The ''Jinzōningen'' Story Arc Problem

[DragonBallFoodie]

Dr Gero made an infinitely powerful battery and transplanted it into a series of cyborgs.

Moreover, he did it in a CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!

[Xeogran]

And what's worse, it's part of the original run, so we can blame Toriyama and no one else for this mess.

No, not really. Toriyama had planned 19 and 20 to be the main antagonists for this arc. As we've seen, their specialty was absorbing Ki.
Super Saiyan Goku was stronger than both of them, but his Heart Virus made him vulnerable. This way, 19 absorbed some powerful energy out of him and would most likely share it with Dr. Gero too later.

This would make them formidable antagonists, now on the level of Super Saiyan alongside their Android hax abilities. Vegeta would later come into the play to support the Z-Fighters in the fight against them, but this would be a more close fight with some twists, rather than an easy stomp like it was.

Toriyama's editor changed, so he's technically to blame for this (not that I mind, we got some cool characters out of it), but yeah, plot-wise it didn't make much sense.

This is my speculation, but it's the most plausible way this arc could've originally went.

[ABED]

The editor didn't change it. He simply suggested that 19 and 20 weren't suitable main antagonists and Toriyama trusted his judgment. He didn't have to agree. The blame still lies with Toriyama.

[MasenkoHA]

The editor didn't change it. He simply suggested that 19 and 20 weren't suitable main antagonists and Toriyama trusted his judgment. He didn't have to agree. The blame still lies with Toriyama.

Can’t really blame the editor or Toriyama when changing it was for the better. 19 and 20 sucked and not because they had to be retconned into decoy big bads.

[Polyphase Avatron]

The editor didn't change it. He simply suggested that 19 and 20 weren't suitable main antagonists and Toriyama trusted his judgment. He didn't have to agree. The blame still lies with Toriyama.

Can’t really blame the editor or Toriyama when changing it was for the better. 19 and 20 sucked and not because they had to be retconned into decoy big bads.

19 maybe, but Dr. Gero himself was a great antagonist and a lot more could have been done with him IMO.

[MasenkoHA]

The editor didn't change it. He simply suggested that 19 and 20 weren't suitable main antagonists and Toriyama trusted his judgment. He didn't have to agree. The blame still lies with Toriyama.

Can’t really blame the editor or Toriyama when changing it was for the better. 19 and 20 sucked and not because they had to be retconned into decoy big bads.

19 maybe, but Dr. Gero himself was a great antagonist and a lot more could have been done with him IMO.

Had Toriyama not changed his mind Jinzoningen 20 never would have been Dr.Gero in the first place

[Cursed Lemon]

2 would be interesting if they really built on it. In this situation, Dr. Gero managed to draw out all human potential through the power of technology. Why a couple of teenage brats have more strength potential than messianic alien warriors, I couldn't tell you, but maybe that just says more about the frightening potential of Earthlings. If Earthlings had their potential unlocked, they'd be the mightiest race in the cosmos, where even a couple of ragamuffin youths could squash a Super Saiyan or galactic tyrant.

Go figure, this could've been a way to possibly get the human fighters up to par with the saiyans...OH WELL

[Ssj3Engels]

Yes, it is fairly absurd on the surface, and particularly glaring when it follows the Freeza saga. But Toriyama was likely just running out of ideas at this point, so it's no surprise.

That said, the idea of the Jinzoningen being as powerful as they were does make sense based on Gero having observed and analyzed Goku and them for years and utilizing mathematics and science to build superior warriors. It's all about how with science you can replicate years of martial arts training and unique genetic abilities.

That combined with Gero's energy reactors makes it believable.

What energy reactors? I don't remember that (granted, as said in the OP, I only rewatched the Cell Games portion of the arc).

[BWri]

2 would be interesting if they really built on it. In this situation, Dr. Gero managed to draw out all human potential through the power of technology. Why a couple of teenage brats have more strength potential than messianic alien warriors, I couldn't tell you, but maybe that just says more about the frightening potential of Earthlings. If Earthlings had their potential unlocked, they'd be the mightiest race in the cosmos, where even a couple of ragamuffin youths could squash a Super Saiyan or galactic tyrant.

Go figure, this could've been a way to possibly get the human fighters up to par with the saiyans...OH WELL

Well, that human did technically win the multiversal tournament via simple Earth training so there's that. If he trained with Whis, whose to say what he could do.

Cyborg tech, evil sealing, proto-Ultra Instinct, time travel, Dragon Ball detectors, etc. Earthlings are actually pretty scary.

[MyVisionity]

What energy reactors? I don't remember that (granted, as said in the OP, I only rewatched the Cell Games portion of the arc).

17 and 18 both have infinite energy reactors inside of them. They never run out of energy or get tired supposedly.

[Anonymous Friend]

Dr Gero made an infinitely powerful battery and transplanted it into a series of cyborgs.

Moreover, he did it in a CAVE, WITH A BOX OF SCRAPS!

You made the point I was about to in the best possible way.

If some person managed to create this power on his own, that's stull not the most fantastical element in the entire series. Even of all events up to that point.

[Anonymous Friend]

What energy reactors? I don't remember that (granted, as said in the OP, I only rewatched the Cell Games portion of the arc).

17 and 18 both have infinite energy reactors inside of them. They never run out of energy or get tired supposedly.

Their power stays at their personal maximum capacity.

[jjgp1112]

Can’t really blame the editor or Toriyama when changing it was for the better. 19 and 20 sucked and not because they had to be retconned into decoy big bads.

19 maybe, but Dr. Gero himself was a great antagonist and a lot more could have been done with him IMO.

Had Toriyama not changed his mind Jinzoningen 20 never would have been Dr.Gero in the first place

Eh, that was pretty much forshadowed from jump street when Piccolo said "Well gee it sure sounds like YOU'RE Dr. Gero" and while 20 dismisses it, that came off as a pretty obvious plot hook.

[MasenkoHA]

19 maybe, but Dr. Gero himself was a great antagonist and a lot more could have been done with him IMO.

Had Toriyama not changed his mind Jinzoningen 20 never would have been Dr.Gero in the first place

Eh, that was pretty much forshadowed from jump street when Piccolo said "Well gee it sure sounds like YOU'RE Dr. Gero" and while 20 dismisses it, that came off as a pretty obvious plot hook.

Wasn’t it like 2 chapters after 19 and 20 were introduced that Piccolo made that comment? I don’t know what the lead time is for Toriyama scripting and drawing a chapter and it’s release but it sounded like the decision to make 19 and 20 not the real big bads happened really quickly

[FortuneSSJ]

Yes, they being so strong is one of the proofs that power levels were already bullshit before DBS.