Close-up of Android 18 facing forward, with medium-length blond hair, blue eyes and small gold earrings, in a blue denim vest against a red background.

Android 18: The Cyborg Who Became Krillin's Wife

CharacterAndroidsKrillin's Family

Android 18, whose human name is Lazuli, is a young woman who, like her twin brother Android 17, was turned into a cyborg by Dr. Gero, who wanted revenge on Goku. Awakened by her creator, she defeats Vegeta, spares the fighters she has beaten and kisses Krillin on the cheek, before being absorbed by Cell. A few years later, she is married to Krillin and the mother of a little girl, Marron. Here's a look back at her origins, her battles, her family life, the Tournament of Power and the voices that brought her to life.

Blonde, impassive and formidable, Android 18 enters Dragon Ball as an enemy before joining Goku's circle of friends. Here is the story of Android 17's twin sister, from Dr. Gero's lab to the Tournament of Power.

Contents

Lazuli, the twin transformed by Dr. Gero

Android 18 is a character created by Akira Toriyama for the Dragon Ball manga, where she first appears in 1991. Her human name, Lazuli, wasn't revealed by Toriyama until 2014: in the original series, she never says it, and the Japanese version simply calls her “No. 18” (Jūhachigō). Put side by side, the twins' names, Lapis for Android 17 and Lazuli for her, form “lapis lazuli,” the name of a deep blue stone.

Dr. Gero forcibly turned Android 18 and her brother into cyborgs to carry out his revenge against Goku. Despite being called “artificial humans,” the twins are modified humans: in the manga, Bulma realizes that both cyborgs have a human base while studying their blueprints, brought back from Gero's lab. Their creator also fitted their bodies with an emergency shutdown device, a self-destruct system and a small perpetual energy reactor.

As for their creation, Androids 17 and 18 came about after Toriyama's editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, disapproved of Androids 19 and 20 as villains; the new duo soon disappointed him in turn, which led to the creation of Cell. Toriyama nevertheless said he was happy with Android 18, a type of girl he had never drawn before, and whose slanted eyes he liked. In 2025, Takashi Matsuyama, the manga artist's longtime assistant, said that the twins' design was the work of Toriyama's wife, Nachi Mikami.

Dr. Gero, with his white mustache, alongside Android 18 in a denim vest and Android 17 in an orange scarf, in a blue-toned laboratory.
Dr. Gero alongside the twins Android 18 and Android 17, whom he forcibly turned into cyborgs to get revenge on Goku.

💡 A small reactor gives Android 18 almost inexhaustible energy; to light up your bedroom at bedtime, pick one of our Dragon Ball lamps and night lights.

From the Androids to Cell: the enemy who kisses Krillin

Android 18 appears in chapter 349 of the manga, published on November 12, 1991, in Weekly Shōnen Jump: Dr. Gero activates Android 17, then Android 18, who is polite to him while eyeing the remote control that can shut them down. In the anime, the scene is in episode 133 of Dragon Ball Z, which aired in Japan on April 1, 1992.

In the next chapter, Android 18 curiously examines Android 16's capsule; Android 17 tells her to activate it even though Gero forbade it, then kills their creator. With Android 16 refusing to fight Vegeta, then a Super Saiyan, Android 18 volunteers. During the fight, Piccolo notices that Vegeta is wearing himself out while she loses none of her stamina: her trump card is an energy reserve that is almost infinite. She eventually gains the upper hand and breaks Vegeta's left arm with a kick.

The androids are about to leave when Krillin, who had hung back, runs up to question them: Android 18 kisses him on the cheek, then flies off with the others. In the anime, this kiss is in episode 136 of Dragon Ball Z, which aired in Japan on April 22, 1992.

When Cell shows up, Android 18 is stunned to learn that he has to absorb her and her brother to complete his development. Bulma gives Krillin a remote control that can shut her down from less than ten meters away; once in range, Krillin crushes the device instead of using it, much to Android 18's surprise. But Vegeta, who wants to fight Cell in his perfect form, lets him get close to her: the monster blinds Trunks, Krillin, Android 16 and Android 18 with a Solar Flare, then absorbs the young woman.

During the Cell Games, a blow from Gohan, now a Super Saiyan 2, makes Cell regurgitate Android 18. After the monster's defeat, Krillin asks Shenron to make Androids 17 and 18 human; the dragon refuses, so Krillin has the bombs implanted in their bodies removed instead. Hiding out at Kami's Lookout, Android 18 corrects Krillin, who thought the twins were a couple: they are brother and sister.

In the alternate future Trunks comes from, Future Android 18 and her brother terrorize the Earth, as the TV special The History of Trunks (1993) also shows. At the end of the Cell arc, Trunks, back in his own time, destroys them with ease.

Android 18, blonde, in a black top with striped sleeves, a denim skirt and black leggings, kicks a golden-haired Super Saiyan Vegeta.
Facing Vegeta, then a Super Saiyan, Android 18 loses none of her stamina and ends up breaking his left arm with a kick.

Married to Krillin: Marron, the tournament and Mr. Satan

Seven years after the Cell Games, Android 18 and Krillin are married and have a three-year-old daughter, Marron. She is said to have been a delinquent before her transformation and to have found her future husband's earnestness and honesty refreshing. At the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, Krillin explains to Goku, who is surprised that a robot could have children, that Android 18 is a slightly modified human, not a robot.

Neither the manga nor the anime shows the wedding. The screenwriter of the movie Battle of Gods, Yūsuke Watanabe, originally wanted to set the story during that ceremony; Toriyama moved it to Bulma's birthday party.

When Gohan announces that Goku will be coming back for the tournament, Android 18 talks Krillin into entering to win the prize money. There she faces “Mighty Mask,” actually Trunks and Goten in disguise, and her Destructo Disc slices their costume in two. In the final against Mr. Satan, she offers to throw the match if he pays her 20 million zeni, double the 10 million promised to the winner.

In chapter 493, Buu turns the people sheltering at Kami's Lookout, including Android 18 and Marron, into chocolate. Brought back to life by a wish granted by Porunga, she then gives her energy to Goku for the Spirit Bomb meant to defeat Buu.

Android 18, blonde, in a black vest and jeans, has Mr. Satan's fist against her forehead, in front of the tournament's thatched-roof temple.
In the final of the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, Android 18 faces Mr. Satan and offers to throw the match if he pays her 20 million zeni.

👛 After the final, Android 18 warns Mr. Satan that she'll stop by his place to collect her 20 million zeni; to hold your own money, choose from our Dragon Ball wallets and coin purses.

Tournament of Power, Super Hero, GT and Daima

In the movie Battle of Gods, when Beerus loses his temper, Android 18 tries to attack him, but he elbows her in the back. In Resurrection 'F', she shaves Krillin's head before he goes off to fight Frieza; she dies when Frieza blows up the Earth, but Whis turns back time and undoes it.

At the Tournament of Power, Universe 7 fields ten fighters, and the team has only one woman: Android 18. In the anime, Goku and Gohan come to recruit her and Krillin; she refuses at first, since she doesn't work for free and has to look after Marron, then agrees when Goku mentions a reward. Facing Ribrianne from Universe 2, she declares that she came to win and that she has a husband and a daughter, then eliminates her. Against the fusion Aniraza, she sacrifices herself to send her brother Android 17, who was falling into the void, back onto the ring.

The manga tells her tournament differently: an invisible fighter, Gamisalas, catches her off guard and knocks her off the ring, and she eliminates only two opponents, Prum and Jimizu, with a single blow. In the manga's Moro arc, she comes to fight Moro's men because Capsule Corporation is paying her 10 million zeni; the androids have no ki for Seven-Three to absorb.

In the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, she destroys one of Cell Max's wings after Krillin weakens it with his Destructo Disc. In Dragon Ball GT, an anime-only sequel, Android 17, under the control of his double from Hell, kills Krillin: devastated, Android 18 attacks her own brother. At the start of Dragon Ball Daima, she is celebrating Trunks's ninth birthday when Gomah's wish turns her back into a child.

Android 18, blonde, in a pink tracksuit jacket, lunges fist first in a yellow and green aura, against a bright pink background.
In the anime, at the Tournament of Power, Android 18 eliminates Ribrianne from Universe 2 after telling her that she has a husband and a daughter.

Gold hoop earrings, voices and popularity

Android 18 has medium-length blond hair, in a shade that ranges from gold to platinum depending on the version, parted at the left temple and usually tucked behind her ear. During the Android and Cell arcs, she wears small gold hoop earrings. When she's activated, she wears a denim vest and skirt, with the Red Ribbon logo on the back; during the Cell arc, she wears a black cropped vest, a white T-shirt and a pearl necklace.

In Japan, Android 18 is voiced by Miki Itō in the Dragon Ball anime series. In Funimation's English dub, Meredith McCoy voices her in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT; Colleen Clinkenbeard takes over in Dragon Ball Z Kai, then McCoy returns to the role from the movie Battle of Gods onward, through Resurrection 'F', Dragon Ball Super and Super Hero. In the Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z, Farrell Spence voices her in the Android and Cell arcs, then Willow Johnson in the Buu Saga.

The character is popular: Android 18 came in tenth in a 2004 poll of Japanese fans, then eighth in Dragon Ball The One, the 2025 worldwide popularity poll.

Android 18 sitting in a black cropped vest, white T-shirt and pearl necklace, her blond hair tucked behind her ear, in front of a palm tree and the sea.
During the Cell arc, Android 18 keeps her small gold hoop earrings and wears a pearl necklace, her blond hair tucked behind her ear.
Yellow cushion cover on a blue sofa, printed with two Android 18s: one in a black cropped vest and jeans, the other holding her denim vest at her waist.

For fans of Android 18

Dragon Ball Cushion Cover - Android 18

The denim vest with the Red Ribbon logo from her activation and the black cropped vest from the Cell arc: two of Android 18's outfits together on one cushion cover.

€34.90

View product →

Android 18 at a glance

Key fact Android 18
Japanese name 人造人間18号 Jinzōningen Jūhachigō, “artificial human No. 18”
Human name Lazuli, revealed by Akira Toriyama in 2014
First appearance Chapter 349 of the manga, November 12, 1991; episode 133 of Dragon Ball Z
Family Android 17 (twin brother), Krillin (husband), Marron (daughter)
Creator in the story Dr. Gero
Voices Miki Itō (Japanese); Meredith McCoy, Colleen Clinkenbeard, Farrell Spence, Willow Johnson (English)

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Is Android 18 a robot?
    No. She is a human modified by Dr. Gero, like her twin brother Android 17: Krillin explains this to Goku, who is surprised that a robot could have children.
  • What is Android 18's real name?
    Lazuli, a name revealed by Akira Toriyama in 2014. Together with Lapis, the name of her brother Android 17, it forms “lapis lazuli,” the name of a blue stone.
  • How did Android 18 and Krillin get close?
    After her victory over Vegeta, Android 18 kisses Krillin on the cheek before leaving. Later, he crushes the remote control that was supposed to shut her down. Seven years after the Cell Games, they are married and have a daughter, Marron.
  • Who is Android 18's daughter?
    Marron, her daughter with Krillin. She is three years old at the time of the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.
  • Does Android 18 take part in the Tournament of Power?
    Yes, she is one of Universe 7's ten fighters. In the anime, she eliminates Ribrianne, then sacrifices herself to save Android 17; in the manga, she eliminates Prum and Jimizu with a single blow before Gamisalas pushes her off the ring.
  • Who voices Android 18 in English?
    Meredith McCoy in Funimation's dub of Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super, and Colleen Clinkenbeard in Dragon Ball Z Kai; in the Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z, Farrell Spence, then Willow Johnson. In Japanese, it's Miki Itō.

📿 During the Cell arc, Android 18 wears a pearl necklace with her black vest; to accessorize your own outfit, pick one of our Dragon Ball necklaces.

↑ Back to top
Back to blog