Dr. Gero
Dr. Gero is a male anime and manga character who features in Dragon Ball.
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Biography
Dr. Gero (Japanese: ドクター・ゲロ, Hepburn: Dokutā Gero, lit. "Doctor Gero") was a male human born on Planet Earth. He fathered two children with his wife Vomi, one of whom was named Gevo.
He came to be one of the chief scientists and founding members of the Red Ribbon Army. .He designed the Red Ribbon's weaponry and created the first androids in the service of the Red Ribbon Army. He built Androids because mechs can be captured and used by the enemy while Androids can think for themselves. He swore revenge on the young hero Goku after he singlehandedly destroyed Red Ribbon, and spent the following decades creating the perfect weapons to destroy him. Gero's initial plans involved the creation of androids that would help him attaining his revenge. However, his plans adjusted after Goku's battle against Piccolo at the World Martial Arts Tournament. Instead, Dr. Gero decided that he would need the ultimate warrior to defeat Goku, and took cell samples over the years of Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Nappa, Gohan, Frieza and King Cold. Gero planned to combine and improve upon the cells for his creation.
In the meantime, he continued to focus on machines with this culminating in the powerful Android 16. After 16, he pursued another avenue, creating a pair of androids from a pair of human twins- Android 17 and Android 18. However, the twins were dangerously rebellious, so Gero placed them in stasis. Instead, he planned for them to become the means by which his ultimate warrior- later known as Cell- would ascend to his perfect state, by absorbing them. The project though would take years to develop and he would create a computer to oversee the development of Cell.
Gero's next experiments were on himself. Creating Android 19, he used it transfer his brain to an android body, Android 20. Equipping himself and 19 with energy-absorption devices, he felt he was ready to destroy Goku. Three years later, on May 12 of Age 767, at 10:00 am, two Androids appear on an island nine miles south-west of South City: Android 19 and Android 20. They attack Yajirobe in his hovercar, shortly after the latter gives the Z Fighters a sack of Senzu Beans, and descend into the city. Together, they start a killing spree and do not show any mercy or regret; during one point, #20 grabs a man from his car and crushes his skull like a grape, never changing his stoic expression. The Z Fighters struggle to find them, due to the androids having no ki, but Yamcha is the first to find them, attracted to the scene by the scream of a woman. They then ambush him, with Yamcha initially believing them to be two civilians and trying to tell them to evacuate until he noticed the Red Ribbon logo on Android 20's cap, with Android 20 smugly confirming that they are the androids he's referring to. However, Goku and friends had been warned about Gero's plans by Trunks. When Gero unleashed his attack near South City, the Z Warriors were ready to face them. Despite that, 19 and Gero were able to nearly kill Yamcha and Goku, until Vegeta- now a Super Saiyan- came onto the scene. 19 was destroyed, and Gero retreated to his lab, deciding that he could force 17 and 18 to defend him. Unfortunately for him, they decided instead to kill him instead- 17 beheaded him and crushed his brain.
Overview
Personality and attributes
In appearance, Dr. Gero was a human who had slightly tanned skin, blue eyes, a large bushy white moustache along with long hair. He wore the Red Ribbon Army logo on his hat where after his conversion into an android came to his his exposed brain hidden beneath a glass canopy. After his transformation, he became a cybernetic being and went by the designation of Android 20.
It was shown that he was a very cold-hearted man who was willing to stop at nothing to achieve his goals. He did not let people get in his way and even kidnapped other people to use in his experiments. He has the utmost confidence in his technological skills and intellect, as he believes, even when the odds are against him, that he, or his creations, will succeed somehow. Gero also trusts his creations with his life, believing now that he has 'improved' them, they will respect him as their master.
Despite his cold heart, however, he was capable of affection, as he modeled Android 16 after his deceased son and deliberately made #16 gentle in order to avoid the risk of him being destroyed in battle due to him not being able to bear the thought of that happening.
Gero was shown to have had a grandson named Dr. Hedo (ドクター・ヘド Dokutā Hedo) who was a brilliant scientist as well.
He also holds a strong hatred for Goku due to Goku defeating the entire Red Ribbon Army.
Powers and abilities
Originally, Dr. Gero was an ordinary human though was a brilliant scientist. His incredible intelligence led to him being considered one of the best in the world and even impressing Capsule Corporation president Dr. Brief.
He later transformed himself into a cybernetic Android with this giving him superhuman capabilities. These included superior strength, endurance, durability and speed along with the power to fly without any special mechanisms or ki. Gero had also built a device capable of detecting energy levels with this being part of his mechanical body. Android #20 was also able to project a range of energy attacks from either his hands or even his eyes. However, the most unique feature he gave himself was the power to absorb energy to increase his own strength. This ability was invaluable in also nullifying powerful ki energy attacks directed at him. He was known to make use of this power in conjunction with his physical strikes against an enemy. Such was the case when he was able to easily impale the likes of Yamcha with his arm whilst absorbing the Z Warrior's energy.
Among the techniques known to him included:
- Pesky Fly (うるさいハエめ Urusai Hae Me) :
- Energy Absorption (エネルギー吸収 Enerugī Kyūshū) :
- Bionic Punisher (バイオニックパニッシャー Baionikku Panisshā) :
- Photon Wave (フォトンウェイブ Foton Weibu) :
Dr. Gero was noted to had created a supercomputer that was hidden deep underneath his hidden lair. The machine was programmed to enact his plans and complete his experiments over the course of years even in the event of the doctor's death.
He was shown to had been a founding member and chief scientist of the Red Ribbon Army (ＲレッＲドリボン軍ぐん Reddo Ribon Gun).
Notes
- Dr. Gero was created by Akira Toriyama where he featured in the setting of the Dragon Ball universe.
- It's unclear whether Gero intended to make 17 and 18 part of Cell all along, or if he incorporated 17 and 18 into his plans for Cell after they rebelled.
Alternate Versions
- In the alternate future of Trunks timeline, Gero survived longer, only being slain by 17 and 18 after he revealed Cell to them.
- In Dragon Ball GT, Dr. Gero appeared in the setting during the Super 17 Saga. This version had stated that he always dreamed of replacing the entire human race with artificial beings. After ending up in Hell (HFIL), he eventually met and joined forces with Dr. Myuu to create Artificial 17, who used the real 17 to open a portal to Earth. Artificial 17 then combined with the real 17 to form Super 17. Myuu, however, no longer had any need for his partner, and had Super 17 destroy Gero once again.
In other media
Films
- In Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!, he was referenced and seen in flashbacks in the animated film. It was shown he had constructed earlier android prototypes with these including Android 13, Android 14 and Android 15. Afterwards, the computer in his laboratory released these models and sent them with a singular command of killing Goku.
Video games
- In Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dr. Gero was referenced in the setting of the fighting video game. He was shown to had a wife where they had a son together with Gero later converting her into a cyborg known as Android 21 who was the primary antagonist in the setting.
Appearances
- Dragon Ball Z:
- Dragon Ball GT:
