Cell is 100% my favorite DBZ villain. I love how the Saiyan in him forces him to fight and challenge others. Wish Cell Max used his arrogant cunning perfect form than the 2nd beast like form.
Cell is a badass character, I always liked the scene where he just becomes perfect and he’s just admiring his body while trunks and krillen are punching him loll
30 years ago Cell get punched by Gohan, suddenly lost his coolness and went desperate. now 30 years later, a psychologist told me on YT: a narcissist person doesn't care what you do to them or people around them BUT once you shake their legacy/ego they will explode and act like threatened animal.
A narcissist = Anti Life and Avoidance basically a Man who makes things happen due to his nature around him and thats why he's evil. There was a real planet Cell was on I forgot what it was called ask a guy named Andrew L. maybe his star burst then he fled and found Earth. Afterwards his nature is to find food to fuel his body but couldn't help the temptation of going into convulsions if he didn't eat so he was just trying to survive he probably even ate his own shiet and piss to survive.
The majority of DB Villains can be Neutral Evil as well as Chaotic Evil. The only Lawful Evil villains could be Baby, Freeza, King Vegeta, Coola and possibly Piccolo Daimao.
Cell Max was more like an epilogue to Cell's character, while Cell was dead, there was undeniable proof that they still could make another one. That would've affected Cell NEGATIVELY if he was revived with the Dragon Balls, only to find out he has competition with the Gammas AND Cell Max. The fear of being replaced is common among narcissists so Cell in a sense, got what he truly deserved.
The irony is that Cell himself is effectively a clone of multiple people. The insect traits and syringe are the most unique thing to his name I would be interested as to what a good guy equivalent of Cell would be like. Say in Universe 6 all the best fighters had their DNA combined into a champion. The blood of familiar species but also the trickiness of Hit, the armor of Magetta and the damage sponge of Botamo. But at that point this is just my Universe 6 fanfic
I saw a really cool theory that since personal hells are different for everyone in DragonBall, Cells hell is being trapped in a spiderweb, struggling but unable to get away or move. In this hell, Cell is forced to watch everyone surpass him, all the way from when Gohan beat him up until black frieza was introduced.
The saddest thing about Cell is that he probably would have been a better person if he didn’t have Frieza’s cells. It’s very interesting that many of the components that made up Cell ended up making him a foil to so many characters.
@@aliastheabnormal cell was never intended to kill goku the androids were designed to kill goku it even shows that in the main timeline when they try to kill him when he's still recovering from heart virus cell was just a backup plan cause gero knew they would betray him eventually after he reaches perfection he can explore the universe and do whatever he wants.... but yeah trunks ruined that for him lol
@@aliastheabnormal The only true goal Gero gave Cell was to absorb the androids and become perfect. After that Cell just wanted to test his power and show everyone his perfection. The androids were specifically created to kill goku, not cell.
I think Cell is the best example of a true narcissist in the series than any other one. I think Zamasu and Freeza were good examples of sociopaths. I like cell because his narcissistic traits aren’t so much based on insecurities as they are literal self aggrandizement
Tao Pai Pai kills a tailor who makes him a new outfit (after Goku’s Kamehameha scorched his previous one and Tao attempted to kill him with a Dodon Ray), because the tailor dared mention compensation for tailoring the outfit for him. I agree Zamasu is likely a sociopath-his theft of Goku’s image to get at his family reeks of the “cutting off their faces” trope in, say, _Silence of the Lambs,_ and his ability to only work with himself is pretty on the nose as well. However, Frieza I’d argue is more of a Patrick Bateman style psychopathic narcissist; Frieza is capable of cooperation and delegation to lieutenants across the universe in ways a sociopath simply couldn’t functionally do, and is able to delegate tasks and regional control to trusted advisors. He’s, let’s be for real here, very intelligent and powerful, and thrives in a high-stress environment with many moving parts, and he’s obsessed with the rituals of the role of Emperor, and he loves people suffering, but he won’t make anyone suffer that HE doesn’t think deserves it… unless it advances his own power, incidentally, or is just easier for him. Frieza’s not a sociopath so much as a megalomaniac and an egomaniac in a universe that he believes is “might makes right”, from him at the top all the way down to the bottom.
As someone who's studied narcissism amateurly and has a scientific degree, this video is really well done! I appreciate you referencing from the DSM5 and just generally actually knowing what you're talking about, and talking about it calmly. For psychology, that's not very common in fandom.
As someone he did not studied it, he did make the mistake of saying (Or he is just reciting research) you can be born with narcissism. You can't. You can be predispositioned to it but you don't come out of the womb a narcissist or with NPD.
Funny that he was also the only villain that went out of his way to be on TV, because pretty much everyone on TV is either a narcissist or a psychopath, or both, and those are the puppets that were used to create a culture that glorifies, rewards and requires those traits in the first place.
It's why he doesn't just destroy the Earth when he had the chance. No, he needs to make it a special occasion and prolong it because he has Vegeta and Frieza's ego rubbing
@@redjirachi1 If you seen Masakox What If Nappa Turned Good Part 3, where Cell has Nappa's saiyan dna instead of Vegeta, I'd imagine he has Nappa and Frieza's sadism.
Im rewatching this saga again and I am really understanding this character alot more than I did as a child. Cell is truly the best villian in DB although my fav is Frieza. I swear there is an excuse for everything he does and you can see through his actions where certain traits from the different characters he has are coming from. Genius!
Like for example, the fact that he knowingly makes the same mistake against Gohan that Vegeta made against him. In Cell's eyes, Vegeta's mistake wasn't that he was arrogant, it's that he *wasn't* Cell. Cell believed that he and he alone couldn't fail. So he willingly fell into the same traps his "lessers" did believing entirely that he would succeed...
@@AndrewAce. exactly! Those prideful cells (saiyan/Vegeta) clouded his rational judgements (Piccolo). This arc was the perfect ending for the series. Looking back I think it shouldve ended there ha
A villain made out of the cells of all the previous villains and heroes is literally the perfect villain to end things on. I'm not going to act like there wasn't some cool moments, but after this it was demon goo guys, and gods that somehow nobody knew were there. Or thought to mention or ask for help. I'm just wondering how many lost ultimate beings are going to be discovered LOL
16:00 - Cell even tells Piccolo that his victims should be "honoured" to fuel his power. It's a very narcissistic way of thinking; that other people people can serve no higher purpose than to suit your needs.
Very much so. He killed an unfathomable amount of people and the only thing that he thinks of is how much better he is because of that and how the victims should feel good about helping him achieve that.
Cell is the culmination of all the attributes of all the main characters, both protagonistic and antagonistic, in the series to that point, and that fuels his narcissism and his desire to prove himself to everyone. Goku, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Freeza all possess a desire for ultimate power for at least a portion of the story, and Cell has all of that desire and drive concentrated in a single mind and body. That's one of several reasons why I think Cell is the greatest Dragonball villain and why he deserves to return in Super properly. I like to imagine that OG Cell could sense the final battle of Super Hero with Cell Max and thinks of him as a wannabe knock-off as he has been secretly training in his purgatory even since his death and has been learning all the limits of his confines. Just imagine a Tai Lung style escape from Hell that not even King Yemma or Grand Kai can stop, and if Freeza can achieve GoD levels of power with a decade's worth of training imagine what Cell has accomplished with even more time!
Already said this in a different comment, but I read a cool theory on what Cells hell would be. He wouldn't be able to move or look away; forever stuck and struggling in a web he couldn't get out of. In front of him, he could see everyone surpassing him, from the moment he was beaten all the way to cell max and black frieza. For a narcissist who thought he was perfect, this would truly be HELL. Watching everyone slowly and surely get stronger then you ever thought possible.
Cell's other dither downfall was his mentality on Perfection. Like Mayuri said in Bleach, "Prefection is a dead-end", Cell's focus on Perfection is what drove him to do what he did. And when he achieved it, he stopped try, he didn't try to improve because when he obtained it, he also lost his way to improve himself because he didn't need to anymore. The only time he improved was when he blew himself up and even wasn't even sure that he survive.
I think it has to do with an identity crisis too, just like the androids cell was created with a strong and sole purpose, and that wasnt his choice, it was his creator, so just like n16, 17 and 18 with maki does, they could do whatever they wanted, but didn't know wth to do with their lives, they we're basically babies in experience, every knowlegde and power they had was "given" they just "born" that way, so Cell being a mix of cells and energy from so many people jad to mess with his character tol
Your detailed insight and analysis on Cell and him being a narcissist makes sense, especially with the fuel metaphor. I never thought of it that deep as a teen. I see it now. Toriyama is a genius with the psychoanalytic makeup of his characters.
I actually do think Zamasu/Goku Black is more narcissistic than Cell. Substantially so, which is saying a lot because Cell is indeed highly narcissistic. One common thing about narcissists is their complete lack of awareness of what they are (they're not all like this, but it's very common pattern). And their complete inability to self-reflect. Which often makes them self-righteous. Zamasu believed, with complete sincerity, that he was doing the right thing. He obsessed over his ideals about how the universe ought to be and literally thought every single being, including other gods, were beneath him. He even displayed narcissist injury when he started crying. This dude lived inside of his own head. Cell, on the other hand, knew who he was. He knew he was evil. Narcissists often try to justify their actions. They can do something downright despicable, but insist vehemently that it was actually the right thing. Or take it a step further and will blame their victim after doing something horrible to them. Cell never tried to justify what he did. He knew his acts were evil, and he doesnt care, nor does he try to hide it. But Zamasu believed everything he did was justified. He believed mortals deserved it, brought it on themselves, and are actually to blame. As for Frieza, he's definitely highly narcissistic in his own right. Maybe less than Cell, but still highly so. He's also indeed psychopathic (and so is Cell and Zamasu). But I think one if his main traits is that he's sadistic. I think he's between sadistic and psychopathic. Sadists enjoy killing and causing pain. Psychopaths simply lack empathy and remorse when they kill and cause pain. They may not necessarily get off on it. They just wont feel bad. They see people as objects, and if they harm them, its no different to them than damaging an inanimate object. Psychopaths often make effective assassins. They can kill and not feel anything. A person's life is just a source of income for them. One of the best examples of a pure psychopath in fiction (who wasn't necessarily an assassin) is Todd from Breaking Bad. So I think Frieza is a mix of a psychopath and a sadist. Buu would be closer to being a pure sadist. Where as I think a character like Mercenary Tao would be closer to being a pure psychopath.
Zamasu stands out as he's one of the only major villains not made to be evil or grew up in an environment that encourages it. Quite the opposite: Kaioshins are meant to be benevolent, if imperfect, by nature. This is also probably why he's the only main villain who acts in self-righteousness
I'm not sure if Zamasu is a bigger narcissist, to me he only showed self-righteousness when he fused with Black and called himself the amazing, beautiful, sexy Zamasu (not the exact quote but close enough)
Frieza was also bigoted against Saiyans even though they were his best soldiers for a long time(A fact he denied due to his bigotry towards the "monkeys" and overdependence on scouters and powerscaling hierarchies which many of his Frieza Force subordinates shared to their own detriment as like their master they underestimated the Saiyans` ferocity and determination to better themselves through battle) yet was also highly paranoid of their power which he inherited from his ancestor Chilled.("Beware the Super Saiyan"), a warning he failed to heed due to his obsession with being "the mightiest in the universe" until it was too late.
This tells me that Cell is obsessed with being the best warrior. And doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Although I also read once that his purpose was to also, avenge Dr. Gero's death. Which he clearly succeeded in. When he obsorbed #17 & #18. Cell's still my favorite Dragonball Villain.
I think it’s interesting that Cell essentially sacrifices his entire ethos to defeat Goku, when he not only refuses to accept a clear defeat to Goku as per the Cell Games rules (he ringed out and EXPLODED, touching the ground of King Kai’s planet, so he should have LOST the tournament!), but also then reforms and _improves_ himself from his “perfect” form. He doesn’t even realize what a contradiction this is in the moment because he sacrifices the moral/emotional high ground to stay alive, and can only gloat at everyone’s horror that he’s do something so evil-but he’s literally just illustrated that no, he was actually NEVER “perfect”, and still isn’t.
Thank you for doing this video. I love vids that do psychology of heroes and villains. And the whole thing about Cell being a narcissist and his journey to achieve his perfect form is probably why I consider the Android/Cell arc the _"Avengers: Infinity War"_ of _Dragon Ball._ Because Thanos was a narcissist who thought of himself and his ideology more important than that of anyone else.
I feel like Toriyama was really firing on all cylinders creatively with his conception and execution of the Cell character and the arc at large. Sure it has it's inconsistencies but it's honestly peak DBZ for me
This was a great video. My life has revolved around the cell games for the last 5 years pretty heavily. I based my training off of Goku and Cell explaining why a huge bulky form was no bueno. However, I recently have come to accept I’m probably this APD type and that would explain my affinity for Perfect Cell. I actually strike the first pose from the manga we get of perfect cell before a heavy set. Standing tall looking straight up. I’m not embarrassed.
Frieza wanted to be immortal so that no one could beat him as he already had everything. Cell wanted to prove t everyone that he was the ultimate being, almost like Cell in a way wanted what Frieza already had
cell would be so interesting in live action today. i remember accidently watching dragon ball back in the day, 2000 or 01 i think, and he was mesmerising as a manga cartoon with his own style, unique movement, voice, appearance. and he was the first and last thing i liked from the show for his memorability. that orange beak, those three fingers, those two funny head crests, the reptilian-bird like hind legs, the tail, those snake eyes. he looked every bit as threatening as general grievous, from 2003 cw.
personally i dont think cell is that evil, he was created and as an artificial life form only doing what he was created to do. the most evil thing he did was in his first form when he absorbed innocent people, but again is it really evil for a life form to do what they're meant to? is it evil for a lion to eat an antelope? perfect cell in some filler had an opportunity to kill people during the wait peroid for the cell games and he didn't i remember that one scene when he flew by that bus full of ppl and just smiled and acknowledged at them. if that was Frieza or Buu they would have blew them up. so while I think cell was a bad guy I don't think he was evil like Frieza or Buu
@@Top_E_OfficialYeah, in the manga he said to Trunks that his ultimate goal wasn't something as dumb as conquering or destroying the earth all he wanted was to test himself now that he obtained a perfect body but also, for his own amusement, he wanted to see the fear on people's faces when they face their inevitable fate (being killed by him), so he was very sadistic at the very least.
@@heartless6746 Did you forget that he was about wipe out the entire solar system? Did you forget that he said his goal is to destroy the entire universe as well? Cell is really evil.
Very interesting video. Goes completely in line with what I have always thought if cell actually won the cell games. I pictured him going around the galaxy to every planet he could find and challenge the strongest fighters in order to continue to show off his power and prove his superiority. On each world he would probably create a new cell game.
I agree, Cell was heavily influenced by those Saiyan cells in his desire for battle and testing his power. He struck me more as someone who got enjoyment out of battling with z fighters prior to the cell games. Which accounts for why he didn't kill the z fighters when he had multiple chances to do so.
To clarify in the beginning with talking about social disorders. In Star Wars Palpatine was a psychopath and Darth Vader was a sociopath. Sociopaths are created and essentially have no empathy in regards to “completing the mission.” Psychopaths however are born that way and get off on whatever thing they’re doing. It’s a power trip. Example: Darth Vader didn’t enjoy torturing and killing his victims, he got satisfaction but it wasn’t a game. Palpatine however loved to torture and kill. Frieza is a true psychopath. He doesn’t just commit atrocities he completely gets off on it. Cell was very similar in this way. Zamasu on the other hand is a clear sociopath. He at no point truly enjoys what he’s doing. His attitude is it must be done and you must be destroyed because that’s my mission. It’s cold and he doesn’t get off on it. He’s still a narcissist that thinks he’s above everything and whatnot, but it’s not some game to him.
NGL when I saw the title I thought it was a Vile Eye video. I was very confused when I heard Danny's voice. Now I want a Geekdom101/Vile Eye collab on DB villians.
When I think of Cell I think of the fear of the power Artificial Intelligence poses to humanity as well as the impossibility of perfection. Why I think of the fears of artificial intelligence when thinking of Cell is because Cell being an artificially created being and having as much power as he does serves as an allegory for what threat technology can pose. What makes me think of the Impossibility of Perfection is the fact that Perfection is unachievable. Cell ended up gaining his perfect form and thinking himself without fault when it came to hand to hand combat as well as how sturdy his design was only to be humiliated and killed by a super strong pre teen (Gohan).
This format of video, Analyzing Evil, is lifted from another RUclipsr called *The Vile Eye.* They do all sorts of villains, from Patrick Bateman to Tony Soprano to Darth Vader, they're some of the most well-researched videos around and they come out quite regularly. I highly recommend giving them a watch. This comment should be pinned.
@@kcgates13bravo64 Good, I'll thumbs up their comment. EDIT: I've thumbs'd-up all the previous comments. They weren't near the top, but I scrolled for them. One of them had 98 likes and it was super buried 🤨
Yeah I was just being a dick, you seem pretty nice my bad man I'ma asshole lol, but yeah I saw that one and liked it your totally right tho vile eye does good work, kinda not the style I like geekdom doing tho. Like stay your lane man ...that's just me tho
Great video man, to hammer home your point: when Cell ambushes Piccolo and the Androids on the island, Piccolo ask how many people Cell sacrificed for his power boost, and Cell scoffs telling Piccolo that it was an honour for those people to become apart of his body/power. Pretty narcissistic!
Probably the only true villain who actually had a brain and made logical, rational decisions. Frieza and Zamasu was a close second and third, but everyone else comes across as a bonehead.
This was a really good video, and now I’m curious: would you say cell actually has a soul or would you say he’s just another artificial being who’s just following his directive?
Cell may be a narcissist but cant deny he was really perfect looking with a perfect jawline in his perfect form teamfourstar goku was right: Really handsome
As soon as he went perfect form, you see him shadow boxing. Testing out and enamored with the thought of perfection. He was a robot. An android. The definition of things are final to him. If Gero created him to be perfect, then in his android head he was perfect. The definition of it. One of the first things he says after he transforms is a sly remark to 16 “you can’t be serious 16 you’re already half way to the scrap heap as it is.” Everything that fuels him from that point on was to prove his perfection to himself. That’s why he insulted 16 right away. Then as soon as Trunks started losing Cell went from being impressed to insults. And Cell had the best ones. Not just because of what he said. But because he’d say something egotistical but also would be very nonchalant. Truly spoke to everyone like they were nothing to him. After rewatching this saga recently, the plot lines and the character development are still top notch. Goku being all chill before impending doom was a great way to spin making Gohan the main fighter by the end. Cell having a breakdown not being able to accept Gohan was superior was also extremely well done upon watching it again. And I love that Cell didn’t even care about killing his opponents after they lost. He mainly just wanted to prove they’d never beat him. He just wanted to prove the best we’re obsolete to him. He was gonna destroy the earth just because they failed to bring him a fight. He could’ve killed trunks and Vegeta, but he saw how strong they had gotten in such little time due to the hyperbolic time chamber, and gave them the chance to come back stronger. Because in his head the greatest victory is one where they lost, were given all the chances to come back in their best shape, and lose to him again. Because it’s proof then they’d never win. He is perfect. And his power is final.
As a borderline sociopath with apd its usually people who loud and fake who upset us the most. Cell was only perfect after he absorbed 2 people he could not do it on his own so he is both his own Ying and yang.
What I think is interesting about you bringing up narcissists feeding off of empaths is that the most narcissistic people I know personally or see online claim to be empaths themselves and frequently find ways to blame their narcissistic behavior on being an empath.
We need a cell jr potential outlook. Crazy they were that strong after coming out of cell just wondering if that was their highest ceiling they could reach?
The symbolic contrast between Cell and Gohan is great. Cell was created by combining all the Z warriors and Frieza. Gohan was molded by the combined tutelage and kinship all the Z warriors plus his experience against Frieza. Cell is Gohan with the love and humanity stripped away.
Zamasu fusing with essentially himself is one of the most narcissistic things ever. I liked Cell Max but if he was perfect and could speak i wouldve loved to hear Dameon Clarks snarky sarcastic lines towards Gohan after years.
Personally, I believe it would be easy to flesh out cell. You can’t change him, but you can give details to him. You could mention his like, his dislikes, what he likes to do for fun, what he likes to do when he isn’t fighting, what his plans for the future are. Things like that would give depth to his character.
I remember watching DBZ when I was very young it would come on after Transformers (80’s) if I recall this was back in like 2010 so, mainly reruns, but I think because starscream was my favorite in TF cell first form INSTANTLY became my favorite and I haven’t watch much of any DBZ to this day but I still love him
Well, Cell does say - after beating Trunks - that he intends to hunt down every human on earth and kill them and that he loves the look of fear and horror... but yeah his defining trait is his narcissism, even in his usually no nonsense "if you're weaker than me I'll steal your power ASAP, if you're stronger I'm outta here til I can come back and take you down" Imperfect form he can't help but boast to Piccolo about himself.
first form = Cell needs fuel from Humans (nourishment) so he absorbs them second form = Cell needs fuel from Android 17 and 18 (power) to intimidate the Z fighters third form = Cell needs fuel from fighting all the Z fighters (admiration) by showing off his body
I guess Danny is a fan of the Vile Eye channel
Bro when I got the notification I saw the title and thought "wait vile eye watches DBZ?"
@@destructivecriticism3734 He probably does. He’s watched Berserk and Monster.
Yea I actually want vile eye to review some Dragon Ball villains, but it’s probably not gonna happen but who knows
I thought this would be a colab. Feels like a cheap theft
That’s too funny
Cell is 100% my favorite DBZ villain. I love how the Saiyan in him forces him to fight and challenge others. Wish Cell Max used his arrogant cunning perfect form than the 2nd beast like form.
Cell is a badass character, I always liked the scene where he just becomes perfect and he’s just admiring his body while trunks and krillen are punching him loll
a small allusion to fact that some narcissists don't care about what's going on around them as long as it doesn't affect them personally lol
30 years ago Cell get punched by Gohan, suddenly lost his coolness and went desperate.
now 30 years later, a psychologist told me on YT: a narcissist person doesn't care what you do to them or people around them BUT once you shake their legacy/ego they will explode and act like threatened animal.
A narcissist = Anti Life and Avoidance basically a Man who makes things happen due to his nature around him and thats why he's evil. There was a real planet Cell was on I forgot what it was called ask a guy named Andrew L. maybe his star burst then he fled and found Earth. Afterwards his nature is to find food to fuel his body but couldn't help the temptation of going into convulsions if he didn't eat so he was just trying to survive he probably even ate his own shiet and piss to survive.
Cell feels.... Neutral Evil
Buu is definitely Chaotic Evil 😂
Buu is a menace
Frieza is the lawful evil one.
The majority of DB Villains can be Neutral Evil as well as Chaotic Evil. The only Lawful Evil villains could be Baby, Freeza, King Vegeta, Coola and possibly Piccolo Daimao.
@@GuyVick frieza is more of a sociopath then kid buu.
@@ericocccams5865 nah we can debate this all night nobody was insane like buu the man didn’t give a single fuck
Cell Max was more like an epilogue to Cell's character, while Cell was dead, there was undeniable proof that they still could make another one. That would've affected Cell NEGATIVELY if he was revived with the Dragon Balls, only to find out he has competition with the Gammas AND Cell Max. The fear of being replaced is common among narcissists so Cell in a sense, got what he truly deserved.
The irony is that Cell himself is effectively a clone of multiple people. The insect traits and syringe are the most unique thing to his name
I would be interested as to what a good guy equivalent of Cell would be like. Say in Universe 6 all the best fighters had their DNA combined into a champion. The blood of familiar species but also the trickiness of Hit, the armor of Magetta and the damage sponge of Botamo. But at that point this is just my Universe 6 fanfic
@@redjirachi1 check out Masako X's What If Cell Became Good series!
I saw a really cool theory that since personal hells are different for everyone in DragonBall, Cells hell is being trapped in a spiderweb, struggling but unable to get away or move. In this hell, Cell is forced to watch everyone surpass him, all the way from when Gohan beat him up until black frieza was introduced.
@@jasonjobstImagine if after Cell saw that, he was like “Oh, shit, I have his DNA, can I do that too? GIMME!”
@@davidspraguedragonman6479 UH OH
The saddest thing about Cell is that he probably would have been a better person if he didn’t have Frieza’s cells. It’s very interesting that many of the components that made up Cell ended up making him a foil to so many characters.
It also doesn't help that Gero had his computer scream out "KILL SON GOKU!" For at least 20 years. I mean look at what he did to 17.
@@aliastheabnormal As well as #16 and so on.
@@crystalfire7x Dragonball abridged reference...
@@aliastheabnormal cell was never intended to kill goku
the androids were designed to kill goku it even shows that in the main timeline when they try to kill him when he's still recovering from heart virus
cell was just a backup plan cause gero knew they would betray him eventually
after he reaches perfection he can explore the universe and do whatever he wants....
but yeah trunks ruined that for him lol
@@aliastheabnormal The only true goal Gero gave Cell was to absorb the androids and become perfect. After that Cell just wanted to test his power and show everyone his perfection. The androids were specifically created to kill goku, not cell.
Analyzing evil on DBZ *AND* it’s from Geekdom? Oh yeah this is gonna be a good one.
I think Cell is the best example of a true narcissist in the series than any other one. I think Zamasu and Freeza were good examples of sociopaths.
I like cell because his narcissistic traits aren’t so much based on insecurities as they are literal self aggrandizement
Tao Pai Pai kills a tailor who makes him a new outfit (after Goku’s Kamehameha scorched his previous one and Tao attempted to kill him with a Dodon Ray), because the tailor dared mention compensation for tailoring the outfit for him.
I agree Zamasu is likely a sociopath-his theft of Goku’s image to get at his family reeks of the “cutting off their faces” trope in, say, _Silence of the Lambs,_ and his ability to only work with himself is pretty on the nose as well.
However, Frieza I’d argue is more of a Patrick Bateman style psychopathic narcissist; Frieza is capable of cooperation and delegation to lieutenants across the universe in ways a sociopath simply couldn’t functionally do, and is able to delegate tasks and regional control to trusted advisors. He’s, let’s be for real here, very intelligent and powerful, and thrives in a high-stress environment with many moving parts, and he’s obsessed with the rituals of the role of Emperor, and he loves people suffering, but he won’t make anyone suffer that HE doesn’t think deserves it… unless it advances his own power, incidentally, or is just easier for him.
Frieza’s not a sociopath so much as a megalomaniac and an egomaniac in a universe that he believes is “might makes right”, from him at the top all the way down to the bottom.
God dam you dbz fans are smart.
As someone who's studied narcissism amateurly and has a scientific degree, this video is really well done! I appreciate you referencing from the DSM5 and just generally actually knowing what you're talking about, and talking about it calmly. For psychology, that's not very common in fandom.
As someone he did not studied it, he did make the mistake of saying (Or he is just reciting research) you can be born with narcissism. You can't. You can be predispositioned to it but you don't come out of the womb a narcissist or with NPD.
What's dsm5
@@VornTheMatrix The book that psychogists use to study and diagnose mental illness.
@@VornTheMatrix I think it stands for “DeeS Mnut5”
Funny that he was also the only villain that went out of his way to be on TV, because pretty much everyone on TV is either a narcissist or a psychopath, or both, and those are the puppets that were used to create a culture that glorifies, rewards and requires those traits in the first place.
It's why he doesn't just destroy the Earth when he had the chance. No, he needs to make it a special occasion and prolong it because he has Vegeta and Frieza's ego rubbing
@@redjirachi1 If you seen Masakox What If Nappa Turned Good Part 3, where Cell has Nappa's saiyan dna instead of Vegeta, I'd imagine he has Nappa and Frieza's sadism.
Im rewatching this saga again and I am really understanding this character alot more than I did as a child. Cell is truly the best villian in DB although my fav is Frieza. I swear there is an excuse for everything he does and you can see through his actions where certain traits from the different characters he has are coming from. Genius!
Like for example, the fact that he knowingly makes the same mistake against Gohan that Vegeta made against him. In Cell's eyes, Vegeta's mistake wasn't that he was arrogant, it's that he *wasn't* Cell. Cell believed that he and he alone couldn't fail. So he willingly fell into the same traps his "lessers" did believing entirely that he would succeed...
@@AndrewAce. exactly! Those prideful cells (saiyan/Vegeta) clouded his rational judgements (Piccolo). This arc was the perfect ending for the series. Looking back I think it shouldve ended there ha
@@baseddandere It really brought the story full circle...
A villain made out of the cells of all the previous villains and heroes is literally the perfect villain to end things on. I'm not going to act like there wasn't some cool moments, but after this it was demon goo guys, and gods that somehow nobody knew were there. Or thought to mention or ask for help. I'm just wondering how many lost ultimate beings are going to be discovered LOL
16:00 - Cell even tells Piccolo that his victims should be "honoured" to fuel his power. It's a very narcissistic way of thinking; that other people people can serve no higher purpose than to suit your needs.
Very much so. He killed an unfathomable amount of people and the only thing that he thinks of is how much better he is because of that and how the victims should feel good about helping him achieve that.
Cell is the culmination of all the attributes of all the main characters, both protagonistic and antagonistic, in the series to that point, and that fuels his narcissism and his desire to prove himself to everyone. Goku, Tien, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Freeza all possess a desire for ultimate power for at least a portion of the story, and Cell has all of that desire and drive concentrated in a single mind and body. That's one of several reasons why I think Cell is the greatest Dragonball villain and why he deserves to return in Super properly.
I like to imagine that OG Cell could sense the final battle of Super Hero with Cell Max and thinks of him as a wannabe knock-off as he has been secretly training in his purgatory even since his death and has been learning all the limits of his confines. Just imagine a Tai Lung style escape from Hell that not even King Yemma or Grand Kai can stop, and if Freeza can achieve GoD levels of power with a decade's worth of training imagine what Cell has accomplished with even more time!
🤓🤓🤓🤓🤓
Already said this in a different comment, but I read a cool theory on what Cells hell would be. He wouldn't be able to move or look away; forever stuck and struggling in a web he couldn't get out of. In front of him, he could see everyone surpassing him, from the moment he was beaten all the way to cell max and black frieza. For a narcissist who thought he was perfect, this would truly be HELL. Watching everyone slowly and surely get stronger then you ever thought possible.
Cell's other dither downfall was his mentality on Perfection.
Like Mayuri said in Bleach, "Prefection is a dead-end", Cell's focus on Perfection is what drove him to do what he did. And when he achieved it, he stopped try, he didn't try to improve because when he obtained it, he also lost his way to improve himself because he didn't need to anymore.
The only time he improved was when he blew himself up and even wasn't even sure that he survive.
I think it has to do with an identity crisis too, just like the androids cell was created with a strong and sole purpose, and that wasnt his choice, it was his creator, so just like n16, 17 and 18 with maki does, they could do whatever they wanted, but didn't know wth to do with their lives, they we're basically babies in experience, every knowlegde and power they had was "given" they just "born" that way, so Cell being a mix of cells and energy from so many people jad to mess with his character tol
This really reminds me of VileEye's Analyzing Evil Series he has on RUclips. It is quite impressive to look at.
Yea
I think geekdom borrowed his idea
Your detailed insight and analysis on Cell and him being a narcissist makes sense, especially with the fuel metaphor. I never thought of it that deep as a teen. I see it now. Toriyama is a genius with the psychoanalytic makeup of his characters.
When I saw the notification, I thought it was The Vile Eye for a moment there...
I actually do think Zamasu/Goku Black is more narcissistic than Cell. Substantially so, which is saying a lot because Cell is indeed highly narcissistic.
One common thing about narcissists is their complete lack of awareness of what they are (they're not all like this, but it's very common pattern). And their complete inability to self-reflect. Which often makes them self-righteous.
Zamasu believed, with complete sincerity, that he was doing the right thing. He obsessed over his ideals about how the universe ought to be and literally thought every single being, including other gods, were beneath him. He even displayed narcissist injury when he started crying. This dude lived inside of his own head.
Cell, on the other hand, knew who he was. He knew he was evil. Narcissists often try to justify their actions. They can do something downright despicable, but insist vehemently that it was actually the right thing. Or take it a step further and will blame their victim after doing something horrible to them.
Cell never tried to justify what he did. He knew his acts were evil, and he doesnt care, nor does he try to hide it. But Zamasu believed everything he did was justified. He believed mortals deserved it, brought it on themselves, and are actually to blame.
As for Frieza, he's definitely highly narcissistic in his own right. Maybe less than Cell, but still highly so. He's also indeed psychopathic (and so is Cell and Zamasu). But I think one if his main traits is that he's sadistic. I think he's between sadistic and psychopathic. Sadists enjoy killing and causing pain. Psychopaths simply lack empathy and remorse when they kill and cause pain. They may not necessarily get off on it. They just wont feel bad. They see people as objects, and if they harm them, its no different to them than damaging an inanimate object. Psychopaths often make effective assassins. They can kill and not feel anything. A person's life is just a source of income for them. One of the best examples of a pure psychopath in fiction (who wasn't necessarily an assassin) is Todd from Breaking Bad.
So I think Frieza is a mix of a psychopath and a sadist. Buu would be closer to being a pure sadist. Where as I think a character like Mercenary Tao would be closer to being a pure psychopath.
Zamasu stands out as he's one of the only major villains not made to be evil or grew up in an environment that encourages it. Quite the opposite: Kaioshins are meant to be benevolent, if imperfect, by nature. This is also probably why he's the only main villain who acts in self-righteousness
I'm not sure if Zamasu is a bigger narcissist, to me he only showed self-righteousness when he fused with Black and called himself the amazing, beautiful, sexy Zamasu (not the exact quote but close enough)
Frieza was also bigoted against Saiyans even though they were his best soldiers for a long time(A fact he denied due to his bigotry towards the "monkeys" and overdependence on scouters and powerscaling hierarchies which many of his Frieza Force subordinates shared to their own detriment as like their master they underestimated the Saiyans` ferocity and determination to better themselves through battle) yet was also highly paranoid of their power which he inherited from his ancestor Chilled.("Beware the Super Saiyan"), a warning he failed to heed due to his obsession with being "the mightiest in the universe" until it was too late.
This tells me that Cell is obsessed with being the best warrior. And doing whatever it takes to achieve it. Although I also read once that his purpose was to also, avenge Dr. Gero's death. Which he clearly succeeded in. When he obsorbed #17 & #18.
Cell's still my favorite Dragonball Villain.
I think it’s interesting that Cell essentially sacrifices his entire ethos to defeat Goku, when he not only refuses to accept a clear defeat to Goku as per the Cell Games rules (he ringed out and EXPLODED, touching the ground of King Kai’s planet, so he should have LOST the tournament!), but also then reforms and _improves_ himself from his “perfect” form. He doesn’t even realize what a contradiction this is in the moment because he sacrifices the moral/emotional high ground to stay alive, and can only gloat at everyone’s horror that he’s do something so evil-but he’s literally just illustrated that no, he was actually NEVER “perfect”, and still isn’t.
Thank you for doing this video. I love vids that do psychology of heroes and villains.
And the whole thing about Cell being a narcissist and his journey to achieve his perfect form is probably why I consider the Android/Cell arc the _"Avengers: Infinity War"_ of _Dragon Ball._ Because Thanos was a narcissist who thought of himself and his ideology more important than that of anyone else.
I feel like Toriyama was really firing on all cylinders creatively with his conception and execution of the Cell character and the arc at large. Sure it has it's inconsistencies but it's honestly peak DBZ for me
I would love to see more analyzing evil videos. Amazing job!
This was a great video. My life has revolved around the cell games for the last 5 years pretty heavily. I based my training off of Goku and Cell explaining why a huge bulky form was no bueno. However, I recently have come to accept I’m probably this APD type and that would explain my affinity for Perfect Cell. I actually strike the first pose from the manga we get of perfect cell before a heavy set. Standing tall looking straight up. I’m not embarrassed.
Frieza wanted to be immortal so that no one could beat him as he already had everything.
Cell wanted to prove t everyone that he was the ultimate being, almost like Cell in a way wanted what Frieza already had
cell would be so interesting in live action today. i remember accidently watching dragon ball back in the day, 2000 or 01 i think, and he was mesmerising as a manga cartoon with his own style, unique movement, voice, appearance. and he was the first and last thing i liked from the show for his memorability. that orange beak, those three fingers, those two funny head crests, the reptilian-bird like hind legs, the tail, those snake eyes. he looked every bit as threatening as general grievous, from 2003 cw.
Really like this style, keep it up geekdom
Cell is such a troll lol he may be evil but you can’t deny how entertaining this man was when he disrespected everyone.
personally i dont think cell is that evil, he was created and as an artificial life form only doing what he was created to do. the most evil thing he did was in his first form when he absorbed innocent people, but again is it really evil for a life form to do what they're meant to? is it evil for a lion to eat an antelope? perfect cell in some filler had an opportunity to kill people during the wait peroid for the cell games and he didn't i remember that one scene when he flew by that bus full of ppl and just smiled and acknowledged at them. if that was Frieza or Buu they would have blew them up. so while I think cell was a bad guy I don't think he was evil like Frieza or Buu
@christian vaye Bro was gonna destroy the entire universe after destroying the earth, and you're saying he isn't that evil 💀💀💀
@@Top_E_OfficialYeah, in the manga he said to Trunks that his ultimate goal wasn't something as dumb as conquering or destroying the earth all he wanted was to test himself now that he obtained a perfect body but also, for his own amusement, he wanted to see the fear on people's faces when they face their inevitable fate (being killed by him), so he was very sadistic at the very least.
@@heartless6746 Did you forget that he was about wipe out the entire solar system? Did you forget that he said his goal is to destroy the entire universe as well? Cell is really evil.
Very interesting video. Goes completely in line with what I have always thought if cell actually won the cell games. I pictured him going around the galaxy to every planet he could find and challenge the strongest fighters in order to continue to show off his power and prove his superiority. On each world he would probably create a new cell game.
I agree, Cell was heavily influenced by those Saiyan cells in his desire for battle and testing his power. He struck me more as someone who got enjoyment out of battling with z fighters prior to the cell games. Which accounts for why he didn't kill the z fighters when he had multiple chances to do so.
Thank you so much for this man! Love you diving deep!😊😊😊❤❤❤❤
Makes me wonder if Cell had the DNA of my parents in the mix.
8:10
Yea remember in the anime when Cell says to Trunks “I see you have learnt all of Vegeta’s moves. Now let me demonstrate how to do them properly.”
To clarify in the beginning with talking about social disorders. In Star Wars Palpatine was a psychopath and Darth Vader was a sociopath.
Sociopaths are created and essentially have no empathy in regards to “completing the mission.”
Psychopaths however are born that way and get off on whatever thing they’re doing. It’s a power trip.
Example: Darth Vader didn’t enjoy torturing and killing his victims, he got satisfaction but it wasn’t a game. Palpatine however loved to torture and kill.
Frieza is a true psychopath. He doesn’t just commit atrocities he completely gets off on it. Cell was very similar in this way. Zamasu on the other hand is a clear sociopath. He at no point truly enjoys what he’s doing. His attitude is it must be done and you must be destroyed because that’s my mission. It’s cold and he doesn’t get off on it. He’s still a narcissist that thinks he’s above everything and whatnot, but it’s not some game to him.
NGL when I saw the title I thought it was a Vile Eye video. I was very confused when I heard Danny's voice. Now I want a Geekdom101/Vile Eye collab on DB villians.
That should totally happen
When I think of Cell I think of the fear of the power Artificial Intelligence poses to humanity as well as the impossibility of perfection. Why I think of the fears of artificial intelligence when thinking of Cell is because Cell being an artificially created being and having as much power as he does serves as an allegory for what threat technology can pose. What makes me think of the Impossibility of Perfection is the fact that Perfection is unachievable. Cell ended up gaining his perfect form and thinking himself without fault when it came to hand to hand combat as well as how sturdy his design was only to be humiliated and killed by a super strong pre teen (Gohan).
This format of video, Analyzing Evil, is lifted from another RUclipsr called *The Vile Eye.* They do all sorts of villains, from Patrick Bateman to Tony Soprano to Darth Vader, they're some of the most well-researched videos around and they come out quite regularly. I highly recommend giving them a watch.
This comment should be pinned.
Someone posted this way before you, your kinda a comment thief
@@kcgates13bravo64 Good, I'll thumbs up their comment.
EDIT: I've thumbs'd-up all the previous comments. They weren't near the top, but I scrolled for them. One of them had 98 likes and it was super buried 🤨
Yeah I was just being a dick, you seem pretty nice my bad man I'ma asshole lol, but yeah I saw that one and liked it your totally right tho vile eye does good work, kinda not the style I like geekdom doing tho. Like stay your lane man ...that's just me tho
Isn't analyzing evil the Vile Eye's thing? Credit dat boy
Nahhh
Great video man, to hammer home your point: when Cell ambushes Piccolo and the Androids on the island, Piccolo ask how many people Cell sacrificed for his power boost, and Cell scoffs telling Piccolo that it was an honour for those people to become apart of his body/power. Pretty narcissistic!
Great video! I'd love to see your analysis on Frieza since Toriyama based him off land sharks and that psychology.
The psychological approach was a great aspect, best in depth in a while!
My favorite villain in the Dragon Ball Z series. He was designed to be a counter to Goku.
Excellent content Danny!!! I’d like to see more like this.
If perfect Cell had a more compelling motivation, he would be hands down the best villain ever in DB
Thank you for the follow up video from before, appreciate the wisdom you've provided, hope all is well on your end, look forward to the next video
I thought this was one of The Vile Eye’s videos at first.
Thank you for the video Danny, loved it
Probably the only true villain who actually had a brain and made logical, rational decisions. Frieza and Zamasu was a close second and third, but everyone else comes across as a bonehead.
Cooler also wanted to finished things up quickly, he even help his henchmen.
I wonder how many times geekdom has made a video about Cell. This is at least his 6th one
A different term for “fuel” is “narcissistic supply”.
Cell is basically made up of the worst traits of the heroes and villains at that point. That makes a special kind of evil antagonist
Missed when this first came out but it’s ironic that it pops up now since I just got to the Cell saga in my rewatching of Z lol
This was a really good video, and now I’m curious: would you say cell actually has a soul or would you say he’s just another artificial being who’s just following his directive?
Cell may be a narcissist
but cant deny he was really perfect looking with a perfect jawline in his perfect form
teamfourstar goku was right: Really handsome
Getting to it before the Vile Eye I see?
I was expecting Vile Eye type of voice lol
Very interesting and makes sense in the case of cell keep up your great work
My favorite villain ever his backstory is different, and everything about him. Cell is very confident.
You did a really good job on this video topic.
I feel like Vegeta's ego was so big that it made Cell's personality mostly Vegeta
Perfect Cell was also heavily influenced by Goku which explains why he opted for the Cell Games instead of outright enslaving the planet
Do one of Buu next! All versions of him!😊😊😊😊
Yesss I agree Majin Buu is my favorite
Toriyama...creator of Demon King Piccolo, Vegeta and the Almighty General Tao...definately knows how to write about Narassism!
As soon as he went perfect form, you see him shadow boxing. Testing out and enamored with the thought of perfection. He was a robot. An android. The definition of things are final to him. If Gero created him to be perfect, then in his android head he was perfect. The definition of it. One of the first things he says after he transforms is a sly remark to 16 “you can’t be serious 16 you’re already half way to the scrap heap as it is.” Everything that fuels him from that point on was to prove his perfection to himself. That’s why he insulted 16 right away. Then as soon as Trunks started losing Cell went from being impressed to insults. And Cell had the best ones. Not just because of what he said. But because he’d say something egotistical but also would be very nonchalant. Truly spoke to everyone like they were nothing to him. After rewatching this saga recently, the plot lines and the character development are still top notch. Goku being all chill before impending doom was a great way to spin making Gohan the main fighter by the end. Cell having a breakdown not being able to accept Gohan was superior was also extremely well done upon watching it again. And I love that Cell didn’t even care about killing his opponents after they lost. He mainly just wanted to prove they’d never beat him. He just wanted to prove the best we’re obsolete to him. He was gonna destroy the earth just because they failed to bring him a fight. He could’ve killed trunks and Vegeta, but he saw how strong they had gotten in such little time due to the hyperbolic time chamber, and gave them the chance to come back stronger. Because in his head the greatest victory is one where they lost, were given all the chances to come back in their best shape, and lose to him again. Because it’s proof then they’d never win. He is perfect. And his power is final.
Cell Max my be way more powerful than the original Cell, but he wasn't as smart as the original Cell
As a borderline sociopath with apd its usually people who loud and fake who upset us the most. Cell was only perfect after he absorbed 2 people he could not do it on his own so he is both his own Ying and yang.
Definitely a fan but I'll wait for vile eye to make this video
This is actually a really good video idea
Thanks bro! Very eye opening!
What I think is interesting about you bringing up narcissists feeding off of empaths is that the most narcissistic people I know personally or see online claim to be empaths themselves and frequently find ways to blame their narcissistic behavior on being an empath.
We need a cell jr potential outlook. Crazy they were that strong after coming out of cell just wondering if that was their highest ceiling they could reach?
Awesome video & I can’t wait to see your video of Analyzing Evil Goku Black in the future
this is actually a brilliant perspective
Finally somebody that knows how to use the word😂😂😂
Great video! Cell till this day is still my favorite DB villain.
As a kid I did implicitly understand all this but U GOT ME ON THE CELL SUCK SHIT💀💀💀
The symbolic contrast between Cell and Gohan is great. Cell was created by combining all the Z warriors and Frieza. Gohan was molded by the combined tutelage and kinship all the Z warriors plus his experience against Frieza. Cell is Gohan with the love and humanity stripped away.
15:54 lmfaoooooo amazing video as always tho
Cell: a perfect villain
Zamasu fusing with essentially himself is one of the most narcissistic things ever. I liked Cell Max but if he was perfect and could speak i wouldve loved to hear Dameon Clarks snarky sarcastic lines towards Gohan after years.
Hmmm, The Vile Eye wants his title series back...
Personally, I believe it would be easy to flesh out cell.
You can’t change him, but you can give details to him.
You could mention his like, his dislikes, what he likes to do for fun, what he likes to do when he isn’t fighting, what his plans for the future are.
Things like that would give depth to his character.
This is deep but well constructed
Freeza is a Megalomaniac. I read somewhere that Freeza is a combination of all the things that terrify Toriyama about Humanity
"Bibidi, babdi, buu" Toriyama's pun/pen game is unmatched.
Almost every main Dragonball villain has some amount of cluster B personality pathology, and Cell is definitely no different.
Couldn't have described Cell any better
I remember watching DBZ when I was very young it would come on after Transformers (80’s) if I recall this was back in like 2010 so, mainly reruns, but I think because starscream was my favorite in TF cell first form INSTANTLY became my favorite and I haven’t watch much of any DBZ to this day but I still love him
This was a great video
i thought i was the only one who saw this connection. Cell is definitely a narcissist and a greater narcissist at that.
This is good video to know stuff like this. Cell never act like a real true villain. He was all about a sport fight like UFC or something.
Out here teaching people in one video more than what they teach in a year at school
Personally, I never thought that cell was as evil as other villains like frieza or buu. He just wanted his perfect form and a good fight.
I'm been trying to get that vile eye guy to make a video on frieza forever
Just curious if perfect Cell could absorb Cell Max also take his power. Only if they are same DNA? Keep up awesome and amazing job Geekdom 👍
Well, Cell does say - after beating Trunks - that he intends to hunt down every human on earth and kill them and that he loves the look of fear and horror... but yeah his defining trait is his narcissism, even in his usually no nonsense "if you're weaker than me I'll steal your power ASAP, if you're stronger I'm outta here til I can come back and take you down" Imperfect form he can't help but boast to Piccolo about himself.
Cell is my favorite villain by far! I love how he has DNA from all the other characters
first form = Cell needs fuel from Humans (nourishment) so he absorbs them
second form = Cell needs fuel from Android 17 and 18 (power) to intimidate the Z fighters
third form = Cell needs fuel from fighting all the Z fighters (admiration) by showing off his body
Cell stopped just because they didn't wanna draw him
Homelander, classic example of wanting love as fuel
"OK, you suck. You are sucking all the fun out of this! I'm the only one who sucks here, boy-that came out wrong"
- imperfect Cell
When the Wings started Flapping in DS:SH I was like woah I need the cell games to be remastered now