Android 17’s role in Dragon Ball Super‘s Tournament of Power proved to be one of the series’ highlights. After serving as a major antagonist in Dragon Ball Z’s “Android” arc, Android 17 wound up unceremoniously absorbed by Cell and quietly forgotten, not even being shown after his resurrection following Cell’s defeat. This was in stark contrast to his sister, Android 18, who joined the series’ main cast and married Krillin.
Android 17 seemed to be one of many supporting characters from Dragon Ball‘s past who would never appear again. As such, when the “Universe Survival” arc was announced and he appeared in the arc’s key art alongside other major fighters from Universe 7, excitement for the android’s impending return skyrocketed.
Android 17 is One of Dragon Ball Super‘s Highlights
Android 17’s role in the Tournament of Power was an example of Dragon Ball engaging with its past in a meaningful way, providing depth to a previously one-dimensional character and giving them a new arc to work through. While more benevolent than before, Android 17 still cares little for anything outside his family and the animals he protects in his job as a park ranger. He even tells Goku that if he wins the Tournament of Power, he’ll use the prize — a wish on the Super Dragon Balls — to get a luxury cruise liner for him and his family.
However, when he emerges triumphant in the Tournament of Power, 17 actually wishes to revive the other universes that were destroyed in the tournament. When asked why he changed his mind, he admits that Goku’s compassion rubbed off on him, completing a decades-long arc that started in Z. The character began as a ruthless cyborg programmed to kill Goku but ultimately fought alongside the man he was programmed to kill to save the entire multiverse, serving as a touching denouement for a character once thought forgotten by the franchise.
Android 17’s Final Z Appearance Laid the Groundwork for Super
It’s important to note, however, that Android 17’s redemption started long before Super. Many of the ideas that the “Universe Survival” arc would flesh out were established in the climax of the “Majin Buu” arc, during which Android 17 makes a cameo. When Vegeta urges Goku to use the Spirit Bomb to put Kid Buu down for good, Goku telepathically communicates with the people of Earth in order to ask them to donate their energy. In the following montage, many characters from the series’ past make cameos giving their energy to Goku, such as Android 8, Suno, Upa, Bora and Android 17.
Android 17, now a park ranger, willingly donates his energy and smiles warmly when he recognizes Goku’s voice, which is a far cry from the Android 17 last seen in the series — an amoral antagonist out for Goku’s blood. Manga author 706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama could have put a plethora of other characters from the series’ past in the montage, so it’s noteworthy how he used the opportunity to show how Android 17 has grown in the years since his last appearance.
It’s unlikely that Toriyama had 17’s role in Super in mind 20 years in advance when he depicted him during the montage, but it’s still a crucial stepping stone in 17’s growth. Had Toriyama not included the cameo, it’s unlikely that 17 would have appeared in Super in the exact form that he did — and had he displayed a similar level of development, it would have run the risk of seeming disingenuous. Instead, Z establishing 17’s new status quo allowed Super to organically continue his character arc without wasting time having to justify how he had changed in the years since the “Cell” arc.
At the time, Android 17’s final appearance in Dragon Ball Z wrapped a bow on a character who previously wasn’t afforded a real conclusion in his debut arc. In hindsight, it’s an essential stepping stone in a character journey that would continue over two decades years later. Super picking up small character tidbits from its predecessors and fleshing them out is one of its core strengths, and Android 17’s development might be the highlight of that approach.