Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 14: Rise of the Machines

Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール] #30

by Akira Toriyama

Our heroes' worst fears have come true: androids #17 and #18,who in time traveler Trunks's future have already destroyed the world, have been activated! And along with them is #16, an android even Trunks doesn't know! With Goku almost dead from a virus, only Super Saiyan Vegeta has a chance against them--unless Piccolo's plan to merge with his ancient enemy Kami-sama will make him the new strongest being on Earth! But something even worse than androids has come back from the future...

Genres: Manga, Fantasy, Comics, Graphic Novels, Shonen, Fiction, Science Fiction

192 pages, Paperback

First published June 10, 1992

About the author

Akira Toriyama (鳥山明) was a Japanese manga artist and character designer. He first achieved mainstream recognition for creating the popular manga series Dr. Slump, before going on to create Dragon Ball (his most famous work) and acting as a character designer for several popular video games such as the Dragon Quest series, Chrono Trigger, and Blue Dragon. Toriyama came to be regarded as one of the most important authors in the history of manga with his works highly influential and popular, particularly Dragon Ball, which many manga artists cite as a source of inspiration.
He earned the 1981 Shogakukan Manga Award for best shōnen/shōjo manga with Dr. Slump, and it went on to sell over 35 million copies in Japan. It was adapted into a successful anime series, with a second anime created in 1997, 13 years after the manga ended.
His next series, Dragon Ball, would become one of the most popular and successful manga in the world. Having sold 260 million copies worldwide, it is one of the best-selling manga series of all time and is considered a key work in increasing manga circulation to its peak in the mid-1980s and mid-1990s. Overseas, Dragon Ball's anime adaptations have been more successful than the manga and are credited with boosting anime's popularity in the Western world. In 2019, Toriyama was decorated a Chevalier of the French Ordre des Arts et des Lettres for his contributions to the arts.
In October 2024, Toriyama was inducted into the Harvey Awards Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Urbon Adamsson · Rating 5 out of 5]

EN The feared Androids are now active and on the loose, ready to cause destruction. Son Goku is still recovering from his illness, and it seems none of his friends are strong enough to face this new threat.

However, these Androids don’t seem to be as dangerous as Trunks had warned.

Meanwhile, a new discovery is made, leaving a mystery hanging in the air, to be unraveled in the upcoming volumes.

--

PT Os temidos Androides estão agora ativos e à solta, prontos para causar destruição. Son Goku continua a recuperar da sua doença, e parece que nenhum dos seus amigos tem força suficiente para enfrentar esta nova ameaça.

Contudo, estes Androides não parecem ser tão perigosos quanto Trunks tinha avisado.

Entretanto, uma nova descoberta surge, lançando um mistério que promete ser desvendado nos próximos volumes.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 2 out of 5]

Well, I was kinda hoping this wouldn’t happen for this series because it’s been mostly impossibly good but it finally did: this is the first Dragon Ball book that I didn’t like. That was a helluva run though: 29 volumes, a few of which were average, but most were really good, some extraordinary, and none bad. Until now.

We’re still with the memorably named androids #16, #17 and #18. #16 looks like Ahnuld in the ‘80s, #17, I was shocked to learn, was a boy because he looks identical to #18 who’s a girl, only he has darker hair. #18 fights Vegeta and defeats him, even in Super Saiyan form, which is so lame because they’re boring characters and they’re mega-powerful for some reason as well. I suppose it's good to see a strong female character for the first time in 30 volumes though!

Meanwhile, Son Goku takes his medicine but needs time to recuperate - 10 days is the arbitrary number thrown out by someone who isn’t a doctor - and it’s lucky for them too because rather than fly and be at Goku’s home in 2 minutes, the androids decide to take a road trip in a slow van because plot contrivance. I hate these characters.

The worst part though was Trunks’ revealing of how time-travel works in the Dragon Ball universe. Somehow Akira Toriyama has managed to make time-travel even more complicated! See, I thought he travelled back in time to change the past which would then alter the future - it’s a standard trope that kinda makes sense. But, apparently, he went back in time so that some parallel world in the future would have a world without the androids in it - no matter what he does, his future reality will always be this dystopian nightmare. So, his whole mission about going back has zero impact on his future reality - in other words, it’s completely pointless.

Not least because, if you think about it, if there are endless parallel worlds, then chances are there’s a reality where the androids are defeated by Goku - or not even created by Dr Gero - so Trunks wouldn’t need to go back and change one reality’s future because there probably exists one which is better than his future reality without his intervention. And then how does he know he's travelled back to the right past world anyway? Oh man, this piece of exposition was so crushingly stupid!

There’s also the possibility that the androids might not even be bad guys - if this happens to be the case, I’m gonna be so mad because all of this would’ve then just been treading water for nothing… but no, I won’t give up on this series, I’m in this til the end (besides I want to see Buu!). But this story arc is totally piss-awful!

Luckily, a lizard-like alien called Cell appears at the end and he looks like a decent villain for our heroes to fight, so I’m hoping the whole androids thing is dropped (seriously, I wouldn’t care if Toriyama did a Poochie, “I’m going away to my home planet now…” and got rid of them that way!) and the series picks up again. But wow, this book suuuuucked so bad, I’m so disappointed.

[Ola G · Rating 3 out of 5]

7/10 stars

Oh, me of little faith! So it's not really Terminator, but rather Blade Runner! ;) Okay, that's better.
The new androids are insanely powerful, which takes out most of enjoyment from the fights, and Toriyama's decision to remove Goku from the picture for the whole volume with his foretold sickness Goku conveniently forgot all about was very contrived. I get why, though - this was the only way to create even a little bit of suspense regarding the androids' motivations. And because Goku is the one character everybody turns to when things get bad, by having him out Toriyama ceded the field to the supporting cast - especially Vegeta. He's one I love to despise ;) Judging by Vegeta's behaviour, the Saiyan world must've been a very sad and angry place.

To be honest though, with Vegeta's attitude I'm quite surprised he managed to have any child at all, especially with Bulma - unless it was through a long-distance cross-pollination.

There are some highlights in this volume, especially with Piccolo and Kami, and the leisurely sightseeing trip of the androids was whimsical and quirky, and slightly reminiscent of road movies (Thelma and Louise, anyone?) All in all, a decent entry, which gives me hope for the future volumes!

The new villain looks formidable and creepy.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoy the buildup and the mystery in this volume. The previous villain, Frieza, was there from the beginning, an overarching overlord that for the most part seemed completely untouchable - even his minions were too strong for the heroes to take! Here things go the opposite route: for most of the book we have no idea what's going on, as things build up from little timeline deviations into far darker implications, wondering about one extra time machine and who - or what - came along with it, watching the god himself freak the hell out... it's really effective. I remember being a bit scared as a kid when I first read this.

Not to mention when he does show up, he's this freaky bug monster that opens by sucking a civilian dry on-screen! What an entrance!

The androids never felt all that threatening to me, but now things are picking up.

[Artemy · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nah, I'm not a fan of this time travel/killer androids storyline at all. Pretty boring and unoriginal stuff. The new enemy, Cell, is also all shades of ridiculous, especially with that weird revelation in the final chapter of this volume. Well, we'll see where this is going...

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Un nuevo androide que Trunks no conocía, al fin sabemos que son no. 17, no. 18 y no. 16
Vegeta y Piccolo son derrotados por no. 17 y no. 18
Kamisama y Piccolo se fusionan.
Un monstruo inesperado aparece, que sucederá ?

[Subham · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good volume, 17 and 18 come in and their fight is interesting and they are so powerful and while they are on search for goku, Bulma finds there is another time machine besides Trunk and it was there before he arrived and such contradictions lead to reports of people missing and then Piccolo merge and all and the emergence of their new threat CELL! This volume was perfect and introduces the next big threat finally and one which is so awesome! The pacing was slow yes but now its gonna get even better!

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The two new androids prove to be way stronger then what Trunks previously mentioned to our heroes. So much so that in a fight the androids beat everybody to unconsciousness and leave them barely alive. Their one sole purpose is to fight and kill Goku, but their not in a hurry to do so. However unsettling new discoveries are made when Trunks' Time Machine is found all mossed over and rusted and a town of 15,000 people mysteriously vanishes. Who could be this fearsome new foe? The Android part of the Arc comes to a close and we start the Cell Arc.

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Android #17 and #18 showcase their incredible power and destroy their adversaries as they set off to find Goku and eliminate him. Cleverly, to make this whole arc even more complicated, a new threat even more powerful appears and it's none other than the infamous Cell. Everyone is being pushed to their limits and everything is nothing short of tense as the suspense continues to kill: can anyone defeat these new enemies?

[Matthew · Rating 5 out of 5]

To find all my reviews: http://dancinginth3dark.blogspot.com

Previously on Dragon Ball Z

(I) Dr. Gero has awaken Androids #17 & 18.

(II) Trunks who is the son of Vegeta and Bulma come from the future and help Goku in order to guarantee a better future.

(III) Goku caught a virus that is attacking his heart and now the gang has transported him to his home in order to retrieve the cure for him.

That is what you missed on Dragon Ball Z!

If I have already mention this in my previous reviews then I apologize but I remember the androids vividly in the anime and I completely forgot about them when reading this manga. The whole storyline involving the androids and what comes later is a complete blur for me because I never watch Dragon Ball Z in chronological order and it is now that I am understanding the plot thanks to the mangas. The beginning of this volume leaves directly off where the last volume left us which is the gang arrives to Dr. Gero's lab but sadly they were too late as the androids are finally awaken.

Vegeta is being a stubborn a#@hole because he wants to be the greatest fighter in the galaxy and instead of running away from the scene, he confronts the androids and Dr. Gero. Sadly for Dr. Gero, he is immediately killed because he programmed androids #17 & 18 to have an infinite power source but the consequence is because of their programming they do not obey any orders which is deadly when it comes to Dr. Gero's life and the others. Since he is no longer in the picture, the androids discover that there is another android that hasn't been awaken called Android #16 who they freely wake him up and discover that he is robotic with the sole purpose of killing Goku.

Meanwhile all this drama is going on, Yamcha takes Goku back to his home and trying to find the cure. Everyone is in a panic and luckily they find it and give it to him. Now that the cure is working, Goku has slipped into a resting period that will take 10 days for him to be fully cured and active. As he is slowly getting better, the androids on the other hand have the mission to kill Goku. Vegeta goes into this intense fighting with Android 17 and clearly he is no match for her and luckily he doesn't die and the other members of the gang escape to move Goku before the androids arrive.

Piccolo makes the connection that the only way to beat the androids is if he becomes a super Namekian and the only way possible is if he morphs together with Kami-Sama which if they accomplish this then the Dragon Balls will no longer work anymore since Kami-Sama is not God anymore. Piccolo goes to meet with Kami-Sama and luckily he agrees that they need to be whole again but only as a last resort. Then out of nowhere Kami-Sama witness some creature that has never been seen before sadly for the audience we do not find out his proper identity until the next volume.

Trunks gets the info from Bulma telling him that in the middle of nowhere they have discovered his time travel machine but it looks as though it has been rusted away which is completely odd since Trunks only been the present (Trunks past) temporarily and decides to check it out. The evil creature has attacked this random city and has killed thousands of innocent civilians and the creepy part is that there is no bodies laying around instead just clothes. When Kami-Sama witness this act of evil, he immediately blends with Piccolo and heads off to the action is happening and discover that this creature is using his tail that looks like a needle to suck the living force out of people and that is how he getting stronger. The real action begins next volume so stayed until next time on Dragon Ball Z...

[Caleb M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

These volumes are action packed and filled with the right amount of story to keep me happy too. Learning about Trunks, and Vegeta, and the Androids is awesome and it's mixed well with the action. I think that Toriyama has improved immensely in the storytelling aspect of things from this volume thinking back to the OG Dragonball volumes (though I quite enjoyed those as well). I just met Cell at the end of this volume and am pretty stoked to see where it goes with this big baddie!

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 3 out of 5]

The arc with the androids is getting a little tired, but there are some fun fights here and there. I’m mostly excited for the next volume where there seems to be a villain who is way more interesting!

[Chris · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's just not as good when Goku is incapacitated.

[MajesticalLion · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm loving the cast this volume. 16, 17, and 18 have such a fun dynamic, and the way they introduce Cell made him seem so menacing. Piccolo gets some cool development this volume as well.

[Evelyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do love the beginning of the Cell saga, with them finding the old time machine and the gradual reveal. It feels like an old horror movie, very Alien. First form Cell is so creepy.

[Mr. Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some brutal death scenes up in this one….

I already know the story, but the lead up to Cell’s reveal is actually really tense and suspenseful. Zoinks Scoob.

(Man-crush on Trunks…Hello therapist?)

[Drew Canole · Rating 3 out of 5]

Here we get the introduction of the real bad androids (17 and 18) but they don't seem quite as evil as Trunks made them out to be. Their whole goal is to simply kill Goku.

[Sharon Mariampillai · Rating 5 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.55

This was a fantastic read. The story just gets better and better. Also, the characters are amazing and I love reading about the heroes that are in the Dragon Ball franchise. In the volume, we see Androids 16, 17, and 18 inflict pain on the gang. Vegeta faces off with Android 18 twice. The android steal a delivery van. Also, Future Trunks sees a photo that leaves him shocked. I also got to see how powerful these androids are in comparison with Androids 19 and 20. Also, we got to see cell in his imperfect form. This means that The Cell Saga has began and the story is about to get a whole lot more interesting. This was another amazing installment to the series. I can't wait for Volume 15. Overall, an incredible read.

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one was a slow burn, but the arrival of Cell and confusion around it is nicely done. Another “big bad” to join the fray.

[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nachdem die Freunde um Son-Goku endlich die Basis von Dr. Gero entdeckt haben, wollen sie verhindern, dass er die Cyborgs aktiviert, die die Zukunft von Trunks in Schutt und Asche gelegt haben. Doch sie kommen zu spät und müssen nicht nur zusehen, wie die Cyborgs C17 und C18 ihren Schöpfer in die ewigen Jagdgründe schicken, sondern müssen auch noch mit erleben, wie die beiden einen weiteren Cyborg zum Leben erwecken, den Trunks gar nicht kennt. Sein Eingriff in die Zukunft scheint doch schwerwiegendere Folgen zu haben, als er dachte. Denn C16 gibt es in der Zukunft nicht. Während die Freunde und vor allem Vegeta vergeblich versuchen die Cyborgs zu vernichten, kämpft Son-Goku gegen die ausgebrochene Herzkrankheit an. Als die Freunde besiegt sind, verschonen die Cyborgs deren Leben, weil sie zuerst nach Son-Goku suchen wollen. Das ist die Chance für die Freunde Son-Goku zu Muten Roshi auf die Schildkröteninsel in Sicherheit zu bringen! Währenddessen macht sich Piccolo auf den Weg zu Gottes Palast, denn es gibt nur eine Chance gegen die Cyborgs anzukommen. Er muss stärker werden, indem er sich mit Gott wieder vereinigt, doch dazu muss er ihn erst einmal überzeugen. Und dann entdeckt Bulma eine Zeitmaschine, die der von Trunks zum verwechseln ähnlich sieht und scheinbar noch etwas viel Schlimmeres als die Cyborgs beherbergt hat.

Der dreißigste Teil der Mangareihe rund um die Abenteuer des Kämpfers Son-Goku ist wieder voller Spannung und unerwarteter Wendungen. Nicht nur, dass sich die Zukunft rund um Trunks immer mehr verschiebt und verändert, sein Auftauchen scheint noch stärkere Gegner auf den Plan gerufen zu haben. Wenn man vorher dachte, dass es nicht mehr stärker und noch gewaltiger geht, der hat sich geirrt. Obwohl die Freunde trainiert haben und die stärksten Kämpfer der Erde sind, sind sie einfach chancenlos gegen die Cyborgs. Ihre Grausamkeit stellt Toriyama in der Ermordung von Dr. Gero und deren Drang mit den Kämpfern zu spielen dar. Um den Cyborgs etwas entgegen bringen zu können macht sich der Teufel Piccolo auf den Weg zu Gott, um wieder eins mit ihm zu werden. So erhofft er sich stärker als ein Supersaiyajin zu sein. Es bleibt fraglich, was dann wohl aus den Dragon Balls wird. Auch Vegeta lernt in den Cyborgs seinen Meister kennen. Ist er am Anfang noch überheblich, muss er bald erkennen, dass er gegen diese Wesen keine Chance hat, was natürlich wieder unbändig an seinem Ego kratzt. Ich bin gespannt, was sich der Prinz der Saiyajins einfallen lässt, um ihnen erneut gegenüber treten und gewinnen zu können. Zum Ende hin entdeckt Bulma Trunks Raumschiff und gleich danach eine Insektenhülle die scheinbar mit der Raumkapsel angekommen ist. Das Wesen das daraus entstanden ist ist grausam und wird den Freunden wohl noch mehr Schwierigkeiten bereiten.


Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551735700
ISBN-13: 978-3551735706
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,3 x 2 x 17,5 cm

[isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just to start off I really love this books cover to celebrate 30 volumes ! Dragon Ball Z has had some really great covers but this one is easily one of my favourites. I especially love Gohan here because well he is Gohan and I love him, but Trunks is so new yet EASILY the coolest character design on display.

Anyways, time to judge the inside I guess.

I couldn’t really care less about this opening to be honest. The Androids were cool in introduction but their fight with Vegeta was pretty eh, largely because I wish it felt that the pivotal moment for Vegeta in the Freeza Saga where he loses the will to fight had more of an impact on him. As a whole, this arc does feel like it’s undoing a lot of the character work that Vegeta got in the last story which is a real shame.

Oh but the more glaring issue. THE ANDROIDS ARE TOO STRONG WTF. Like it’s not even fun to read at that point. I think because they look so ordinary and have yet to be given proper personality I do start to feel the repetitiveness of the formula as more tedious than entertaining. But I also think a large part of this is just how unearned their strength feels at this point? Freeza and the Saiyans were memorable because they earned the title of the strongest, but the Androids?

That being said, i actually do enjoy them outside of this battle. Their little road trip is pretty fun and I am curious to see what role they will play.

ESPECIALLY now that the Big Bad of this Saga has arrived.

And arrived he has. The last couple of chapters build up Cell, an insect creature from the future that is an absolute beast in every way. He is, without a doubt, the most effective villain setup that the series has given us and honestly the Cell Saga is looking amazing already.

I think part of the reason that it works so well for me is how unexpected it comes. With the Androids we are already given an expectation on who the big threat is, with a little time travel mystery on the side that we occasionally cut to. Little to we know that the Androids are actually the side plot, and that time travel mystery concludes with a horror movie level reveal.

And yeah, somehow, this reveal feels out of a horror movie. A mysterious alien egg. An impossibly big insect moult. A news broadcast of a whole town’s population that has just disappeared into thin air. And then we meet him and oh my god, is Cell intimidating to see. Genuinely Toriyama has a huge talent for character design and it really shows in Cell. I can’t wait for what’s next.

Oh yeah and Piccolo and Kami merged. That was cool too.

[Wendell · Rating 2 out of 5]

On planet earth there was an old scientific genius named Dr. Gero he disliked a Saiyan/Human named Goku. He wanted to kill for destroying hi red ribbon army tho they were against him. So he decided to create something that was powerful enough to destroy him, and the idea came to him that he wanted to create two androids name Android 17 and 18. As he finished with his creation, the Dbz fighters were passing by as they here a rumbling sound and went to go check it out and not to forget that they knew who Dr. Gero was, they saw his creation and were terrified by this. There was a young saiyan/human from the future and came to the present to warn the dbz fighters about the androids and that they are not who they think they are. Dr. Gero told his androids to find goku and destroy him but if his friends get in your way kill them too! BY hearing this the dbz fighters had no idea what to do and were terrified by these androids that are deadly. So as the androids begin to take off to find goku, vegeta felt disrespected and went after them. As he stops them from their flight he wanted a fight before they would even come to goku. The androids had a quick discussion on who would want to enter the fight with vegeta, and 18 said she'll do it if no one else does. She knew vegeta wasn't going to win the sense of the power he has. As they begin to battle the others went on to find goku so that way they may work together in order to beat the androids. Goku heard the knew's and prepared himself as he begins to take off with the dbz fighters. They make their way down to the field as they see vegeta being seriously injured from the fight. Trunks came along and grabbed him to bring him to safety. The androids stopped and took a good look at goku, and as they saw him they see what Dr. gero was saying. His power level is insane but they were willing to fight. And with the help of goku's friends they fought together to beat the androids and made their way home.

[Logan Payne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This has some of my favorite art in the series so far, and not for the reasons you might think. As our heroes soar above the earth and our villains drive through rural landscapes, the tranquility and beauty of Toriyama’s settings shine. The aerial shots that contrast characters with infinite sky and city are so gorgeous and I find myself staring for such a long time.

Even though Toriyama struggled to find his footing with the villains in this arc, I truly believe that he nailed the characterization of the Androids almost perfectly. 17 and 18 act so well in contrast with each other, and weirdly enough, it’s so easy to root for them. They’re trying to find themselves in this world (like Piccolo/Vegeta) and I think you can feel that there’s not really any malice behind them. Even when they steal, it’s hard not to look at them as tough kids- lost and dangerous. And 16 is so lovable. I’ll talk about him later, but for now I’ll just say that he strikes an immediate chord with the audience, his mystery is fascinating.

The Vegeta fight on the highway is great not only because it establishes so much character, but I think the setting is really memorable as well. Just that small strip of road really does a lot for the atmosphere, and I can compliment this atmosphere in the whole volume. Each time the androids run into civilians, it’s such a nice break from the tension. The people feel real and the world feels lived in.

The story itself is all over the place, and that’s kinda why I love it. The audience feels just as lost as the characters, running around in this mess of time travel and dread. Dread being the key word. Our heroes have failed, and there’s something worse over the horizon. Piccolo and Vegeta are forced to swallow their pride and become something more than they probably deserve. Even though most of this volume is relatively relaxed, there’s this palpable sense of urgency. We know that there is an answer to the madness somewhere around us, hiding in the shadows. Cell is that answer.

Cell, the solution to Toriyama’s dilemma of The Big Bad. We don’t know the logistics of his plan yet or how they fit into the time travel equation, but his design is undeniable from the get-go. What a great introduction.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

The androids mean serious business...and they're no longer the biggest threat on Earth! The second half of this volume brings us to season 5 of the anime with the introduction of Cell, but just barely an intro. The meat of this volume is learning about the 3 androids created by Dr. Gero. Anroids 16, 17, and 18 have this carefree nonchalance about them...as they casually destroy Android 20/Gero their creator! It's a pretty graphic 2 panels, so young readers beware. This is about the spot in the saga where the story feels less kid-friendly as the stakes continue to raise. Vegeta faces 18 one on one and his pride is hurt as he can't land a scratch on her. He has some good machine/doll puns thrown in but mostly to mask his wounded pride. Trunks is concerned by the continued deviation from the timeline and we get this awful explanation of time travel. The basic concept being that Trunks' future won't change from anything they're doing cause now he's created a parallel timeline. I hate time travel. Bulma finds a mossy version of the time machine off in the distance and upon investigation, Trunks finds an eggshell and Gohan finds a shed ectoskeleton. Goku is being shipped to Muten Roshi's home to rest as he recovers from his heart virus...and Piccolo convinces Kami to fuse bodies again in order to eliminate the threat. A mysterious new force claiming to be Piccolo's brother is literally sucking people up through a needle on his tail and it's another disgustingly graphic panel showing the melting body. Ugh. But the cell saga is fun so I'm looking forward in diving back into it!

[Natalie]

Despite myself not interested in Dragon Ball Z I do have a large amount of respect for the franchise.

As I said before in my review of Dragon Ball, this kickstarted the trends for later Shonen manga and that's something to admire about the entire Dragon Ball series. Shonen manga series have taken elements from the Dragon Ball series and use it for inspiration for their own work like battles, art, character design, and plot. I feel like I was a bit too old when I was first introduced to the starters of Shounen and Shojo. Dragon Ball and Sailor Moon were introduced to me a bit too late after I had started reading & watching series like InuYasha, Ouran High School Host Club, Death Note, Fullmetal Alchemist, and Code Geass.

Again, I still think it's an admirable franchise despite my personal feelings towards it. (I don't hate it but I didn't love it either) It's extremely popular worldwide and for the anime to still be watched and loved to this very day I think that says a lot about it. There are many things to like and admire about it because of the legacy that it brought with its creation.

While I don't love Dragon Ball Z, it has done a lot for a very popular art form and will continue to be great and loved for years to come.

[Drew · Rating 3 out of 5]

My least favorite volume of the Dragon Ball saga by far up to this point, which is pretty good considering this is number 30.

I got to the end of it and wondered exactly what had happened. I don't like the direction things have gone with Piccolo, so that might have something to do with my lower rating. He seems to have taken a hard left turn out of nowhere. Also, I'm not interested in the androids very much. I guess the only interesting thing about them is that there are two different models represented and they aren't bloodthirsty? It's more of a game to go kill Goku, and the big Meathead looking Android won't even fight anybody except for Goku. He's the older model I guess? I do find it interesting that they could have just flown in and killed Goku immediately, but they would rather have a road trip and have an adventure.

I don't know what to think about Trunks so far.
When he first showed up from the future everything seemed interesting. Now there's all this string theory stuff going on and it kind of messes up why he came in the first place.

Anyway, Cell shows up at the end and I've heard his ark is very interesting. So let's get on to Volume 15/31 and see what's what.

[Casper Paaske · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is oh so clear to see the editor’s influence over the villains in how often they change up and how Akira chooses to use the previous ones in order to let the new ones take stage. Like they can’t operate at the same time. Nothing wrong with multiple villains.
And it is also oh so clear to see where he steals (yes, steals, in my opinion) his ideas from, which classics movies.
But, at the end of the day, it is still oh so entertaining, and it only raises the stakes further with how quickly we go from villain to villain. This quick way of introducing new villains and changing existing ones to suit the new narrative means that you can never really tell what is about to happen next, and I do like my narratives unpredictable! So kudos to that! And I also like all of these villains, they all have distinct and unique designs, which really is something Akira is good at (or was 🥲).
And since every new villain is made to outdo the previous one, this makes for them having so wildly different designs, which just adds so much variety to an already colourful cluster of characters!
So for now, I still very much enjoy Dragon Ball, even though I thought I had outgrown it.

[Hafeez · Rating 4 out of 5]

Volume 30: Chapter 350-361
Arc 17: Androids Saga
Arc 18: Imperfect Cell Saga

Another android, Android #16, also activated. Android #17 kills Dr. Gero. Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo and Tien Shinhan battle Android #17 and Android #18. They were easily defeated. They retreated for awhile. Piccolo went to see Kami as he wants to merge with Kami.

Trunks and others bring Goku to Master Roshi's house. Trunks realized that the future have been totally changed. Bulma said they found a time machine which covered by moss and looks old. They found a shell inside the time machine. After a further investigation, the time machine is 23 years from the future and landed 4 years from the present. That's why the future changed so much. Kami realized a creature far more superior than the androids is coming. Gohan, Trunks and Bulma found an insect moult near the time machine.

A news spread about a citizen in Ginger Town been disappeared and only clothes left. Piccolo finally merged with Kami and he went to Ginger Town. There, he meets the monster that killed the citizen. The monster have a same chi like the ones Piccolo known including Goku.

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

La saga de los androides es muy criticada por muchos de los seguidores de DBZ por muchos motivos: que los personajes no tienen una motivación real y son aburridos, que los viajes en el tiempo no tienen sentido, que Cell es un personaje pedorro y estereotipado, y otras tantas.

A mi en particular, si bien concuerdo con algunas de esas críticas, me gustan muchas cosas de esta saga. Me gusta que los personajes sean caóticos y no tengan la motivación de "destruir el mundo" o "ser los reyes del universo", y recuerdo que la primera vez que vi esta historia en el anime me intereso mucho el tema de los tres bandos, Cell persigue a los androides, los androides persiguen a Gokú, Goku y su grupo persiguen a todos los demás. Me gusta la forma en la que Krilin se enamora de #18, me parece muy tierno y un buen cambio con respecto al humor pervertido del principio. Si bien no es la mejor saga, sigue manteniendo la esencia de Dragon Ball, y aprecio el esfuerzo de Toriyama por cambiar un poco las cosas, aunque no le haya salido tan bien.

[Rangga Sukmawijaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Android nomor 17 dan 18, yang menjadi momok di masa depan tempat Trunks tinggal, akhirnya bangkit. Keadaan semakin buruk ketika keduanya juga membangkitkan android nomor 16 yang tampaknya jauh lebih kuat. Vegeta yang sudah berubah menjadi manusia super pun tidak sanggup menghadapi salah satu dari mereka. Sementara itu ketiga android hanya punya satu tujuan: memburu Son Goku yang saat itu terbaring lemah karena sakit jantung.

Belum selesai urusan para manusia buatan itu, muncul mahluk lain yang lebih menyeramkan dari mereka. Sebegitu menyeramkannya sehingga Sang Dewa tidak punya pilihan lain kecuali bergabung kembali dengan Piccolo. Bumi kembali terancam.

Di balik cerita itu semua, penulis mulai menceritakan tentang sisi psikologis dari Vegeta. Pangeran Bangsa Saiya yang martabatnya tercabik-cabik oleh kekalahannya dari salah seorang Android. Porsi penceritaan diri Vegeta bahkan lebih besar dibandingkan penceritaan perubahan diri Piccolo.