Whose DNA does Cell have in Dragon Ball Z? His origins, explained

Modified Jan 10, 2025 12:30 GMT

Dragon Ball Z and whose DNA does Cell have (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Z presents the question "Whose DNA does Cell have?" from the moment that he is introduced in the story. The character was Dr. Gero's biggest creation and he came back from a different timeline to absorb Androids 17 and 18 to reach his perfect form, which allowed him to become the universe's strongest threat until that point in the franchise.

Cell has been confirmed to have the DNA of Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold, with the Funimation dub of Dragon Ball Z, which took some liberties, adding the characters of Nappa, Krillin, and Gohan. This amalgamation of genetics made Cell a powerhouse in his own right as he also had access to some of their abilities, such as Piccolo's regeneration or Frieza's capacity to breathe in space.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author.

Cell's origins in Dragon Ball Z

The character drawn by author Akira Toriyama (Image via Shueisha).

After Goku defeated the Red Ribbon Army as a child, Dr. Gero, one of their members, sought revenge by creating androids to defeat him. He developed Androids 17 and 18, who later destroyed Future Trunks' timeline. Gero also created a bio-android named Cell, a small larva in the present.

Cell was made using the DNA of Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, King Cold, and Piccolo, collected during their battles. Over time, Cell grew and traveled back to the present by killing Future Trunks from another timeline, where Androids 17 and 18 had been destroyed.

The character is seen having some of the abilities of these fighters, such as Goku's Kamehameha, Piccolo's regeneration, and being able to breathe in space like Frieza while also having some of their personality traits. There is also the fact that the Funimation English dub of Dragon Ball Z added Nappa, Krillin, and Gohan as part of his DNA, but the aforementioned dub is known for taking creative liberties with the series.

Why Cell doesn't have post-Namek DNA, explained

The character as seen in the anime (Image via Toei Animation).

Another reason why people who watched Dragon Ball Z ask the question "Whose DNA does Cell have?" is because the character doesn't seem to feature anyone from the events of the Namek saga onward. That is because he left the Cell project to his supercomputer and it was that machine that collected the cells of King Cold and Frieza for the creation of this individual.

This is shown when Gero himself and Android 19 face off against Goku in the main Dragon Ball Z timeline and the latter transforms into a Super Saiyan, with the doctor having no knowledge of that form. It would take decades for Cell's larva form to grow into his original imperfect form, hence why Future Trunks destroyed Gero's lab in the present so that version of the villain didn't grow any further.

Final thoughts

It is understandable that people who have watched the Dragon Ball Z story ask the question "Whose DNA does Cell have?" when considering the multiple timelines involved in this arc. In that regard, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Frieza, and King Cold make up his genetic DNA, which explains some aspects of his characterization.

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Edited by Divya Singh