THE IMPORTANCE OF CELL SAGA

Dragon Ball Z as we know is an anime that is divided by many Sagas and seasons. This divisions help the anime to grow and prosper in a manner that is quite unique and different from the other anime making it one-of-a-kind method to divide the focus of the anime into sectors and showing us the story of all those different villains and heroes separately in a more detailed and refined manner. This system helps the anime to give importance to all the sects and characters in the anime, making them more useful and worthy as an individual and a moment of time in the anime.

As Dragon Ball fans may know about it by now, the Cell Saga in Dragon Ball Z is actually divided into three parts, named Imperfect Cell Saga, Perfect Cell Saga and Cell Games Saga. Each of them individually represents the growth of Cell at a particular level and depict to us just how he too has evolved and grown from his past like our protagonists. These Cell Saga hold a special importance in Dragon Ball Z as they help us to recognize the true strength of our protagonists and also show us a moment in Hyperbolic Time Chamber where we see the real growth of our characters as an individual fighter. This Saga may be compared by many in accordance to the Frieza Saga but to remind all of them reading this article, the Cell Saga is the actual when it comes to showing us perfection because through this saga we not only do we get to see some of the top class villains in Dragon Ball universe but also, encounter one of the greatest moments in Dragon Ball Z when Gohan, at only 10 years old, unleashed a new form of Super Saiyan and completely owned Cell in one blast, striking the final blow with a father-son Kamehameha.

IMPERFECT CELL SAGA

As the name suggests, this first part of the trio present us Cell in his imperfect form and mainly shows his attempts to absorb Android 17 and Android 18, while the Dragon Team’s attempts to stop him from causing all the chaos and wreaking havoc.

While the anime continues to show us of these events there is nothing really that much of importance in this first part rather than the time when Cell finally reveals himself as a hideous humanoid creature with insect qualities. After his appearance on screen, he goes on to talk about all the misdeeds that he has done with the folks of Gingertown and about the things that he would do in future to get hold of power and absolute authority.

During this time, we also get a hold of another saga that seems to be fused with the Cell Saga, i.e., the Android Saga, and this is something which raises the bar ten folds when it comes down to ‘The Villain Problem’ in Dragon Ball Z as we now learn that our protagonists not only have to fight with the Cells but also the Androids at the same time. During this time, we also have an epic moment when Piccolo faces off against Android 17 after Goku, Vegeta and their sons proceed to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. More than a fight, this just seems more like a time stalling event on side of the Z Fighters as even during Piccolo’s fight with Android 17 he does not use the new Super Namek power he received from his fusion with Kami and only takes a stop when he notices the new Imperfect Cell power at the top of the mountain after he has finished absorbing many thousands of people.

PERFECT CELL SAGA

This part of the saga deals with the Semi-Perfect Cell and tells us about the story that takes place after the Imperfect Cell Saga. “It also features the ascension of the four Saiyans (Goku, Vegeta, Gohan and Future Trunks) while they try to come up with ways to defeat the growing android threat. It occurs between the Imperfect Cell Saga and the Cell Games Saga.” This is a line that is said my many in terms to the Perfect Cell Sage but unlike the stories that we have heard there is actually a higher meaning to the inclusion of this part in the trio.

Akira Toriyama’s editor was happy to see a more interesting villain take the role of antagonist in the Androids saga, he wasn’t a fan of the original design. It is because of this that we see the change of Cell throughout the Cell Saga and when Semi-Perfect Cell actually resulted in becoming a personal favourite character after Toriyama’s idea to transform and evolve the character.

During the Perfect Cell Saga, there are three phases in it that really count as important. These are the phases which bring out the true character of Cell and tell us about who he really is.

First, is the time when Tein Shinhan holds off Cell with his Neo Tri-Beam and Cell in frustration of again having Android 16 escape from his clutches yet again goes on to decide to remove Tein Shinhan from his path forever. It is during Cell’s final blow to Tein, that Goku suddenly appears and using Instant Transmission and changes the flow.

Second, as you may have guessed is the moment when the Saiyans finally emerge from hiding/training and get a piece on the fight. During this moment we learn that Future Trunks and Vegeta have successfully completed their training inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and that their power has grown immensely as Vegeta at that moment is even stronger than Goku as both of their powers have increased exponentially, and they have reached a whole new level of strength.

Lastly, the transformation of Semi-Perfect Cell to Perfect Cell after he absorbed Android 18 makes all the difference in the anime as in the current situation, we have Vegeta as the strongest Saiyan present there and even in Cell’s Semi-Perfect form he could just barely fight him off but, now that he has terraformed himself to an even greater height, this fight now seems one sided and lost on part of the Z Fighters.

CELL GAMES SAGA

This part is the last from the trio and it talks about all the important events that take place during the time Goku and Gohan had gone off to train in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. As this part begins, we see Goku and Gohan emerging from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and get to see the new and fresh look of Gohan as he is taller and more muscular than before. This new look of his not only shocks us but also his own family members and friends like Piccolo and Chi-Chi.

One of the most noticeable moment during this whole part is the time when we see Gohan and Perfect Cell fight in a one-on-one battle at the Cell Games. During this moment we get to see a real miracle as Gohan transforms into a Super Saiyan 2 after witnessing Android 16’s death by the hands of Perfect Cell where he destroyed all of Android 16’s body expect his head, which rolled over the battlefield.

The Super Saiyan 2 form of Gohan is possibly the best we have seen so far in the anime as it even brought fear to Cell’s face after Gohan mercilessly began destroying Cell’s 7 smaller blue version of himself (called The Cell Junior) in a single punch.

The aftereffects of this match then brought to us the demise of rather the fall of Cell for once and for all, as after a long battle with Cell, Gohan finally manages to take the upper hand in battle and change the game completely, thus, bringing the Cell Saga to an end.

Regarding the importance of the Cell Saga in the anime, it serves as the most important season sequence in the anime as it shows us the growth and the development of our characters as a whole and as an individual. They show us the lengths that our heroes are planning to travel to save the world and also speak to us about the battles that they have fought over time. It introduces us the villainous side of the society and gives us many new characters and their developments to look forward to in the anime after the Cell Saga. This season helps to shed light on the Androids as a whole and give meaning to their existence about them being more humane in nature than what they were portrayed for and how their life was a plaything too that Dr. Gero decided to mess around with. Overall, this is a saga in the anime which represents the growth of our characters by bringing us a villain who our protagonists haven’t dared to imagine in their wildest dreams.