis: The biggest consistent in Cell's psychological makeup is his lack of empathy for others and lack of concern for anything beyond himself and what benefits or hinders him. He may show respect or even fondness for certain others, but it's never to the point where he de-centers himself from his worldview. This quality is pronounced to such a degree that it is easy to diagnose him as a sociopath, with added narcissistic personality disorder acquired in his Semi-Perfect form and becoming more severe in Perfect form.

This patient is extremely dangerous. Avoid at all costs.

[stepswowdsen]

【KagePro】 KuroEne AU: Kuroha uses Awakening Eyes to make Ene’s body 🖤💙

Summary:

Kuroha uses Awakening Eyes to make Ene's android body by temporarily turning into her, and keeps regenerating until he has all the parts he needs to make her body

KuroEne Route Setups: The nature of KuroEne's relationship (ie. Lovers -> Enemies, Enemies and Lovers) changes depending on Saeru's actions

KuroEne AU: Saeru tells Ene about his Awakening Eyes and mentions the legend of the Medusa to her (but without revealing too much)

Ene reacts to Saeru's hair down (without the ponytail)

Ene plays with Saeru's hair and his snakes

Intro

The idea I came up with Feila before back in September 2024 is that if Kuroha/Saeru can use Konoha's Eye Ability, Awakening Eyes, to rebuild the body molecule by molecule, according to the Novel Route, then he should be able to temporarily turn into Ene and get all the parts he needs to build Ene's android body that way.

If Awakening Eyes can remake the owner's body into ANYTHING, then he should be able to turn into Ene and shed off self-healing human skin.

I cherish this AU very much... It's so interesting to me.

I work hard for my rare pairs to create interesting AUs for them 🙏

I imagine that in the first KuroEne AU Route, Saeru made artificial self-healing human skin for Ene's android body. This is based on IRL scientists' advancements for robots with self-healing artificial skin that can react to temperature, pressure, and certain chemicals.

Feila and I based some of Saeru's advancements for Ene's body on some advancements that IRL scientists have made with robots (ie. robot fish that can work up to 36 hours for artificial blood).

I feel like hair cloning can be achieved in a lab.

I was curious to see if I could use anything for my KuroEne AU. I was inspired by the idea of a snake shedding its skin...

So he sheds off a few cells off himself that can multiply and then stores it for use in his lab. And then he sheds it off himself, and constantly keeps regenerating until he gets all the parts he needs.

Cuz of Awakening Eyes' extreme regenerative properties.

But in all Routes after the first few, he uses Awakening Eyes to create the outer parts of her body. It makes creating her body 100000x easier.

And then the mf throws his (originally Haruka/Konoha's body's) own skin cells into the mix when creating Ene's body.

The fact that he used apart of himself for her body is like the ultimate declaration of “love” (twisted obsession) and devotion in this guy’s twisted eyes.

The culmination/fruits of his efforts have finally paid off!

In the context of the KuroEne AU, Ene's body is his greatest creation.

Kuroha/Saeru having a twisted obsession for his S/O just seems the most fitting for his character.

So... no wonder this guy is obsessed. Dude's twisted obsession causes him to create a perfect replica of Ene.

I honestly love the Mad Scientist vibes going on here.

Quoting these old rambles.

Kuroha/Saeru is so fucked up but that makes him interesting so I say let him be. He's so fun to write for 👍

Awakening Eyes allows the owner of the body to make it into their "ideal body" and make it whatever they want. So he can do this, replicate it, and keep regenerating himself. And knowing this mf, he'd shed off his own skin from his body too to use as part of Ene's android body.

Feila and I came up with the idea that Kuroha could just use Konoha's Eye Ability Awakening Eyes to temporarily turn into Ene, then make it so that his body can shed off self healing skin (and any parts he needs). Then it makes making her android body infinitely easier cuz he'd have all the parts needed to make her body.

Kuroha: You were made from me, and the unison of our parts, therefore we are one ❤️

KuroEne Route Setups

Multiple outcomes that can happen in a KuroEne Route. I feel like they tend to have this common starting point or setup. Also there are some deviations depending on when Saeru decides to reveal certain information (his true name)

Kuroha possesses Konoha before he gets the chance to meet the MekaDan. Kuroha meets Ene and just decides to "play the game" alone with her (Kuroha can choose to reveal the name "Saeru" later as long as Ene doesn't meet the MekaDan until the final August 15th, since he can use the Medusa legend to justify his existence as a "snake-related human" to Ene)

Kuroha meets Ene and pretends to join the Mekakushi Dan (keeping his true name and identity hidden), and betrays everyone on August 15th. KuroEne's relationship is Lovers to Enemies due to Saeru's betrayal.

Kuroha lets Konoha and Ene meet and develop a friendship and/or relationship, but then he possesses Konoha at some point, and Ene perceives him as the "evil snake" that stole Konoha's body. KuroEne's relationship is Enemies and Lovers.

So, in most Routes in KagePro canon, Saeru possesses Kenjirou (Ayano’s dad) first to manipulate people to get access to funding and resources, and then he jumps to possess Konoha on August 15th

But in my KuroEne AU, I have Saeru drop Kenjirou's body much earlier so that he can meet with Ene as "Black Konoha" (Kuroha), so they spend anywhere from 1 - 2 years together.

And then there’s Kuroha/Saeru's uncanny resemblance to her loved one (Haruka) by possessing Konoha’s body.

In the first KuroEne AU Route, I imagine he introduces himself to her as “Black Konoha,” but Ene decides to shorten the name Black Konoha (Kuro Konoha) to “Kuroha” instead.

So every Route after that, he decides what information he wants to drop and at what time.

He also proceeds to use the nickname that Ene gave him in previous timelines, when he first introduces himself in new Routes when he meets her for the first time, in all subsequent Routes.

So, there’s the KuroEne Routes where Saeru possesses Konoha before he can meet Ene.

Saeru introduces himself as Kuroha and then reveals the name Saeru later once they’ve built more of a connection each other (which works just fine, as long as it’s a Route where they don’t meet with the rest of the MekaDan until August 15th)

Quoting from my notes

Ene: Snake... human? Such a thing like that exists!?

Kuroha: Well... Tales about the legend of the Medusa persist even to this day... But it's not very widely known among humans.

Ene: (I guess it's not completely out of the realm of possibility… I have these red eyes after all.)

Ene: Your red eyes allow you to change your body?

Ene: Even after you've shown me, I'm still shocked!!! That's some incredible power…!

Saeru reveals his true identity but Ene doesn't meet the rest of the MekaDan so it's ok for him to reveal.

Like I can imagine Saeru showing her something simple, like changing his tongue into a forked snake tongue, growing snake scales on his limbs, or changing his appearance into the MR2 form

I imagine that Saeru eventually tells Ene about him being related to snakes in some way and having an Eye Ability that allows him to change his body (but doesn’t mention Azami, his old Master, by name), an explanation that Ene accepts since she also has this mysterious Eye Ability too.

And Ene is wow'ed by Saeru's usage of Awakening Eyes since he can even change his body with it.

F: He would tell her about the snakes but would anon-ify (if that's even a word) Azami as best as he can.

Me: Yeahhh I agree with this too. He'd keep his master's identity a secret

Or there are Routes where he reveals his identity as Snake of Clearing Eyes (Me ga Saeru Hebi) right from the get go (which would make things much more hostile and tense between them, especially if it’s a situation where Ene was friends or in a relationship with Konoha, and Saeru just stole/possessed his body.)

So then Ene perceives him as the evil snake/monster that stole Konoha’s body.

Ene plays with Saeru's hair and his snakes

Me: OH I forgot to mention this but lately I've been tempted to draw Kuroha/Saeru with his hair down. Like his usual Black Konoha form, but without the ponytail.

Cuz I realize I haven't drawn that yet.

I feel like Saeru with his hair down would have messy hair, around shoulder length <3

And I'm also gonna doodle some JdAl stuff hopefully soon. I said I was gonna draw but I was just chilling these past few days. I'll get into a drawing mood sometime this week...

F: DO ITTTT. HE WOULD LOOK SO GOOD WITH THIS HAIR DOWN UGHHH

Me: Something inspired by this <3

I also want to draw Judar with his hair down at some point like JESUS my cat sons look so good with their hair down. It's in my drawing to-do list.

F: Ugh he's such a sexy man

Me: RIGHT he looks so good with his hair down... Augh...

Me: I thought of how cute it'd be if she plays with his hair and runs her hands through his hair while his hair is down and if she puts his hair into little twintails

I can imagine Ene going like ("Looks like he's just gotten up… He looks cute with bedhead……")

F: Kuroha probably lets his hair down then sleeping (he isn't obligated to sleep, but let me dream)

Me: Ene ties his hair into small twintails... And then his snakes that are curled around him go like 💖✨

The idea of Ene playing with his little snakes is cute honestly

F: > I thought of how cute it'd be if she plays with his hair

Braid it and suddenly he's Saeru 💥

Me: Technically both forms are Black Konoha / Saeru but I get what you mean.

The MR2 (Manga Route 2) version has the scorpion tail looking braids in the back

F: Wondering how many times they've bonded with each other to the point that Saeru's little snakes have registered Ene as a "2nd owner" because Kuroha's scent is all over her

Me: HWHDHSHDSHS. God that's so cute...

Ok, so snakes flick their tongues to collect chemicals in the air and pick up the scents of prey.

Reminds me of that KuroEne idea I had before where Saeru's snakes flick their tongues and wrap around and curl around Ene's sleeves out of curiosity.

They also do this to ground themselves around their owners for a sense of security (wrapping themselves around their owners)

And it's because Kuroha/Saeru's scent is all over her.

And Saeru goes like, "They're curious about you... It’s because my scent is all over you."

And Ene reacts like this.

Also he has a heightened sense of smell due to being a snake, and can also rebuild his body with Awakening Eyes to have improved senses (like a snake) for his human body, so he'd definitely be aware of it and be so smug about that fact

Yeah like I love imagining Saeru lying in bed next to Ene watching Ene "sleep" with having the android body go into sleep/hibernate mode...

Me: Observing how serene her face looks. I do imagine he watches her for a while

Eepy bunny gf going snork mimimimi 💤😴

F: I just imagine them cuddling. Big spoon Kuroha :3

[vivalabunbun]

OKAY SO. Hi. It's that anon who previously tried to infect you with that vampire!Alhaitham and his human wife brainrot (only to realize you had already been infected)

I've come with another brainrot, and please bear with me as I need to throw this out somewhere:

Android!Alhaitham and his human lover.

I've gone straight back into the arms of those OG speculations before his backstory was released. But it just feels so good.

Idk what kind of android he would be. He could purposely be made to handle large databases? Makes it interesting because it's a work environment then. Or maybe, he was for database management, but ultimately was repurposed for someone in the general public to buy? (House husband Alhaitham era??? 👀)

I feel like there's a lot to talk about when it comes to human vs android stuff. Like the subject of humanity, or the meaning of life. They both coexist but it's just so different.

Anyways thanks so much for listening to this rant.

A virtual cookie for your thoughts?

🌕

Anon be honest with me… did you somehow hack into my drafts???

Bc I had that android alhaitham fic in the drafts for so long and then when I read your message I got spooked 😭😭

I think vamp alhaitham and android alhaitham once sat side by side in my drafts

I dusted it off and originally wanted to post it on Halloween bc Frankenstein, but then… academic responsibilities and me hurting my hand…

Same brain cell? Or is this what brain rot does??