Cellis quite literally a being with mutation in his desoxyribonucleic acid as he is the living embodiment of everyone he ’s assimilate and/or slip powers from throughout theDragon Ballseries , so it is no surprise that his full character is the personified metaphor for the series ’ evolution .

WhenDragon Ballwas first released , it was a low - wager series following a group of nipper who were look for for regard - granting orb . Sure , they had to stop some bad guys along the way , but much all the wildness was done in a small fry well-disposed and playful tone . Beyond being aboutGoku , Bulma and the gang hunt Dragon Balls , the originalDragon Ballmanga delved into soldierly arts tournaments heavily . At the end of much every major story arch , Dragon Ballwould bookend it with a World Martial Arts Tournament . Even after the events of the King Piccolo Saga ( which is arguably the most intenseDragon Ballever puzzle in those early day ) Goku fought the reincarnation of King Piccolo and beat him in a tourney , and that marked the end of the original serial . Essentially , Dragon Ballis lighthearted , fun , and tournament - sharpen – which is a far shout from what it became with the launch ofDragon Ball Z , and one chapter withinZ ’s Cell Saga highlights that sharpen absolutely .

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InDragon Ballchapter 389 by Akira Toriyama , Cell goes on live television and broadcasts to the world that he is bear a warriorlike arts tournament dubbed the Cell Games . While that initially sounds like a fun idea and a less destructive style for enemy to sink their differences , Cell ’s rules associated with the tournament were enough to get widespread panic around the globe . For one , the Cell Games would appropriate killing unlikeDragon Ball ’s original Tenkaichi Budokai . Not only that , but if Cell pull ahead these game then he would destroy the cosmos , and given his current power level , it seemed more than likely that he would come out on top .

Dragon Ball’s Cell Games Represents the Series’ Maturity

The Cell Games was actually the first tourney since the last Tenkaichi Budokai at the closing ofDragon Ball . At this point , Dragon Ball Zhad moved completely aside from tournaments altogether as theZ - Fighters were too busy battling malevolent Saiyans , then Frieza , then Androids , and now Cell with barely a break in between . While the Cell Games was a takings to tournament - style contests inDragon Ball Z , however , it was very different from the master . Dragon Ball ’s tournament were fun contests that would adjudicate who was the strongest in the world . There was no killing , and the succeeder find a cash prize and the title of maven . In the Cell Games , however , killing was encouraged and the fortune of the worldly concern hang in the balance .

Dragon Ball Zhas shown Z - Fighters likeGoku and Vegeta elevate to levels of powerthat were completely unheard of in the originalDragon Ball . Not only that , but the serial publication became much more ripe in terms of heightened violence and gamey - stake storytelling . Essentially , Dragon Ball Ztook the musical theme of tournaments from its roots and blow up them to meet the step of the current series . Plus , Cell was doing all of this while possess the real DNA of original characters who first appeared inDragon Ball – making Cell a mutated amalgamation of the grapheme who originally press in the light - hearted tournaments of the early days . From the hardcore change toDragon Ball ’s tournament to his entire existence as a whole , Cellis the staring metaphor forDragon Ball ’s development .

Next : Dragon Ball ’s Cell Actually Could Have Been Super ’s Greatest Hero

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Cell standing in front of the Cell Games Arena in Dragon Ball Z.

Cell is a Dragon Ball metaphor.