'Dragon Ball Super': Why Android 17 Is The Tournament Of Power's True MVP

Reason For Entering The Tournament Is Great

When Goku was searching for strong fighters to represent Universe 7 in the Tournament of Power, his search brought him to Android 17 who had changed a lot since his time in Dragon Ball Z.

Not only does this new Android 17 have a job protecting an island of rare animals from poachers, he has a loving family. When Goku tells him of the tournament (under the guise of the same lie he told Android 17 where he'd win prize money) he begrudgingly agrees in order to win the tournament and buy a cruiser to take his family on a vacation around the world.

His new characterization also brought a new level of power and his training on the island even made him a match for Goku.

Fleshed Out Android 18's Character

Android 18 and Android 17 had a strong relationship in Dragon Ball Z's Android arc, but after 18 and 17 became human fans had not seen much of 17. But the two of them shared quite a few tender moments during the Tournament of Power that helped flesh out both of their characters.

We knew 18 loved her family with Krillin, but it's a different thing watching her talk about it with her brother as the two even had a few moments where they were able to tell each other about how much they loved their current lives.

It was also fun seeing Android 18 cut loose for once with her brother and made the two of them a formidable duo that hearkened back to the first time we saw them.

Interrupted The Kamikaze Fireballs

One of the funniest moments of the Tournament of Power came early in the proceedings, and it was also the first time Android 17 stood out from among the other Universe 7 fighters.

When Universe 2's magical girl pastiche the Kamikaze Fireballs made a grand gesture about them transforming into their fighting forms, Android 17 blasted them away before they could finish their speech and transformation. Surprising everyone there, who had stopped to watch the unique show, Android 17 argued that Universe 2 was vulnerable and frankly pointed out why letting them get to full power was a bad idea (even highlighting how fans criticize this central conceit of the series).

It was only a brief look at how much Android 17 would steal the spotlight in the episodes to come.

Helped 18 Defeat Ribrianne

17 and 8 teamed up to defeat two of those Kamikaze Fireballs, Rozie and Ribrianne. Throughout the fight Ribrianne often made comments about Android 18's perceived lack of love, and while Android 18 was able to comically dodge Ribrianne's attack at first, she eventually succumbed to a previously sustained injury.

Thinking she had Android 18 on the ropes, Ribrianne gets a love power boost from the eliminated Universe 2 fighters and gets a huge new transformation. When Ribrianne attempted to shoot Android 18 out of the sky, Android 17 instead jumps in to block it with his energy barrier (a barrier that would get a ton of use throughout the tournament, and even factored into his final moments).

With Android 17 also cheering her on, Android 18 musters enough force to punch the giant Ribrianne in the face and the both them contributed to eliminating Universe 2 from the Tournament overall.

Defeated One of Universe 4's Trickiest Fighters

Along with helping to deal the final blow to Universe 2, Android 17 dealt the flow blow to Universe 4 and defeated its trickiest fighter. A seemingly invisible enemy was masking their presence, and when Piccolo sensed where it was, he attacked and missed. Universe 4's fighter was able to get the drop on Piccolo after Piccolo misread the attack and eliminated him from the tournament.

This mysterious enemy was eventually revealed to be Damon, who wasn't invisible but instead the size of an insect. A cute little insect fighter who Android 17 literally toyed with in order to eliminate him. 17 used his barrier (again, a running theme throughout 17's biggest moments) to capture the insect inside and then kicked him like a ball out of the tournament arena.

Before this, 17 was the only one to recognize its pattern and draw Damon's attention, making him definitely one of Universe 7's more intelligent fighters.

Figured Out Aniraza's Weakness

Along with figuring out the trick in defeating Universe 4's Damon, Android 17 also proved crucial in defeating Universe 3's giant fusion, Aniraza. Universe 3's Aniraza was the result of their remaining four fighters fusing together and towered over the entire arena.

When Aniraza charges an obscenely large blast and threatens to destroy the entire arena, Universe 7 charges into full power. Vegeta goes Super Saiyan Blue, Gohan uses his Mystic transformation, Goku goes Super Saiyan Blue as well, Freeza transforms into Golden Freeza and 17 charges his energy. The five of them all unleash giant Ki blasts together against Aniraza's giant sphere of destructive energy.

Android 17 notices a weakness in Aniraza, the giant glowing gem on his forehead. With this knowledge he covers himself in his barrier and charges through Aniraza's giant blast. With one punch, he shatters the gem on Aniraza's forehead. Turns out it was its energy reactor, and had now been damaged. With one final push, the four remaining fighters were able to counter Aniraza's blast and eliminate it from the tournament.

Saved Freeza On Multiple Occasions

Freeza has definitely been a weird presence in the Tournament of Power, but his tenure in it could have ended much sooner had it not been for Android 17. When Toppo becomes a God of Destruction, Freeza foolishly challenges his power. Toppo then grabs Freeza and throws him into the sky, but before he can deal the finishing blow, 17 throws a rock to knock Freeza out of the way.

This comes again during the most recent episode of the series as Freeza foolishly challenges Jiren and Jiren knocks him away in pretty much the same fashion. But before Jiren could deal that finishing blow, 17 manages to sneak up on Jiren and delivers the first actually damaging hit against the Universe 11 foe.

He Sacrificed Himself For Universe 7

Not only did he damage Jiren, but he saved Universe 7's final hope of Goku and Vegeta. As Goku and Vegeta lied on the ground damaged from an earlier attack, 17 stands against Jiren and says that Universe 7 will indeed win. After some back and forth, Jiren fires a large ki blast at Goku and Vegeta but 17 stops it with his barrier.

Goku and Vegeta ask what he's doing, and 17 says he gave up the cruiser he wanted to wish for his family and that they should thank him for doing so. He laughs at the fact that his sacrificing himself is such a human thing to do and explodes. In order to buy Goku and Vegeta time, he protects the two of them with his energy barriers and explodes himself in order to get rid of Jiren's massive ki blast.

This moment not only broke the hearts of many fans, but also cemented his spot as the top character of the arc.

First One To Hurt Jiren

Many characters throughout the Tournament of Power, including Goku and Vegeta, had been trying to figure out the secret to defeating Jiren but only Android 17 managed to actually put a scratch on him.

When saving Freeza, Android 17 actually managed to get the jump on Jiren. He was distracted by Goku, Vegeta, and Freeza, so he didn't notice 17 sneaking up behind him and charging a ki blast. Hitting with such a powerful blast, at such close range actually damaged Jiren's suit as Android 17 figured out the key to defeating Jiren is to attack him by surprise with a powerful attack.

But not only does this effort help Universe 7 in the long run, his sacrifice could have very well guaranteed the survival of his Universe.

Fans Are Rallying Behind Him

His self-destruction was the final bit of characterization fans needed to declare him the best character in the Tournament of Power. His fighting skill, intelligence, strategic mind, and overall nonchalant attitude against even the strongest of opponents made Android 17 a character that stands out from many of the other characters.

Although some fans would have preferred to see Gohan or Piccolo survive in the tournament longer than Android 17, his final goodbye just reflected how big of an impact he's made on the Universal Survival arc and Dragon Ball Super as a whole.