TV-Series
Description
Cyborg Hatchan #8, also known as Android #8, Eighter, or Hacchan, is a character who appears early in the story of Dragon Ball as the eighth android model created by the scientist Doctor Gero for the Red Ribbon Army. Physically, Hatchan is distinctive and imposing, designed to resemble the classic cinematic depiction of Frankenstein's monster, with a large, square frame, pale skin, a flat-topped head, and visible stitches across his forehead and on his neck, suggesting a body assembled from different parts. Despite his fearsome and monstrous appearance, his physical traits are a contrast to his true nature, as he is an artificial being originally built to serve as a weapon but is considered a failure by his creators precisely because of his gentle and peaceful personality.
Hatchan's defining characteristic is his profound kindness and complete aversion to violence. He is a gentle soul who hates fighting and refuses to harm any living being, a trait that makes him entirely unsuitable for the role of a combat weapon. This pacifism is not born out of fear but from a deep-seated respect for life and a moral compass that rejects cruelty. His motivations are therefore simple and non-confrontational: he wishes to live a quiet, peaceful existence without being forced to commit acts of violence. When he is first activated by the Red Ribbon Army to fight a young Son Goku inside Muscle Tower, he disobeys the order and refuses to engage in battle, choosing instead to risk his own destruction rather than cause pain to another person.
His role in the story is that of a reluctant ally and a catalyst for showing a different side of the Red Ribbon Army's operations. He aids Goku not through direct combat prowess but through his moral choice and by revealing that he had hidden a Dragon Ball the army was seeking to prevent them from destroying a local village. This act of defiance and kindness solidifies his friendship with Goku, who affectionately nicknames him Eighter or Hacchan. After the fall of the Red Ribbon base, this key relationship leads to his integration into the community of Jingle Village, where the grateful village chief invites him to live as a resident, offering him the peaceful home he always desired.
In terms of development, Hatchan does not undergo a significant transformation in personality or power, as his arc is not about growth but about finding acceptance for his inherent goodness. He remains a static but memorable example of a being created for evil who chooses good. His story is largely contained within his debut arc, though he makes notable later appearances that demonstrate his enduring, if minor, place in the world. He is briefly seen during the climactic battle against Majin Buu, where he responds to Goku's call for energy to form the Super Spirit Bomb, raising his hands to contribute his power along with the rest of Earth's inhabitants. He also appears in a cameo during the Dragon Ball GT series when the Earth is facing destruction.
Concerning his abilities, Hatchan possesses immense superhuman strength and a highly durable body, making him a physically powerful being, as expected of an android designed for combat. In the original manga and anime, his power is sufficient to be a threat in the early parts of the story, though it is quickly surpassed by Goku and other characters. He also has a notable resistance to cold, a specific adaptation for his deployment in the arctic region where Muscle Tower is located. Different versions of the story provide slightly different details about his construction; some sources state he is a fully mechanical android, while official guidebooks mention he was originally a human who was later rebuilt into a cyborg, consistent with other models created by Doctor Gero. In one of the Dragon Ball films, titled The Path to Power, a notable event occurs where Hatchan is destroyed by a giant robot, but Goku later uses the Dragon Balls to wish him back to life, with the additional benefit of having the explosive bomb inside him permanently removed.
Hatchan's defining characteristic is his profound kindness and complete aversion to violence. He is a gentle soul who hates fighting and refuses to harm any living being, a trait that makes him entirely unsuitable for the role of a combat weapon. This pacifism is not born out of fear but from a deep-seated respect for life and a moral compass that rejects cruelty. His motivations are therefore simple and non-confrontational: he wishes to live a quiet, peaceful existence without being forced to commit acts of violence. When he is first activated by the Red Ribbon Army to fight a young Son Goku inside Muscle Tower, he disobeys the order and refuses to engage in battle, choosing instead to risk his own destruction rather than cause pain to another person.
His role in the story is that of a reluctant ally and a catalyst for showing a different side of the Red Ribbon Army's operations. He aids Goku not through direct combat prowess but through his moral choice and by revealing that he had hidden a Dragon Ball the army was seeking to prevent them from destroying a local village. This act of defiance and kindness solidifies his friendship with Goku, who affectionately nicknames him Eighter or Hacchan. After the fall of the Red Ribbon base, this key relationship leads to his integration into the community of Jingle Village, where the grateful village chief invites him to live as a resident, offering him the peaceful home he always desired.
In terms of development, Hatchan does not undergo a significant transformation in personality or power, as his arc is not about growth but about finding acceptance for his inherent goodness. He remains a static but memorable example of a being created for evil who chooses good. His story is largely contained within his debut arc, though he makes notable later appearances that demonstrate his enduring, if minor, place in the world. He is briefly seen during the climactic battle against Majin Buu, where he responds to Goku's call for energy to form the Super Spirit Bomb, raising his hands to contribute his power along with the rest of Earth's inhabitants. He also appears in a cameo during the Dragon Ball GT series when the Earth is facing destruction.
Concerning his abilities, Hatchan possesses immense superhuman strength and a highly durable body, making him a physically powerful being, as expected of an android designed for combat. In the original manga and anime, his power is sufficient to be a threat in the early parts of the story, though it is quickly surpassed by Goku and other characters. He also has a notable resistance to cold, a specific adaptation for his deployment in the arctic region where Muscle Tower is located. Different versions of the story provide slightly different details about his construction; some sources state he is a fully mechanical android, while official guidebooks mention he was originally a human who was later rebuilt into a cyborg, consistent with other models created by Doctor Gero. In one of the Dragon Ball films, titled The Path to Power, a notable event occurs where Hatchan is destroyed by a giant robot, but Goku later uses the Dragon Balls to wish him back to life, with the additional benefit of having the explosive bomb inside him permanently removed.