Nothing ever seemed more invincible to us as children other than Dr. Gero's creations. Dragon Ball's androids, more than just simple machines, said to have unlimited energy and eternal life, never failed to amaze us as much as they spooked us. Having influenced fan artists, cosplayers, and even fan-fiction writers, the androids of Dragon Ball will always be among fan favorites.

As much as they have puzzled and dazzled us with their gross powers and their complex backstories, the androids of Dragon Ball will remain among the most fascinating characters in all of the Dragon Ball saga. Their mysteriousness and appealing traits as intricate Dragon Ball characters give us fans a taste of who they are and what they want. For hardcore fans of the Dragon Ball series, the androids' complexities were enough to dive into Dragon Ball's manga, TV series, and wikis in order to best understand the reason behind their creation, purpose, and history.

But for the more casual fans, some might not know all that much about Android 8 to 18 (17's my favorite). Although the majority of them, being tossed aside with no better purpose other than being scrap metal, those of which we see throughout the series has compelled us to know more about them, their past and how they came to be. As TheGamer delves into the farthest reaches of the series; here are 25 things you didn't know about the androids from Dragon Ball.

25 Unusual Beginnings

via: dragonball.wikia.com

17 and 18 are considered failed cyborgs, infused with machine mutants by Dr. Gero. They were once average delinquent teenagers that Gero randomly found when looking for subjects to fulfill his vendetta against Goku. Having been perfect for the experiment, he stole them and made machines.

Android 18, in an almost one-sided battle with Vegeta, hurt his arm with only a kick.

More of their past was revealed in 2014 by Toriyama who mentioned 17 and 18's real names. They're called Lapis and Lazuli respectively, which represents the Lapis Lazuli, an extraordinary unusual stone that bears the color blue. It's stated that the bluish color of the stone symbolizes the aspect of God's mightiness, which could, in turn, represent 17 and 18's transformation into the god-like and invincible androids they become.

24 Forest Ranger 17

via: YouTube

After Gohan defeats the near-unstoppable Cell (another of Gero's creations), the main characters use the Dragon Balls to wish for the resurrection of everyone destroyed by Cell in his reign of power, including Android 17. Upon his revival, he turned down a life of aggression and became a ranger in wildlife preservation. After being absorbed by some reptilian-looking alien, I wouldn't blame him. He doesn't venture outside the park often and lives in a humble abode with his wife and three children.

He reappears later in the Buu Saga when Goku asks all Earthlings to lend him a hand in creating the Spirit Bomb to defeat Kid Buu. It is here Goku finds out Android 17 became a park ranger. Sympathetic to his cause, 17 thus gives him some of his energy to eventually destroy Kid Buu. Not such a bad guy after all.

23  The Android Family Tree

via: youtube.com

Although it's known that Krillin had a bit of a crush on Android 18 (ever since she kissed him on the cheek for luck) he eventually married her, so I guess the crush never extinguished. It's entirely possible 18 never dared to show emotion either; I guess that's a commonality among Androids, anyway. Android 18 became Krillin's wife and the mother of their daughter Marron.

Android 18 later was later wished to be fully human again by Krillin. 18 was deeply touched by his actions.

But does the family end there? Well, technically no... Android 17 thus becomes Krillin's brother-in-law and Marron's uncle and strangest of all, Dr. Gero, having created both cyborgs, becomes Krillin's father-in-law. This makes the Skywalker bloodline almost laughable in terms of awkwardness.

22 Set It To Self-Destruct

via: YouTube

As mentioned before, when Cell is defeated and Shenron is summoned, Krillin asks for the self-destruction bombs inside of Android 17 & 18 to be removed, having been in love with Android 18. It's obvious Android 18 knew of the event having been present, but what about her brother who wasn't?

Android 17 was originally built to find and destroy Goku by Dr. Gero, but later turned good and went into exile.

Turns out, Android 17 never knew he was free of the threatening bomb within him when he was revived. Although modern-fans witnessed his sacrificial self-destruction in Dragon Ball last month, it's revealed that he never really needed the implanted bomb to blow up since he always had enough energy to do so.

21 What Happened To Android 16?

via: twitter.com

When the characters wished for all of Cell's victims to be revived, why wasn't Shenron able to resurrect Android 16? Fans really weren't happy about that one. Well, it has to do in part in the way Dr. Gero created him and who inspired him to do so in the first place.

"Protect the life I loved. You have the strength. My scanners sensed it. Just let it go."

Unlike the cyborgs Android 17 and 18, Android 16, like Android 19, was purely robotic; there wasn't one part of him that was human. Because of this, Shenron couldn't bring Android 16 from the Other World because he never had a life in the first place. However, it's still widely speculated he's still technically functional, or better yet... alive.

20 The Reason For Cell's Power

via: lemonmarshmallow.deviantart.com

Android 8, 16, 17 and 18 are known to have been built with unlimited energy sources, which makes them near invincible as they possess the ability to fight for extensive amounts of time. As for Cell, the case isn't quite the same, which is why he's so OP in the show.

"You see, I'm perfect, my strength is perfect, and with that, I shall bring equally perfect destruction through the rest of the universe."

With an unlimited energy source, they also get stronger while training, compared to Android 19 and 20 who can only get stronger through absorption. Bio-Androids such as Cell, however, can get stronger through absorption and through training, making him one of the most powerful characters to exist in the Dragon Ball universe.

19 I'll Be Back

via: dragonball.wikia.com

Not many fans would know that the Androids in Dragon Ball are actually based on Terminator portrayed by Arnold Schwarzenegger. Coincidentally, the second volume in the Android Saga manga is called, "Rise of the Machines" which the third Terminator movie also shares in title. Come to look at it, if you take into account how both the Androids and the Terminator fight and act, you'll easily see the inspiration.

"Hasta la vista, Goku."

While both the Androids and the Terminator appear on May 12, Terminator 2: Judgement Day has a villain who can regenerate and bad-guy-turned-good whose end causes the antagonist to pass as well. Not too far off from what happened with Cell and Android 16.

18 Modeled After Dr. Gero's Son

via: youtube.com

Dr. Gero's vendetta against Goku becomes a lot more tragic and personal if you take into account that Goku destroyed Gero's son while defeating the whole of the Red Ribbon Army. Goku, when having wiped out the entirety of Gero's Red Ribbon Army, also ended Gero's son, who was a Red Ribbon soldier at the time. Talk about wrong place, wrong time.

You'd think after turning himself into an Android, he would do something about his old age and white hair, no?

Gero modeled Android 16 after his son after his passing. He cared deeply about Android 16 which is why he was hesitant in letting him fight Goku. Gero also made Android 16 more careful than destructive which prevented him from dying more easily in battle.

17 Psychological Fighting

via: Screen Rant

All of Gero's evil creations were equipped with the ability of psychologically traumatizing their victims if they so desired. This isn't a surprise to the younger fans of Dragon Ball fans who had nightmares of Android 19...

"Whats wrong? You frightened? Don't be ashamed... it's hard, I know... you feel my power and it's hard to BEAR!"

Cell, in particular, thoroughly enjoyed terrorizing his enemies. It is speculated Cell is hardwired to act this way having shared his genetic model after Frieza and Piccolo. Although both Android 17 and 18 do not partake in gene-sharing with other baddies from Dragon Ball, it would be an underestimate to say that they don't enjoy scaring their victims.

16 More Powerful Than Saiyans

via: YouTube

Hear me out. Other than Android 19 who was too arrogant and foolish when fighting Vegeta (he should have seriously let go of Vegeta when he had the chance), we can all agree that taking down Gero's Androids are no easy feat for Saiyans. For someone to complain about someone having a power level of over 9000 and for someone who is over 9000, you'd think they'd be able to handle a couple of robots...

Android 18 treated Vegeta like a toy, and as I mentioned before, even broke his arm while in Super Saiyan form. Android 17 was on par with Goku, even deflecting his Kamehameha attack. As for Cell, well, let's just say it took quite a bit to eventually take him down...

15 Judge Me By My Size, Do You?

via: YouTube

Does the name Android Arale ring a bell to you? Probably not. Arale Norimaki was by far the most powerful Android to exist, also having been the first to be created. When the Red Ribbon Army arose, she took down General Blue easily... an enemy Goku even had a hard time with.

Arale Norimaki made a toy of Vegeta and an embarrassment of Goku (Super Saiyan, by the way) in Dragon Ball Super, I recommend you check it out.

She makes a few cameos throughout Dragon Ball and was one of the few people Goku asked to participate in the World Martial Arts Tournament. For the more modern fans, she'll appear in Dragon Ball Super where she flies around the earth within 3 seconds and defeats both Vegeta and Super Saiyan Blue Goku almost too easily.

14 Namekian Android 76

via: dragonball.wikia.com

Although he isn't entirely canon, Android 76 appears solely in the Dragon Ball Fusions game. He's a Namekian cyborg that's able to absorb energy from his victims to get more powerful, just like Android 19 and 20 who can use the Rocket Punch technique which is a signature move he shares with Android 16.

”Even with the energy you took from me, my power is still far greater than your own.”

According to his database, the Namekian Android 76 is apparently a nice guy with a warm heart, unlike his counterparts that wish for heck on Earth and utter chaos. He's speculated to be based off of Android 16. In fact, he shares the same armor as him. A Piccolo Android? Count me in!

13 Never Defeated An Android

via: youtube.com

Goku is one of the strongest characters in all of Dragon Ball, obviously being the saga's main character. He's defeated nearly everyone that's opposed him or threatened any of his friends or family, but he's never fully defeated an Android.

"Leave him alone 18. 16 is just focused on fighting Goku. Now relax. We'll be in the next town soon."

Throughout most of the Android Arc, Goku comes down with a fatal heart virus which interrupts his fight with Android 19. He never meets 17 or 18 and when he meets 16, he invites him to fight with him. As for Cell, his fight with him ends in a draw to which Goku claims he would have lost if he hadn't forfeited.

12 Cell's Imperfection

via: planetdragonball.blogspot.com

It's kind of funny how Cell came to be. Toriyama's editor wasn't a fan of the Androids from 16-20. Instead, the author's editor didn't like the Androids at all, much less 19 and 20. Toriyama's editor thus needed someone with more evil to him. Then came Imperfect Cell, Semi-Perfect Cell, and Perfect Cell!

Third time's the charm.

A lot of fans will argue the whole Cell Saga was misleading to begin with because it was being created as it was airing. Cell's first form, the more insect-like of the three, was intended to be his original. However, Toriyama still was unsatisfied until his third form, claiming Cell's second form looked foolish. They justified the switch by bringing us Perfect Cell.

11 Krillin's Simple Mistake

via: YouTube

Krillin isn't known to be the sharpest of the Z fighters, given how naive and childish he already is sometimes. When the Z fighters eventually vanquished Cell, Krillin wished for Android 18 to be fully human again and later wished for the implanted bomb inside her to be removed. Could this be a genuine love for the blue-eyed Android?

However, Krillin never thought he'd get official with Android 18 since he believed Android 17 was her boyfriend. 18 was pretty quick to correct him, telling Krillin quite annoyingly he was his twin brother, but why the annoyance? Maybe she liked him back? Either way, it doesn't take a genius to understand that these two were siblings and not a couple. I mean, just look at them.

10 Krillin's Affection

via: YouTube

As we've mentioned before, Android 18 once kissed a young Krillin on the cheek in good luck. This weirdly happened after Android 18 wiped out everyone else, leaving Krillin confused and alive. But why leave him alive and even kiss him? Trust me, that mutual feeling stayed.

A crush instantly developed between the two.

Even through all the chaos, both of these individuals see each other pretty much every day. Even if Android 18 was a devilish creature for quite some time, Krillin's love her never seemed to die out. Much later on in the series, Krillin and Android 18 eventually marry each other and have a pig-tailed child together named, Marron. Marron's name comes from the French word: marron, meaning chestnuts.

9 Android 18's Embarrassment

via: dragonball.wikia.com

Having been wished to be human again by some guy you barely know will definitely make you feel something for that individual, let alone having the bomb implanted inside you, that was intended to blow you up, be removed as well.

Upon finding out about what Krillin asked Shenron to do, Android 18 was obviously touched by the act, the same way Krillin was smitten by her kiss before. She, unfortunately, flew away after telling Krillin she wasn't into him at all. However, it's speculated that this is where 18 started developing feelings for Krillin and was too embarrassed to show them, and thus flew off. Even then, as we mentioned before, she comes back for Krillin, starting a family with him.

8 Where Android 17 Failed... Kinda

via: dragonball.wikia.com

As we've mentioned before, the Androids throughout the Dragon Ball Saga were built to serve Dr. Gero's strong vendetta against Goku for having indirectly destroyed his Red Ribbon Army and his son who was a soldier within the army as well.

Android 17 started out as an emo-looking anarchist whose sole purpose was to wreak havoc everywhere he went and to destroy Goku.

Although many of them have indeed tried, Android 17 never found Goku. He certainly talked about him and knew who he was, but only got so far. He thus failed in his attempt to destroy him, much less locate him. However, Goku and Android 17 do meet again, in later series. But this time, it's as allies and teammates and not as foes.

7 Krillin's Hesitation

via: teamfourstar.wikia.com

Yet again we find an instance where Krillin's feelings for Android 18 overcome the intentions of the Z fighters. Once the Z fighters learn of the self-destructing implanted bombs inside the Androids, Bulma works on a detonator to in hopes of finding a way to defeat them while they still can.

Krillin eventually obtains the detonator from Bulma once it's finished and ready to use. Once he has it in his hands, he hesitates and fails to press it. Feeling regretful and sorry for Android 18, he chooses not to destroy the Androids and destroys the remote instead. This is possibly because his love for 18 was too strong or simply because he saw that she maybe wasn't all that evil.

6 Android 17: A Mighty Fighter

via: YouTube

In the new Dragon Ball Super series, the characters are put against a number of 8 other universes in the Universal Survival Tournament to fight to decide which of their universes have the right to survive under the threat of the Omni King's complete destruction. In such, 10 fighters from each universe are picked to lead their universe to freedom, Android 17 being one of them.

"Why do you think I protect that big island alone? Because I am enough."

Android 17 is easily one of the most important and valuable fighters of Goku's team. Already in the series, he's defeated four other people from various universes including, Vikal, Kakunsa, and Rozie from the 2nd Universe as well as Damon from the 4th.