Chapter Summaries

Piccolo drew out Cell’s origins and plans during their fight, learning that Cell intended to absorb Android 17 and Android 18 to reach Perfect Form. Android 17 and Android 18 headed toward Cell to kill him before he could grow stronger, while Android 16 followed.

• Android 16 warned Android 17 and Android 18 that Cell was absorbing humans and that Bulma had a way to save them.
• Android 17 and Android 18 ignored Android 16’s warning to hide and flew toward the eastern battle to confront Cell.
• Cell fought Piccolo, whose skill kept him competitive despite being surprised by Cell’s copied techniques.
• Piccolo sacrificed an arm and pretended to lose so Cell would reveal his identity and explain his origins.
• Cell told Piccolo that he planned to absorb Android 17 and Android 18 to attain Perfect Form and become the strongest.
• Piccolo revealed that he had tricked Cell to uncover the answers he wanted.

Piccolo revealed that he had fused with Kami and joined Krillin and the others in confronting Cell, but Cell escaped with Solar Flare after sensing Vegeta's increased power. Cell then found Android 17, Android 18, and Android 16, attacked the two androids, and proved strong enough to injure Android 18 while remaining unharmed.

• Piccolo regenerated his arm, revealed that he had fused with Kami, and explained that Cell was a monster created by Dr. Gero.
• Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and the others prepared to fight Cell, but Cell used Solar Flare to blind them and fled after sensing Vegeta's power.
• Vegeta arrived, and Piccolo told him and the others what he knew about Cell.
• Cell encountered Android 17, Android 18, and Android 16, then announced that he intended to absorb the two androids to achieve Perfect Form.
• Android 17 and Android 18 attacked Cell, but he knocked Android 17 down and injured Android 18's leg while remaining unharmed.

Android 16 fought Cell to protect Android 17 and Android 18, but Cell regenerated from his injuries and absorbed Android 17, evolving into a stronger form. The chapter ended with Android 16 attacking Cell while urging Android 18 to escape.

• Android 17's attack failed to harm Cell, and Android 16 blocked Cell from reaching Android 18.
• Android 16 tore off Cell's tail, but Cell regenerated it and began fighting Android 16.
• Android 16 knocked Cell into a crater and struck him with his Flash Cannon, but Cell survived.
• Android 17 stayed behind to fight Cell, but Cell's tail swallowed and absorbed him.
• Cell transformed into a larger, faster form, and Android 16 tried to help Android 18 escape.
• Android 16 turned to attack Cell and shouted for Android 18 to run.

Cell attacked Android 16 and tried to trick Android 18 into being absorbed, but Vegeta arrived with the other fighters and challenged him alone. Vegeta overwhelmed Cell in their opening exchange and slammed him into the ground.

• Cell blasted away half of Android 16's head and tried to persuade Android 18 to let herself be absorbed by imitating Android 17's voice.
• Android 18 recognized Cell's deception and prepared to detonate the bomb inside her, but Vegeta, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and Yamcha arrived.
• Vegeta told Cell he would fight him alone while the others watched, and Android 16 warned Android 18 that Vegeta's energy had greatly increased.
• Vegeta powered up, charged Cell, and battered him with punches until Cell was forced to stand and catch his breath.
• Cell swung a fist at Vegeta, who caught it and threw Cell hard into the ground.

Son Goku showed Bulla the Super Saiyan transformations and took her out of the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where they sensed Cell’s surging power. The chapter left Vegeta facing a suddenly strengthened Cell after Cell began powering up.

• Vegeta beat Cell senseless and challenged him to attack, while Android 16 and Android 18 watched in shock.
• Son Goku explained that anger could trigger Bulla’s Super Saiyan transformation and showed her the ordinary Super Saiyan form and Super Saiyan 2.
• Son Goku and Bulla left the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after sensing Cell’s powerful energy, and Son Goku suspected Cell had absorbed one of the Androids.
• Cell roared and greatly increased his power as Piccolo, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, and the others watched, while Piccolo refused to let anyone interfere in Vegeta’s fight.

Vegeta overwhelmed Cell but let him absorb Android 18 and become Perfect Form so they could fight again. When Android 18 tried to escape, Android 16 intervened and Cell split him in two.

• Cell struck Vegeta, but Vegeta emerged unharmed and revealed himself as Super Vegeta.
• Vegeta beat Cell until he could no longer fight, then learned Cell believed Perfect Form would make him strong enough to win.
• Vegeta agreed to let Cell absorb Android 18 and waited for him to become Perfect Form.
• Android 16 and Android 18 tried to flee, but Cell intercepted Android 18.
• Android 16 attacked Cell to protect Android 18, and Cell punched through him and split his body in two.

Son Goku and Bulla arrived in time to stop Cell from absorbing Android 18, and Goku saved her with a Senzu Bean. Cell attacked Goku but was easily knocked down, while Vegeta still demanded that Goku let Cell absorb Android 18 so he could fight Cell’s Perfect Form.

• Cell wounded Android 18 and stopped her from detonating herself, then tried to absorb her.
• Son Goku and Bulla appeared, knocked Cell away, and Goku caught the unconscious Android 18.
• Goku revived Android 18 by chewing a Senzu Bean and feeding it to her, while Bulla reacted to the battle and discovered Android 16 was a robot.
• Cell charged at Goku, but Goku countered with a kick and sent him crashing into the ground.
• Cell asked Vegeta to help hold Goku off, and Vegeta ordered Goku to let Cell absorb Android 18.
• Android 18 hid behind Goku and urged him not to listen to Vegeta, while Goku challenged Vegeta’s judgment.

Goku stopped Vegeta from blocking Android 18’s escape and promised Cell he would help him reach his Perfect Form using Dr. Gero’s laboratory data and Bulma’s skills. As Goku left with Android 18 and Bulla, Android 18 asked why he had saved her, but Bulla claimed he liked her.

• Piccolo warned Goku that Cell could not be allowed to absorb the Androids, while Vegeta insisted he wanted to test his strength against Perfect Cell.
• Goku sent Android 18 and Bulla away, but Vegeta blocked their path with an energy blast until Goku attacked him and sent him crashing into a mountainside.
• Goku told Cell he would protect Android 18 and use Dr. Gero’s files and Bulma’s expertise to make Cell complete by the next day, warning him not to kill or absorb anyone.
• Goku left with Android 18 and Bulla, carrying Android 16’s broken body, and Android 18 asked why he had saved her.
• Bulla teased Goku by saying he liked Android 18, then flew ahead with Android 16 while they joked about Goku’s affection for Chi-Chi.

Android 18 kissed Son Goku after teasing him into admitting his attraction, while Krillin promised to reveal the truth behind the mass disappearances at a press conference. At Capsule Corporation, Bulma completed work on clean-energy reactors, then left Android 16’s repairs to Brief and went to sleep.

• Android 18 moved closer to Son Goku, teased him about his feelings, and kissed him.
• Krillin returned home to reporters asking about the tens of thousands of people who had vanished and promised Snow he would explain the truth at a press conference.
• Bulma and Brief discussed the Infinite Energy Reactors and their potential to replace polluting power plants.
• Son Bulla brought the damaged Android 16 to Bulma and said Son Goku would be late because he was distracted by a pretty face.
• Brief offered to repair Android 16, and Bulma went to sleep while Son Bulla turned on the TV.

Son Goku brought Android 18 to the lab to ask about the devices for dealing with Cell, where Dr. Brief finished Bulma’s Emergency Stop Device and mistook Android 18 for Launch. After reassuring Android 18 that Bulma could turn her human again, Goku saw the news reports about the missing people and urged Bulla to focus on stopping Cell, but she asked why he didn’t kill him himself.

• Son Goku and Android 18 found Dr. Brief welding Android 16 while Bulma slept, and Dr. Brief mistook Android 18 for Launch before jokingly asking Goku to find him a beautiful woman.
• Dr. Brief noticed Goku’s love bites, teased him and Android 18, and said Bulma had made the Emergency Stop Device and used it to put two pigs to sleep.
• Android 18 grew worried when she saw the Emergency Stop Device, and Son Goku promised Bulma could help turn her into a normal human.
• Son Goku brought Android 18 water and gave Bulla grape juice while she complained that news reports about missing people had replaced her cartoons.
• Son Goku explained that the world was in crisis and that martial artists had to defeat Cell, but Bulla asked why he didn’t simply kill him.

Son Goku explained to Bulla why he wanted Cell to reach Perfect Form and encouraged her to train, while Android 18 realized she had fallen in love with him and feared losing him. Son Goku considered sending Android 18 away rather than hiding their relationship from Bulma, but Android 18 insisted she would ask Bulma to let her stay.

• Son Goku told Bulla that Perfect Cell could motivate Vegeta to grow stronger and keep Son Goku from becoming complacent.
• Bulla agreed to watch Cell fight and learn about the world's problems before training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber.
• Android 18 remembered meeting Son Goku as a child and realized her admiration had become love.
• Android 18 worried that Bulma would reject her and suggested moving back to the island.
• Son Goku said he would not make Android 18 his secret lover and considered giving her money to leave after Bulma removed her bomb.
• Android 18 grabbed Son Goku's hand and said she would ask Bulma to let her stay, explaining her childhood crush and how he had saved her life.

Son Goku told Bulma that he liked Android 18, and Bulma agreed that he could marry her. The next day, Goku helped Cell become Perfect Cell using a pig with an Infinite Energy Reactor, then Cell began fighting Vegeta to test his new power.

• Son Goku told Bulma about his feelings for Android 18, and Bulma encouraged him to marry her.
• Son Goku brought Android 18, Bra, a caged pig, and the others to the wilderness to help Cell become Perfect Cell.
• Cell swallowed the pig, which had an Infinite Energy Reactor, and transformed into Perfect Cell.
• Vegeta challenged Perfect Cell, and the two began fighting as the others moved away.
• Vegeta attacked with a rapid barrage that forced Cell back to a cliff before Cell counterattacked and Vegeta dodged.

Vegeta used Final Flash to blast away half of Cell’s body, but Cell regenerated and revealed that his Perfect Form was far stronger. Cell then overwhelmed Vegeta, leaving the watching fighters shocked.

• Cell revealed that his Perfect Form surpassed Vegeta and struck him with a powerful kick.
• Vegeta provoked Cell into bracing for his Final Flash, then fired the blast and destroyed the lower half of Cell’s body.
• Cell regenerated using Piccolo’s cells and taunted Vegeta before renewing his attack.
• Vegeta rushed Cell with punches and energy blasts, but Cell remained unharmed and counterattacked.
• Cell beat Vegeta senseless while the spectators, including Android 18, watched in shock.

Cell defeated Vegeta, but Goku intervened before Cell could kill him and prepared to fight. Goku promised Bra that she would train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and eventually defeat Cell, then transformed into a Super Saiyan and began battling him.

• Cell brutally beat Vegeta until his transformation faded and he passed out, then moved to kill him.
• Goku stopped Cell from killing Vegeta and let Krillin revive him with a Senzu Bean.
• Goku promised Bra that she could defeat Cell after training with him in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and she agreed.
• Goku transformed into a Super Saiyan, surprising Cell with his power, while the revived Vegeta watched.
• Goku and Cell took fighting stances, and Goku launched the first attack.

Son Goku fought Cell while holding back, then used Muscle Form to overpower Cell in a Kamehameha clash and destroy him. Vegeta realized Goku had transformed only for the energy-wave struggle.

• Son Goku fought Cell with careful technique, and Bulla realized her father seemed to be saving Cell's defeat for her.
• Son Goku raised his power to the peak of Super Saiyan 1, and Cell unleashed his own formidable aura before they resumed their clash.
• Cell prepared a Kamehameha that threatened Earth, while Son Goku stood his ground and charged a Kamehameha of his own.
• Son Goku transformed into Muscle Form during the energy clash and overwhelmed Cell's attack, destroying Cell with his Kamehameha.
• Vegeta realized Son Goku had used Muscle Form only for the energy-wave clash.

Son Goku asked Cell to wait a few days so he and the others could grow stronger, after Cell regenerated from the attack that seemed to kill him. Cell realized Vegeta and Goku could rapidly increase their strength, and the chapter ended with Goku confirming that was his plan.

• Vegeta regained his fighting spirit after seeing Son Goku's strength and resolved to surpass him through more training.
• Krillin sensed Cell's energy, and Cell regenerated from his severed lower body using Piccolo's abilities.
• Son Goku explained Cell's regeneration through Frieza's cells and considered, then rejected, the idea of using Dr. Gero's technology to create more powerful fighters.
• Cell praised Son Goku's strength-enhancing technique and challenged him to continue fighting, but Son Goku asked Cell to wait a few days instead.
• Cell admitted he wanted to test his Perfect Form against stronger opponents and asked Vegeta how he had grown so powerful so quickly.
• Cell realized Son Goku wanted time to increase his strength, and Son Goku confirmed it.

Cell agreed to hold a tournament in ten days and threatened to destroy Earth if he won, while Son Goku and the others prepared to train and face him. Krillin then announced the coming battle to the public and warned armed forces not to interfere.

• Cell set a ten-day deadline for a Tournament of Power and wagered that he would destroy Earth if his opponents lost.
• Son Goku accepted Cell's terms, and Cell flew away to prepare for the tournament.
• Vegeta headed to Kami's Lookout to train, while Son Goku agreed to take Son Bulla to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber after they rested and ate.
• Krillin offered to build the tournament arena, and Son Goku promised to restore the Dragon Balls and revive the dead after Cell was defeated.
• Krillin addressed the public on television, explained that Cell had devoured tens of thousands of people, announced the battle in ten days, and urged armed forces not to act on their own.

Son Goku took Android 18 and Bra shopping, where Android 18 chose stylish business outfits. At Capsule Corporation, Bulma proposed starting a power company using her Infinite Energy Reactor, and Chi-Chi and Launch agreed to take part.

• Son Goku bought Bra training clothes and paid for Android 18’s new business outfits after admiring how she looked in them.
• Chi-Chi, Bulma, and Launch watched Krillin’s televised speech and discussed his growing fame and the credit he received for Goku’s work.
• Bulma proposed founding the West City Power Grid to sell electricity generated by her Infinite Energy Reactor, and Chi-Chi and Launch agreed to join.
• Son Goku, Android 18, and Bra returned to Capsule Corporation, where Chi-Chi, Launch, and Bulma praised Android 18’s outfit.

Bulma organized an electricity company with Android 18 as sales director and planned to give Goku a portable power source for the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. After a year of training, Bulla became a Super Saiyan but hit a barrier before Super Saiyan 2, so Goku took her home to relax with the family as the threat of Cell loomed.

• Bulma made Android 18 the sales director of the new electricity company, and Android 18 accepted, hoping to recruit Android 17 as her errand runner.
• Goku asked Bulma for electricity in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, and Bulma offered to build a generator powered by the Infinite Energy Reactor.
• Vegeta emerged from the chamber after a year of training, still weaker than Perfect Cell and stuck at a bottleneck; Goku and Bulla then entered to train.
• Goku trained Bulla while honing his own instinctive defense, and Bulla achieved Super Saiyan after a year but could not reach Super Saiyan 2.
• Goku took Bulla out of the chamber, and they spent several days relaxing with their family while the world feared Cell's impending threat.

Vegeta challenged Cell first and fought as a Super Saiyan, but Cell provoked him into wasting energy with reckless attacks. Son Goku predicted Vegeta would lose and told Bra to get ready, leaving the outcome of the fight unresolved.

• Vegeta entered the ring, transformed into a Super Saiyan, and began fighting Cell while Krillin rescued reporters caught in his powerful aura.
• Cell mocked Vegeta for being weaker than Goku, and Vegeta grew angrier as he attacked and briefly managed to knock Cell back.
• Cell countered Vegeta's attacks, then taunted him into unleashing a reckless flurry of punches.
• Son Goku judged that Vegeta's anger and wasted stamina would lead to defeat, and told Bra to prepare.
• Bra objected that Vegeta seemed to be winning, while Son Goku began explaining that Vegeta had realized he was falling behind.