Fans might desperately want the villainous android Cell to appear in future chapters of Dragon Ball Super, but his comeback would undoubtedly sully the reintroduction of a more shocking character from the original Dragon Ball series who shares more ties to other aspects of mangaka Akira Toriyama’s seminal franchise in unexpected ways.
Undoubtedly as a result of DBZ’s Frieza receiving multiple cameos in Super and Broly getting retconned for the franchise’s first movie, fans began to turn their attention towards Dr. Gero’s Cell android for Super‘s upcoming second film, Super Hero. If he is to reappear, he should go no further than the movies because if any former character were to make a comeback it should be Shula the demon.
Ironically, Shula is best known for his appearances in filler episodes of the anime when he kidnaps the young Princess Misa with the intention of marrying her, forcing Goku to rescue her. The young Saiyan eventually confronts the demon during his heroic mission and only wins when he exploits Shula’s sensitivity to light through the summoning of his signature Kamehameha wave. While Shula would have most likely bested Goku if the light emitting from his opponent’s energy wave hadn’t stunned him, he would undoubtedly not be a match for the Saiyan now, especially after the excessive amounts of power-level-enhancing transformations Goku and Vegeta have mastered, including Vegeta’s Ultra Ego. What’s so crucial about Shula isn’t the character himself, but his ties to the Demon Realm, which is ruled by the Demon Supreme Kais as per the second installment of Dragon Ball: Super Exciting Guide in 2009.
With a link to the Demon Supreme Kais, the reemergence of Shula would act as a continuation of Dragon Ball Super‘s Goku Black arc, which implicated the Supreme Kais. Since the latest arcs introduce new villains including Moro the Planet-Eater, Granolah the last surviving Cerealian, and the Heeter Force, now would be the most opportune time to link back to the Supreme Kais in an innovative way. The fact that the Demon Supreme Kais are undoubtedly powerful much like their non-demonic counterparts means they could actually pose a threat to Earth’s overly powerful heroes as well. Also, 2009’s Super Exciting Guide reveals another connection to the franchise that actually has ties to the Buu Saga. Apparently, a character named Salsa who supplies the Potara earrings to Goku and Vegeta so they could fuse is a Demon Supreme Kai.
What made the introduction of Cell and all of his comrades during Dragon Ball Z’s Android saga so effective was their ties to Dr. Gero and the Red Ribbon Army, a group that debuted in and had last been seen in the original Dragon Ball series. No one was expecting mangaka Toriyama to bring back such a weak organization, especially in a world where Goku could now achieve Super Saiyan. But Toriyama found a way that was innovative and used logic that fans could accept. Toriyama can effectively remake the same shocking experience as he did with the Red Ribbon Army except with Shula and his fellow demons, especially since Shula is purely filler. Reintroducing Cell instead would undoubtedly dampen the effects that such an unexpected comeback would undoubtedly generate. Everyone is also already hoping for Cell, especially now that Dragon Ball Super is hinting that Frieza will return. Lastly, bringing Cell back into the fold would mean that almost every single major villain from Dragon Ball Z has returned, save for Radditz and Nappa. In addition to Frieza, there’s Vegeta, Androids 17 and 18, and Buu, all of whom are good guys now. Maybe it’s best to keep some villains in the past–even Cell–no matter how much fans might want them.
