Cell is quite literally a being with mutation in his DNA as he is the living embodiment of everyone he’s absorbed and/or stolen powers from throughout the Dragon Ball series, so it is no surprise that his entire character is the personified metaphor for the series’ evolution.
When Dragon Ball was first released, it was a low-stakes series following a group of kids who were searching for wish-granting orbs. Sure, they had to stop some bad guys along the way, but practically all the violence was done in a kid friendly and playful tone. Beyond being about Goku, Bulma and the gang hunting Dragon Balls, the original Dragon Ball manga delved into martial arts tournaments heavily. At the end of practically every major story arch, Dragon Ball would bookend it with a World Martial Arts Tournament. Even after the events of the King Piccolo Saga (which is arguably the most intense Dragon Ball ever got in those early days) Goku fought the reincarnation of King Piccolo and beat him in a tournament, and that marked the end of the original series. Essentially, Dragon Ball is lighthearted, fun, and tournament-focused–which is a far cry from what it became with the launch of Dragon Ball Z, and one chapter within Z’s Cell Saga highlights that point perfectly.
In Dragon Ball chapter 389 by Akira Toriyama, Cell goes on live television and broadcasts to the world that he is holding a martial arts tournament dubbed the Cell Games. While that initially sounds like a fun idea and a less destructive way for foes to settle their differences, Cell’s rules associated with the tournament were enough to cause widespread panic around the globe. For one, the Cell Games would allow killing unlike Dragon Ball‘s original Tenkaichi Budokai. Not only that, but if Cell won these games then he would destroy the world, 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 tournament since the last Tenkaichi Budokai at the end of Dragon Ball. At this point, Dragon Ball Z had moved completely away from tournaments altogether as the Z-Fighters were too busy battling evil Saiyans, then Frieza, then Androids, and now Cell with barely a break in between. While the Cell Games was a return to tournament-style contests in Dragon Ball Z, however, it was very different from the original. Dragon Ball’s tournaments were fun contests that would decide who was the strongest in the world. There was no killing, and the winner received a cash prize and the title of champion. In the Cell Games, however, killing was encouraged and the fate of the world hung in the balance.
Dragon Ball Z has shown Z-Fighters like Goku and Vegeta elevate to levels of power that were completely unheard of in the original Dragon Ball. Not only that, but the series became much more mature in terms of heightened violence and high-stakes storytelling. Essentially, Dragon Ball Z took the idea of tournaments from its roots and amplified them to match the tone of the current series. Plus, Cell was doing all of this while possessing the literal DNA of original characters who first appeared in Dragon Ball–making Cell a mutated amalgamation of the characters who originally fought in the light-hearted tournaments of the early days. From the hardcore change to Dragon Ball’s tournaments to his entire existence as a whole, Cell is the perfect metaphor for Dragon Ball’s evolution.
