The Dragon Ball franchise is known as one of the most popular fighting anime series of all-time. The show is composed of a variety of characters, each having their own diverse fighting styles and unique moves. If you’ve been watching since the original series, you’ve seen it all. From the outside, this might seem like the strangest shows out there -- there’s aliens that range from Saiyans to scaly green lab creations. Of course, they all have one thing in common: those giant muscles. After all, what would be the point of having a fighting anime with no insane anime-sized muscles?
What they don’t all have in common is that some of them aren’t exactly organic. The Dragon Ball series have several androids that show up throughout the different shows and most of the time, they’re created to be the best fighter in the series. They usually come out strong and try to defeat the many protagonists -- most of the time it’s Goku. There are plenty of androids throughout the series; some of them were destroyed for being ineffective and others went on to be some of the most iconic characters from the series, but bcause they were created to be amazing fighters, they all have abilities that make them very different from all of the other characters that appear on the show. We’ve looked at some 20 of the most iconic androids in the series and ranked them all by power. Who were some of your favorite androids and did they make the list?
20 MAJOR METALLITRON
Major Metallitron is one of the first androids we’re ever introduced to in the series. Eventually, he was defeated by Goku and later Pan, being completely destroyed. While we’re not entirely sure where he came from or whether or not Dr. Gero was the one to create him, we do know his introduction opened the door to other androids showing up.
Some of Major Metallitron moves include being able to fly, a 3D scan mode that allows him to look over enemies and determine their powers and a blaster that comes out of his left elbow which is also a cannon.
19 MERCENARY TAO
If he isn’t a blast from the past, we don’t know what is. Mercenary Tao is one of the original antagonists from the first Dragon Ball series, and as a very experienced and talented assassin-for-hire, Tao is one of the most skilled people to come out of the series. While he was originally a regular, organic character, he would later become a cyborg, basically partially an android.
Much like the other androids, Tao is able to remove one of his hands to produce a cannon that he can use. This cannon would help him create one of his most memorable powers: an enhanced Dodon Ray.
18 ANDROID 20
Dr. Gero, also known as Android 20, is an artificial human known for creating artificial humans -- ironic, but also very cool. He created the Red Ribbon Androids and created the bio-organic fighter known as Cell. Being able to create your own androids should already be considered a power, but Dr. Gero is a genius, which helps with him.
Being the main antagonist of the Androids Saga, it’s hard to forget this face -- he was exceptionally tricky as an opponent that would show up continuously later. As an android, Dr. Gero was able to build a variety of tools into his body, like a detection system that’s basically a scouter. He’s also known for energy absorption where he’s able to absorb the life out of opponents.
17 ANDROID 16
Unfortunately, Android 16 did not have complete programming. This doesn’t mean that he’s not incredibly powerful -- if anything, it proves that he’s a little tougher for being so tough without it. In fact, we’ve even seen Android 16 come back from the future and a newer model later down the road, both of which were extremely powerful forms.
Android 16 had a lot of interesting powers -- everything from a laser eyebeam that was able to counter Cell, to a Super Ki Explosion that’s considered one of his most prominent skills. None of these compare to his ultimate power, which is a Self Destruct Device implanted within him -- this was originally supposed to be used on Goku, but he tried to use it on Perfect Cell instead.
16 ANDROID 8
Android 8 is one of the most peaceful androids in the Dragon Ball series -- primarily because we’ve seen his life go in a relatively peaceful collection. Android 8 was created by Dr. Gero to originally serve the Red Ribbon Army, but the Dr. would find that his good nature wasn’t suited for fighting. But just because he was a good guy, it didn’t mean that he wasn’t powerful.
One of Android 8’s most interesting powers include You Hurt Goku! and risking it all for a friend. His ultimate attack is a punch that will send an opponent reeling. His other move is shielding his ally with his own body, taking all the damage on his synthetic body.
15 MIRA
Bio-androids also count on this list and while they might not have fully synthetic bodies, but they are created in the same manner. Mira is one of those bio-androids who also happens to be incredibly strong. Created as an artificial Demon by Towa, Mira was made out of the energy of various martial arts masters and warriors from throughout history.
Some of his most notable moves are telepathy, Ki sense, Ki blast and even time travel. Mira has a “Time Passport” that allows him to move freely throughout time. Throughout all the androids, this particular ability is one of the most incredibly.
14 ANDROID 13
Android 13 was created by Dr. Gero’s Super Computer, but what’s interesting about Android 13 is that he’s actually not in the manga! Usually, when a character is created without the source content, they’re not the best. Android 13 is definitely an exception to that rule because he’s incredibly powerful!
His signature technique is the S.S. Deadly Bomber. This move allows him to generate a red ball of spiraling energy that targets an opponent with a blast that’s so powerful it could destroy half of Earth. There are a couple of other moves that he’s able to do, but none of them are nearly as memorable as this.
13 ANDROID 14
Another android created by Dr. Gero’s Super Computer, Android 14 was created with the sole purpose of destroying Goku. Eventually, his main timeline version would be destroyed by the very man that created him, but before that he was incredibly powerful. He’s definitely intimidating by looks, but he has quite a few moves up his sleeve.
One of his moves is literally named Murder Ball -- another name for a Full Power Energy Ball. However, both Androids 14 and 15 charge their own energy balls and combine them to create one large sphere to defeat their opponents. This is definitely the best moves the androids can use and one of the reasons we’ve placed him on this list.
12 ANDROID 15
Android 15 is another character that wasn’t originally in the manga. However, he was incredibly powerful in the anime until he was destroyed by Vegeta in Super Android 13! Up until then, he had a pretty good run. Originally, he was supposed to be the Android 14, but Toei Animation decided to switch the android’s names.
His signature moves are very similar to Android 14, including the Murder Ball and Combined Energy Ball. He also has a few distinct moves, like Pump Up, which is one of his Blast 1 techniques or his Multi-step Ki Blast that was his signature move.
11 MECHA FRIEZA
Anyone who’s seen the Dragon Ball series will know who Frieza is -- he’s basically the most iconic antagonist to ever appear on the show. One of the most memorable moments is when Frieza is defeated by Goku the first time. At first we think he’s been taken out, but then he’s saved and eventually comes back as a cyborg.
Becoming a cyborg or partial android, Frieza has some new upgrades that definitely make him more powerful. In particular, he’s given new gadgets to help defeat his opponents. If you thought regular Frieza was a baddy, you know just how bad he is once he’s had scientists working on him for some upgrades.
10 ANDROID 17
Android 17 is definitely one of those androids that has a huge chip on his shoulder. This was partially why he became quite iconic in the Dragon Ball community. Considered a failure as a cyborg, Future Android 17 would wreak havoc on Earth for almost 20 years before Future Trunks put an end to it -- and that’s just one way we’ve seen this android’s power.
Android 17 has a wide range of powers, including ones that coincide with his twin, Android 18, like Accel Dance, a move that allows them a double team of punches and kicks. In addition, he has a False Self Destruction move that’s known as his ultimate move -- a power blast that still allows him to survive.
9 ANDROID 18
The twin sister of Android 17, Android 18 has a lot of the same moves that her brother has. She was created for the same purpose: to destroy Goku. But Android 18 is very different from the other androids in the show -- while most of them were created with the goal of destroying Goku, Android 18 deviates slightly by wanting to activate Android 16 and from this significantly changes her life afterwards.
Some of her moves include Sadistic 18, where she’s able to do a rush attack that allows her to propel towards an opponent, throws them up in the air and elbows their face, ending with a roundhouse kick. It’s one of her more detailed moves, and certainly one of the most memorable.
8 ANDROID 19
Android 19 is often considered one of the most powerful androids in the series. Unlike some of the other androids that were created with some organic parts, such as the cyborg branch offs, Android 19 was created as a complete robot. He was also one of the androids to be considered a complete success by Dr. Gero.
One of the biggest things Android 19 is known for is energy absorption, but he takes this to a whole new level. His energy absorption includes a super and hyper energy drain but also an energy wave absorption. The energy wave absorption allows him to absorb Ki Blast technique.
7 META-COOLER
There are several Meta-Coolers because they’re all mass-produced clones of Cooler created by Big Gete Star. The cool thing is that they can be remote controlled from the planet core and there are over 10,000,000,000 copies of them and you would think with that many, no one would be able to survive.
While the Meta-Coolers certainly beat anyone in sheer numbers, these androids are exceptionally powerful. Part of this is because they’re clones of Cooler, who’s a little more powerful than Frieza, but also because they’re androids and have some cool tech. When something has moves called Massive Destruction and Clone Death Laser, you know they’re incredibly strong.
6 CELL JUNIORS
Cell is one of the most powerful bio-androids in the series -- perhaps even one of the most powerful characters in the series. Because of that, we naturally have to have the Cell Juniors on this list. The offspring of the iconic character himself, we’d unfortunately see the Cell Juniors defeated by Gohan later in the series.
The Cell Juniors were produced through Cell’s tail and, by being his offspring, have the same or similar abilities to the original character. Much like Cell, they can regenerate and have various beams that they’re able to use in order to take down opponents. However, nothing can really compare to the original.
5 SUPER ANDROID 13
We’ve mentioned Android 13 on this list, but Super Android 13 is like a whole different person. This is a fusion android composed of Android 14 and 15 fused together with the original 13. With three insanely gifted androids put together, you know it’s going to get a little crazy.
The biggest difference for Super Android 13 is that, in this fused state, his body is made of adamantine metal and is considered a perfect form. This form also allows him to grow stronger and transform by absorbing other androids -- a scary, yet completely effective method that Super Android 13 uses.
4 BIO-BROLY
If watched the show all the way through, you probably remember Broly, a character who was an absolute beast! He’s one of the strongest fighters in the show and proves it by taking on multiple strong opponents at once, defeating them all swiftly with no assistance. If Broly is insanely tough, it would only stand to reason that Bio-Broly would be just as incredible.
He’s a clone of the Saiyan and the main antagonist in Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly; hence the name. He may look pretty gross with that goo all over him, but it’s actually culture fluid that allows him to become malleable, which helps with regeneration and body manipulation, making him a very difficult opponent.
3 CELL
Cell is one of the most iconic characters in the entire series because of how powerful he is -- once he’s out of his imperfect form, he’s almost unbeatable. As another bio-android, Cell was created by Dr. Gero in the future timeline from the cells of all the greatest fighters. This means that all of his abilities are on par with most of our favorite characters.
We know that Cell can do a lot of crazy alien things, like reproduce from his tail and also his ability to regenerate. Because he has so many moves that pair with the fighter’s he came from, it’s difficult to gauge which one is more powerful than the rest!
2 ANDROID 21
Android 21 is one of the newer androids to be introduced into the series, but she’s certainly made a splash. She’s an artificial human who’s biologically similar to Majin Buu, one of the strongest characters in the entire series. It’s extremely hard to gauge her power since it is very similar to the other Buu’s. However, we do know that she may be smarter than Dr. Gero himself, which could make her one of the smartest characters in the series.
Another incredible thing that Android 21 has is her Power Suppression Wave Machine -- she has access to Dr. Gero’s machine that allows can suppress the power of any opponent. We’d highly advise not taking her on alone!
1 SUPER 17
Super 17 is probably the most powerful android in the entire series. This characters comes from the fusion of Android 17 and Hellfighter 17 in order to create a more powerful version of the previous. As stated earlier, Android 17 was considered a failure, however, Super 17 is actually the goal Gero was striving for in the original models. Because of this, Super 17 is able to surpass even Cell, who is arguably the most powerful bio-android in the show.
Super 17 has essentially all of the same powers that Android 17 and Hellfighter 17 have, except that he also has something called Electro Eclipse Bomb which is essentially a Flash Bomb attack built with black energy that can cause a nuke-sized explosion.