History Recap / DragonBallZAndroidArc

* HitAndRunTactics: Dr. Gero relies on this, more so in the anime, when he ambushes Krillin just miles away from his secret lab. Cell also uses this in his Imperfect stage.

* AccidentalHero: After learning about the androids and the BadFuture, Bulma [[StatingTheSimpleSolution comes up with a plan]]: Use the Dragon Balls to locate Dr. Gero and kill him before he can activate the androids. Vegeta, Goku, Piccolo and the other [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]] shoot this down and Goku points out that Gero hasn't done anything ''yet.'' So killing him would be unfair. Eventually it is established that [[OurTimeTravelIsDifferent the conventional rules of time travel don't apply]] when mortals travel through time and it simply creates [[AlternateTimeline Alternate Timelines]], meaning Bulma's suggestion wouldn't solve Trunks' BadFuture. So ultimately, Goku, Piccolo and Vegeta's plan of getting stronger ends up benefitting them, allowing Trunks to go back to the future and defeat the androids once he gets stronger.

* StatingTheSimpleSolution: Bulma, in the beginning of the arc, suggests using the Dragon Balls to locate Gero and kill him before he can activate the deadly androids. The main cast, being [[BloodKnight Blood Knights]], reject the idea. However, given the [[OurTimeTravelIsDifferent rules of time travel established later on]], this solution ultimately would not have solved Trunks' BadFuture.

* HeroicSacrifice: Goku uses Instant Transmission to get the about-to-self-destruct Cell away from Earth. King Kai and his pets are also victims, since Goku took Cell to King Kai's planet. [[SenselessSacrifice Too bad Cell regenerated from that]]. However, he makes a true one when he chooses to stay in the Other World instead of being wished back to life.

** Gohan has the biggest one when his decision to prolong his battle with Cell resulted in him deciding to pull a TakingYouWithMe on the ''[[EarthShatteringKaboom entire planet]]''. It got even worse when it resulted in his father senselessly sacrificing his life and Cell returning more powerful than ever.

* TakingYouWithMe: After vomiting out Android 18 and reverting to his Semi-Perfect form, Cell realizes he's outmatched and attempts to blow himself up out of spite.

* OutOfFocus: Goku, up until the Cell Games, spends the vast majority of these arcs on the sidelines. After being established as extremely powerful after first returning to Earth from year of training in space, he only briefly fights 19 before being floored by the Heart Virus. Even after recovering from that trial, he refuses to get involved in the action because he knows that Cell has become to strong for him to handle.

* WorfHadTheFlu: Goku starts suffering from the Heart Virus just as the first androids emerge, and doesn't recover until after Cell has appeared in his Imperfect Form.

* WhamShot: Vegeta surprises friend and foe alike, returning from his three year trip in space, with his newly-found Super Saiyan form, putting into question about what it actually takes to be one besides "pure of heart".

* ThisCannotBe: Cell's last words before being completely destroyed by Gohan's Kamehameha Wave is this, stating he was ''perfection''.

* OnceMoreWithClarity: We last saw Goku screaming in despair as he is unable to escape Namek. Goku's story to the others reveal more of a {{retcon}}: He spots a space pod and narrowly flies off. He then crash lands on the faroff planet Yardrat, where the inhabitants nurse him back to health, and later teach him Instant Transmission, before he returns home.

* SurprisinglyRealisticOutcome: Trunks warms Goku that being a Super Saiyan does not make him immune or even resistant to an impending heart virus, which is why he brought medicine that can fix that problem. When he faces Androids #19 and #20, the virus kicks in, severely weakening him amd taking him out of the action until the Cell Saga when he is finally cured.

* TournamentArc: Played with, Cell makes up the Cell Games and patterns it after the usual Martial Arts Tournament. However, it's obvious he's just using it as a form of entertainment and midway through his match with Goku, drops the pretense altogether and blows up the ring.

* WhamEpisode: A revived Frieza arrives on earth, the gang realizing that they're completely doomed, seemingly setting up another battle with Frieza. However, he's beaten by a mysterious boy who can also become a Super Saiyan. And ''then'' we find out that this boy is just a messenger, warning of a threat that's ''even stronger'' than Frieza.

** During Trunks' talk with Goku about the Androids, he reveals that he will be born from two unexpected people: ''Bulma and Vegeta''.

Meanwhile, Goku shows off a new trick he picked up while in space - Instant Transmission, allowing him to teleport almost anywhere. Discussing what to do, the gang agrees to train as hard as they can to stop the android threat three years from now (Bulma's suggestion of [[StatingTheSimpleSolution using the Dragon Balls to find Dr. Gero and stop him before he creates the androids]] is brushed off by the others). During the interim, Bulma and Vegeta grow more attracted to each other, and Bulma eventually gives birth to baby Trunks.

-->'''Goku''' (''to Cell'')''':''' [[OutOfCharacterMoment I give up]].[[note]]To make this even more shocking, Goku delivered this line not out of exasperation or despair, but in a ''chipper'' tone.[[/note]]

** Bulma is told by Roshi that Piccolo is fighting the androids, for his life and she needs to reach his island as soon as possible. In the manga, she flies her plane at top speed (or at least, that is what is implied), but even then, the island is too far, hence, Krillin decides to fly to her. The anime adds a {{filler}} scene where she is flying at a very average speed, taking her sweet time, until she cals Roshi, to entertain baby Trunks, when Roshi informs her that Krillin is on his way to meet her. After hanging up, Bulma decides ''now'' is the time to speed up, instead of doing that right from the beginning.

In the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, however, Gohan finally becomes a Super Saiyan when he feeds off the rage of being too weak to help those who helped him. Cell, meanwhile, swiftly dominates everyone save Vegeta and Trunks. The latter, unknown to the former, is the stronger of the two, but he refuses to use his full power out of respect for his father's pride. He's eventually forced to bring it out as a Third Grade Super Saiyan when Vegeta gets kicked in by Cell (not that the latter is completely defenseless - [[WaveMotionGun a Final Flash visible from space]] would've killed him had he not moved so "only" half his body gets blown apart), but [[MightyGlacier while he is far stronger than Cell, he's also much slower]], which Cell uses to his advantage to defeat him. Goku, meanwhile, discovers this weakness and comes up with a different plan - be a Super Saiyan for so long it's almost natural, so as not to waste energy powering up and keep a balance of speed and power. Amazed at how quickly Vegeta and Trunks grew in power, Cell spares them and announces on TV that he will hold a tournament - the Cell Games - to show his power before the world in ten days' time.

Goku and Gohan (now significantly taller than when he entered) emerge from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber as "natural" Super Saiyans, and Goku transmits to Cell to gauge his power. Even with all his training, he believes Cell could easily defeat him, but what really surprises everyone is how Goku isn't bothered by this fact, with him claiming he discovered a secret while in the chamber. The Z-Fighters spend the remaining nine days training for the Cell Games, though Goku and Gohan only bother doing so for three days; during the remaining six, they go to New Namek and make Dende the new Guardian of Earth. In addition, he makes a new set of Dragon Balls and a new Shenron - one that can grant ''three'' wishes like Porunga. On the day of the Games, the World Champion [[FakeUltimateHero Mr. Hercule Satan]] steps up to fight Cell, but gets easily beaten (claiming the fight was full of "tricks and illusions" and faking stomach cramps to avoid fighting him again). Goku fights Cell next, and he manages to keep up with the android to the point where Cell destroys the ring and makes it an all-out fight. Despite managing to blow apart Cell's upper body, Cell regenerates it, and Goku throws the match, believing he can't defeat him without destroying the planet and/or dying with him. Shockingly, he decides to have Cell fight Gohan. Even more shockingly, he tosses Cell a Senzu Bean, completely restoring his energy.

* JustToyingWithThem: Android 18 appears to be on the ropes against Vegeta, who is matching her blow for blow, only to come back and easily smack him around once Vegeta becomes fatigued. Android 18 outmatched him all along.

** The Z-Fighters once they realize that Super Saiyan Vegeta, despite his seemingly strong effort against Android 18, is only fighting a losing battle against her.

* FromASingleCell: This arc is the TropeNamer. However, it's a case of LostInTranslation, as what Cell is actually saying in Japanese is that he uses the cells from his core (i.e. brain) to regenerate. The line was altered because the original created a PlotHole in that Cell's head, which contained said core, was vaporized by Goku's kamehameha, but he regenerated from that just as well as from any other injury.

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: Piccolo decides to merge with Kami because the Earth is confronted with a dangerous menace, and that a powerful warrior capable of defending the Earth is needed, not a god who merely watches it. Kami agrees, but seeks to assess how events take place. Piccolo scoffs at this because Kami knows full well that the Z-Fighters were completely trounced by the Androids, but Kami notes that they were provoked into fighting them, and that events are playing out differently from Trunks' preductions.

** An InvokedTrope, Piccolo decides that the interim before the Cell Games is a good enough time to enter the Room of Spirit and Time/Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Goku catches after he's recently come out and says he's improved significantly. Piccolo says he knows that Goku thinks he still doesn't hold a candle to Cell, and Goku simply replies, "Yep".

** In the anime, it's stated by the main cast that King Cold is even stronger than Frieza's, but this is never demonstrated. Notably, in the manga, it was stated that King Cold was weaker then him (though both were stated to still be massively stronger then the Z-Fighters at the time, and the heroes consistently group them together when sensing their ''ki'', implying they're pretty close).

* AbortedArc: After Trunks returned three years later, there was a brief subplot of him trying to figure out who or what caused the timeline to change so drastically from his time period. The last time this is brought up is after he and Bulma look at his beat-up time machine that Cell came in, and Trunks theorizes that he could be responsible for the changes. However, this never gets brought up again.