

Do the Androids have ki or another source of energy? If so does, Android 16
have ki since he is fully mechanical and only living beings have ki?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-28T17:57:09.727
31737
2022-04-16T20:49:19.720
2016-07-12T05:37:31.540
11083
23015
question
dragon-ball-z
What is the source for the Androids unlimited energy supply?


Just watched the first few episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai with the androids
yesterday: they say that the living people like Goku and Vegeta can't detect
any ki from the androids (also see
<http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Android_19>), and that includes both 19 and
20 who absorb ki from people (although anime says "energy" never "ki"). Also,
20 has Dr. Gero's brain, so some part of him is alive I guess, but also isn't
detected as ki when people are searching for him in the rocky hills after 19
is defeated. So, must not be ki.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-30T03:42:51.383
31774
2016-04-30T03:42:51.383
23757
31737
answer


I'd like to believe she has Ki, because she is part human. At the world
tournament Goku asks how her and Krillin had a child together and he explains
that she was human to begin with and turned into an android by Dr. Gero.
(Season 7 episode 208 or 209)(I can't remember exactly)

"The correct term is Cyborg. Human with cybernetic parts, she was human by
birth and turned into a cyborg, thus retaining certain human functionality,
such as being able to get pregnant."

But that still raises the question why Goku and the others couldn't detect
their energy. I guess some things should just be left unasked?


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-07-11T15:55:11.347
34206
2016-07-11T16:02:12.833
2016-07-11T16:02:12.833
26124
26124
31737
answer


Though I have to look it back up, a major thing is that their source of power
was physical generators in their bodies. I recall there were even claims that
they had unlimited power thanks to these generators. This is likely the source
of their actual power.

As for why they are undetectable, there is a simple but fairly theoretical
explanation for that. Scouters and the Z warriors general ability to sense
power is not full proof, and in fact they work about the same. The Z warriors
specifically learned how to suppress their power, which throws the sensing
methods off, even to a point where scouters could not detect Gohan and Krillin
on Namek. In a way, you could say they are leaking power, and that leaking of
power is what is detectable. By actively containing it, it can't be detected.
Androids have a purely mechanical method of generating power. It is completely
feasible that because it is mechanical, instead of biological, it does not
leak power, hence there is no surplus of power around them to detect.

In that way, all the androids do have some kind of Ki (as it can be used in
the same way as Ki), and is undetectable for the same reason that Scouters
were ineffective against the Z warriors on Namek.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-08-11T16:16:37.963
35740
2016-11-09T20:58:41.027
2016-11-09T20:58:41.027
19307
20610
31737
answer


16 does not have ki, hence he uses laser eyes and arm cannons. 17 and 18 do,
that is why they are able to use ki blasts. Just look at how 18 learned
destructo disc. It's really simple, they use the suppression technique so the
Z Warriors wouldn't sense them.


CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-07T01:34:59.123
44110
2018-01-07T01:34:59.123
37508
31737
answer


Sounds like it was done just to progress the story and to keep it interesting.

There are a couple things that don't make much sense. Whatever form of ki
production they have should be able to be detected. Even though it's made
mechanically, it's still energy. Also, the way the Z fighters fight so well is
because they learned to sense their opponents' ki/energy. If you recall when
Popo trained young Goku, he says there's ki in all living things.

Don't forget about the spirit bomb, and that all living things provide energy
to it. Also, remember when 17 adds to Goku's Genki Dama when fighting with

> Kid Buu?

Lastly, even if they couldn't detect energy from the androids themselves, when
the androids 19 and 20 absorb the others' energy, shouldn't they be able to
detect their own stored ki?

I jumped around a bit there, but it should still get the points across.


CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-10-10T06:07:43.220
59771
2022-04-16T20:49:19.720
2022-04-16T20:49:19.720
35679
56615
31737
answer