Thanks to Voyager and NantenJex for helping with edits.
As a whole, licensed video games have a negative stigma. Some transparently exist to cash in on the affection people have for their brands, whereas others are well-meaning but ultimately unremarkable, bland works. However, there are licensed games genuinely worthy of one’s time and we’re going to discuss one today.
Android 21, seen in Dragon Ball FighterZ (Image: Shueisha/Toei)
It’s rare for my grizzled, bitter heart to be able to muster excitement these days, but last year’s Dragon Ball FighterZ successfully invoked that sensation. Source Gaming alumnus Nirbion spoke highly of FighterZ after he demoed it at 2017’s Gamescom, inspiring confidence in its quality. I recently finished the game, thwarting the machinations of its mysterious new enemy…
Android 21’s History
Dragon Ball brainchild Akira Toriyama joined Bandai Namco and Arc System Works to assist in Android 21’s construction. Our first look at her occurred in an issue of V-Jump, where she was billed as a researcher whose grey matter rivals (and possibly exceeds) that of Dr. Gero’s, the Red Ribbon Army’s scientist and one of Goku’s deceased enemies. It was also made clear she had connections to the Androids (particularly 16) and would play a major part in FighterZ’s plot. Game director Tomoko Hiroki, speaking with Kotaku, elaborated on her creation, explaining how Bandai Namco wrote the game’s story and molded 21’s personality (frequently checking with Toei and Shueisha while doing so), and Toriyama designed her using that information. Hiroki also admitted he hopes 21’s popularity grows enough for her to migrate over to Toei’s Dragon Ball Super anime. Houko Kuwashima voiced the humanoid in Japanese while Jeannie Tirado assumed the role in English.
FighterZ’s story was split between three scenarios: the Super Warrior Arc, the Enemy Warrior Arc, and the Android 21 Arc. In the first campaign, 21 introduces herself as a former Red Ribbon Army researcher, but she soon drops the facade and outs herself as a psychotic gourmand who turns fallen warriors into food à la Majin Buu. She’s ceremoniously defeated in the climax of the first two arcs but takes center stage in the final one, debuting there as a sincere, kind-hearted woman desperately seeking to control her urges. 21 progressively grows more unhinged as the Androids’ mission grinds along, eventually splitting into two. One 21 retained a benevolent disposition while the other embraced her lust for sugar and resumed her villainous endeavors. They perish together in the finale, with the good 21 sacrificing herself to ensure she never devolves into a ravenous rogue. Once the dust settled, Goku pondered asking King Yemna, the lord of the underworld, for a favor: reincarnate 21 as a newborn child.
Once separated, the sinister 21 absorbed Cell, elevating her strength and visually differentiating her. (Image: Shueisha/Toei)
FighterZ periodically divulged tidbits of 21’s backstory. According to the good 21, she raised a child before Gero converted her into an android. Her son fought and died for the Red Ribbon Army, and lived on as the model for Android 16. 21 admits during another discussion that she’s an amnesiac and cannot remember her pre-Android life. On another occasion, 21 mentions Gero designed her to be a new type of android, one with more destructive potential than his previous apex, Cell. She’s “technically not even ten years old” but was built to have the intelligence and appearance of an adult woman, causing her to lament how she skipped adolescence. 21 also pondered her plans for the future, and she would’ve ultimately applied her “cellular technology to the medical field” had she survived.
Outside of FighterZ, Android 21 made token appearances in Super Dragon Ball Heroes and Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle. Her civilian attire is also available as a Japan-exclusive downloadable bonus in Xenoverse 2 for those who own both it and FighterZ.
So, what’re my thoughts on 21?
One element that strengthened Dragon Ball and Z is how they were presented as one continuous adventure; their sagas often – not always, but often – featured connective tissue with preceding arcs, answering unresolved issues or bringing back familiar characters. Z directly linked to, and explored the aftermath of, Goku’s earlier encounter with the Red Ribbon Army through its introduction of the Androids and Cell. I appreciate FighterZ for following that example and connecting Android 21 to them. It was also a wise decision when accounting for FighterZ’s own story, as the Red Ribbon Army’s technology and 21’s mannerisms attempt to justify its otherwise flimsy premise.
We need to bring back deceased villains? 21 wished them back to life so she could devour them. We need to equalize the cast’s power levels? She’s utilizing energy suppressing waves. (Image: Shueisha/Toei)
21’s borne out of Dragon Ball’s history, and FighterZ is honest about it; her human form wears a lab coat with the army’s logo emblazoned on it, and it’s outright stated she’s built using the DNA of series veterans, most notably Cell and Buu. In terms of her human facade, 21’s attire is nice, with its utilization of red and blue subtly visualizing her conflicting personalities. 21’s true look, an obvious ode to Buu, is more cohesive; she has pink skin and white hair and pants, which contrast her black garments, and the palette is complemented well with her gold jewelry. In terms of her skillset and development, nuggets of older faces can be seen in her: she instantly learns other fighters’ techniques like Goku and others have done; she inherited Cell’s and Buu’s regenerative abilities; she eats people for sustenance, marrying traits of Cell and Buu; an evil version of her splitting off also channels Buu; and a version of 21 joining the good guys follows Dragon Ball‘s tradition of reforming villains.
21’s tale is one of addiction, a weakness to sweets that arose out of her unstable genetics. Unfortunately, that decently novel concept is let down by the middling presence 21’s wicked half carried throughout FighterZ. The fleeting moments we caught of the criminal chowhound’s underhanded side were promising, but her dialogue afterwards was bland fare beneath the rapport prior villains built with Goku. Only Frieza, through his scheme to starve her, challenged her psyche, highlighting her mental deterioration when denied her fix. Moreover, 21’s feats of villainy – such as murdering 16 and the antagonists she revived – weren’t impressive compared to the genocidal acts achieved by earlier rogues, including her mechanical and pink forebears. 21’s moveset, however, was a treat; she became one of my favorites to play as, and her animations did imply the power she yielded. While most of her peers adapted battle-ready idle postures, 21 stood and walked casually, exuding confidence and authority. 21’s good personality was also enjoyable in the time we had her, offering a demeanor that contrasted the gung-ho nature of the experienced Dragon Ball heroes. She was the newcomer and outlier, and acted accordingly.
But a jarring disconnect arose between the good 21’s personality and fighting animations. Here, she’s desperately telling a Krillin clone she means him “no harm” while wearing an excited smirk. (Image: Shueisha/Toei)
We don’t know what the future holds for Android 21, but it’s possible she won’t have much of one. I think it’s unlikely the Dragon Ball Super anime and Toyotarō’s Super manga will incorporate the events of FighterZ into their continuities. Barring a reinvention akin to what Broly received earlier this year in his namesake film, 21’s appearances will be limited to supplemental media. And although the success FighterZ enjoyed inspires confidence it’ll score a sequel someday, there’s no guarantee 21 will return for it, either in her adult build or as a reborn infant. Nevertheless, 21 will always be a prominent part of FighterZ, a legitimately great game Dragon Ball fans and non-fans can and will enjoy for years.
Congratulations, Android 21! Thanks for a Dragon Ball rumble!
The third arc’s revelations about 21 would’ve been more effective had the first two explored or hinted at her mystery more, but I grew to like her enough nonetheless. (Image: Shueisha/Toei)
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