2 Cell absorbtion questions

[LeprikanGT]

1. Why did Cell not try to absorb #16 like he did 17 and 18? He stabbed him in the neck instead of trying to 'swallow him.

2. Could Cell have absorbed Dr. Gero as an android like 17 and 18?

[TheDevilsCorpse]

Bo to both. 16 & 20 are purely mechanical, except one brilain between them.

[Bussani]

After looking at their blueprints, Bulma says that #17 and #18 are still mostly human, just enhanced, and that this must be why Cell thinks it can merge with them. As such, he probably can't merge with something purely mechanical. He didn't know #16 was fully mechanical at the time, of course, but the computer had told him he needed #17 and #18, not #16. Probably a bad idea to merge with something you know nothing about, and it wouldn't have worked anyway. Gero seems to be mostly mechanical, so I suppose he wouldn't be able to absorb him, either.

[Godo]

Cell was constructed to be able to merge with #18 and #17. There is no need to absorb anyone else, since it would be a risk (since he was aiming for perfection).
Android 16's energy would be useful just until he got his hands on #17 and #18.

[Fox666]

It was well explained in the manga. No.17 and 18 were created as part human so that Cell could absorb them. Otherwise Dr. Gero would simply build a model like no.16, who is purely mechanical and much more powerfull.

Cell cannot absorb something that is completely robotical, like no.16 or 20.

[Super Vegito]

To add to the OP, do you guys think it's plausible that Cell could absorb someone like Goku for more power (yes, like in GT)?

[Bussani]

To add to the OP, do you guys think it's plausible that Cell could absorb someone like Goku for more power (yes, like in GT)?

Merge with them? Probably, so long as they're organic. Whether this would transform him or even increase his power in a significant way is another matter. I mean, he already has Goku's cells as part of his make-up; would having a whole bunch more Goku stitched into him somewhere really add much? And if he could get stronger by just absorbing strong people, like Buu, then you'd think he would have tried it when Gohan had him on the ropes.

[Fox666]

No.

Absorbing other beings only served to develop his body to an extend. So he could only reach his other forms by absorbing no.17 and 18.

And after he achieved his perfect form he was always completed, as you can see he don't even have a tail anymore.

And don't tell me about GT, Cell opened his hole like as if he was going to absorb an android, whenever he actually absorbs a living being he bite them.

[Pantalones]

I figure Cell probably *could* absorb other fully-organic beings (like Goku), though he'd have to do it the same way he did with Piccolo's arm or all the random humans: by draining all their stuff out with his tail. I figure he'd still be able to use the tail to absorb things if he wanted to even after getting to his perfect form; he still has Piccolo's Namek DNA in him, after all, so even if the tail's shortened in that form he could just stretch it back to its original imperfect-form length.

But yeah, he couldn't absorb #16 because he was fully mechanical and wasn't designed with Cell in mind. No bodily fluids to suck out (so he couldn't use that method) and #16's mechanical parts weren't designed to integrate with Cell when absorbed, so he couldn't absorb him the way he would #17 and #18 either.
As for #20, he could probably break the glass ontop of his head and absorb Dr. Gero's brain if he really wanted to, though he'd need to use the "stab and drain fluids" method rather than the "tail opens up" thing. But the rest of him is fully mechanical so he'd run into the same problem as with #16. Except actually stabbing #20 with his tail would probably do a bit more damage than it did to #16, heh.

GT having him do the "tail opens up" absorption on Goku was kinda silly, but I guess that's really the only way you could do the "tries to absorb somebody, but he manages to climb back out" thing. Unless he was trying to absorb Buu or something, then I guess he could stab him and suck all the "Buu goop" into himself, only to find that Buu still has full control of his body when in "goop" form and can just ooze his way back out.