Cell

After reawakening in the main timeline, Imperfect Cell began his hunt for Androids 17 and 18. Lacking the power to defeat them outright, he resorted to absorbing human energy en masse, exterminating entire towns to increase his strength. During this period, he clashed briefly with Piccolo, who had fused with Kami. Though outmatched in intelligence, Cell escaped the battle by using his cunning and regenerative abilities.

Learning of the Androids' location from absorbed humans and news reports, Cell eventually tracked them down during a confrontation between Androids 17, 18, and the newly fused Piccolo on a remote island. There, he interrupted the battle and revealed his intent to absorb them and achieve his next form. Android 17, unaware of the threat he posed, underestimated Cell and attempted to fight back. Despite Piccolo’s warnings, 17 was ultimately overwhelmed by Cell's increasing power and caught off guard.

Cell absorbed Android 17 by latching onto him with his tail, initiating his transformation into his Semi-Perfect form. Upon absorbing 17, Cell's body underwent a dramatic metamorphosis, increasing in size and muscular mass. His facial features became more defined, and he gained a more humanoid appearance while retaining insect-like traits. The transformation amplified his power drastically, placing him far above Piccolo and the other Z Fighters at that point.

Now in his Semi-Perfect state, Cell turned his attention to Android 18, determined to complete his evolution into his final, Perfect form.

Appearance: In Semi-Perfect form, obtained after absorbing Android 17, Cell's wings disappear, and he becomes more humanoid and muscular in appearance. He has the same coloring from his Imperfect form, but his lower arms and legs are now colored black and his tail is now orange and black. His horns now point upward and form a crown shape with the black section on his forehead becoming ball-like, and his face, though possessing a comically large-lipped mouth and lacking a nose, has taken the general shape of a human face. His pupils become round with pale blue irises and white sclera. Cell's feet lose their toes and instead resemble shoes, though his tail remains much the same as it was in his Imperfect form.

Personality: After achieving his Semi-Perfect form, Cell becomes noticeably more arrogant, aggressive, and emotionally unstable. His initial cunning and patience give way to a volatile temperament, driven almost entirely by his obsession with absorbing Android 18. No longer interested in methodical planning or absorbing other life forms, he acts with increasing recklessness and brutality.

While he still retains the knowledge and instincts of his genetic sources—Goku's combat adaptability, Vegeta's pride, and Piccolo's tactical sense—these traits are now overshadowed by impatience and a growing narcissism. Cell becomes easily frustrated when his plans are thwarted, throwing violent tantrums and lashing out destructively. He often overestimates his power, charging headlong into battle without considering the consequences.

Though his intelligence remains intact, it is often suppressed by his emotional volatility.

Abilities: Flight - The ability to fly without the use of ki.

Kamehameha - A powerful Ki blast fired with two hands after concentrating a large amount of Ki. Inherited from Goku.

Regeneration - The ability to regrow certain body parts or cells that have been dismembered or destroyed and replace them with brand new cells, or simply regrouping all of their separated parts back together. Unlike Piccolo, Cell requires very little energy to regenerate.

Solar Flare - The user places their hands close to the center of their face with the fingers spread toward their eyes. The user then calls out the name of the technique, which provokes a white light to fire out and blind everything watching except the user, since they are projecting the light. This technique is defensive rather than offensive and is mainly used as way to gain the upper hand, or in order to make hasty retreat, or to set up for a more complicated attack without fear of interruption. Inherited from Tien Shinhan.

Big Bang Attack - In order to perform it, Cell extends his arm, opens his palm and turns his hand up right. He then condenses his ki in his palm and launches a ki blast that proceeds to detonate in a massive explosion.

Big Bang Crash - First, Semi-Perfect Cell extends his hand forward and forms a red sphere of energy. Then, he shouts, "Take this!" and fires the attack at the opponent, inflicting a high amount of damage and even creating a large red dome of energy upon contact.

Super Big Bang Crash - Semi-Perfect Cell says "Very well" as he traps the opponent in a Big Bang Crash shot from his hand. Then, he appears above them and fires several Big Bang Crashes down at the trapped opponent. The accumulation of the Big Bang Crashes eventually results in a massive red explosion against the opponent, inflicting a huge amount of damage.

Negative Power Rain - Cell punches and kicks his opponent into the air, then fires nine energy blasts down at them.

Galick Gun - To utilize it, Cell curls his fingers and places both his hands together at chest level facing the same direction (so that the palm of one hand is on the back of the other). Then, once enough ki is gathered, he thrusts both hands forward to fire a powerful blast of energy. The result is a powerful, huge, fuchsia-colored ki beam that emanates from his hands and body.

Unforgivable! - When performed, Cell pumps himself up like a balloon and explodes after one minute. The resultant explosion is capable of destroying an entire planet. If Cell is attacked in any way before the countdown reaches zero, he will explode immediately. Once activated, according to Cell, he cannot reverse the technique.