TV-Series
Description
Dr. Gero, also known as Android 20, is a genius scientist whose work is central to the Red Ribbon Army's android projects. He was a key figure in the army's weapon development, designing much of their military hardware and creating a series of artificial humans. While his ambitions were initially tied to the Red Ribbon Army, his deeper motivation, revealed later, was a long-held dream of replacing all of humanity with artificial beings, a goal that predated his vendetta against Goku.
His primary driving force became an obsessive hatred for the Saiyan warrior Son Goku, who had dismantled the Red Ribbon Army. After this defeat, Gero went into hiding in a remote mountain laboratory, dedicating his life to creating the ultimate fighting machines to exact his revenge. Using a miniature, highly intelligent surveillance robot disguised as a ladybug, he spent years secretly observing Goku and his allies, studying their techniques and power levels during their battles with opponents like Tien Shinhan, King Piccolo, Piccolo, and the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa. He stopped his surveillance when Goku left for Planet Namek, believing he had gathered sufficient data and simply adjusted his androids' projected power levels to account for Goku's expected growth, a miscalculation that failed to anticipate the immense power of a Super Saiyan.
Gero's personality is defined by cold-blooded ruthlessness and an unshakable confidence in his own technological genius. He is willing to commit any atrocity, including kidnapping innocent people for his experiments, to achieve his ends. For instance, he abducted two delinquent siblings and converted them against their will into Android 17 and Android 18. He is utterly convinced of his creations' superiority and expects absolute obedience from them, a belief that ultimately proves to be a fatal flaw. Despite his cold heart, he is not entirely without a capacity for twisted affection. He modeled Android 16 after his deceased son, a high-ranking Red Ribbon soldier, and deliberately programmed him to be gentle to avoid the risk of his destruction in battle.
Driven by a desire for immortality to see his revenge through, Gero had his obedient creation, Android 19, transplant his own brain into a powerful new cyborg body, thereby becoming Android 20. The only remaining organic part of him is his brain, which is visible through a removable panel in his skull, usually concealed by his signature Red Ribbon cap. He chose an energy-absorbing model for his new body rather than an infinite-energy type, which would have granted him greater reserves, possibly because he found the absorption model easier to control as a host. In this form, he possesses several notable abilities. He can fly, fire powerful energy blasts from his eyes, such as the Bionic Punisher, and most distinctively, absorb the life energy of his victims through special pads embedded in his palms, converting their power into his own. His body also contains a built-in scouter that allows him to detect energy levels.
In the Dragon Ball GT storyline, Dr. Gero's role is significantly expanded from his brief, violent end in the Z series. After being killed by his own creation, Android 17, his soul was condemned to Hell. It is there that he encounters another diabolical genius, Dr. Myu, the creator of the machine mutant Baby. The two mad scientists find a common purpose in their shared hatred of Goku and his allies. They collaborate to create a new, improved model of Android 17 in Hell. Their master plan involves releasing this new android into the living world and tricking the original Android 17 into fusing with him. This fusion results in the emergence of the immensely powerful Super 17, a being they intend to control and use for their revenge. However, in a fittingly ironic turn, Gero is once again betrayed by his own creation, as Super 17 ultimately destroys both him and Dr. Myu, serving only his own destructive will. This final chapter underscores Gero's defining traits: his brilliant but flawed genius, his utter inability to foresee the rebellion of his own creations, and his all-consuming vendetta that ultimately leads to his repeated downfall.
His primary driving force became an obsessive hatred for the Saiyan warrior Son Goku, who had dismantled the Red Ribbon Army. After this defeat, Gero went into hiding in a remote mountain laboratory, dedicating his life to creating the ultimate fighting machines to exact his revenge. Using a miniature, highly intelligent surveillance robot disguised as a ladybug, he spent years secretly observing Goku and his allies, studying their techniques and power levels during their battles with opponents like Tien Shinhan, King Piccolo, Piccolo, and the Saiyans Vegeta and Nappa. He stopped his surveillance when Goku left for Planet Namek, believing he had gathered sufficient data and simply adjusted his androids' projected power levels to account for Goku's expected growth, a miscalculation that failed to anticipate the immense power of a Super Saiyan.
Gero's personality is defined by cold-blooded ruthlessness and an unshakable confidence in his own technological genius. He is willing to commit any atrocity, including kidnapping innocent people for his experiments, to achieve his ends. For instance, he abducted two delinquent siblings and converted them against their will into Android 17 and Android 18. He is utterly convinced of his creations' superiority and expects absolute obedience from them, a belief that ultimately proves to be a fatal flaw. Despite his cold heart, he is not entirely without a capacity for twisted affection. He modeled Android 16 after his deceased son, a high-ranking Red Ribbon soldier, and deliberately programmed him to be gentle to avoid the risk of his destruction in battle.
Driven by a desire for immortality to see his revenge through, Gero had his obedient creation, Android 19, transplant his own brain into a powerful new cyborg body, thereby becoming Android 20. The only remaining organic part of him is his brain, which is visible through a removable panel in his skull, usually concealed by his signature Red Ribbon cap. He chose an energy-absorbing model for his new body rather than an infinite-energy type, which would have granted him greater reserves, possibly because he found the absorption model easier to control as a host. In this form, he possesses several notable abilities. He can fly, fire powerful energy blasts from his eyes, such as the Bionic Punisher, and most distinctively, absorb the life energy of his victims through special pads embedded in his palms, converting their power into his own. His body also contains a built-in scouter that allows him to detect energy levels.
In the Dragon Ball GT storyline, Dr. Gero's role is significantly expanded from his brief, violent end in the Z series. After being killed by his own creation, Android 17, his soul was condemned to Hell. It is there that he encounters another diabolical genius, Dr. Myu, the creator of the machine mutant Baby. The two mad scientists find a common purpose in their shared hatred of Goku and his allies. They collaborate to create a new, improved model of Android 17 in Hell. Their master plan involves releasing this new android into the living world and tricking the original Android 17 into fusing with him. This fusion results in the emergence of the immensely powerful Super 17, a being they intend to control and use for their revenge. However, in a fittingly ironic turn, Gero is once again betrayed by his own creation, as Super 17 ultimately destroys both him and Dr. Myu, serving only his own destructive will. This final chapter underscores Gero's defining traits: his brilliant but flawed genius, his utter inability to foresee the rebellion of his own creations, and his all-consuming vendetta that ultimately leads to his repeated downfall.