Dragon Ball Z, Vol. 13: The Red Ribbon Androids

Dragon Ball [ドラゴンボール] #29

by Akira Toriyama

Three years ago, the time traveler Trunks came from the future to warn Earth's heroes about terrifying androids. Now, the future has become the present: Dr. Gero has unleashed his creations, Androids #19 and #20, to get revenge against Goku for defeating the Red Ribbon Army! But even three years of advance warning may not be enough to prepare the heroes to face robots more powerful than Super Saiyans! And when Trunks returns to join in the fight, they discover that time travel can be dangerous...because sometimes the future changes in ways you don't expect...

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

200 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 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 Androids have arrived, ready to destroy the planet — but our heroes are prepared to face them.

All except Son Goku. Just as Trunks had warned, his heart disease strikes, forcing him out of the battle early.

Fortunately, Vegeta — now fighting alongside the others, though still very much an anti-hero — has been training relentlessly. He reveals his own transformation into a Super Saiyan and effortlessly overpowers the two Androids.

But then Trunks returns… and delivers a shocking revelation: these aren't the Androids he spoke of. Something far more troubling is unfolding.

--

PT Os Androides chegaram, prontos para destruir o planeta — mas os nossos heróis estão preparados para os enfrentar.

Todos, excepto Son Goku. Tal como Trunks tinha avisado, a doença cardíaca ataca e retira-o do combate logo no início.

Felizmente, Vegeta — que agora luta ao lado dos outros, embora continue a comportar-se como um anti-herói — tem treinado intensamente. Ele revela a sua própria transformação em Super Guerreiro e derrota os dois Androides com facilidade.

Mas então Trunks regressa… e faz uma revelação chocante: estes não são os Androides de que ele falou. Algo muito mais inquietante está prestes a acontecer.

[Juho Pohjalainen · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's pretty well-known that Toriyama had some trouble with the villains of this arc - that his editor didn't like the first two sets too much (or one of the transformations of the actual main villain), so he had to improvise and write by the seat of his pants. But I do wonder how he did intend it to go, how he would have had things proceed if Androids 19 and 20 had been good enough to stick with.

I mean, they'd still be the first main antagonists in a long time - perhaps ever - to take the field immediately, without first sending in some mooks and lieutenants and other cannon fodder. How was the arc to last more than a few volumes with them? Were they to use their energy-draining hands to suck dry a whole lot of people for power-ups, like Cell did later on?

(Why did they just start killing the civilians, anyway? I can't think of any reason for Dr. Gero to care for such indiscriminate destruction.)

So I guess I'm glad things went the way they did. Because of that we got a good mystery out of it, with a couple nice reveals, a spot of anticipation and dread.

I also like the small bit of worldbuilding with Dr. Gero's creations. First he created an infinitely-powered android basically out of nothing, but it became too powerful and too uncontrollable so he kidnapped some humans for cyborgization; they in turn were weaker, but also too free-willed and unruly, so he scrapped that project as well; then finally he just made a fairly weak robot that had to drain its own energy, but was pretty easy to keep in a leash. Swings and roundabouts.

But why did he make himself the weakest type around? Why not use the old infinity-type model? Did the Android 19 not possess the skill and knowledge needed to modify his body so significantly (rather than just take his brain to a whole new android body)? Or was he himself too old and frail to survive the conversion? Who knows, but I like to think about these things.

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

So now we're in this plot that feels very much like a Terminator/Dragon Ball crossover. It is a bit silly that an android, seemingly made from just metal and computer parts, could be stronger than our Saiyan characters. I really like the design of #19 and #20.

[Artemy · Rating 3 out of 5]

YOU'RE a Super Sayan, and YOU'RE a Super Sayan, and YOU'RE a Super Sayan! WE'RE ALL SUPER SAYANS!

Man, this killer robots storyline is laaaaame. Some fun moments in this volume, but overall it feels like a filler episode. Also, fuck Vegeta. Toriyama obviously wants to give him a redeeming arc and make him an anti-hero, but he's just an annoying dick, and it's never gonna happen. I will never like that scumbag.

[Ola G · Rating 2 out of 5]

4/10 stars

Okay, this one was just boring. I know, even Toriyama can't be a constant fount of wisdom and creativity in such a long-running manga, especially considering how he managed it brilliantly so far. These androids though are simply boring, and Yamcha becoming the butt of all jokes because of his lameness is a bit depressing. I feel sorry for that guy, it seems he serves only as a comparison to all the Saiyan characters to show how far beyond regular human abilities they have transcended.

The only really cool thing this time around is the twist Toriyama supplies at the end - "these aren't the droids you're looking for" ;) I'm glad I have the next volume at hand so I can see how this pans out!

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m guessing Terminator is a favourite movie of Akira Toriyama’s because the current plotline reeks heavily of it - except it’s reversed. Trunks, Vegeta’s son, travels back in time to before Dr Gero and his androids turn the world into hell, to warn Son Goku and co. This gives them the time to train and prepare for the fight, not to mention help Goku overcome his heart disease with futuristic medicine. Also, Vegeta reveals that he too can turn into a Super Saiyan!

The problem with a massive ongoing series with multiple, succeeding story arcs is that some stories are just better and the weaker ones pale in comparison. Like the Saiyan story arc that kicked off the series was great and laid the foundation for Dragon Ball Z. Then Akira Toriyama raised the stakes with the epic Freeza story arc. Now we’re onto the arc that has to follow Freeza - the killer androids on Earth storyline - and it’s not as good. That’s not to say this arc itself isn’t enjoyable, it’s just that it really isn’t on the same level and so I’m less enthusiastic.

The fights are still fun and even when it’s Vegeta (who I’m liking more and more, despite his evilness) and some androids I couldn’t care less about. If there’s one thing Toriyama does superbly, it’s fight scenes. In fact, I was surprised that the rating for this book is “all ages” given the brutal killings the androids perform and the vicious way Vegeta defeats one of them. But the last book had a panel of domestic violence that was brushed off immediately as “comedy” so I suppose the ratings system doesn’t mean jack once you reach a certain level of popularity!

The androids aren’t as personable or interesting as Freeza, Vegeta, and the other villains in this series have been - they don't even have names, they're just Androids #19 and #20! They’re just soulless killers. Yawn. But that wasn’t the only thing that annoyed me in this volume. Yamcha is maybe the most worthless fighter character ever. He’s always the first casualty, he never helps, and he’s a total non-entity. Guess what his contribution to this volume is? That's right, becoming the first casualty! Just get rid of this dude for good, he’s dead weight.

The other thing was Son Goku’s stupidity. He was told by Trunks when he would be sick and in what way. He was then given medicine to cure the sickness. So at the time he knew he was going to be sick, and he does become sick, why doesn’t he have the medicine on him there and then? What’s it doing all the way back in his house? So because of his stupidity, he’s taken out of the fight immediately and has to be flown home to take his medicine. What a dolt! I’m liking Goku less and less as this series continues.

I’m hoping this android arc doesn’t last as long as the Freeza one because I’m really not into it. Another book, maybe two tops, is all I can stomach of these dull characters - bring on Buu!

[Subham · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was fun and its basically the team preparing for the coming of the Androids and great encounter between Goku and 19 and 20 and then him getting sick and them taking out the Z-Warriors like they were nothing and then the way Vegeta comes in and takes them down was something, he takes down 19 with such ease and he becomes a Super saiyan thus asserting his "bossiness" and then the part between him and 20 and the chase that happens and the activations of 17 and 18 which might lead to the emergence of cell. This story arc is getting insane and will lead to one of the greatest anime moments soon. Good arc and great sparks between Vegeta and Trunks. The art is beautiful still.

[Blake the Book Eater · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was pretty good although I am starting to feel a *bit* of fatigue with the constant power escalations (I mean once you go from a planet-destroying tyrant, it’s hard to top). But with Trunks entering and a race to save the future it has some hope!

[Lashaan Balasingam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite the eventful volume with a twist! Goku is quickly cast aside for a while as the story forces him to become irrelevant while Vegeta and Piccolo get opportunities to showcase their newly found strengths. Meanwhile, Yamcha becomes the point of comparison to every other player in terms of power, being the weakest of the bunch.

[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 the androids in action. I was shocked that Android 20 literally turned into a deadly weapon and almost killed Yamcha. We also get to see Goku go into his Super Saiyan mode. Also, Vegeta is back. So it was interesting to see his transition to Super Saiyan as well. This was another amazing installment to the series. I can't wait for Volume 14. Overall, an incredible read.

[Hafeez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Volume 29: Chapter 338-349
Arc 17: Androids Saga

3 years later, all of them gathered. The two androids, Android #19 and Android #20 also appear there. They confronted the androids and the androids can absorb energy from people. Goku fight Android #20 but he is exhausted. His illness starting to kick in and Goku lose the fight. Vegeta come and fight Android #20. Vegeta can become a Super Saiyan and beat Android #20. Android #19 being push into a corner and suddenly Trunks come. The androids they were fighting is not the androids that Trunks meant. Android #19 managed to get away.

Android #19 basically is Dr. Gero whose body being modified. Dr. Gero run away and head to his lab to activate Android #17 and Android #18. Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, Krillin and Tien Shinhan trying to find Dr. Gero's lab before he does. Dr. Gero managed to activate Android #17 and Android #18.

[Gustavo · Rating 4 out of 5]

El Dr. Gero, único superviviente de la Patrulla Roja, vuelve para vengarse en forma de androide, y justo cuando el grupo de Gokú está por enfrentarse a ellos, al saiyajin le agarra una enfermedad del corazón y se tiene que ir a hacer reposo y tomar los remedios. Esto da pie para que Vegeta tenga un momento de gloria y en general para que todos muestren sus nuevas capacidades. No es de los mejores tomos, pero las escenas de acción siguen estando muy bien y el manga sigue siendo super entretenido.

[Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Androids known as 19 and 20 have shown themselves. They have the ability to hide their chi and absorb others. Of course when searching for the androids, Yamcha is the first on the scene and the first to be defeated again!! Goku's heart starts failing which allows 19 to defeat him. Vegeta shows up and ruthlessly destroys 19. However when Trunks returns the gang finds out that 19 and 20 were not the androids they were searching for but really androids 17 and 18. The race is on to stop the awakening of 17 and 18, but the gang might be too late!!

[Ady Weasley · Rating 5 out of 5]

El momento ha llegado, por fin es la fecha de pelear contra los androides.

Goku y los demás se encuentran contra el androide 19 y 20, sin embargo estos pueden absorber la energía a través de sus manos.
Goku sufre un colapso ya que no tomo las medicinas porque no había tenido ninguna molestia y es Vegeta el que derrota al androide 19

Mirai Trunks llega y se da cuenta de que estos no son los androides con los que había peleado en el futuro.

Se descubre la verdadera identidad del androide no. 20

En un revés de la historia no. 18 y no. 17 son despertados

[MajesticalLion · Rating 3 out of 5]

Par for the DBZ course. Whole volume's pretty much one long fight. The fight suffers from Android 19 and Android 20 being pretty lame villains. But seeing Vegeta go Super Saiyan was cool. I expect I'll enjoy the next volume more since Androids 17 and 18 look like they're gonna be more interesting characters.

[Evelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

I forgot how much I enjoy the Android saga

[Caleb M. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Back at it and time to finally finish up this series.

This was a great entry and it made me happy to be back. Lots of action and even a surprise return of a character from way back in Dragonball! The androids are a great enemy and in excited to see more of them.

[Lenny · Rating 3 out of 5]

A rare "just fine" DBZ volume. Androids 19 and 20 don't hold a candle to Frieza and his henchmen, and Dr. Gero's connection to the Red Ribbon Army and the original series could have been better developed. (Gero is never seen in Dragon Ball, and though it's not technically a retcon - there's no contradiction here - I think the return of some actual characters in DB would have been better. Except Pilaf. I'm not a monster.) At this point, Toriyama sort of wrote himself into a corner with the Super Saiyans' enormous power, which means any villains that threaten Goku and Vegeta means the rest of the cast are outmatched. It's hilarious that Yamcha almost dies immediately again, but I miss the days when he, Kuririn, and Tenshin were more relevant, instead of primarily watching the battles as stand-ins for the audience.

[Peter Derk · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, no, time travel!

Because this involves time travel, and because I'm working on a bit of a time travel novel myself, and because this is like volume 100 in the Dragon Ball saga, in lieu of a thoughtful, poetic review, I present this short excerpt from MY time travel narrative:

Anyway, I got my time belt, and it felt pretty good when I put it on. The buckle is big, like one of those rodeo buckles, which is good because if you have a little bit of a gut, the buckle kind of holds it back. Too much gut and it slops over the top and you look even worse, but just a little gut is okay.
There’s a big dial on the front, and there’s a safety catch that prevents you from going into the future because I guess you’re not supposed to do that.
So, I did what any good American would do. I turned the belt to 1889, saluted the American flag on the side of a beer can I keep on the counter for saluting purposes, and went back to kill Baby Hitler.

I know, the idea to kill Baby Hitler isn’t very original. But because I’m trying to be honest here, especially because the handcuff lady injected me with something that makes me feel REALLY honest, I decided to kill Baby Hitler because I thought it’d help me with the ladies.
I met a lot of ladies at various protests over the years. Yes, a lot of them had body hair, like amounts of body hair that I would find personally grotesque if it were on MY body. Sure, a lot of them screamed in my face, even though I was on their side, I think.
But they were still pretty attractive, and they all had kind of the same theme going: Nazis are really bad.
And I thought to myself, “What better thing to do than kill Baby Hitler to get on their good side? That’s got to at least be worth going out on one date, right?”
I probably should have also thought of it a different way, like “Killing a baby is not really what gets people romantic.” But a lot of these ladies were also very pro-choice, so…look, I get easily confused by politics, okay?

If you’re wondering how I got from America the Beautiful to Austria The Not Germany But Seems Like Germany, that’s a great question.
I’m told the time belt uses special technology to help someone travel not only through time, but also through space. See, because the Earth is in orbit around the Sun, if I traveled to the exact same spot but in a different time, I’d be floating out in space. I guess floating out in space in 1889 would be more peaceful, less satellites and space junk out there. But on the other hand, you’ve got less chance of rescue by hanging onto the side of one of those Russian cosmonaut rockets with the dead dogs inside. I don’t know why Russia kept shooting dead dogs into space, there’s plenty of ground to bury them in. Russia is weird.
The time belt helps kind of does it all for you, and that’s how I ended up in Austria in 1889. Naked.
Yeah, I thought it was a Terminator thing where you have to go back in time naked. I thought those were the rules. By the time I found out you didn’t have to be naked, I just sort of got used to the whole nude time traveler thing, so I kept going.
People say I’m sick because I’ve talked so much about how good timestream feels on your balls. Jealousy is a disease.

Once I arrived in Austria, all that I had to do was find Baby Hitler.
Which was a lot harder than I expected.
First of all, Baby Hitler looks exactly like other babies, and all babies kind of look the same. Baby Hitler didn’t have swoopy hair or a mustache. And his dad didn’t look like him, although it turned out he had an INSANE mustache of his own. This big biker stache. Maybe that’s why Hitler had that tidy little rectangle. We all rebel against our fathers, whether it’s through having a mustache or getting a time belt, going back in time and pushing him in a garbage can while he’s in high school.
That’s another timestream thing you might have to fix. I was briefly concerned that touching my own father in a time before I was born might make me explode, but then I thought it might also make him explode, so I gave it a try.
Back in Austria, I came up with a backstory that would serve me well in future time travels: I just told everyone I was the town drunk from two towns over, and we were doing a town drunk exchange program. Most people accepted this. It probably helped that I was naked and wearing a crazy looking belt, and also that I was a little drunk because, let’s face it, when you get a couple beers in you, time traveling sounds like a pretty good idea.
They set me up in their town drunk’s alley with a bottle of wine and some pants held on by a rope, which I couldn’t say for sure if they were the kind of clothes a drunk would wear or not. For all I know, pants with a rope are what the mayor would wear in the 1800’s.
So I sat and drank the wine and came up with a plan I called Operation Kill A Bunch of Babies.

When I woke up the next morning with a brutal wine hangover, I realized the one, tiny flaw in my plan, which is that I’d have to kill a bunch of babies.
Seems obvious when you write it down, but it was my first time travel. I got caught up in the excitement. That happens to me a lot. I guess we’ll get to it later, but most stories about someone being trampled by an excited crowd at a concert, those are my fault. I traveled around in the past to see a bunch of bands I liked, and I did get pretty excited, and if I’ve got one gift, it’s whipping a crowd into a frenzy for no real reason and then maintaining my balance while running over the top of a human body.
Now, my problem wasn’t killing a bunch of babies. Maybe once it was time to stab a baby in the face, I’d have a change of heart, adopt the baby and carry it with me through time, and that baby would become the ultimate time traveling warrior, only to later find out, as I confessed at the time of my death, probably because I screwed up and whipped a crowd up too hard at a Pearl Jam concert, that I wasn’t his original father, but rather his kidnapper. All this time!
No, the real problem was what I saw while I sat in the alley, drinking more of the local wino’s wine that was delivered to me in efficient, Austrian fashion at 9 am.

[sharon · Rating 5 out of 5]

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[Yoyomaus Die Büchereule · Rating 5 out of 5]

Die Cyborgs sind so, wie es Trunks aus der Zukunft voraus gesagt hat, an den beschriebenen Koordinaten erscheinen und beginnen damit die Stadt in Schutt und Asche zu legen und seine Bewohner auszuradieren. Die Freunde sind über deren Kraft schockiert und auch von der Tatsache überrumpelt, dass sie die Energie ihrer Gegner nicht spüren und somit Angriffe von ihnen nicht voraus sehen können. Als sie sie schließlich vor sich stehen haben und Son-Goku sich ihnen entgegen stellt, beginnt seine vorausgesagte Herzkrankheit ihn zu schwächen und er scheint chancenlos gegen die Maschinen. Unerwartet bekommt er Hilfe von Vegeta, der sich nun auch in einen Supersaiyajin verwandeln kann. Es liegt nun an den anderen sich den Cyborgs entgegen zu stellen. Und gerade, als die Freunde denken, dass es nicht mehr schlimmer kommen kann, taucht Trunks aus der Zukunft auf und hat mehr als schlechte Nachrichten dabei. Denn die Cyborgs die er da vor sich sieht sind ihm völlig unbekannt. Ein Wettlauf mit der Zeit beginnt.

Dieser Teil war wieder etwas ganz Neues. Die Freunde erscheinen zum einen wieder im neuen Design und die Gewaltbereitschaft der Gegner ist noch mehr gestiegen. Dass Son-Goku als glänzender Held der Reihe wegen seiner Krankheit versagt, macht ungläubig. Man hofft, dass er diese Krankheit überstehen wird - denn was wäre das für ein Ende, wenn der Held klammheimlich an einer Krankheit zu Grunde geht. In diesem Band hat also Vegeta dafür seinen großen Auftritt. Der Saiyajin wirkt neu modelliert, was ihn glaubwürdiger aussehen lässt - zu Beginn hatte Toriyama ihn ja doch sehr klein gezeichnet. Dieser kann sich nun auch in einen Supersaiyajin verwandeln und zeigt den Cyborgs wo der Hammer hängt. Zumindest dem ersten der beiden. Dass auch der Junge aus der Zukunft wieder auftaucht ist spannend, denn endlich erfahren seine Eltern, wer der Junge wirklich ist. Während Bulma vollauf begeistert ist, scheint Vegeta wieder typisch abweisend und ein Stinkstiefel zu sein. Die Nachricht, dass es sich bei den Cyborgs nicht um jene handelt, die die Freunde eigentlich bekämpfen sollten ist irritierend, doch sofort kommt mehr Spannung auf, als die Freunde erkennen, dass sie die Basis der Cyborgs noch vor dem verbliebenen Dr. Gero erreichen müssen, wenn sie schlimmeres verhindern wollen.


Taschenbuch: 192 Seiten
Verlag: Carlsen (15. Februar 2001)
Sprache: Deutsch
ISBN-10: 3551735697
ISBN-13: 978-3551735690
Vom Hersteller empfohlenes Alter: 10 - 12 Jahre
Größe und/oder Gewicht: 11,4 x 1,8 x 17,6 cm

[Agung Wicaksono · Rating 4 out of 5]

Setelah tiga tahun berlalu, Goku dkk. (kecuali Vegeta) pun berkumpul di kota yang sebelumnya diberi tahu oleh Trunks bahwa di sana para android akan menyerang. Dengan persiapan yang lebih matang, mereka pun berpencar untuk menemukan para android tersebut karena kehadiran mereka tidak bisa dideteksi oleh chi. Di sisi lain, Bulma ikut berkumpul dan telah memiliki bayi lucu dari hasil hubungannya dengan Vegeta.

Android yang muncul adalah #19 dan #20 dan Yamcha yang menemukan mereka pertama kali. Tak disangka, Yamcha dengan mudah dikalahkan. Karena hal itu, Goku dkk. bisa segera menemukan mereka. Goku pun mengajak para android untuk berpindah tempat supaya tidak ada kehancuran lagi di kota. Setelah menemukan tempat yang cocok, ia langsung berubah menjadi Super Saiya dan mulai menyerang mereka. Yang membuat kaget adalah ternyata para android dengan mudah menepis serangan Goku. Dan, ketika Goku menyerang dengan kamehameha, serangan tersebut langsung disedot oleh Android #19. Ya, ternyata senjata rahasia mereka adalah dengan menyedot jurus tenaga dalam, sehingga Goku dkk. harus berhati-hati menghadapi manusia robot tersebut.

Di samping itu, ternyata yang membuat Goku menjadi lemah adalah tiba-tiba jantungnya terasa sakit. Padahal, ia sudah menelan pil yang diberikan oleh Trunks supaya penyakitnya hilang. Lantas, Goku pun segera dibawa Yamcha untuk mendapat perawatan medis, sehingga sisanya tetap melawan para android. Di situasi yang tidak mendukung karena kekuatan android, Vegeta akhirnya muncul dan memamerkan bahwa ia juga bisa menjadi Super Saiya. Dengan mudah, ia mengalahkan Android #19. Android #20 yang dijuluki sebagai Dr. Gero terkejut karena hal itu di luar perhitungannya. Ia langsung kabur menuju markas tersembunyinya untuk mengaktifkan android lain untuk melawan Vegeta dkk. Lantas, di akhir volume ini, kita akan mengetahui bahwa ada android lain bernama Android #17 dan #18.

[Chelsea · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is when the series gets good again! The androids have landed and they are NOT messing around! They do look super goofy as Android 19 is a clown and Android 20 is an old man. They represent the Red Ribbon Army...you know from when Goku was just a kid! They claim to have observed the Z Fighters and gained enough data on them to have programed themselves to take them all down. And Yamcha is taken out of the equation quickly...with a fist through the chest!! This volume is much more bloody and graphic than previous volumes with a very vivid decapitation shown in one panel. There's also the revelation that in those three years Bulma and Vegeta did indeed have a baby, but the Saiyan has been busy in other ways as well as he's now a Super Saiyan! His rage to surpass Goku pushed him beyond the limits. Goku's heart disease hits him much later than expected so he exits the fight to take his medicine. Vegeta is back to being hard-hearted and takes out Android 19 by first ripping off his hands...and then his head. When Trunks from the future returns Vegeta learns the truth of his identity but after the initial shock isn't very worried. Trunks is appalled at his father's demeanor and tries to talk sense into him but with no avail. The Z Fighters learn Android 20 was formerly Dr. Gero who created the androids and Trunks reveals that these are NOT the 2 androids he was referring to that had destroyed the universe in his timeline. There is some worry as now the timelines have distinctly changed...but that's not all...Android 17 and 18 are awoken by Gero and they destroy the universal remote that controls them!

This is a fun introduction to the new arc. It's quicker than Freeza and bloodier too. The build-up is great and while time travel can get messy, this volume really made an intriguing start.

[isaac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I was wrong, The Android Saga is looking pretty great as well. I’m loving the relationship between Trunks and his father Vegeta, realising that this is not the man he expected to be. I also love the whole mystery of history having been changed, and how it can be so different seemingly from Trunks singular trip. Maybe something relating to him killing Freeza and his dad? The panel of Trunks seeing the Androids are different to the ones he fought is a great moment! And everyone’s reactions to realising the history has changed is selling the tension well.

You have no idea how excited I was when the action started in the city. FOR ONCE I thought we had departed from the overused barren battleground (even if I understand its use) and I actually found the start of this in the city where they are split up searching for the Androids really thrilling. For more reason than a different battle setting, I do wish we spent more time there.

This is a VERY fast paced volume. This arc has only just begun and already we have textless pages of action. Yet it never feels senseless. In fact, everything feels like it carries more weight than the last 3 (or so) volumes which is impressive considering what is being compared. This arc does feel like it’s going to be a lot shorter and smaller scale than the past 2, but I’m ok with that and if done well this is looking really fun. But if this is the case I just hope it feels consequential to the overarching narrative and not just a throwaway story to fill out space between sagas. That being said I also hope this leads smoothly into Cell.

Oh and I didn’t expect to but I really enjoy this arcs connection to the OG Dragon Ball through the Red Ribbon Army. Now I just wish Z did this more to connect the two.

[Rangga Sukmawijaya · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kemunculan Trunks dari masa depan menandai saga baru dalam cerita Dragon Ball Z. Ramalan Trunks akan munculnya sepasang android atau manusia buatan terbukti benar. Untunglah Goku dkk., telah diberitahu oleh Trunks sehingga mereka bisa bersiap-siap menghadapi mereka. Yang jadi masalah, dua android itu ternyata bukan yang dimaksud oleh Trunks. Goku yang sakit terpaksa mengundurkan diri dari pertempuran sementara pasangan android yang benar-benar merupakan ancaman di masa depan sudah dibangkitkan.

Sebenarnya topik "perjalanan waktu" bisa menjadi topik yang menarik dan membuka kemungkinan-kemungkinan baru dalam petualangan Son Goku. Tapi pengarang tampaknya hanya membatasi kemungkinan itu pada munculnya lawan baru bagi Son Goku dkk.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Androids have arrived!!! And with them comes death and destruction...but thanks to a time traveling Z Soldier the heroes of Earth are prepared. This action is awesome and to me its truly fun to see the heroes fight against the first villain in forever they cannot sense where they are! The battle Dr. Gero and No.#19 wage against the heroes is fun and has a lot of ebbs and flows to it, which makes for good theater. The heroes have shown they have grown to a new level...but Dr. Gero has a few android's left to deploy....this is getting REALLY INTERESTING! I know I say it often, but art and story flow perfectly in this fast paced read...but you will go back to the action scenes as it is a true tutorial in how to truly make your eye catch motion from a still picture!

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Androids all over the place! I loved the original Red Ribbon saga stuff, so seeing them come back is cool. Why are they suddenly strong enough to match up against a Super Saiyan? Uhhhhhh I'm not sure but whatever, here we are. Red Ribbon returning is like a throwback to classic Dragon Ball after the lengthy space-stuff of the Saiyan/Namek sagas, but there's a lot of intrigue here as to how exactly this plot is going to unfold. Which, well, Toriyama didn't exactly know either, since editors kept making him change up the villains as chapters went on. But we've got alternate time lines, a bunch of androids that can't be controlled, Super Saiyans all over the place, all sorts of Terminator stuff!

[Casper Paaske · Rating 4 out of 5]

The androids fight begins and at first it is a little underwhelming.
But then it becomes apparent why: because they have to get cocky before they meet the real fight!
In reality, this is actually because Akira was ordered to switch the enemies because the editor did not like their design. This is why Akira had to change them and instead use them to make the new androids appear more evil and menacing. Successfully in this switch, but it results in androids 19 and 20 coming off as forgettable wimps, unfortunately.
But otherwise a solid volume with decent fights. The fights here are though more plot focused than spectacle focused, meaning they are shot and a little underwhelming.

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never liked the cardiac problem plot for Goku. You mean this guy is supposed to be the strongest being in the entire universe (at least according to the legends) and something so… human would be the end of him? Yikes.
Also, the Super Saiyen thing is spreading so easily when it’s supposed to be rare. Goku is one. Vegeta is one. Future Trunks is one. Gohan will become one, too (I remember that) and Goten (who doesn’t exist yet) will be one too someday, along with little Trunks. That’s every Saiyen alive. So much for legendary.

[Logan Payne · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember being mind blown when I first saw Vegeta transform in this volume. I still really like the design of 19 & 20, and Baby Trunks is iconic. Goku’s heart palpitations are genuinely nerve-racking, and it’s just great to see Vegeta take the reins, even if he’s hard to really root for.

I do wish Yamcha did anything, and I don’t understand how Tenshinhan is useless now either. I think this might deserve a higher score, but the wishy washy nature of this entire arc leads to a lot of confusion and slow pace…