Artificial Human No. 15

Artificial Human No. 15
人造人間１５号 (Jinzōningen jūgo-gō)
English Name(s)	Android 15
Manga Debut	None
Anime Debut	Dragon Ball Z Movie 7
Japanese VA	Toshio Kobayashi
Death	Early Summer, Age 767
Classification	Artificial Human
Relationship Data
Family	Doctor Gero (creator) Other Artificial Human "siblings" including 8, 13, 14, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, and Cell

Artificial Human No. 15 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. 15 was destroyed by Vegeta, 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. 15", 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. Shortly after being reactivated, No. 17 remarks that units prior to No. 16 appeared to have been discarded..

Movie Timeline

No. 15 enters "3D Scan Mode" to locate Son Goku.

No. 15's barrier allows him to block some ki attacks.

In an alternate timeline presented in Dragon Ball Z Movie 7, No. 15 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. 14, who were developed in adjacent pods. Although initially discarded, Doctor Gero's computer continued development on No. 15 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. 15 first engaged with Son Goku at shopping center in an unknown city after marching through it in a straight line, ignoring the chaos that he and his counterpart was 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, Vegeta overpowered No. 15 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. 15 a name representing his place in the development timeline as the fifteenth unit. Toriyama's idea for numbered robots may have originated in Dr. Slump Chapter 67 with Dr. Mashirito and his numbered Caramel Man creations. Like Doctor Gero, Mashirito's robots were also intended for world conquest.

Production

Toriyama originally intended this design for No. 14

No. 15's design incorporates aspects of 1970s African American fashion, similar to this bowtie and suit worn by Huggy Bear on the American television show, Starsky and Hutch

Akira Toriyama designed No. 15's look for the film. Toriyama gave No. 15 a design reminiscent of African American fashion of the 1970s, bordering on a "pimp" stereotype with gold earrings and an (apparent) drinking problem. Toriyama also gave him exaggerated lips, a characteristic that he uses with several dark-skinned characters, although his skin is tinted purple in the colored design. He also sports a Red Ribbon Army bowtie over a long coat. His oversized hat somewhat resembles an afro. His sunglasses disguise his mechanical eyes.

This shorter figure was initially designated by Toriyama as Artificial Human No. 14, however the roles were reversed at some point. It is unknown if this was an accident of production, a change once filming began, or a different reason.

Notable Skills

No. 15 is a capable fighter, able to match Cell-era Son Goku, Future Trunks, and Vegeta while in their base forms, but ultimately falling after Vegeta transformed into a Super Saiyan. Paired up with No. 14, No. 15 appears to be the "brains" of the group with skills that allowed him to scan his enemies for weaknesses and strategize. He also had the ability, similar to his later counterparts, to create a barrier to protect himself from attacks. Even if the weaker of the pair, he was still an exceptionally powerful Artificial Human. Like most characters of the era, he has the ability to fly and to fire a variety of energy attacks.

Performance

Toshio Kobayashi plays Artificial Human No. 15, one of his few named roles for Dragon Ball media.

Notable Appearances

• Dragon Ball Z Movie 7 - Artificial Human No. 15's introduction and only appearance to date.