Cell's Zenkai Boost

[TheGmGoken]

Perhaps the Zenkai made up for the Ki lost which made Cell 100% again. Also Cell was reborn kinda. He even got his perfect form back. So I guess you can say he did a regeneration rebirth?

[Kakarot88]

He had never trained like that, nor did he ever train like that again. He did it because he was short on time and he had plenty of senzu available. His actions were fully intentional.

I respectfully disagree

Spoiler:

see Battle of Gods

and unfortunately you are making assertions which support your theory but are frankly untrue. Goku was training period, he had no idea of the zenkai. The narrator says so something to the effect of [paraphrasing so do not quote me] "Even Goku is unaware that he has surpassed the level a Saiyan is supposed to be able to achieve through his intense training. He takes a senzu to recover his strength. A Saiyan on the verge of death becomes stronger upon recovery, it is the Saiyan way, perhaps Goku is becoming aware of this." Unlike Vegeta, Goku was not intending to capitalize on his Saiyan abilities as he did not know those were one of them while training for Namek. Furthermore, which actually goes to strengthen your arg about Cell, Cell when he blew up did not know he would return so again that works but not intentional self infliction to become stronger. Goku lacked the intent to capitalize on his Saiyan power ups.

As to the nucleus arg...I've never even contemplated it...I just accept it. But my acceptance does not mean I don't recognize deus ex machina...like ooooh I dunno Cell healing to 100% and getting a power up after intentionally blowing himself up

Perhaps the Zenkai made up for the Ki lost which made Cell 100% again. Also Cell was reborn kinda. He even got his perfect form back. So I guess you can say he did a regeneration rebirth?

That is another perfectly understandable and logical rationalization. And even better you acknowledge that it is a possible explanation rather than asserting it is as a fact.

[Cursed Lemon]

To assume that having the entire top half of your body blown off does not constitute being "near death", even if that's not technically true for Cell, is stretching it really far.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

I respectfully disagree

Spoiler:

see Battle of Gods

and unfortunately you are making assertions which support your theory but are frankly untrue. Goku was training period, he had no idea of the zenkai. The narrator says so something to the effect of [paraphrasing so do not quote me] "Even Goku is unaware that he has surpassed the level a Saiyan is supposed to be able to achieve through his intense training. He takes a senzu to recover his strength. A Saiyan on the verge of death becomes stronger upon recovery, it is the Saiyan way, perhaps Goku is becoming aware of this." Unlike Vegeta, Goku was not intending to capitalize on his Saiyan abilities as he did not know those were one of them while training for Namek. Furthermore, which actually goes to strengthen your arg about Cell, Cell when he blew up did not know he would return so again that works but not intentional self infliction to become stronger. Goku lacked the intent to capitalize on his Saiyan power ups.

Chapter: 270 (DBZ 76), P8.3-4
Context: Narrator commenting on Goku’s increasing strength.
Narrator: “Goku had continued this insane pattern of pushing his body and ki to the brink of death, then refreshing himself again by eating a senzu. The 7 senzu he received from Lord Karin have already fallen to only 3…However, though this training is outrageous, perhaps Goku has somehow realized the Saiyan characteristic of their strength increasing when they overcome death…”

Goku probably didn't plan on using this method--but in the midst of his training, he became aware of the zenkai and likely realized it was an effective way to increase his power. I'd say the above is enough to insinuate that Goku eventually understood what he was doing.

[rereboy]

see Battle of Gods

Obviously I'm going by the manga. BOG's status as a true part of the manga's story is up to debate given some of its apparent inconsistencies.

and unfortunately you are making assertions which support your theory but are frankly untrue. Goku was training period, he had no idea of the zenkai. The narrator says so something to the effect of [paraphrasing so do not quote me] "Even Goku is unaware that he has surpassed the level a Saiyan is supposed to be able to achieve through his intense training. He takes a senzu to recover his strength. A Saiyan on the verge of death becomes stronger upon recovery, it is the Saiyan way, perhaps Goku is becoming aware of this." Unlike Vegeta, Goku was not intending to capitalize on his Saiyan abilities as he did not know those were one of them while training for Namek. Furthermore, which actually goes to strengthen your arg about Cell, Cell when he blew up did not know he would return so again that works but not intentional self infliction to become stronger. Goku lacked the intent to capitalize on his Saiyan power ups.

Goku didn't have to know about zenkais per se. He instinctively knew that if he pushed his body to death, including by letting himself get hit and hurt on purpose, and then healing, he would get stronger. That's what the narrator says as you yourself mentioned. In fact, in the viz version it says: "At 100 gs, a human body would be instantly crushed. In the 4 days since leaving earth, goku has pressed his limits without rest... torturing himself" it shown him firing his kamehamehas at himself and then it says "Around and around he goes.. working his body and chi almost to death and then refreshing himself with senzu as the seven beans given to him by master karin are already down to 3. Whether he realizes it or not, Goku is living and reliving one of the primal cycles of the saiyans... gaining strength by facing and overcoming death".

Honestly, I don't know how you can write with a straight face that Goku wasn't intentionally letting himself get hurt after you see Goku letting himself get hit by his own Kamehamehas and after that narrator speech where he is basically telling us that Goku chose a method of training that includes letting himself get all beat up and then healing rapidly, which replicates the near deaths power ups of the saiyan race, even if Goku himself is not really aware that is a special trait of his race. He just instinctively knows that he would benefit from it.

[TheMightyOzaru]

What's all this nonsense about Goku not abusing the Zenkai system? The narrator explicitly states he did .

[kuartus4]

Judging by cell's aura, he seems to have unlocked a ssj2 type transformation. What's unclear is if that is supposed to function as his zenkai. Zenkai don't really work like that though, since they don't give the user a new transformation. So perhaps cell got both things, unlocked a new transformation AND received a traditional zenkai?

[Saiga]

Cell's zenkai confuses me to a degree, but I don't think his regeneration was any different or that he gained enough power than he lost from regenerating. I think that it's something similar to when Goku turned Super Saiyan, and seemed to be revitalised. His ki was refilled by his Zenkai.

Also, in regards to regaining his Perfect form, I always thought that his body remembering that form and assuming that was just remembering physical appearance, and that he didn't become stronger from returning to his Perfect form. I think the increase from his second stage is 100% zenkai and his appearance is just a result of his body subconsciously regenerating as his strongest form to match.

[freezamite]

Cell obviously got a zenkai boost after he blew himself up and regenerated. However, why did he come back as strong as he did? Regeneration usually takes energy and weakens whoever used it, as seen before with Piccolo and Cell pre-explosion. Even with a zenkai boost, do you think Cell should have come back as strong as he did?

That's because it wasn't a proper Piccolo's regeneration, it was a special one. Piccolo regeneration can heal injured limbs, but it doesn't regenerate the ki lost by the injury itself nor the one used to regenerate the limb.
Maybe if he could rest enough to recover himself, he would experience a zenkay (but injuries have to be severe in order for that to happen) if the injuries were bad enough.

I think that it's something similar to when Goku turned Super Saiyan, and seemed to be revitalised. His ki was refilled by his Zenkai.

By his rage more than any Zenkai, because Goku didn't heal when he fought against Freezer. His rage revitalised him and transformed him into a SSJ, but there wasn't any Zenkay power-up.

[Saiga]

Oh, I didn't mean that Goku got a Zenkai, but Cell's Zenkai is often compared to the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, so if Super Saiyan transformations have an effect of revitalising, then so could Cell's SS2-esque Zenkai.

[freezamite]

Oh, I didn't mean that Goku got a Zenkai, but Cell's Zenkai is often compared to the Super Saiyan 2 transformation, so if Super Saiyan transformations have an effect of revitalising, then so could Cell's SS2-esque Zenkai.

I don't think that the SSJ transformations have any revitalising effect, but that what triggers the transformation is what has it.
In the Goku vs Freezer case, it was the rage that triggered both the SSJ transformation and the revitalization. This is the same rage that has to be used in order to transform into a SSJ, so it may be possible that the SSJ can recover some of the lost strength due to that rage used to transform.

On the other hand we have the Cell Zenkay which is triggered by two facts:
1. Cell was nearly killed (in fact it was killed except for that special cell) by both Gohan and the auto-desctruction mechanism.
2. Despite having Saiyan cells, his strength limit was much higher thanks to Freezer's cells, thus allowing him to increase its power through zenkais. This is why Goku & cia doesn't power up through Zenkays after they transform into SSJ, and why Cell still can.

[Saiga]

I don't agree with Freeza's strength having anything to do with him having a Zenkai. Doesn't make any sense to me, the Saiyans got waaaay stronger than they were after Super Saiyan so I don't think they hit any sort of cap.

[freezamite]

I don't agree with Freeza's strength having anything to do with him having a Zenkai. Doesn't make any sense to me, the Saiyans got waaaay stronger than they were after Super Saiyan so I don't think they hit any sort of cap.

The way they got stronger was different though. The SSJ is a special transformation that allows a Sayan to surpass their natural limits thanks to the influences that the emotions have over someone's ki.
Once they reach the SSJ form, the way to power up is to master this ki and every single aspect that influences ki besides the body capacity (emotions, mental energy, etc.)

Cell was a combination of the best of every single part that formed it, and while the SSJ is a "special" form for a saiyan only obtainable after surpassing their limits thanks to certain conditions, for Cell his strength was something he was born with, and that can only come from Freezer's or Cold's cells.

[Saiga]

I still don't see any reason for Freeza and Cold's cells to be involved other than just because.

[Beji]

Every time Cell had to partially regenerate he lost power

Then he does a full regeneration he magically gains power

If your rationale is that the near death power up cancels out the partial regeneration loss of power then that's totally fine, but it is some out of left field deus ex machina because every other instance of mere partial regeneration Cell lost power.

I also always wondered this. Especially because he wasn't given much time to heal (and when I say heal I mean regain the energy lost to reform his body). The rationale works that the power up(Zenkai) gave him more permanent power but the huge regeneration toll on his body would have made him less powerful than his max. So what I always wondered was has anyone thought of what would happen if Cell had eaten a Senzu bean once returning? We know his form was back to perfect form compared to his second form and that he received a huge boost in power. But would it be possible that he was fatigued just like when he was blown up with the Kamehameha and not at 100% but still stronger.