Android 17

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Android #17

Japanese	人造人間17号
Romaji	Jinzōningen Junanagō
Anime Name	Android #17
Manga Name	Android #17
Alternate Name(s)	Jinzōningen #17 #17 Cyborg #17 Artificial Human #17
First Appearance	Issue 29 (DBZ Issue 13)
Appears in
Race	Human / Android
Family #18 (sister) Kuririn (brother in-law) Marron (niece)
DB Character Listing - Category

Android #17 (Also known as Jinzōningen #17, Cyborg #17, Juunanougou, and Artificial Human #17) is a character from the manga series Dragon Ball and anime Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.

He is referred to in the original Japanese as an artificial human (Jinzōningen), which is translated as 'cyborg'/'android'/'robot'; he is not a robot nor an android, and it is implied in the manga he and his sister were originally runaway humans that were kidnapped by Dr.Gero and heavily fitted with cybernetics. As such, he is, in English, correctly a cyborg. Future Trunks also confirms this by using the word cyborg in the original version of the anime when describing to Goku about what the pair are that will ruin the future.

No. 17 is a notable character in the Dragon Ball series due to his very back-and-forth moral standing. He starts out appearing to be a powerful villain, but is revealed to be little else besides a rebel without a cause. When he is wished back to life, he lives a life of peace on his own. However, he is brought back in GT as a super villain when people in Hell take control of his mind, and is killed for his heinous crimes. Yet even when the villains take control of his mind, he still maintains some of the love in his heart, especially for his twin sister. This is in contrast to his alternate self from Trunks' future, where he is a sociopathic killer who cares for no one but himself and his sister.

No. 17's strongest trait is most certainly his sense of self. He refuses to bow down to the will of his evil creator Dr. Gero (or later, Dr. Myu), and fights a futile battle with Cell to assert his identity and his pride. He has guns, but rarely uses them, due to the fact that firearms would be useless in combat against opponents such as saiyans or Cell. He is seen with a holstered gun in Dragon Ball Z: Budōkai 3.

His seiyū is Shigeru Nakahara. In the FUNimation dub, he is voiced by Chuck Huber.

1 Dragon Ball Z
2 Dragon Ball GT
3 Video Games

[edit] Dragon Ball Z

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

[edit] Androids Saga

Android 17 and his twin sister Android 18 are awakened by their creator, Dr. Gero, when he is pressed into a corner by the Z Fighters. It is revealed that this is not the first time Dr. Gero has attempted to utilize the twin cyborgs; his fear of them quickly becomes obvious and fully realized when Android 17 impales then decapitates him. Abandoning Gero's plans for them, Android 17 and Android 18 awaken Android 16 and decide to find Son Goku and fight him just for fun. They are confronted by Vegeta, Future Trunks, Tenshinhan and Piccolo and defeat all four with extreme ease. However, the twins let them live, one of many examples that set them apart from their future timeline counterparts, especially since at the same time Future Trunks notes that they are much stronger than in his timeline.

[edit] Imperfect Cell Saga

Later, Android 17 fights Piccolo after he has fused with Kami, giving him extraordinary powers. They are roughly equal in power, except for the fact that 17 would never run out of energy and Piccolo could become drained of his. The match is interrupted by Cell, who is looking to absorb Android 17 and Android 18 to reach his perfect form. Piccolo tries to aid 17 in battle against Cell while 17 struggles in vain to defend himself from being absorbed. All seems lost until Android 16 steps in to fight Cell. Android 16 is able to hold off Cell for a time, repeatedly surprising it with intensely powerful attacks. However, this sudden turning of tables creates overconfidence in Android 17, who lingers at the battle site, where the wounded but still-living Cell surprises him and quickly absorbed him.

[edit] Cell Games Saga

Android 17 is killed along with Cell during either Cell's self-destruction or Cell's actual death at the hands of Son Gohan, but is revived after the Z Warriors used the Dragon Balls to bring back the people killed by Cell. He also has the self-destruct device in his body removed by Kuririn in another wish made true with the Dragon Balls. He never makes contact with the main cast again for the rest of Dragon Ball Z, content to live life on his own.

It should be noted that though the group had initially given up on the idea that 17 could actually be alive when they failed to sense him or figure in any way that he was alive after making the wish that actually did bring him back, the most likely reason that nobody could detect him at all is the fact that an even semi-mechanical being (such as Gero's androids and cyborgs, including 17) has no actual (or at least traceable) ki signature and thus cannot be sensed by even the most highly trained organic being.

[edit] Future Timeline

In a dark future timeline of Dragon Ball Z, Android 17 and Android 18 have ravaged the planet Earth within an inch of its life, and much of human civilization is destroyed. Following their release, they killed Dr. Gero (as in the "fixed" timeline that Dragon Ball Z follows) and then proceeded to kill anything they encountered for "points", including all of the Z Fighters except Gohan. As the years pass, it becomes painfully obvious that Gohan and Trunks are the only martial artists left capable of fighting the twins. However, no conceivable advantage arises for them and Gohan is eventually killed. In one timeline, Trunks shuts them down with a remote control, and is killed by Cell, who travels to a similar past timeline to seek out the twins; and in another, he destroys them through pure power, then destroys Cell as well.

[edit] Kid Buu Saga

Android 17 is later seen when Goku gathers energy to defeat Kid Buu. He raises his rifle to trick two hunters passing by into raising their hands into the air (they think that he's trying to rob them) and giving energy to Goku's Genki Dama. He then smiles and says, "You beat me to it," raising his hands up with them to give energy to Goku. In the original manga however, he merely raises his hands and his hands alone.

Considering the fact that he is alive at this time serves as a testament to his good soul: the wish that revived him was one that Vegeta had the Kaioshins and Namekians make asking for the good people on Earth to be revived when it was restored (Kid Buu had previously obliterated the planet with his massive ki ball, the Chikyuu Hokai no Ichigeki).

[edit] Dragon Ball GT

Super 17

In Hell, Dr.Gero and Dr. Myu create another Android 17 meant to combine with the Android 17 on Earth to become the perfect being. After opening a portal between Hell and Earth, the two doctors telepathically brainwash the original Android 17 into joining their cause. Before going to meet his counterpart, Android 17 approaches Android 18 with a proposition of joining him, and failing to do that kills 18's husband, Kuririn. Leaving Android 18 to mourn her loss, 17 goes on his way and merges with his counterpart to become Super 17 (超１７号, Sūpaa Jūnana-gō^?, aka. Super #17).

The newly formed Super 17 battles many of the Z fighters, defeating all with relative ease. After having his program changed by Dr. Myu, Super 17 again kills Dr. Gero. Soon afterwards he engages Goku in combat, and is able to absorb all of Goku's energy-based attacks due to his upgraded abilities. Realizing that his attacks are ineffective, Goku transforms into Super Saiyan 4 to properly combat Super 17, even attempting a self-destruct technique to defeat him when simply transforming proves ineffective. Super 17, however, is able to stop the attack by creating a shield, saving himself and Goku from destruction and leaving Goku exhausted.

As he is about to finish Goku, Android 18 arrives to remind 17 of his free will, spurring him into killing Dr. Myu. Wanting to reform himself further, Super 17 challenges Android 18 to a fight and allows her to fire wave after wave of energy blasts at him, each of which he absorbs. In doing so, Super 17 is left defenseless, his time being preoccupied with absorbing attacks. Acting upon this advantage, Goku approaches 17 and does a Great Dragon Fist through his chest, killing him. After the battle, Android 18 comments that the 17 she knew allowed himself to be killed, forcing the Super 17 entity to continually absorb attacks and expose its weakpoint.

It is possible that the wish Goku gave at the end brought back the real Android 17.