Android 17, with medium-length black hair and blue eyes, in a white T-shirt with green sleeves marked MIR, standing among clouds of dust under a blue sky

Android 17: The Cyborg Who Won the Tournament of Power

CharacterAndroidsDragon Ball Super

Android 17, whose human name is Lapis, is one of Dr. Gero's cyborgs and Android 18's twin brother. When he wakes up, he kills his creator, goes looking for Goku as if it were a game, holds his own against Piccolo, then gets absorbed by Cell. Brought back to life, he becomes the protector of an island nature reserve, and he's the last one left standing in the Tournament of Power arena. Here's a look back at his origins, his battles, his counterpart from the future, Super 17 in GT and his voices.

Created to kill Goku, he only truly crosses paths with him once he's become a ranger: Android 17 switched sides along the way. Here's the story of Android 18's twin, from Gero to the Tournament of Power.

Contents

Lapis, the twin Dr. Gero turned into a cyborg

Android 17 is a character created by Akira Toriyama for the Dragon Ball manga. His human name, Lapis, wasn't revealed by the manga artist until 2014. Put side by side, the twins' names, Lapis and Lazuli (Android 18), form “lapis lazuli,” the name of a deep blue semi-precious stone, prized for its color since antiquity.

Android 17 is the twin brother of Android 18. In the manga (chapter 418), she's the one who sets Krillin straight when he sees Android 17 as her ideal man: they're twins, not lovers. According to additional details provided by Toriyama, the twins are said to have been notorious delinquents whom Dr. Gero came across by chance before kidnapping them.

Despite being called an “artificial human,” Android 17 isn't a robot: in the manga, Bulma realizes from his blueprints that he has a human base, almost entirely enhanced with bio-organic components. A small perpetual energy reactor gives him inexhaustible energy and stamina.

Toriyama came up with Androids 17 and 18 after his former editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, disapproved of Androids 19 and 20 as the villains of the Android arc. In 2025, at the Manga Barcelona convention, Takashi Matsuyama, the manga artist's longtime assistant, said that the twins' look had been designed by Toriyama's wife, Nachi Mikami, under her pen name Yoshimi Kato.

Android 17 with black hair, an orange scarf and a black T-shirt with the RR logo, hand on his hip, next to a blonde Android 18 in a denim vest, arms crossed
Android 17 and his twin sister Android 18, Dr. Gero's cyborgs: put side by side, their human names, Lapis and Lazuli, form “lapis lazuli,” the name of a deep blue stone.

💎 The lapis lazuli that inspired the names of Android 17 and his sister is widely used in jewelry; to show off the saga on your wrist, choose from our Dragon Ball bracelets.

From Gero's murder to his absorption by Cell

Android 17 first appears in chapter 349 of the manga, published on November 12, 1991: Dr. Gero activates him first, his shutdown remote in hand, and Android 17 politely greets him. He wears a knotted scarf around his neck (orange in the color versions), a black T-shirt bearing the Red Ribbon logo over a white long-sleeved top, and jeans torn above the left knee. In the anime, Gero activates the twins in episode 133 of Dragon Ball Z, which aired in Japan on April 1, 1992.

Shortly after, taking advantage of a moment when Gero isn't paying attention, Android 17 steals the remote from him and crushes it. In chapter 350, he tells Android 18 to activate Android 16 even though their creator forbade it, then kills Dr. Gero: he pierces his chest from behind and decapitates him with a kick.

During the duel between Android 18 and Vegeta, Android 17 orders the others to respect the warrior's code. The androids spare the defeated, and Android 17 even tells Krillin to give them Senzu Beans. To him, hunting down Goku is just a game: when Android 16 points out that they'd get to Goku's place quickly by flying, Android 17 insists on driving the stolen van, because it's the little things in life that make it fun (chapter 357).

At Kame House, he finds Piccolo, who has fused with Kami, and fights him on nearby islands: the two opponents are evenly matched (chapter 368). Refusing to flee despite Android 16's warnings, he is absorbed by Cell's tail (chapter 372). He comes back to life thanks to the first wish made to Shenron after the Cell Games, and Krillin has the bombs implanted in the twins' bodies removed (chapter 418). At the end of the Buu arc, Android 17 raises his hand for the Spirit Bomb (chapter 515), a panel that was originally supposed to show Launch.

In a laboratory, Dr. Gero screams, a fist bursting out of his chest, while Android 17 in an orange scarf stands right behind him
In Dragon Ball Z (episode 134), Android 17 attacks Dr. Gero, the creator who had just woken him up, piercing his chest from behind.

🧣 When he wakes up, Android 17 wears an orange scarf over a T-shirt with the Red Ribbon logo; to put on a character's outfit yourself, browse our Dragon Ball costumes and cosplay, including an Android 17 costume.

Protector of an island and winner of the Tournament of Power

After the Cell Games, Android 17 is said to have become a ranger in the reserve of a huge nature park, according to additional details from Toriyama. In the Dragon Ball Super manga (chapter 31), Dende explains to Goku that Android 17 began to regain his humanity after his bomb was removed; on the island, Android 17 attacks Goku, who has never seen him and is wearing a mask; the fight escalates all the way to Super Saiyan 3 and stops when Goku introduces himself.

In the manga, Android 17 agrees to take part in the Tournament of Power to repay his debt to Krillin; in both versions, he dreams of a big cruise ship worth 5 billion zeni. In the anime, he meets Goku in episode 86, which aired on April 16, 2017, and shows him photos of his wife and their three children, two of them adopted, on his phone. In episode 87, they team up to stop poachers from outer space, and Android 17 agrees to join the Universe 7 team.

In the anime, he blows himself up in episode 127 to stop an attack from Jiren and protect Goku and Vegeta; everyone thinks he's dead, but he emerges from the rubble for the final battle. When Goku and Frieza drag Jiren out of the arena, Android 17, the last fighter still standing, wins the tournament. In episode 131, which aired on March 25, 2018, his wish brings back all the erased universes, and then he sails around the world on the boat Bulma lends him.

The manga tells the ending differently: in chapter 40, Android 17 seems to blow himself up, but in chapter 42 he bursts out from under a rock, following a plan agreed on with Frieza; besides, he no longer has a bomb. He asks for the erased universes to be restored, so as not to let the Zenos do as they please. Since the end of the tournament in the anime, the series' promotion has nicknamed him “the MVP of Universe 7.”

Seen from above, Android 17 in a white MIR T-shirt, dark gloves and an orange armband holds out both open hands in a green glow, on a cracked stone floor
Android 17 holds out his hands in a green glow in the Tournament of Power arena; in the anime, he blows himself up to protect Goku and Vegeta, then comes back to win the tournament.

The Android 17 of Trunks's future, then Super 17 in Dragon Ball GT

In the future Trunks comes from, another, crueler Android 17 lives only to destroy. The TV special Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, which aired in Japan on February 24, 1993, tells the story of that future: six months after Goku's death, Androids 17 and 18 kill Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha and Chiaotzu. In the manga (chapter 419), Trunks, back in his own time, destroys Future Android 18 and then Future Android 17.

In Dragon Ball GT, an anime-only sequel, Dr. Myuu and Dr. Gero fuse the original Android 17 with a double built in Hell, and this fusion gives birth to Super 17. Before that, under this double's control, Android 17 kills Krillin, and Android 18, wild with rage, attacks her brother without managing to stop him; later, it's with Android 18's help that Goku destroys Super 17.

A scene showing Android 17 coming back to life at the end of GT was planned, but it was cut for lack of time, according to screenwriter Atsushi Maekawa; the second Dragon Ball GT Perfect File states that Goku's final wish brings him back to life.

Two identical Android 17s float side by side in the sky, haloed in yellow, one in a black T-shirt with the RR logo, the other in a long brown coat
In Dragon Ball GT (episode 44), the original Android 17 and his double built in Hell float side by side, just before the fusion that creates Super 17.

Ranger outfit, voices and popularity

In Dragon Ball Super, Android 17 wears a white “MIR” T-shirt with a green collar and sleeves, jeans, black leather gloves and an orange “RANGER” armband on his left sleeve. Like other cyborgs made by Dr. Gero, he sports a small gold hoop in each ear.

In Japanese, he's voiced by Shigeru Nakahara, in Dragon Ball Z as well as in Kai, GT and Super. In Funimation's English dub, Chuck Huber voices him in Dragon Ball Z, The History of Trunks, the movie Super Android 13!, GT (including as Super 17), Kai and Super; in the Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z, Ted Cole voices him in the later part of the series.

In a 2004 poll of Japanese fans, Android 17 came in 18th among the series' most popular characters, and Android 18 came in 10th.

Close-up of Android 17 with blue eyes, a small hoop earring, a white MIR T-shirt with green sleeves and an orange RANGER armband on his arm
In Dragon Ball Super, Android 17 wears the “MIR” T-shirt with a green collar and sleeves, the orange “RANGER” armband on his left sleeve and a small hoop earring.
Silver carabiner keychain showing Android 17 in chibi style, with black hair, blue eyes, a green top, an orange RANGER armband, dark gray gloves and jeans

For fans of Android 17

Dragon Ball Keychain - Android 17

“RANGER” armband, gloves and jeans: this is Dragon Ball Super's Android 17, protector of an island nature reserve, ready to hang on your keys.

€14.90

View product →

Android 17 at a glance

Key fact Android 17
Japanese name 人造人間17号 Jinzōningen Jū Nana-Gō, “artificial human No. 17”
Human name Lapis, revealed by Akira Toriyama in 2014
Family Android 18 (twin sister), Krillin (brother-in-law), Marron (niece); a wife and children in Dragon Ball Super
First appearance Chapter 349 of the manga; episode 133 of Dragon Ball Z, April 1, 1992
In Dragon Ball Super Ranger on an island nature reserve, winner of the Tournament of Power
Voices Shigeru Nakahara (Japanese); Chuck Huber, Ted Cole (English)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Who is Android 17?
    He's a cyborg created by Dr. Gero from a human, and Android 18's twin brother. He later becomes a ranger on an island nature reserve in Dragon Ball Super.
  • Is Android 17 a robot?
    No. He has a human base, almost entirely enhanced with bio-organic components, and a small perpetual energy reactor.
  • What is Android 17's real name?
    Lapis, revealed by Akira Toriyama in 2014. Together with Lazuli, Android 18's name, it forms “lapis lazuli.”
  • Who won the Tournament of Power?
    Android 17. Goku and Frieza knock Jiren out of the arena by falling with him, and Android 17, the last fighter left in the arena, wins it for Universe 7.
  • Did Android 17 sacrifice himself against Jiren?
    In the anime, he blows himself up to protect Goku and Vegeta, then comes back. In the manga, it's only a feint: he no longer has a bomb.
  • Who voices Android 17 in English?
    Chuck Huber, in Funimation's dubs of Dragon Ball Z, The History of Trunks, the movie Super Android 13!, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Z Kai and Dragon Ball Super; Ted Cole voices him in the Ocean dub of the later part of Dragon Ball Z.

📱 In episode 86 of Dragon Ball Super, Android 17 shows Goku photos of his family on his phone; to protect yours, dress it in one of our Dragon Ball iPhone cases.

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