Over the years, Dragon Ball has taken many characters from non-canon material and given them official status in the main story. The fans have been pining for some characters who are in the non-canon parts of the franchise, including the movies and games.
Many instances of adapting non-canon characters have been seen, from Broly in Dragon Ball Super: Broly to Gogeta’s full recognition in the same film. Not just that Dragon Ball DAIMA has made the SSJ4 form canon, and it resembles the one seen in Dragon Ball GT (which was not canon).
Now, after showcasing Super Saiyan 4 in Dragon Ball DAIMA, Dragon Ball Super needs to up the ante and give us a new character to scale up the power levels. For this, Android 21 stands as one of the strongest contenders and will revolutionize the franchise if canonized.
After Super Saiyan 4: What’s next for Dragon Ball?
Introduced in Dragon Ball FighterZ, Android 21 is a unique fusion of Red Ribbon Army technology and Majin-like abilities. The Red Ribbon Army has long been forgotten in the Dragon Ball series, although we have seen their presence in the series. After SSJ4’s reveal in DAIMA, there has to be more in Super.
Toriyama occasionally alluded to the life of Android 17 as a wildlife ranger, but only during the Tournament of Power did he become relevant again. But it feels like this could have been explored further, that is where Android 21 comes in.
She is directly connected to Dr. Gero and the Red Ribbon Army; she is even seen in the canonical story as Vomi, the female lab researcher for the Army and Dr Gero’s wife. She was the one who had two children with him and died long before Dr Gero.
The game Dragon Ball FighterZ (the game) makes this the center of their story and ponders how it would have turned out if a much smarter scientist that Gero si the one making the Androids, and how it would look if the specimens were not humans but villains like Majin Buu, Cell, and Frieza with their unique abilities.
Will Android 21 become canon through Super?
This alone made her an unusual yet compelling addition to the universe, especially now that we have seen such things come up again with Arinsu, who is a scientist in her own right. With Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero confirming Vomi’s existence, the door is wide open for Android 21 to step into the main timeline and start a whole new arc.
Dragon Ball Super has tried to expand the Red Ribbon Army’s legacy, by showing the redemption arcs of the Androids, but adding Android 21 could make it all the more better.
Dragon Ball Super has a dearth of powerful female characters. It feels like all the space is being taken up by Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and occasionally the other male characters.
Android 21 could completely change it, a powerful female character who doesn’t become irrelevant in a few episodes is something the series desperately needs. Not just that, if Android 21 is brought into the canon, she could introduce a completely new type of power system, one that merges science with magic, something that has been missing in the series.
If Broly, who is the product of wild imagination in the movies can become canon, a perfectly story-connected, semi-canon character like Android 21 could too.
Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball DAIMA, and Dragon Ball Super are available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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