Dragon Ball Creator Confirms New Red Ribbon Army Villain’s Surprising Ties

Dragon Ball Super‘s new movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has several highly-anticipated antagonists fans can’t wait to see on the big screen. Super Hero first marketed itself using new characters Gamma 1 and Gamma 2, twin androids marketed as public heores by the Red Ribbon Army. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero didn’t even make it into theaters before fans also figured out that the film is bringing a new version of Cell to the Dragon Ball Super Franchise. However, there has to be a mastermind behind all these new RRR android threats – and Akira Toriyama has now confirmed that mastermind has ties to an infamous Dragon Ball Z villain! 

(MILD SPOILERS FOLLOW!) 

Dragon Ball fans know that that Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero will introduce Dr. Hedo, the new genius mastermind behind the new era of Red Ribbon Army androids. However, in a new interview (via @Herms98), Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama confirms that Dr. Hedo isn’t just a random new scientist the RRR recruited – he’s the descendant of the infamous Dr. Gero! Not only that, but Hedo comes into Dragon Ball carrying on the legacy of Gero’s most infamous creation! 

“Cell was a fearsomely powerful foe created by Dr. Gero through the manipulation of cells,” Akira Toriyama explains. “This time around, Gero’s grandson Hedo used his genius to create Cell Max, a bigger, stronger version based on the original Cell’s blueprints.” 

So there you have it: Dr. Hedo is the grandson of Dr. Gero – and just as dangerous as the mad genius that was his grandfather. 

Dr. Gero was, as stated, a scientist of the Red Ribbon Army and a central figure of Dragon Ball Z’s third major arc, The Androids Saga. Gero transformed hismelf into an Android (No. 20), and started chain of events that created the horrific future that Vegeta’s son Future Trunks eventually traveled back from, to help Goku and the Z-Fighters ever let the androids come into power. Gero/Android 20 was eventually murdered by his own creations (Androids 17 and 18), though he was popped back up in the franchise at various points. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has also gone as far as making Gero’s family-turned-androids (Android 16 and Android 21) part of canon, as well. So even if Dr. Gero’s time is done in Dragon Ball, his legacy will continue for some time. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is now in Japanese theaters.