- "I cleared the area of innocents, in accordance with your wishes. Do you disagree with my methods?"- A Handy Trick
Dr. Gero (Android 20) is a brilliant scientist who worked for the Red Ribbon Army. After the army's defeat in the hands of Goku, Gero retreated to his mountain laboratory to plot his revenge with the Artificial Humans (Androids) series. Not until he reached Android 19 did he create an obedient, bloodthirsty servant. Gero then had #19 transplant his brain into an android body, thus turning himself into Android 20 and preventing him from dying of old age. After his second defeat at the hands of the Z Warriors, Gero retreated to his lab to activate Androids 17 and 18, who rebelled and killed the doctor. Though Gero died, he left behind several Androids that were finished by his computer in the underground portion of his lab, which are Android 13, Android 14, Android 15, and his ultimate creation, Cell.
Biography[]
Dragon Ball[]
In Dragon Ball, Dr. Gero is the head scientist of the Red Ribbon Army, though he is never seen at the time. He created the first androids in the service of the Red Ribbon Army. After the Red Ribbon Army was defeated by Goku, he went into hiding. He hid in a mountain area, north of North City, where his laboratory was located. In this lab, he strived to create the ultimate fighting machine. Using an extremely intelligent tracking devices disguised as a ladybug, he studied Goku and Earth's warriors for years on end.
In the anime, a Dr. Flappe, who looks nothing like Dr. Gero, is named as the creator of Android 8. A possible explanation is that Dr. Flappe and Dr. Gero were partners and constructed the first androids together, most likely including Android 8, or that Dr. Flappe merely constructed Android 8 while Dr. Gero produced the blueprints and forced Dr. Flappe to create him (most likely the latter, as he was hinted at being a RR member against his own will).
Dragon Ball Z[]
Dr. Gero ceased the study of Goku's power when the Saiyan left for Planet Namek, believing he had already compiled enough information by the Vegeta Saga; so he simply adjusted the androids' power levels to accommodate for Goku's expected power increase, not accounting for the possibility that Goku would become a Super Saiyan. Believing he had created the ultimate fighting machines, he finalized his plans and constructed a series of Androids.
A year after the destruction of Namek, the Z Fighters receive a tip from Future Trunks that two extremely powerful Androids will appear shortly. Three years later on an island nine miles south-west of South City, two Androids appear: Android 19 and Android 20. Together, they kill many people, including a man who has his head ripped off by Android 20. Yamcha is the first to find them, as they were attracted to his power level.
Dr. Gero in his human form, as seen in a flashback to Future Trunks' timeline.
Before Yamcha can act, Android 20 demonstrates a deadly power: Dr. Gero's latest design for Androids included an energy absorbing function. Using a small red jewel embedded in his hand, he grabs Yamcha by the jaw, punches a hole through his body, and saps his life-force. After an explanation of their origins to Goku, Tien and Piccolo, Android 20 single-handedly destroys half of the city. Goku leads him and Android 19 out of the city, to avoid killing more people in the fight. In some unknown island, Android 20 begins to explain to Goku why Gero wants to have his revenge on him for destroying the Red Ribbon Army. After the explanation, he orders Android 19 fight Goku. Due to the Saiyan's heart virus that manifests at that exact moment, Android 19 wins. After Vegeta defeats Android 19, Android 20 retreats.
Dr. Gero and Dr. Myuu
During the ensuing search, Android 20 attacks Piccolo from behind, only to be foiled by Gohan. He tries to fight Piccolo head-on, but Piccolo is superior by far as a result of three years of intense training with Goku (and probably also the fusion with Nail). Piccolo mercilessly severs the android's arm and prepares to destroy him when he (the Android) retreats once again into the rocky mountains. Android 20 decides to retreat into his lab, in order to activate Android 17 and Android 18. Bulma, having recognized him as Dr. Gero, notifies the Z Warriors about the approximate area of his laboratory, and they depart for the north.
While approaching his lab, Android 20 ambushes Krillin but spares him in his hurry to activate his Androids. Krillin follows him to his lab and summons the Z Warriors there. Android 20 enters his lab and activates Android 17 and Android 18, having a controller that can deactivate in case they rebel again. The androids fool him into believing their are obedient, until they snatch the control from him. After crushing it, they brutally murder him by severing his head. His remains are later destroyed along with what seems to be the rest of his laboratory at the hands of Future Trunks when he fires a blast with the intention of destroying Android 17 and Android 18.
Pan seizes Gero before Super Android 17 kills him (again).
In the Imperfect Cell Saga, Dr. Gero had appeared in the flashback wherein he had begun his creation of Cell. Dr. Gero (in his human form) discovers that his project is taking too long, he then abandoned it so then the supercomputer from the lab begins to complete Cell. Towards the end of the Cell Games Saga, Dr. Gero (in the form of Android 20) appears in Super Perfect Cell's flashback again where he is killed as he finishes off the settings for the supercomputer to begin working on completing Cell (which contradicts his previous statement that Dr. Gero abandoned it).
Dr. Gero is not seen again until the final anime-filler segments of Dragon Ball Z. By means unknown, Dr. Gero has been permitted by King Yemma to keep his body while entering Hell. Along with Super Perfect Cell, Frieza, King Cold and the Ginyu Force, Dr. Gero watches the final battle between Goku and Kid Buu, being one of the very few people cheering for Kid Buu.
Dragon Ball GT[]
Dr. Gero is first seen in hell along with Dr. Myuu. There, they worked on a plan to create the ultimate android which could destroy Goku. They came up with a plan to combine both of their technologies and get a perfect Android by fusing Android 17 and Hell Fighter 17 to create Super 17. They then created a dimensional hole to get both androids in the same place - Earth. During the fight with the Saiyans, he is betrayed by Dr. Myuu who commanded Super 17 to kill him, leading to his somewhat ironic death (killed by Android 17 again).
Abilities and powers[]
Aside from his incredible intelligence (one of the best in the world, impressing even Capsule Corp president Dr. Brief), Dr. Gero has gained combat abilities due to placing his own brain into an energy-absorbing model android.
- Energy Attack - The most basic form of energy wave used by androids.
- Built in Scouter - Built into his own Android body is a scouter that allows Gero to detect energy levels.
- Energy Absorption - As an Android, Dr. Gero has special pads on his palms that allows him to absorb life-energy from his victims by grabbing them.
- Photon Wave - From the energy-absorbing pads, he releases a massive wave of explosive energy that can level an entire valley.
- Levitate - Like most characters in the series, Gero can fly in the air. However, like most Androids, he does not possess ki, so he flies by the means of a certain machine called Hikou in his body.
- Bionic Punisher - A powerful beam shot from both his eyes, which is strong enough to devastate an entire city, or pierce through someone.
Death[]
- In the present timeline, 17 impales Dr. Gero with his hand and kicks his head off, then crushes it like a bug.
- In Cell's timeline, 18 distracts him by knocking over some equipment, and 17 cuts his head off. As he warns them about Cell absorbing them, 18 blows up his head.
- In Future Trunks' timeline, 17 and 18 kill Dr. Gero right after they are activated, though it is not explained how. As this timeline is the same one as Cell's timeline at this point, he should have died in the same way mentioned in the previous point.
- In Dragon Ball GT, Super 17 launches an energy wave that blasts Dr. Gero to pieces.
Voice Actors[]
- Japanese dub: Kouji Yada
- Ocean Group dub: Brian Dobson
- FUNimation dub: Kent Williams
- German dub: Gerhard Paul
- Italian dub: Oliviero Corbetta
Trivia[]
- According to "Laboratory Basement", one of Gero's ventures outside of cybernetics includes plans for a gas-powered toaster oven.
- In both Super Android 13 and the brief flashback from GT, the dialog in which 17 kills him is different than that of the DBZ anime.
- The only human part of him as an android is his brain, which was transplanted into him by Android 19.
- An interesting point is that Dr. Gero transferred his own brain into an energy-absorbing model Android, rather than an infinite-powered one, like 17 and 18, which would allow him far greater power reserves that surpass untrained Super Saiyans. This would make Dr. Gero weaker than 17 and 18. Why he chose to be an energy-absorber rather than an infinite-power Android is unknown (though 18 hints that it may have been because he thought that an energy-absorbing model android was easier to use as a host).
- Dr. Gero is often listed as having a lower power level than Android 19, though he states that his base level is much higher.
- In Trunks' "flashback" on Dr. Gero's creation of the androids, one of them killed him by smashing his brain with their hand.
- In the FUNimation dub, the G in his name is pronounced like a soft J, and the "er" is pronounced as such. While in the Ocean dub, they start pronouncing it differently, with the G sounding like a hard J, and the "ero" sounding more like "arrow," while in the original Japanese and translations that follow this pronunciation, the G in his name is a normal G, as in "grip," making his name "Geh-roh," as in grapple.
- According to Android 18, Dr. Gero destroyed all the other androids up to 15 (with the exception of Android 8, who was assembled by Dr. Flappe in the anime, (though the manga states otherwise, leaving no doubt as to who its real creator was).
- Dr. Gero is seen in Hell among the other villains watching the battle with Kid Buu, and he often seen standing next to Jeice, who, like him, has extremely long white hair. On the other side of him is one of his creations, Cell.
- According to Toriyama, Androids 19 and 20 were originally going to be the androids that Trunks warned Goku about, but his editor decided that they looked too old and ridiculous, so he opted for Androids 17 and 18 to be the androids instead (and in effect, retconned Gero's death and made Android 20 Gero), and designed Cell as the ultimate final villain of the series.
- Right after Dr. Gero activates Androids 17 and 18, he replies to Android 18's statement, "I see that you have chosen to become an android," by agreeing and saying that he had "eternal life like [18]." This implies that the process of turning a human into an android completely halts their aging, thus making the cyborg immune to at least natural death/illness.
- Revolver Ocelot, a character from the Metal Gear e, somewhat resembles Dr. Gero.
- For an unknown reason, Dr. Gero is in his Android 20 body in Hell instead of being reunited with his original body.
- Despite being part of the Red Ribbon Army, which played a major role in Dragon Ball, Dr. Gero was never even mentioned until the Androids Saga in Dragonball Z. The reason behind this is that Dr. Gero was created for Dragon Ball Z, and later connected to the Dragon Ball storyline.