‘Dragon Ball’ Staffers Reveal The Inspiration Behind Android 21

Dragon Ball FighterZ not only impressed fighting game fans, it impressed fans of the Dragon Ball series in general for its new additions to the series. The biggest of which is Android 21, the new character overseen by series creator Akira Toriyama.

But how did the character come to be? Thanks to a new interview with the developers behind the game, Android 21 was created in order to fill a void in the series overall.

According to the interview, the team behind Dragon Ball FighterZ wanted an original story for the game because the main series has such a memorable story that’s been experienced many times before. They wanted Android 21 and the visuals of the game to draw prospective fans in.

Having Android 21 as a new villain kept the story fresh, and she was made an Android to keep the connection the original series while still feeling new. She was also made to be female because the series hadn’t done many female villains before (and to keep her different from Cell).

It turns out, Shueisha had suggested she transform, which resulted into her playable Majin form. As for her design, the FighterZ team talked with Toriyama over what they wanted in a character and he took the design reins for himself.

This involved process definitely explained why Android 21 was such a big hit with fans.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is currently available for the PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.

There is also currently a new Dragon Ball film in the works for 2018. The film will focus on the Saiyans, the “origins of Goku‘s power,” and potentially the story of the very first Super Saiyan God.Not only does it aim to be the best film in the series, original creator Akira Toriyama will be contributing to the film’s script and new character designs.

Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturday evenings at 7:15 p.m. CST. Adult Swim airs the English dub during its Toonami block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m, and is now available to stream on FunimationNOW and Amazon Video.

If you want to catch up with the English dub, the first 39 episodes of Dragon Ball Super are now available to stream on FunimationNOW, Crunchyroll’s VRV service, and available to purchase on Amazon Video. The 39 episodes span the full range of what has aired in the North America and covers the “Battle of Gods” arc, “Revival of F” arc, and the most recently ended “Universe 6” arc.

Funimation has previously announced the rest of the series will soon be available on the service as well. Releasing in 13 episode batches two weeks after the last episode airs on Cartoon Network, fans of Dragon Ball Super‘s English dub without a cable connection will soon have a way to experience the series.