Enemy Warrior Arc

The arc opens on New Namek, where Android 21 and Android 16 have used Porunga to resurrect Cell, Frieza, Nappa, and the Ginyu Force. A human soul is linked to Frieza's body through a mysterious process, giving the player control of the galactic tyrant. Android 16, originally meant to link the soul with Goku, explains that the link is the only way for Frieza to regain access to his sealed power. Frieza, furious at being controlled but pragmatic enough to cooperate, begins building his forces by defeating and recruiting Nappa, Captain Ginyu, and eventually Cell.

Strange Bedfellows

Android 21 reveals herself as the architect behind the resurrections, demonstrating a horrifying ability to transform warriors into food and consume them to absorb their power. When Goku and Krillin arrive and misinterpret the situation, Frieza defeats them in combat. However, the soul inside him refuses to allow a killing blow, leading to a tense spiritual confrontation where Frieza fails to override the player's will. Cell brokers a fragile truce, and when Goku senses the truth about Frieza's soul, he proposes the unthinkable: a full alliance between heroes and villains to stop Android 21.

Hunting Android 21

The group travels aboard Bulma's ship, gathering scattered allies including Tien, Yamcha, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Majin Buu. Each rescue mission involves clearing clones that have overrun the Earth. Bulma constructs a machine to suppress the energy waves that seal everyone's power, but it only works temporarily, keeping the team dependent on cooperation. The climax sees Android 21 revealing her true form after killing Android 16, whom she brands a traitor for linking the soul without her permission. Her power dwarfs the combined strength of Frieza and Cell, forcing the villains to accept that their only path to survival runs directly through teamwork with the heroes they despise.

The arc's central tension comes from Frieza being forced to cooperate against every instinct he possesses. When the soul refuses to let him kill Goku, Frieza's impotent rage creates genuine comedy and character insight. Cell serves as an unexpectedly effective mediator, his intelligence allowing him to see the practical benefits of the alliance while Frieza sputters with indignation. The banter between the two villains provides the arc with its most entertaining dialogue.

Android 21's transformation scene, where she consumes a clone by turning it into a treat and eating it in front of the horrified group, establishes her as a uniquely disturbing Dragon Ball villain. Her ability to shift from calculated scientist to ravenous predator keeps the threat level unpredictable, and her murder of the sympathetic Android 16 removes any possibility of a peaceful resolution.

The Enemy Warrior Arc succeeds by doing something Dragon Ball rarely attempts: making Frieza and Cell the protagonists. By filtering the Android 21 crisis through their perspective, the arc explores how villains process concepts like trust, teamwork, and vulnerability. Frieza's slow, grudging acceptance that he needs help is played for both comedy and genuine character development, while Cell's intellectual curiosity about Android 21 drives the investigation forward in ways the hero campaign cannot.

As a precursor to the main Android 21 Arc, this campaign provides essential context that reframes the full story. Android 16's dual role as both ally and suspected traitor, Android 21's internal struggle between her scientific mind and her consuming hunger, and the mechanics of the soul link system are all explored more deeply here than in the Super Warrior Arc. For Dragon Ball FighterZ, this arc proved that the game's original story could stand alongside the franchise's best narrative moments.