is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball media franchise. Created as part of a collaborative process between Arc System Works and Akira Toriyama, Android 21 makes her debut appearance in the 2018 fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ published by Bandai Namco Entertainment, where she serves as a main villainess. The character has received a very positive reception, and has since appeared in other licensed Dragon Ball video games. Concept and design Both the publisher Bandai Namco Entertainment and developer of Dragon Ball FighterZ Arc System Works marketed Android 21 as being created or designed by Akira Toriyama when the character was first unveiled in promotional and marketing material for FighterZ in September 2017. One of the trailers used the wording, "Original character supervised by Akira Toriyama," which was interpreted by Kyle Hilliard from Game Informer as an implication that while Toriyama may not have drawn her for the game, he is involved in her visual direction and conception. The developers later clarified in an interview that they came up with the game’s story on their own and created the framework for what kind of character Android 21 would be, while Toriyama designed her within said parameters. The developers sought Toriyama's input as they wanted a slick design for a character that would transform, in the hope that Toriyama's involvement with the game's visuals would generate interest and bring in prospective fans. According to producer Tomoko Hiroki, Toriyama was informed about the game's plot and what the developers wanted in the character, such as her gender and her personality, and he would be left to draw the character as he saw fit. Toriyama took the suggestions about Android 21 into account and finalized her design, but was not involved in any direct input into her story. The game itself was noted by Toriyama to be an official part of the overall Dragon Ball canon. Arc System Works staff indicated in an interview about the developmental process for Dragon Ball FighterZ that they wanted to create an original story for Dragon Ball FighterZ because the events of the original series have been retread several times by other licensed video games; the introduction of an original villainous character is intended to add a fresh element to the game's story. Android 21 was concepted to be a Red Ribbon Bio-Android as part of the developer's take on maintaining a connection to the original