Why did Cell look so weird in GT?

Dragon Ball GT brought major changes to a variety of Dragon Balls' character designs, largely from the hand of series author Akira Toriyama himself, however, there is one that goes somewhat goes unnoticed, and that is Dragon Ball GT cell.
So how did this happen and why did his design look so....different?
Well to those familiar with the production side of Dragon Ball the answer may be a simple one, but there is somewhat more to this story than just a different studio animating an episode. So join me today as we delve into the work of Doga Kobo and uncover the answer as to Why did Cell Look
so Weird in GT.
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[@LupinticDream]

My headcanon is that he absorbed something he shouldn't have.

[@theopulentone1650]

I guess one of those big eyed anime girls.

[@விஷ்ணு_கார்த்திக்]

My headcanon is that its what happens when you're in Hell for 20+ years... I mean, it's H E L L.

[@BroadcastingCN]

Yes yes yes

[@forgottenrelics1197]

@@theopulentone1650 the correct answer

[@yam9195]

@@BroadcastingCN jotaro kujo reference

[@SantoSelene]

I did remember seeing this episode as a kid and I thought Freeza and Cell look like that was because they were in hell for so long they looked deformed (lol)

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Interesting conclusion haha

[@TrueNomadSkies]

Yeah, that's what I thought as well, especially in the cardgame screenshots used.

[@pomponi0]

That's a cute profile pic. You know, for the kids.

[@brianrodriguez6897]

Makes sense

[@sw33t.angela]

Freeza even looked weird in the Z anime when they showed him watching the fight between kid buu and Goku. He had wings on his eyes.

[@paintbrush3554]

As a kid I always thought cell looked constipated af in GT.

[@mechajay3358]

Doesn't looks so Perfect now.

[@yvahri5048]

😂

[@deez2037]

LOL

[@randomyoutubeuser1996]

He technically is

[@RuiLuz]

He had to deal with Frieza 24 hours a day, I'd look constipated af too.

[@jooshdavid]

Cell looks more like a bug than ever with them bug eyes

[@raid817]

@@Blacksnowsed93 how tf did you end up with such a monstrosity

[@raid817]

@@Blacksnowsed93 lmaooooo

[@theopulentone1650]

Cell's eyes looked really huge, honestly, Frieza looked off too. I like most of Gts art, but in this case, they masscared my boys.

[@fridaynightnicktoons6885]

The great colors make it still look good,just not as good as the rest. That’s supers biggest issue. Bad color pallet. We need cel shades colors again

[@rtgunzboi]

A godfather and dbz fan like myself, I knew I couldn't be the only one! 😄

[@andrewgarfield9898]

@@fridaynightnicktoons6885 I actually love super’s color pallet. GT has a terrible one

[@aplotholesfiller8827]

@@andrewgarfield9898 Hell fucking NO. Super colors make the characters feel like plastic, inorganic and robotic. GT haa easily the best pallet.

[@rockyripvon3279]

Frieza looks off since Cell saga

[@andrewgarfield9898]

I always hated this episode because Cell and Frieza looked like they were on crack and they reduced two of my favorite villains to comic relief

[@jasonone8726]

They were a disgrace in this episode, regardless of the art, I can't believe that after years of training, a supposedly nerfed kid Goku in base form was just playing around with them lol

[@young_shaad5227]

@@jasonone8726 well that's the thing Goku wasn't nerfed strength wise and it's implied his tail helped with his stamina issue plus this Goku is already Majin Buu level in base and no matter what version of Buu you decide he's as strong as he'd shit on Cell and especially freeza in base

[@jbrfr94]

they were really old villains, why would they be stonger?

[@scrollingdownonlytofindcom2663]

I'll always remember Goku just hopping on and riding Freeza's kienzan.

[@andrewgarfield9898]

@@jbrfr94 why bring them back at all then. Makes no sense from writing standpoint

[@diddlenfiddle7311]

I quite like the look for Frieza and Goku. Cell's a difficult character to draw tbf.

[@Sonicfalcon16]

@@quicklyform5162 yeah all the little things on head and legs.

[@mercmouth1]

Yeah honestly it took me like 3-4 days to draw a front-facing portrait of Cell. I'd also like to add that i was switching between 3-5 different images of him, in angled poses, for reference.

[@ThaRealJamarcus]

Lol to be frank?

[@iBovu]

@@ThaRealJamarcus to be fair

[@LESTLIR]

@@quicklyform5162 dude i was drawing imperfect cell from horns to shoulders and it took me around 4 hours to give the most similar and faithful i could bring to the paper. Some of the reason that we love him so much, I guess.

[@NIMPAK1]

It's not awful, I actually like how Frieza looks especially. But it goes to show that even if someone is a skilled animator/character designer, those skills aren't always going to translate to every art style, especially under time restraints. I imagine if they had an episode directed by Hayao Miyazaki himself, fans would probably still complain about the animation being bad. That's not to say that fans are stupid, but there are obviously certain expectations when it comes adapting a manga into animation. Heck, I personally prefer how Lupin looks in Mystery of Mamo over the Miyazaki-directed Castle of Cagliostro. Whereas if anyone else had directed Naussica, it'd probably not look nearly as good.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Quiet correct! And it's funny you mention Lupin because Castle of Cagliostro was the first out of the series I watched! So when I looked at the designs in Mystery of Mamo, I found it quite jarring at first glance.

[@NIMPAK1]

@@forgottenrelics1197 Same tbh. I thought Mamo was super weird at first, but it grew on me more as I watched more of the series.

[@anton_lezama_art]

To me it looks really bad tbh

[@TxCoby]

Cell looks like he wants to take a shit every time bro lmao

[@jaksahn3370]

Found the gt fanboy

[@mechajay3358]

Says a lot that Cell's design was very off model when GT as a whole has been fairly consistent with it's production.

[@fridaynightnicktoons6885]

Cells that’s hardest to draw so if anyone would be,it’d be him

[@brandorios5989]

My boy Cell absorbed methamphetamines before filming GT

[@Dogflamingo]

Tbh I feel like the most odd thing is just the eyes. Minus the eyes, the rest seems relatively fine

[@Ness-op2uy]

For my taste the heads were also a little bit too big. Freeza looks in this episode almost like a chibi version of himself.

[@Narekz]

@@Ness-op2uy he always looks like that , even in super

[@zephyrorsomethinh1528]

I actually think if the eyes were smaller Cell would look pretty good in GT

[@raptorjesus2516]

I don't exactly know why but vegeta also looks somewhat different in gt

[@sidecharacter3193]

His face is fatter Or Atleast not as slim and long as z

[@jbrfr94]

his face is rounder, less forehead, more reflections in skin

[@Doyoueverwonderwhywerehere]

His hair his hairline was bad enough as it was they made it worse

[@diezgp]

He is tanned.

[@Mandalore_ultimate]

He looks like Hitmonchan lol

[@johnny2x47]

Though it does look a little weird compared to the cell saga from Dragon ball z I thought it was quite a interesting style to apply to Dragon ball style wise.with the characters have more define features compared to the boxed up heads,rectangular eyes and medium stature

[@NecraOblivion]

Because someone else drew him. The end.

[@MinhLe19303]

Interesting, I didn't know he was in the same studio as the one that work on little of odd episodes covering Cell Game. I kinda feel odd that their involvement feel out of nowhere and never been seen again. I feel the same for Buu Saga supervisors Ichio Hayashi and Naoaki Hojo

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Definitely felt the same way, it's quiet a random comeback. I'm guessing since Toei were no longer outsourcing to Shindo Production, K Production, Studio Cockpit and Kino Production, they were brought back in. The studio was also formed of former Toei animators so they most likely had strong ties with Toei. And I also completely forgot about Hayashi lol, although I've never known bout Hojo so that's something new.

[@rashidmohammad8653]

Z was the best

[@Clyde975]

Every dragon ball has at least some bad art or animation errors

[@poochyenajones1362]

"Why did Cell look so weird in GT?" Because it's GT

[@deez2037]

1:16 Cell using Solar Flare _wasn’t_ bad tbh

[@prestongarvey2599]

my man lost his tongue and nose wym

[@chachingboy1]

For sure the studio is skilled, when you slow it down and look you can find a lot of cool and impressive shots. I almost feel bad for them, very hard to animate Akira's style and they get handed a character even Akira didn't like to draw in Cell. (iirc he's stated he regrets all of Cell's little spots as they're time consuming to draw and impossible to get consistent) We gotta remember that real people were in this studio, working hard.

[@char_lizard8440]

It's because he is stuck in hell. You get stuck in hell for thousands of years and tell me you'd look the same!!! Stop Body Shaming!!! How dare you!!!! #BugBodiesAreBeautifulBodies #MyBodyIsNotYoursToCritique

[@XavierMossXaynan]

Cell lookin like he smoke 10 packs a day

[@lonesailordee3886]

I’ve been watching a lot of animated Transformers series lately, and it feels like one of the animators worked on GT after having seeing this video

[@artssenindeiii]

Cells design especially the eyes looked like Ishikawa's work. When I saw Ishikawa's work on DBS I thought wait, wasn't this Animator on GT

[@zombathinlostleghackercat5233]

He looked like a villain from a girly anime.

[@wildhogOW]

I hate it how Cell's other "ear" is visible from behind the side of his head in every 3/4 view shot of him. It's like, the ear on the opposing side of his head is suddenly moved to the utmost front part of the temple on his head. The heck??

[@troymack8205]

I could barely stomach the off model designs. Too much of a eye sore 😆

[@jasonone8726]

When Cell and Frieza first appeared at the end of their first episode, they looked great, and then the next one happened, with that ugly art style.

[@Kame_Dragneel]

LMAO. His face is so wide

[@IJC144]

GT Cell Looks like he game outta the Ren and stimpy Show Imo 🤣🤣

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

The drawings are kinda jank in GT, but I love the color schemes and atmosphere.

[@CanalDoPotatoras]

0:01 don't you ducking dare cartoon

[@jaydennis7631]

That wasn't Cell it was his cousin Fred

[@Jay_Sidaris]

Perfect Fred

[@coytus94]

Most of Cell looked okay in GT, it was just his eyes that looked really fucked

[@BroadcastingCN]

Perfect video for perfect man

[@jbrfr94]

its always a pleasure to see GT Yamamuro

[@forgottenrelics1197]

That it is

[@Glitching_Animator]

In Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super Broly. Cell Was The Best Looking

[@DevilMarioProductions]

I'd say Perfect Cell slowly started mutating to give an Imperfect Cell resemble. You can see his ears are more out and his face is more demonic and his ears green thingy are thinner shape than before and his forehead shape is more of a circle shape rather than just a triangle shape, which exactly the same as Imperfect Cell. This is due to him losing Android 17 & 18.

[@Maxxwell-07]

No man. It's bad drawing. Not because Cell lost 18. You can't ignore the whole video and it's facts and come up with a conclusion like that.

[@DevilMarioProductions]

@@Maxxwell-07 I didn't ignore the video nor skip any facts. This was a personal opinion from me.

[@ZekeTheNerdVX]

@@DevilMarioProductions That headcannon actually makes sense

[@csciabar]

Really wish they would just finish episodes far ahead of distribution and take more care to have consistent production like other anime. Naruto and my hero academia always look consistent. Db deserves better than this.

[@ghoulchan7525]

It was sadly just how they did long running anime at the time. MHA has the advantage of studios and production staff having learned from the mistakes of these long running shows. Imagine if MHA was one of those no break shows. There would have to be so much filler added so they didn't go ahead of the manga. Sound familiar?

[@HybridAngelZero]

I... actually really like the way Freeza and Cell look in GT, even though it is notably off model. Though, I think GT all throughout has some of the most gorgeous art Dragon Ball has to offer

[@tumultuousforce6204]

why did GT looks so weird in GT? cause there wasnt a manga

[@joysxeno]

Can you put subtitles in French?

[@rainbow_vader]

I caught on to how weird Cell looked in that scene, and I initially brushed it off as "oh well GT sucks, of course they fucked up Cell" but as the years have gone on and I've grown more as a person and a fan of Dragon Ball I actually took such questions a bit more seriously so this video was nice

[@UltraEgoMc]

Glad you grew out of that mentality.

[@chachingboy1]

Like Erubiel said I'm glad you grew out of that. GT isn't perfect, certainly not as good as Z, but it's still really good. I wish more people would give it a shot instead of writing it off immediately. Though, thankfully people are starting to do that more recently.

[@ssjgotenks2009]

oh so you think gt sucks cos cell look bad but i dont ehr you dsy z sucke when both cell and golku look liek shti when there 4 cell v goku in the air now do i

[@UltraEgoMc]

@@ssjgotenks2009 yeah bro. Double standards

[@christiancinnabars1402]

chachingboy1 IMO, GT isn't complete garbage like people liked to say back in the day, but calling it "really good" might be going too far in the opposite direction. There're too much flaws/inconsistencies in the writing for every arc, and the animation also falls flat at the weirdest times. And it feels bad to knock it for lacking direction at points, because that was a thing the company struggled with a lot and tried hard to straighten out for a while, but it is still something that has made a noticeable mark on the series. That _is_ offset by a good amount of "Z-level" moments, but I feel those aren't numerous enough to fully counteract the negatives. It's definitely something that anyone who _really_ likes DB should at least check out, but just note that when issues pop up, they pop up hard.

[@MrAlwaystekken]

Unfortunately in DragonBall GT there are a handful of episodes made by Uchiyama and a few other people taken from the streets ... Among these horrible episodes, one of the most sadly memorable is the one in which we see Cell and Freeza horrible. It's a real shame because, apart from these episodes, DBGT has a superb technical level, and which alas for TOEI is now a taboo. PS: The comparison with the unattainable Keisuke Masunaga-sama is merciless ... even if this applies to any other studio and animator of the brand.

[@drekbleh7081]

Me looking at the thumbnail: "What's the difference? It just looks like he's scowling" Me doing a double take: "AUGH WHAT THE FU-?!"

[@jorgevitorgamerfull2465]

0:54 ....Are all owned by Funimation,Toei animation,Fuji TV and Akira Toriyama,please support the official release

[@ms.antithesis]

I honestly liked hlw he looked in gt.

[@fredricorosenfield9976]

7:27. I've always said that villains with disturbing eyes and faces were the best.

[@anton_lezama_art]

Frieza looked weird as well lmao

[@TwinBITCHEsss]

Seeing it now it’s definitely the lack of his eye liner 😂

[@ss4kaioken295]

Fentanyl in his senzu beans

[@chachingboy1]

After watching this I definitely am gonna be less harsh on this episode. It was a tough job, really tough, and first timers to the style are going to have a very tough time. And you know, you're right, a lot of the shots go look very good. Just a lot more stick out harshly. I can definitely appreciate their attempt more after your video, it's easy to forget that real people are behind these, sometimes.

[@MinhLe19303]

Next time, how about talking about Kanno? He's the only standout animators in Ebisawa's episode.

[@MrB-bg7qe]

I've been waiting for Forgotten Relics to cover Kanno. He's an above average artist for the most part. I really enjoy his work. His best artwork and animation for me is the close up shots of Piccolo Vs Andriod 17, SS Vegeta Ki Barrage attack against Super Perfect Cell and the Majin Vegeta Final Explosion. My only grips with his art work are those wide broad noses and giraffe necks he draws occassionally. He draws the hips and thigh area weird looking too sometimes.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

I've definitely mentioned him but yeah I've never given him a dedicated video. I guess it's simply because animation-wise he never stood out for me in comparison to others on the series. But I agree that he was definitely a positive for the studio, Hiroshi Takeuchi and Mari Tominaga had some nice stuff as well, pity Tominaga left after DB.

[@MinhLe19303]

@@forgottenrelics1197 It's really made me wonder why not have him supervise instead of Ebisawa? His art and animation is superior to Ebisawa in every single way. I do like and tolerate that he actually tried his own artstyle instead of attempt to replicate and likely failed like Uchiyama that actually made a lot of character less weird and ugly, but overall objectively, his art is unimpressed and overly angular that made characters look rough and bad

[@dbzwarrior4321]

Hey I have a general question how come 90s anime in general has so much more detail and alot more frames per animation at times I feel like I'm watching art in motion

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Which 90's anime are you talking about? The amount of frames per episode varies from series to series regardless of era.

[@dbzwarrior4321]

@@forgottenrelics1197 like neon genesis evangelion the way they animated the evas where amazing and with so much detail and had alot of backround aniamtion and explosions and now the new movies use cgi i would even say old dragon ball movie like fusion reborn are better animated than they new broly movie which feels like when the actions get good they make the characters fly away from the camera where dbz was up close and personal most of the time

[@mechajay3358]

Cmpared to a production of an Anime in the 90's to now, Animator's has much more time and better managed schedule then they do now.

[@MrB-bg7qe]

@@dbzwarrior4321 I seen very little of Super, but the few fight scenes I've watch weren't impressive. Z was just better. The animation is different, but not better in Super. Especially when the characters are zipping around flying fast during the battle in Super. It looks off to me.

[@bikotheanimator6169]

Because GT is trash and it doesn't exist within the main story. GT fan girls need to quit the delusions and accept that Super Saiyan god (red hair) is more powerful than Super Saiyan 4 by default. That is the answer to your titled video.

[@HipnikDragomir]

Characters looked a little different because of a different art director. That's it. This is nothing compared to Z's constant rotation of directors.

[@chronic-joker]

so that's why one peice looks wrong after the time skip, one of the main key figures left that explains a lot.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

I believe Kazuya Hisada filled the character design role

[@LilKingKeith]

Always had that question when I was younger, thanks for having the answer!

[@chandlernunnally1733]

Love the GT breakdowns man, keep em coming! Excellent channel

[@prizegotti]

Everyone looked weird in GT. The animation style was darker and duller than DB and DBZ, so was the sound track.

[@tonywingfield9701]

He woulda looked 10000x weirder in super so really I’m not complaining

[@Cubone-Man]

Sweet!!! I’m your 8K Like on your Video!!!

[@Xenomnipotent]

He still hasn’t recovered from that Fentzu Bean that Goku gave him.

[@NarkoHamponTV]

Cell GT is Cell brother and Freeza brother

[@ThisChannel05]

You either do better or worse than Toriyama’s style. There is no in-between.

[@McCallahanIndustries]

Very informative. I dip into GT recently, as I just finished DBZ... YEAH I know, after 20 years. Great music btw.

[@OverSteam]

Both Frieza and Cell design was the weirdest for me.

[@LowellLucasJr.]

Larger eyes with sharper angles when they should've been rounded...yeah Cell's normally cleaner despite being 'Perfect'.

[@rayzermaniac5218]

There is no excuse for the poor GT appearances. They had the entirely of Z to look over for the character designs. It's not as if they animated the entirely of GT before Z had even begun airing. It is lazy work.

[@esworld4656]

It’s mostly the eyes that throws it off

[@TheWettestPoolNoodle]

Both freeza and cell always looked super off to me. Also nappa looked weird too

[@stevesmith-zf8dp]

GT was a great concept. I love the idea that the dragonballs were over used and bc of that there was a negative consequence. It just wasn't executed in the right way.

[@nolongerwavey]

I agree

[@OXhuls]

now i lauched at 0:12 but the next image with kim just got me dead. i libe your videos. dude wtf hahahahahaH

[@gokushkameha-ha-ha9344]

*I never noticed cell didnt have eye liner in GT lol wild*

[@specialnewb9821]

Really drives home Toei's animation system back then was total chaos. I said in the Masunaga episode: His episodes are amazing but it's clearly not Toriyama's style. Though I guess he actually draws Bulma and 18 perfectly.

[@damondriver6363]

I agree. They just look weird. I also feel this exact same sentiment with the way super characters look. They all look skinnier, shinier, childish, and just weird/off looking. Like they've been animated in the cringe weeaboo anime style

[@diezgp]

I still like it. Better than those episodes done by some lazy studio that made any character look like i drew them.

[@forgottenrelics1197]

Yeah I don't mind it, some of there work is unappealing but it's quiet expressive overall. And I'm guessing your referring to Studio Live or Last House haha

[@JeeReeAnimation]

The worst thing about that battle with Frieza and Cell is the fact that these formidable foes that were built up as these serious threats were turned into Teen Titans Go ahh villains here.

[@jasonone8726]

That's usually the case later on in these shows. The previous main threats are no longer a big deal because the heroes have gotten much stronger, and we have bigger threats.

[@mingsical8039]

cell looks like a cheap plastic toy of himself

[@nathanaeltimothy-f9y]

Cuz Akira toriyama wasn’t involved in gt

[@Kiara_Wrestler]

Studio Cockpit is definitely my favourite!!

[@AdamFinan-mc5gw]

GT cell was so much cooler but yeah looks a bit off. Honesty GT was way better then DBS and I will always take GT as the best ending. I just powered if goku wasn't a kid as much...but then when you stand back you're like "Yeah okay I'll take it for what it is" then it ends up being the best arcs I've ever seen in DB. I would LOVE a Trunks and Goten spin off series also! Similar to a Future trunks situation!

[@Aveyasha]

I’ll be honest. GT Cell looks more sinister then how he was originally drawn. I think that should really be his new design. No cap though.

[@klikssiikubra314]

Agreed, he looks a lot more sharp and mechanical

[@strider_hiryu850]

because in GT, he was Bell, not Cell. aka, "The Forbidden One"

[@donathan2933]

Real talk tho. Cell looked so weird in GT

[@SofieHiyatsuki]

I mean Toriyama had nothing to do with the show.

[@ch4rliegaming]

Yes its animation rush, but theres another reason why, cell and frieza got older, thats why they looked more stressed and older, Cell, of course knowing how he is, would be stressed 24/7 for a 11 year old beating him

[@radicaIized]

Garbag style

[@alastorthedemonslayer4257]

I’m gonna be honest when I first watch it I didn’t notice at all and just kept watching GT, I say it’s fine as long as it doesn’t look like episode 5 of super or worst then it becomes unbearable, but I still enjoy GT, still one of my favorites of the franchise

[@chachingboy1]

For sure, there's bad and then there's distractingly bad. Early Super was distractingly bad, so bad you can't watch it seriously. I feel like this episode had some distractingly bad moments, but the entire episode wasn't distractingly bad, making it still an enjoyable experience.

[@alastorthedemonslayer4257]

@@chachingboy1 agreeable, I didn’t even notice right away with cell but the ssj3 in super episode 5, ho boi I definitely noticed

[@chachingboy1]

@@alastorthedemonslayer4257 And the fight with Frieza in Super... oh god... Throughout the episodes (iirc there were 2) with Hell Cell and Frieza I was constantly thinking "Whoa, that doesn't look right" but I could just shake it off and continue enjoying. But man.. early DBS.. time crunch is a bitch, huh?

[@superubergoober]

@@chachingboy1 i always chalked it up to budget issues. either way, i dont like the z style so it was bad, but so was everything else lol. db is the way to go

[@jiggycalzone8585]

TBF Toriyama himself was frequently off model. Let me ask you this: how tall is King Cold?

[@andyharshman]

He's 6'9. Why?

[@jiggycalzone8585]

@@andyharshman because Tapions sword can only be 1 size but it changes when trunks tosses it to the big K

[@andyharshman]

@@jiggycalzone8585 That's tapion's sword, not king cold

[@jiggycalzone8585]

@@andyharshman king cold is 3x the height of frieza, sitting down, when in his spaceship. When they land he's barely 2x the height, more resembling form 2 frieza

[@Churd_]

So that’s why cell was so fucked up looking, he was drawn by the one piece team 😭

[@connorford898]

I'm just glad I'm not the only one who noticed

[@Mt_hybrid]

😂If Gt was so good then why did piccolo commit die...

[@okuigokublack]

Kinda weird how Super Dragon Ball Heroes got Cell's design right.

[@DBanimationsZ]

Finally someone else pointed it out cuz I may first I thought I was tripping

[@easymoneyrad]

Simple answer, animation and artstyle, character design. Honestly not a big deal

[@eaghan]

so it wasnt just me...

[@TheBigMan920]

Yes! I always knew I noticed he looked terrible in GT. This video is exactly what I needed and have been looking for.

[@TrueNomadSkies]

Hmm, I always thought Frieza and Cell just looked more devious and different because in gt, they were depicted as being in Hell. Also, different people working on them.

[@briana.9395]

Different artists who aren't really familiar with the characters' proportions. Same reason why characters in Super also looked off.