The Red Ribbon Army were one of Goku’s earliest threats in Dragon Ball, which made their return in Dragon Ball Z’s Cell arc all the more surprising. Even more shocking, however, was the sheer level of violence Dr. Gero brought with him in the name of the Red Ribbon Army– unleashing Androids onto the world that would ultimately decimate Trunks’ timeline and require time traveling to mend.
Dragon Ball’s canonical Androids were threats that could’ve ended the series in a flash, but the same can’t be said for their non-canon counterparts. Although the franchise’s many non-canon Androids are fairly powerful, the fact they’re tethered to the Toei’s original material, Dragon Ball Online, and Dragon Ball Heroes means there’s only so much these Artificial Humans can do.
7 Android 9
Before there was Dragon Ball Super, Akira Toriyama offered his manga an official sequel in the form of Dragon Ball Online. Featuring a timeline penned by Toriyama himself, DBO was seen as the manga’s future canon before DBS superseded it. One of the many details incorporated into Dragon Ball Online was the rise of the Red Pants Army.
Sometime before the events of Dragon Ball Z, Dr. Gero rebuilt Commander Red into Android 9. For whatever reason, however, Android 9 wasn’t activated until well into the future when General Bon handed the reigns of the Red Pants Army over to Android 9.
6 Android 13
Curiously, the Dragon Ball manga does acknowledge the existence of Androids 13 through 15 (likely as cross promotion for Dragon Ball Z movie 7,) but they no designs actually appear in the manga itself. Android 13’s only appearance is as the main villain of his eponymous film, Super Android 13.
Android 13 more or less fulfills Cell’s role in the series– an Artificial Human who absorbs two Androids to reach their perfect state– but he’s dry in terms of personality. In Japanese, at least. The Funimation dub goes out of its way to add a cowboy flair to 13, giving his dialogue a bit more punch.
5 Androids 14 & Android 15
Androids 14 and 15 have even less personality than Android 13– regardless of dub– and are ultimately carried by their designs. Even then, they’re the most garish of Dr. Gero’s Artificial Humans. What few fights 14 and 15 participate in within their own film also leave quite a bit to be desired, serving as poor match-ups for both Vegeta and Trunks. At the end of the day, neither Android is a character. They’re props who exist to make Android 13 stronger in the last act.
4 Hell Fighter 17
Dragon Ball GT makes use of the Dragon Ball Z anime’s depiction of Hell during the Super 17 arc. Rather than becoming souls like in the manga, the dead in DBZ keep their bodies while in Hell. Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu manage to work together to build Hell Fighter 17– a copy of Android 17– and free the afterlife’s vilest denizens.
Hell Fighter 17 ultimately merges with the original 17 to become Super 17. While the arc itself is something of a mess (in no large part due to how underwritten Android 17 is,) Goku and 18’s final battle against Super 17 is one of Dragon Ball GT’s best.
3 Android 21
An Artificial Human created in the image of Dr. Gero’s wife, Android 21 is the main villain of Dragon Ball Fighterz and (in a sense) Android 16’s mother. Much like Cell, Android 21 was created through the DNA of others. Unlike Cell, Android 21 is able to take in far more than her predecessor could.
With the DNA of the entire main cast, Frieza, Cell, and Majin Buu running through her, Android 21 is an extremely dangerous threat– doubly so as her two personalities are intrinsically at odds with one another.
2 Androids 8000 & 19000
Modeled after Android 8 and Android 19 respectively, Androids 8000 and 19000 are basic villains who appear in Dragon Ball Online. Mass producers by the Red Pants Armor, Androids 8000 and 19000 show how far the military force has come since the early days of Dragon Ball.
Beyond the fact they resemble familiar Dragon Ball characters, there’s little meat to chew on in regards to 8000 and 19000. While this makes sense for the latter since Android 19 wasn’t a particularly present or memorable villain, the fact Android 8000 doesn’t even allude to his kindhearted base is a pity. In execution. Android 8000 has more in common with Metallitron.
1 Nico & Nim
Nico and Nim serve as the character templates for the Android class in Dragon Ball Heroes. As per the manga Dragon Ball Heroes: Victory Mission, Nico and Nim are the grandchildren of Dr. Auto and fail to really factor into the plot. That said, both characters represent Dragon Ball Heroes’ penchant for lifting from all parts of the franchise. Nico is more or less a female version of Android 19 while Nim resembles Super 17 in some respects. The two have a brother, Genome, who resembles a purple Cell but is technically considered a “Bio-Android.”