Dragon Ballis no stranger to iconic villains. From its masterful, highly influential Demon King Piccolo arc, to the very final Spirit Bomb launched against Kid Buu, the series' big bad bosses havehelped to elevateDragon Ball’s energetic, high-stakes, and stylish combat. One of those villains, who only recently returned in a new monstrous form in 2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, is Cell.
The ultimate, terrifying life form, Cell is the master creation of Dr. Gero, who used the genetics of Earth’s greatest fighters and supercomputer technology to build his first fully organic android. Cell has long been a fan-favorite antagonist, fondly remembered for awakening Gohan’s true power before being decimated by one of the franchise’sgreatest ever Kamehamehas. However, despite being adored by fans ofDragon Ball, those who brought the series to life in an anime formatdon’t share the same feelings towards Cell.
Dragon Ball’s Animators Weren’t Fans of Cell
The Iconic Villain Caused Big Problems For Animators
When Frieza was announced to return in 2015’sDragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’, and later again duringDragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power, many fans were left wondering why he was chosen to return over a villain like Cell. Though it isn’t confirmed, there’s a good chance the decision had to do withjust how difficult it was to draw him, and animators weren’t the only ones to feel that way.In an interviewwith creator Akira Toriyama andanimator Katsuyoshi Nakatsuru, both bonded over how difficult a time they had drawing the villain.
When asked about his villains, Toriyama said, “Ah, Cell was pretty tough, I guess. He sort of came out without me first settling on something in my head;I personally think giving him spots was a mistake.” Nakatsuru then added just how difficult he was to animate, claiming, “Probably, apart from the key framers, we on the staff received him poorly.” The animator recalled how much of a nightmare his spots were to manage, especially when it came time to add shading.
Cell Is Still Difficult to Animate Decades Later
The Villain’s 2022 Return Was Not Any Easier for Animators
In an interview conducted byX user vondbz, and translated byX user Venixys, animator Chikashi Kubota answered questions and discussed his work onDragon Ball Super: Super HeroandDragon Ball Daima. He began to discuss certain difficulties that come with animating the series, which naturally led to Cell. During the opening hand-drawn portion of the film, the villain appears briefly alongside several ofDragon Ball’s other main antagonists, andKubota revealed that he only drew rough versions of the character.
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He then passed the work off to Naohiro Shintani, who drew character designs and contributed greatly to the production ofDragon Ball Super: Broly,and told him only to fill in his spots. According to Kubota, the highly regarded animator got fed up, and claimed he didn’t want to do it anymore. This opening sequence only takes up a fraction of the film’s overall runtime, and, likely strategically, the rest ofSuper Herowas produced in CGI, taking much of the burden of drawing Cell off of the animators.
Would Cell Ever Return to Dragon Ball?
Cell’s Super Hero Return Wasn’t Exactly the Villain in All His Glory
Though Cell returned inDragon Ball Super: Super Hero,he wasn’t exactly his previous self. Brutal and with quite an attitude, Cell’s personality was arguably just as entertaining as his fighting ability, but his newest form was a monstrous kaiju-style beast who did little more than roar. Fans of the seriesstill hope to see Cell return in all his glory, but whether it happens depends on just how willing the artists in charge of the series are to draw him. His original creator, alongside legendary animators, did not enjoy drawing the villain.
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That doesn’t mean he won’t return, however. Cell can appear once more with a new, updated look that relieves some of the burden of his original perfect design. An anime return can also make use of CGI once more, to keep his iconic, troublesome spots intact while making the process of moving them a bit easier. Cell has long been one ofDragon Ball’s most popular villains,just not among those who brought the series to life. Unfortunately, that may just prevent a full return in the future.
Sources:vondbzInterview (translation by Venixys), TV Anime Guide: Dragon Ball Z (translation by Kanzenshuu)
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
