Waifu Wednesday: Android 18 (Dragon Ball)
Dragon Ball isn’t usually kind to its female characters. Most either become uninterested in saving the world once they get knocked up, like Videl, or they are completely forgotten about by Toriyama, like Launch. Only Android 18 manages to give the male fighters a run for their money after having a kid, remaining on a level with most of the characters in the show all the way through to the end of Super.
In recognition of this accomplishment, it is only right that we give Android 18 the respect she deserves, and Waifu Wednesday seems like the perfect place to do so.
Who is Android 18?
Like most of the best characters in Dragon Ball, Android 18 starts as a villain. Like her twin brother, she was kidnapped by Dr. Gero and turned into a cybernetic organism against her will. She gained the same kind of superhuman strength and speed that other Dragon Ball characters got, but lost her freedom in the process. Put to sleep by her creator for repeatedly trying to escape and/or kill him, she awakened just in time to beat the Super Saiyan out of Vegeta and scare the other heroes into letting her and her brother go in peace.
Despite being programmed by Gero to be the perfect Goku-killing machine, Android 18 showed far less interest in tracking down Earth’s champion than her companions. In fact, she only even fights Vegeta because the little guy insists on testing his new strength against her. She spent more time hunting for new clothes than trying to exact revenge against the hero. Android 18 has all the power in the world but refuses to be someone else’s weapon. She’s her own woman from the moment she’s introduced.
Why we love her
Of all the female characters in Dragon Ball, only Bulma and Android 18 have continued to have plot relevance after having a family. 18 manages to snag one of the best characters in the show for her husband and have what ends up being the most loving, healthy relationship in Dragon Ball. Android 18 is one of the most powerful characters in a world where that is the only thing that matters, yet she is happiest living a much more mundane life than others.
That isn’t to say that she doesn’t continue to pack a punch. Unlike Chi Chi or Videl, who are driven into obscurity when they have children, Android 18 remains a force to be reckoned with and one of the strongest fighters that Earth has to offer. As a lover of dangerous anime women, I can tell you that few find that balance better than Android 18.
Why you’ll love her
Balance is the key to Android 18’s character. Even when she is first introduced and is set up to be one of the major villains of the arc, it is clear that there is more to her than mindless destruction. She decimates the most powerful fighters on the planet and then goes on a shopping trip. Sure, she’s got programming telling her to kill Goku, but that isn’t going to stop her from going on a road trip with her brother. She spent a lot of time on ice thanks to Dr. Gero, so she’s got some living to catch up on.
Even when Android 18 is thrown into the role of damsel in distress, it never feels like she is helpless. Rather, she has been pushed into a corner and is trying to fight her way back out. That’s the Android 18 that Krillin falls in love with, and that’s the one that has stuck with fans in the years since her introduction.
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