Do you think the Cyborgs should have looked more mechanical

[DragonBallFoodie]

All Cyborg designs can be divided into pre-cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk. Cyberpunk itself refers to the style of using mechanical designs to create a distinctive looking lifeform that combines machinery and nature, which came into vogue around the 1990s thanks to the GHOST IN THE SHELL anime film.

PRE-CYBERPUNK CYBORG DESIGNS
Notably any mechanical bits were hidden under clothing.

Cyborg 009


Rudolf von Stroheim (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)


Metallo (Superman)


POST-CYBERPUNK CYBORG DESIGNS
Mechanical parts could not be hidden but were flaunted.

Genos (One Punch Man)


Chise (Saekano)


Cyborg (DC Comics)



The Cyborgs (or Androids, but for this post let's call them Cyborgs for now) just have batteries in them of infinite energy, there didn't seem to be any other changes to them. This makes them resemble pre-cyberpunk cyborgs, which makes sense given they made their debut in the early 90s, before GITS.

It's curious when Cyborg Frieza had appeared beforehand and compared to him all/most of the Cyborgs looked fairly normal.






Does anyone think that Toriyama should have made the Cyborgs' design more mechanical? Or do you think they look fine as they are?

[Mad Swami]

The difference with say 18 and 17 is I am pretty sure they are altered on a cellular level. I don't think you can really give them much of a visual flair to decern that. Whereas the actual androids of 16,19, or Dr Gero they are visually mechanical

[MyVisionity]

Yeah, 17 and 18 were said to have been completely transformed at a "molecular level". I think that Gero wanted them to remain as human as possible.

As for the visual design, I think they work better looking human. There is something more frightening and unsettling about two normal-looking teenagers being dangerous monsters. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Toriyama was going for.

[dario03]

All Cyborg designs can be divided into pre-cyberpunk and post-cyberpunk. Cyberpunk itself refers to the style of using mechanical designs to create a distinctive looking lifeform that combines machinery and nature, which came into vogue around the 1990s thanks to the GHOST IN THE SHELL anime film.

PRE-CYBERPUNK CYBORG DESIGNS
Notably any mechanical bits were hidden under clothing.
Cyborg 009
Rudolf von Stroheim (Jojo's Bizarre Adventure)
Metallo (Superman)

POST-CYBERPUNK CYBORG DESIGNS
Genos (One Punch Man)
Chise (Saekano)
Cyborg (DC Comics)

The Cyborgs (or Androids, but for this post let's call them Cyborgs for now) just have batteries in them of infinite energy, there didn't seem to be any other changes to them. This makes them resemble pre-cyberpunk cyborgs, which makes sense given they made their debut in the early 90s, before GITS.

It's curious when Cyborg Frieza had appeared beforehand and compared to him all/most of the Cyborgs looked fairly normal.

Does anyone think that Toriyama should have made the Cyborgs' design more mechanical? Or do you think they look fine as they are?

I think they look fine as they are, though a slight mechanical design might have worked too.

But did the Ghost In The Shell movie really bring the mechanical look to the forefront? Weren't there plenty of mechanical looking cyborgs that predate that movie? One of the post examples you gave does. DC's Cyborg predates that movie by about 15 years. And cyberpunk itself is older than that.

[DragonBallFoodie]

The difference with say 18 and 17 is I am pretty sure they are altered on a cellular level. I don't think you can really give them much of a visual flair to discern that. Whereas the actual androids of 16,19, or Dr Gero they are visually mechanical

That sounds like nanotechnology, or close to it.

As for the visual design, I think they work better looking human. There is something more frightening and unsettling about two normal-looking teenagers being dangerous monsters. I wouldn't be surprised if that's what Toriyama was going for.

Them being superpowered beings whose conscience is eroded/submerged is a trait that defines them and makes them so fearsome.

But maybe, after Cyborg Frieza, Toriyama (possibly deliberately) used a less mechanical design with the human-looking Cyborgs. After all, he could have them monstrous looking as he did with Freeza.

Or maybe he was just drawing influence from Blade Runner's Roy Batty, who was an artificial being with a grudge against his creator. I wouldn't be surprised if that made it easier to make them Androids in the dub.

But did the Ghost In The Shell movie really bring the mechanical look to the forefront? Weren't there plenty of mechanical looking cyborgs that predate that movie? One of the post examples you gave does. DC's Cyborg predates that movie by about 15 years. And cyberpunk itself is older than that.

Maybe not just GITS but BATTLE ANGEL ALITA.



I think cyberpunk designs in anime were a trend around the time the Androids made their debut (early 90s), and that Toriyama was trying something out in that genre. (So many theories on what he did, so much fascination.)

[Polyphase Avatron]

Dr. Gero had a transparent brain case under his hat... which is a pretty interesting choice from an aesthetic standpoint, considering he could have made himself look completely human if he had wanted to.