Android 8

Android 8
Vital statistics
Names	Android 8, Eighter, 8-Man
Gender	Male
Race	Android
Occupation	Android
Origin	Dragon Ball Chapter 62 "The Ninja Split!" (危き機き！分ぶん身しんの術じゅつ Kiki! Bunshin no Jutsu, lit. "Peril! The Art of Division") February 18, 1986 (Weekly Shōnen Jump, 1986 #12)
Alignment	Good
Age	At Least over 20
Created By	Akira Toriyama
Height	Not Stated
Weight	Unknown

Name: Android 8 (人造人間８号 Jinzōningen Hachi-Gō), also known as "Eighter" (８はっちゃん Hacchan), as suggested by Goku.

Creator: Dr. Gero

Affiliation: Originally designed to serve the Red Ribbon Army

Appearance

Android 8 resembles Frankenstein's monster, which seems to be his design inspiration. He is a large, stocky man with short dark blue hair, a large cylindrical cranium, thick brows, no visible eyebrows, large oval eyes with small pupils, a wide nose, a large jaw, and two stitched scars: one across his forehead and the other on his left cheek.

• Dragon Ball: Wears a pale blue sweater under a navy blue suit, white socks, and black loafers.
• Dragon Ball Z: Wears a green and yellow fur jacket over his suit.
• Dragon Ball GT and The Path to Power: Wears an orange sweater under a teal suit and a sheepskin waistcoat. Underneath, he has blue boxer shorts.

Personality

Despite his intimidating appearance, Android 8 is kind, good-natured, and peaceful. He despises violence and refuses to follow the cruel orders of Ninja Murasaki and General White, who label him a "failure." However, he does fight when provoked, such as when he punches General White out of Muscle Tower after White shoots Goku.

In The Path to Power, his personality differs slightly:

• Initially controlled by General White, he acts as a mindless brute following orders, but he regains his emotional awareness and becomes cheerful, enjoying activities like playing with snowballs.
• Android 8 is more willing to fight in this version, as shown when he helps Goku against Staff Officer Black and is prepared to sacrifice himself for his friend despite knowing his opponent's strength. This act pushes Goku into a highly powered state.

In Attack of the Saiyans, he is temporarily brainwashed by General White, turning him into a mindless brute who follows White's orders, even attacking his old friend Goku and the Dragon Team. After being defeated, he reverts to his original, kind personality.

Biography

Background

Origin and Creation:

Android 8, also known as "Eighter" (Hacchan), is the eighth android created by Dr. Gero for the Red Ribbon Army. He is an entirely artificial construct. However, anime filler suggests that he was originally a human-type Earthling who died and was resurrected as a human-based model android by Dr. Flappe, on the orders of General White. The discrepancies around Android 8's creator are addressed in Daizenshuu 7, which suggests that Dr. Flappe and Dr. Gero were colleagues involved in his construction.

Dragon Ball

Red Ribbon Army Saga:

Android 8 is introduced by Ninja Murasaki as a weapon to use against Goku, but he refuses to fight due to his good nature. When Murasaki threatens to detonate him with a remote control, Goku intervenes by knocking the remote away and defeating Murasaki. Goku befriends Android 8 and nicknames him "Eighter."

Later, General White gives Android 8 an ultimatum to kill Goku or witness the Jingle Village Chief's execution. When White shoots Goku, seemingly killing him, Android 8 becomes enraged and punches White out of Muscle Tower. He subsequently destroys part of the tower, effectively ending the Red Ribbon Army's presence in Jingle Village. He reveals that he hid the Dragon Ball that the army was searching for, to protect the villagers. The village head invites him to live among them, which he accepts.

Before Goku leaves, he, Android 8, and Suno seek out Dr. Flappe to remove a bomb implanted in Android 8’s chest. After a confrontation with Ninja Murasaki, Dr. Flappe successfully removes the bomb.

King Piccolo Saga:

Android 8 appears again to rescue Suno from King Piccolo's assault on King Castle. This marks his final appearance in the Dragon Ball anime.

The Path to Power

In The Path to Power, a retelling of the early Dragon Ball story adapted for a theatrical format, Android 8 appears as a character under the control of General White in Muscle Tower. Initially, he follows General White's orders to attack Goku. However, Android 8 soon regains his emotional senses and refuses to harm Goku, leading General White to consider him a failure and a waste of the funds used to create him. When General White attempts to destroy Android 8 with a self-destruct device, Goku intervenes and saves him by defeating White with his Power Pole.

Following the battle, Android 8 and Goku play in the snow, where Goku affectionately names him "Eighter." Goku invites Eighter to join him and his friends on their quest for the Dragon Balls, but Eighter decides to stay behind to report the remaining Red Ribbon Army members near Muscle Tower to the police. In a significant deviation from the original story, Eighter is later destroyed by Commander Black, the new leader of the "Black Ribbon Army," at the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters. This act causes Goku to become enraged and power up significantly, allowing him to destroy the giant Battle Jacket that Commander Black is piloting, ultimately killing Black.

After the defeat of Commander Black, Goku uses the Dragon Balls to wish Android 8 back to life, and the bomb inside him is removed as part of the wish.

Dragon Ball Z

Majin Buu Saga:

Android 8 makes several cameo appearances throughout Dragon Ball Z. During the Kid Buu Saga, he contributes his energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb to defeat Kid Buu. He is revived because he is partially non-mechanical, similar to Androids 17 and 18, having a human component as he was resurrected as an android.

Battle of Gods

In Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Android 8 makes a brief appearance in the prologue when the narrator recaps Goku and his friends' adventures and the battles they fought in their journey to collect the seven Dragon Balls and summon Shenron.

Dragon Ball Super

"Future" Trunks Saga

During the "Future" Trunks Saga in Dragon Ball Super, Future Android 8 makes a brief appearance. While he resides in the snowy mountains near Jingle Village, he witnesses the destructive power of Fused Zamasu as he attacks Goku and Vegeta, causing devastation across Earth.

Later, when Future Trunks battles Fused Zamasu after Vegito defuses, all living beings on Earth lend their energy to Trunks to help him. Future Android 8 is among those who contribute his energy. However, after Fused Zamasu's physical form is destroyed, his essence spreads across the Earth and unleashes a devastating attack that leads to the death of Future Android 8 and the remaining inhabitants. Ultimately, when Future Zen'ō erases the entire future timeline to eliminate Infinite Zamasu, the soul of Future Android 8 is also erased.

Second Timeline

Android 8 is still alive in the second alternate future timeline created by Whis, following the erasure of the original future timeline.

Super Hero

Android 8 appears in a cameo during the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, specifically in the flashback that recaps the history of the Red Ribbon Army.

Dragon Ball GT

Baby Saga:

In Dragon Ball GT, Android 8 is briefly seen in episode 40, where Super Saiyan 4 Goku transports him off Earth before it explodes due to the effects of the Black Star Dragon Balls.

Attack of the Saiyans

In Attack of the Saiyans, Android 8 (Eighter) finds one of the Dragon Balls near Penguin Village. However, General White, who survived Eighter's earlier punch, returns to the ruins of Muscle Tower with other surviving members of the Red Ribbon Army. They manage to capture Eighter and brainwash him to serve the army once more.

Fortunately, Goku is temporarily revived by Fortuneteller Baba to assist the Dragon Team in collecting the Dragon Balls to fully revive him and confront the Saiyans. The Dragon Radar leads them to Muscle Tower, where Goku reunites with Suno, who informs him about Eighter's capture. Determined to save his friend and thwart the Red Ribbon Army's plans again, Goku and his friends head to Muscle Tower.

General White commands Android 8 to fight against the Dragon Team alongside him in a bid for revenge. However, neither White nor the brainwashed Eighter can stand against Goku and his friends, who have been training for the impending battle with the Saiyans. After being defeated, Android 8 is freed from the brainwashing and reverts to his original kind-hearted personality.

Grateful, Eighter hands the Dragon Ball over to Goku and his friends. He then returns to Jingle Village with Suno to resume his peaceful life.

Kakarot

Saiyan Saga

In Kakarot, Android 8 appears in the East Ravine Area during the Saiyan Saga Episode 2. When Goku and Piccolo travel to the region while following the Dragon Radar to find Raditz, Goku can speak to Android 8, leading to the Sub Story "Gentle Giant." Eighter's in-game moniker is "Kindhearted Android."

Sub Story: Gentle Giant

Goku is surprised to find his old friend, Eighter, who is now an adult. Eighter explains he came to East Ravine to stop some rampaging Red Ribbon Army robots but dislikes fighting. Goku offers to handle the robots for him, which Eighter gladly accepts. After Goku defeats the robots, Eighter is relieved and expresses gratitude, and Goku receives Eighter's Soul Emblem for the Community Boards.

Intermissions and Other Appearances

Intermission 1

During the first Intermission after the Saiyan Saga, Android 8 is found visiting a farm near the lake Fish Spot in the West Area, where Gingertown and West City are located.

Frieza Saga & Intermission 2

In the Frieza Saga Episode 1 and the second Intermission, Android 8 is near a stone land bridge by the dinosaur research facility in East Ravine Area. He mentions taking pictures of various locations to show Suno when he returns to Bells Village.

Cell Saga

During the Android conflict, Android 8 is in Bells Village, helping with firewood collection. He is unaware of the ongoing conflict with the Red Ribbon Androids. He confronts poachers targeting dinosaurs and is aided by Future Trunks, who defeats the poachers' robots. Eighter thanks Trunks and notes that he reminds him of Goku. Trunks decides not to inform Eighter of Goku's illness.

Later, during the wait for the Cell Games, Goku encounters Eighter in a forest overlooking Bells Village. Eighter initially doesn't recognize Goku in his Super Saiyan Full Power form but is happy to see his friend. Eighter mentions feeling sluggish, prompting Goku to take him to Capsule Corporation. Dr. Brief identifies Eighter as a Mechanical-type Android, making repairs challenging. Goku investigates Dr. Gero's Lab ruins for useful information, finds some burnt papers, and fights a Red Ribbon Army Guard Robot. Dr. Brief uses the information to repair Eighter, who feels better and now knows he can seek future repairs at Capsule Corporation.

Post-Majin Buu Saga

After Kid Buu's defeat, Red Ribbon Android 17, now a ranger in Darlinge Polynya, manages the local dinosaur population and deals with poachers. This means Eighter no longer needs to worry about such issues.

Trivia

• Viz Manga Reference: In the Viz manga, Goku refers to Android 8 as "8-man," while in the anime and Budokai Tenkaichi 3, he is called "Eighter." The name "8-Man" might reference the manga character of the same name.
• Frankenstein's Monster: Android 8 resembles Boris Karloff's portrayal of Frankenstein's monster from the Universal film adaptation. His backstory in the anime, involving being a human corpse modified into an android and revived by electricity, is similar to Frankenstein's monster's creation.
• Nickname "Franky": Android 8 has also been nicknamed "Franky," referencing his resemblance to Frankenstein's monster.
• Latin American Dub: In the Latin American dub, Android 8 is called "Octavio," derived from the Latin word "octa," meaning "eight." "Octavio" is also a common name in the region.
• Nature-Loving Traits: Android 8 shares traits with Android 16, such as a love for nature, friendliness (although 16 still shows some animosity towards Goku), large stature, and a tragic end. Their deaths also spurred Goku and Gohan to overcome their respective antagonists (Commander Black in The Path to Power and Cell in Dragon Ball Z).
• Eating and Drinking: Android 8 can eat and drink despite being an android, as shown in both the manga and anime when he has dinner with Goku at Suno's house.
• Contradiction in Dragon Ball Z: In Dragon Ball Z, Android 17 claims that Dr. Gero destroyed the first fifteen androids he designed. This contradicts Android 8's appearances in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. The discrepancy may be due to 17 and 18 not knowing about Android 8’s continued existence or Dr. Gero misleading them.
• Dr. Slump Parody: In Dr. Slump, the character of Frankenstein directly parodies the Frankenstein's monster and is a resident of Penguin Village. Both Frankenstein's monster and Android 8 are artificial lifeforms created from human bases and rebel against their creators, although Android 8 remains loyal to his creator, Dr. Flappe.
• Red Ribbon Army Soldier: One of the soldiers attacking Goku at the Red Ribbon Army Headquarters resembles Android 8, particularly with the scar on his forehead.