Artificial Human No. 14
| Artificial Human No. 14 | |
|---|---|
| 人造人間14号 (Jinzōningen jūshi-go) | |
 | |
| English Name(s) | Android 14 |
| Manga Debut | None[note 1] |
| Anime Debut | Dragon Ball Z Movie 7 |
| Japanese VA | Hisao Egawa |
| Funimation VA | Chris Rager |
| Death | Early Summer, Age 767[note 2] |
| Classification | Artificial Human |
| Relationship Data | |
| Family |
Doctor Gero (creator) Other Artificial Human "siblings" including 8, 13, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and Cell |
Artificial Human No. 14 is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball universe by Akira Toriyama. He is one of the antagonists of Dragon Ball Z Movie 7, a film written by Takao Koyama although based on a character design provided by Akira Toriyama. Artificial Human No. 14 was destroyed by Future Trunks, although portions of his body were subsequently absorbed by Artificial Human No. 13 before he too was destroyed.
Biography
Main Timeline
In the main timeline of the series, Doctor Gero created and discarded a model called "Artificial Human No. 14", although details are scarce. Artificial Humans No. 13 through No. 15 were close to the final form, but had various flaws and were ultimately abandoned.[1] Shortly after being reactivated, No. 17 remarks that units prior to No. 16 appeared to have been discarded.[2].
Movie Timeline
In an alternate timeline presented in Dragon Ball Z Movie 7, No. 14 was an eternal-energy and fully robotic Artificial Human, similar in many respects to the main series's Artificial Human No. 16. His internal workings were designed to be compatible with (or possibly even to augment) those of No. 13 and No. 15, who were developed in adjacent pods. Although initially discarded, Doctor Gero's computer continued development on No. 14 as well as his counterparts, unleashing them to attack Son Goku in early summer of Age 767. No. 14 and No. 15 were completed first, but joined by their lab-sibling a few hours later.
No. 14 first engaged with Son Goku at a shopping center in an unknown city after marching through it in a straight line, ignoring the chaos that he and his counterpart were causing. Flying up an elevator and positioning themselves just under Son Goku and his friends eating at a skyscraper restaurant, Nos. 14 and 15 attempted to assassinate Goku with a sneak attack. Goku and his friends survived and were able to lure the Artificial Humans to the glacial belt. After a prolonged battle and a transformation into Super Saiyan, Future Trunks cut No. 14 in two and destroyed him.
Two parts, a microchip and an unidentified cylinder, were subsequently merged into Artificial Human No. 13, allowing him to transform into a more powerful form before he too was defeated by Son Goku.
Name
Like all of his Artificial Humans, Doctor Gero gave No. 14 a name representing his place in the development timeline as the fourteenth unit. Toriyama's idea for numbered robots may have originated in Dr. Slump Chapter 67 with Dr. Mashirito and his numbered Caramel Man creations.[3] Like Doctor Gero, Mashirito's robots were also intended for world conquest.
Production
Akira Toriyama designed No. 14's look for the film.[4] Toriyama gave No. 14's a design reminiscent of "Native American" characters used in the series, especially Bora who shares his overall size and hairstyle. On his left shoulder, he wears a leather spaulder, but is otherwise unarmored. He sports a green kilt-like garment which is sometimes associated with Iroquois warriors.[note 3]
This "Native American" figure was initially designated by Toriyama as Artificial Human No. 15, however the roles were reversed at some point.[5] It is unknown if this was an accident of production, a change once filming began, or a different reason.
Notable Skills
No. 14 is a capable fighter, able to match Cell-era Son Goku and Future Trunks while in their base forms, but ultimately falling after Trunks transformed into a Super Saiyan. Paired up with No. 15, No. 14 appears to be the "muscle" of the group with skills that allowed him to block Trunks's sword strike using only two fingers, while not having the same scanning ability of his partner.[6] Like his counterparts, No. 14 has the ability to scan his foes, however the on-screen graphic is different and suggests that his scanning may be limited to power levels. Like most characters of the era, he has the ability to fly and to fire a variety of energy attacks.
Performance
Hisao Egawa, a Japanese voice actor who had played only bit roles in the series up to this point, plays Artificial Human No. 14. Egawa would become the later primary voice of Piroshki and Spopovitch, among others.
Notable Appearances
- Dragon Ball Z Movie 7 - Artificial Human No. 14's introduction and only appearance to date.
Notes
- ↑ Dragon Ball Chapter 367's title page mentions Artificial Human No. 14, but he is not directly depicted.
- ↑ The events of Movie 7 do not take place in the established anime continuity.
- ↑ The "kilt" worn by No. 14 is a stereotypical aspect of Iroquois ceremonial garb, but may not be based on an actual tribal practice. In any event, Toriyama and the other designers likely would not have known or have been interested in the historicity of the outfit.
References
- ↑ Toriyama, Akira. Dragon Ball Chapter 367: "The Reborn Piccolo vs No. 17". Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1992 #17. Japan: Shueisha, 31 March 1992.
- ↑ "Too Late to Do Anything?! The Ultimate Weapons to Kill Goku". Dragon Ball Z. Episode 134. Japan: Fuji TV, 01 April 1992.
- ↑ TODO: Cite Dr. Slump Chapter 67
- ↑ Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6: Movies & TV Specials. Japan: Shueisha, 04 December 1995. ISBN 4-08-782756-9. (p. 185)
- ↑ Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6: Movies & TV Specials. Japan: Shueisha, 04 December 1995. ISBN 4-08-782756-9. (p. 185)
- ↑ Dragon Ball Daizenshuu 6: Movies & TV Specials. Japan: Shueisha, 04 December 1995. ISBN 4-08-782756-9. (p. 97)