Undetectable Monsters! The Androids Appear!

May 12th has come. Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo fly to Amenbo Island, where Trunks predicted the Androids would strike. They rendezvous with Krillin, Yamcha, Tien, and, to everyone's surprise, Bulma, who has brought along baby Trunks. Goku identifies the infant by name, and when Bulma asks how he could possibly know, he deflects clumsily. The child's father is Vegeta, who has not yet arrived but is certain to appear.

The clock hits 10:00 AM, the predicted hour of the attack, and nothing happens. Minutes stretch by in tense silence. At 10:17, Yajirobe arrives with Senzu Beans from Korin and quickly departs, wanting no part of the battle. Shortly after, his hovercar explodes in the distance, and Piccolo spots two figures descending into the crowded city of Sasebo.

Hunting the Unhuntable

The Z Fighters immediately realize the fundamental problem with fighting Androids: they emit no ki. The energy-sensing abilities that normally give Earth's warriors a tactical advantage are completely useless. Finding the machines requires old-fashioned legwork through a populated urban area where any bystander could become collateral damage.

The fighters split up to search the city. While Goku, Tien, and the others comb through the streets, the Androids begin their assault. Android 19 attacks civilians near a street corner, while Android 20 pulls the engine from a car and strangles its driver. A woman's scream alerts Yamcha, who rushes to investigate.

Yamcha finds the carnage but not the culprits, who have vanished to higher ground. Android 19's scanners confirm the approaching fighter is not Goku. Android 20 decides Yamcha will serve as a useful source of energy regardless. Landing behind the unsuspecting warrior, Android 20 grabs Yamcha by the face, drains his life force, and then drives a fist straight through his chest. The other Z Fighters sense Yamcha's ki plummeting and race to the scene.

The Androids' first appearance establishes them as a fundamentally different kind of threat. Unlike Frieza and his army, who radiated detectable power, Androids 19 and 20 operate as invisible predators. Their ability to drain energy from living beings through physical contact adds a dimension of danger that negates the Z Fighters' usual strategies.

Yamcha's near-fatal encounter serves as a grim demonstration of what these machines can do. When the other fighters arrive and Android 20 throws Yamcha's broken body at their feet, the reality of the situation hits home. Goku demands they relocate to an uninhabited area, but Android 20 responds by obliterating half of Sasebo first.