A Look Back at Dragon Ball GT Part Three: Super Android 17 Saga

Welcome to part three of my look back at Dragon Ball GT, as we begin with the second half of the series with the Super Android 17 Saga. Throughout all of the Dragon Ball anime franchise, this is actually the shortest saga of them all at seven episodes. However, the first episode doesn't have any bearing on the rest of the saga, basically being filler. So we'll skip that one, which means only six episodes to go through here.

We begin this season in Hell, where we see the deceased Dr. Myuu travelling the infinite abyss until he is approached by Dr. Gero, creator of the Androids and Cell. Gero proposes an alliance to get revenge on Goku, which Myuu quickly accepts.

It's kind of freaky how similar these two look, from the long hair to the moustaches. Maybe they have the same father who's travelling planet to planet having kids; let's just hope said father doesn't look like Kurt Russell.

Later on Earth, Bulma and Bulla are joining Goku and his family for dinner as Trunks is supposed to meet them there. When Trunks does arrive, he appears to have taken a beating and claims it was Android 17 who attacked him before passing out. Pan then notices something in the sky, and everyone looks up to see a black hole. King Kai then contacts Goku to reveal that the hole is a rift between Earth and Hell. What's the cause of this? Well it appears that our evil two doctors have created another Android 17, establishing a link between him and the original Android 17 on Earth, not only opening up a portal between the two dimensions, but corrupting the original 17's mind. Gero even says that the two 17's can merge into a being that will be even more powerful than Cell.
For those who may have been unaware, the original Android 17 was among those revived after Gohan defeated Cell, and he made a cameo during the Buu saga giving Goku some energy for his Spirit Bomb. It was one of those "blink-and-you-miss-it" moments.

So I didn't think much of this as a kid, but I really need to question this now. How in Hell did Gero and Myuu create another Android 17? And I'm not being dramatic in how I phrased that. They are literally in HELL. Where did they get the lab, technology, or any resources to create another Android? They even rebuilt Android 19, who by all means was a failure then and as shown later, still is. Did someone in charge give the doctors a lab thinking it would be therapeutic? Are there other services offered? Should I expect to see Recoome getting his GED or Frieza and Cooler seeing a family therapist to work out their issues? Maybe this is like the Hell in South Park where it's not so bad, and they're able to have luaus and celebrate Christmas.

Anyway, when Trunks wakes up and recounts how 17 attacked him when he was on his way to Goku's. After the beatdown, 17 gives Trunks a message to give to Goku, that he needs to go to Hell if he wants to stop the evil that's rising. And rise that evil does as the TV begins reporting multiple creatures coming out of the portal and causing chaos around the globe. Of course, these creatures are previous villains from throughout the series from the original Dragon Ball to Z and GT. We get a lot of quick cameos from some villains, where you'd really have to pause the screen to identify everyone. What's notable is that Cooler is among them.

While this is the only time we see him and is essentially just an easter egg, this still makes Cooler one of only two movie villains to appear within the actual show, the second being Garlic Jr., which means "Dead Zone" and "Cooler's Revenge" are both the only movies that are kind of sort of canon.

Speaking of movies though, the plot-point of villains escaping Hell and attacking Earth was already featured in "Fusion Reborn". Additionally, Androids combining to become a Super Android had also already been done in another movie, "Super Android 13". Basically, this whole saga is a rehash of past movies.

Despite the dangers he'll face, Goku flies into the portal and goes to Hell. In the meantime, the Z Fighters begin to fight all their old enemies, although we don't see them go through each and every one. We see Goten take down Pui Pui before being attacked by Yakon and having to be saved by Trunks. The two then fire a blast that destroys Android 19 (told you). They later join Majuub in wiping out a swarm of Saibamen. Elsewhere, Pan plows through members of the Red Ribbon Army with ease while Gohan faces off with General Rildo. Rildo is about to finish off Gohan until Majuub steps in and blows the general up. It pains me to say it, but it really isn't surprising Gohan couldn't take down Rildo himself given the direction the character went.

Meanwhile in Hell, Goku comes to face to face with Myuu and Gero, but as you may have guessed, it was a trap. The two doctors and their new Android 17 travel through the portal to Earth, closing behind them and trapping Goku in Hell. Goku isn't alone though, as both Frieza and Cell are there ready to take their revenge. They underestimate Goku given his child state, leading to their surprise when he shows how powerful he still is. And so we have Goku going toe to toe with two of the most powerful and most well-known villains the franchise has produced. And yet, it doesn't bring as much satisfaction as you'd think. The main problem for me is that it's kid Goku against the two. Once again, they really should have just let Goku become an adult again once he reached Super Saiyan 4. They could have at least let him go Super Saiyan 4 here and not wait for his battle with 17. That doesn't mean there aren't any cool moments though, like Goku ridiculing them for using the same old tactics. There's a part where Goku actually rides on a Kienzan disc that Frieza threw at him. There are also callbacks to when Goku blew Cell's head off with a Kamehameha and caused Frieza to cut himself in half with his own attack (since they're already dead and in Hell though, they heal rather quickly). Cell even tries to absorb Goku like he did to Androids 17 and 18, only for Goku to crawl his way back out.

You know, I always figured Cell could grow his tail back in his perfect form.

Soon enough though, Cell and Frieza use a new technique together that traps Goku in an energy cage and then send him deeper into Hell. This leads to some unnecessary comedic filler, because that's what we need in what's supposed to be one of the biggest fights in Dragon Ball history, right? The end result of it is though is that Goku ends up being frozen, which was part of Cell and Frieza's plan. 

There is a flaw in their plan though. Because Goku is still alive, the ice won't hold on him for long, as he's able to power up and burst his way out. Goku then turns the tables and freezes both Cell and Frieza, and since they're both dead, they stay frozen. Goku then subsequently accidentally knocks them over and shatters them.
Instead of the comedy before though, why couldn't they have had Cell and Frieza drop Goku into a river or pond that would freeze him, and then Goku could throw them in and trap them for good.

Back on Earth, after killing Nappa again, Vegeta encounters Myuu and Gero, revealing their new Android 17. The two begin to fight but are evenly matched.

Elsewhere, the original Android 17 attacks Krillin, Android 18, and their daughter, Marron. 17 wants 18 rejoin with him like old times. Krillin interferes though and ends up getting killed by 17. So for those keeping track, Krillin has had his neck broken by Tambourine, been blown up by Frieza, and eaten by Super Buu. This makes it the fourth time the little guy has bitten the big one. In summation...

17 then attempts to kill Marron, but 18 gets in the way of the blast. 17 just flies off afterwards, probably thinking he's finished the job.

The original 17 then arrives to the battle between new 17 and Vegeta, as do Gohan, Goten, Trunks, Pan, and Majuub, so we can assume they defeated all the other revived villains before coming here. Sure enough, Gero and Myuu's grand design comes to fruition as the two 17's merge to become Super Android 17.

This is not a good design in my opinion, basically being a roided out 17 with a bad haircut.

As you'd expect though, Super 17 begins wiping the floor with all the Z Fighters present. And while it probably wouldn't have made a difference, I think it would have been nice to have Goten and Trunks fuse into Gotenks again. We just had one fusion, so why not try to fight fire with fire? Besides, we've only ever seen Gotenks as a kid, so an adult one would've been cool to see.

But of course, they need Goku to save the day. Except Goku is still trapped in Hell, and King Yemma is unable to pluck him out due to some unknown force keeping him from doing so. Yemma is then contacted by Piccolo, now residing in Other World. He has a plan to send Goku back, but he needs Yemma to send him to Hell. Yemma is at first hesitant, as Piccolo's placement upon his death has already been fulfilled. Piccolo points out that maybe Yemma made a mistake and begins causing chaos claiming he's still the evil Piccolo he was before. This is enough to tick Yemma off and send Piccolo to Hell like he wanted. Piccolo meets up with Goku saying he has a plan. Piccolo then contacts Dende telepathically, as he wants to create an energy link that can open another portal between Hell and Earth, much like the link the two 17's did, so Goku can get back. While they are just copying their enemies' tactics, this is a pretty genius idea for Piccolo to come up with. After several failed attempts, Piccolo and Dende succeed in opening a portal allowing Goku to return to Earth. Unfortunately, Piccolo has to stay in Hell.

While Piccolo hasn't been as big part of GT as he was back in Z, the times where he does appear are great character moments for him, as they show how much he's willing to sacrifice himself. He lets himself die in the first place so the Black Star Dragon Balls won't threaten another planet, and even when he's earned his place to live in Other World, he gives that up in order to help Goku save the Earth again. Piccolo is one of the biggest badasses in all of Dragon Ball. And while he's in Hell, he at least still has some villains to beat down to pass the time, as he's soon approached by Nappa and some Red Ribbon Army members.

Back on Earth, while Super 17 is still fighting the Z Fighters, Pan sneaks up behind Gero and threatens to kill him if he doesn't tell 17 to stand down. While Gero relents, Super 17 then aims at Gero and Pan, revealing Myuu's treachery that he has been the only one controlling 17. 17 then fires, and while Pan gets out of the way, Gero is once again killed by his own creation.

Soon enough, Goku arrives to the scene and goes Super Saiyan as he begins battling Super 17. Unlike the others, Goku appears to be the only one able to actually hurt Super 17. Super 17 is able to get the upper hand again though, leading Goku to power up to Super Saiyan 4, the transformation astounding Myuu. Despite this though, everything Goku throws at Super 17 doesn't cause any damage. I figured out ahead of time though that Super 17 has the ability to absorb energy like Android 19, making him more and more powerful. Goku is slower on the uptake though, but when he does figure it out, he fires a huge Kamehameha hoping to overfeed 17 and hoping he couldn't take in so much energy at once. This greatly backfires for Goku as Super 17 is indeed able to absorb all the energy and overpowers Goku.

So while energy absorption explains why Super 17 is as powerful as he is despite just being combined from two Android 17's, this also makes him a poor villain and his fight with Goku isn't entertaining. Super 17 is just too overpowered and appears to have no limits compared to other main villains, and it undercuts the Super Saiyan 4 form. And while we've had plenty of one-sided fights in Dragon Ball history, the villains on the winning end at least had interesting personalities; Frieza, Cell, the different versions of Buu, and even Baby. And while 17 is just a puppet of Myuu, even during his original tenure in Z, his personality really couldn't hold a candle to other main villains.

Goku is eventually able to sneak up behind Super 17 and plans to pull a Chiaotzu, i.e. blowing himself up along with his opponent. And while the explosion is huge, Super 17 is able to put up a protective shield that also covers Goku, who has reverted back to a kid. Super 17 is about to finish Goku off before Android 18 arrives, trying to appeal to the original 17 inside by reminding him of how he was once independent and disobeyed Gero's orders. Myuu keeps barking orders at 17, telling him not to allow anyone to manipulate and control him. Myuu then gets hit with a deadly case of irony as Super 17 fires a blast at Myuu, destroying him. 17 then turns his sights back to 18, who begins firing rapid blasts at 17, who just keeps absorbing. Watching this, Goku realizes that 17 can't attack while he's absorbing energy. Goku then flies between 18's blasts and plows through 17's abdomen with a Super Dragon Fist.

With Super 17 weakened, Goku follows up with a Kamehameha, which obliterates the Android once and for all. It's a little anti-climactic, but that's what happens when you write yourself into a corner by making a villain as powerful as Super 17 was.

Unfortunately, danger still looms though as the rift between Hell and Earth has upset the natural balance and causing disasters across the planet like earthquakes and flooded cities. Thinking the Dragon Balls can be used to set things right, Goku, Pan, Trunks, and Giru set out to collect them all, but they make a shocking discover: the balls are cracked.

Despite hesitation to use them, the gang theorize that using the Balls to fix Earth will in turn make the Balls normal again. And so, Goku summons Shenron. Unlike all the other times the Balls have been used before though, the sky turns red and smoke begins leaking from the Balls, forming into a dark version of Shenron.

And so this saga ends while throwing in something ominous for the next one.

Despite a few elements I mentioned that I liked, the Super Android 17 Saga is by far the weakest storyline to come out of Dragon Ball GT. While it did rehash ideas used before in the franchise, there was still a lot of potential in those ideas but the execution here felt either wasted or rushed given the episode count, coming across as bad fan fiction. The Black Star Dragon Ball Saga may have had its problems, but the creators were still trying to give us something new. I don't really have much else to say about this saga, as just watching it kind of felt like a chore.

My look back at Dragon Ball GT concludes next time as the objects used to help the Earth so many time become its greatest threat in the Shadow Dragon Saga.