Dragon Ball Super: Why Did Goku Pick Frieza over Cell for the Tournament of Power?

Key Takeaways

Frieza is favored over Cell due to being the stronger option and Goku’s personal rivalry with him.
Lack of time to train meant Cell couldn’t catch up to Frieza’s power level before the Tournament of Power.
Cell has greater potential than Frieza but needs time to train. Frieza has already unlocked power to rival the gods.

In Dragon Ball Super, with the fate of the multiverse at stake and one of their fighters, Majin Buu, suddenly out of commission, Goku makes the split-second decision to have Frieza cover the last spot. At the end of the day, Universe 7 did win, and in no small part thanks to Frieza’s help. But some viewers can’t help but wonder why Goku picked Frieza over another powerful option: Doctor Gero’s final creation, the perfect bio-android Cell.

Formed using the cells of the world’s greatest fighters, Dr. Gero of the Red Ribbon Army created Cell to avenge the fall of his organization at the hands of Goku. Cell has the genetics of some members of the Z Fighters and Frieza himself, giving him one of the most versatile set of moves and abilities in the entire series. And yet, the evil space tyrant gets to participate instead.

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Because as Far as Goku Knows, Frieza Is Stronger

Just Based on the Last Time He’s Fought Each of Them

Goku Super Saiyan Blue fights Golden Frieza

The last time Goku fought Frieza was during the Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ movie or the episodic version of Dragon Ball Super‘s Golden Frieza Arc. During that time, Frieza achieved his Golden Frieza Form, which could keep up with Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue transformation. Goku at full power at that point would have more than enough power to destroy the universe, as even his Super Saiyan God transformation from the God of Destruction Saga was already posing a threat to the universe.

Cell, on the other hand, was last seen either during the Cell Games Saga, or if one counts the anime-only canon/filler parts, during the Otherworld Martial Arts Tournament Arc. Cell is generally considered to be strong enough to destroy the solar system, according to his statements. However, Golden Frieza is a universal threat, so, it should be easy to see why Goku favored one over the other.

Even if Cell has the potential to surpass Frieza, there simply wasn’t enough time for him to grow stronger before the Tournament of Power. The Z Fighters only learned of Buu falling into a deep sleep a few hours before the Tournament of Power. As soon as Frieza was revived and met up with the rest of the team, they quickly left to head over to the Null Realm, leaving no more time to train. This means that even if Goku did revive Cell for the tournament, it would be a Cell whose power has long been considered obsolete by Dragon Ball Super standards.

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Goku’s Relationship with Frieza Is More Personal than That with Cell

Cell Is More of Gohan’s Rival

Other than the fact that Frieza was already far stronger than Cell at that time, Goku also preferred Frieza because he had a more personal rivalry with him. Deep down, or maybe not even that deep down, Goku wants to fight Frieza again. Especially since he knows that Frieza’s power can grow so much in such a short time, how can a battle-loving Saiyan like him resist? Even Frieza knows of Goku’s desire and uses it to gain a bargaining chip in Dragon Ball Super, episode 93, “You’re Our Tenth Warrior! Goku Approaches Frieza!!”. When Goku approached Frieza with the offer of joining the Tournament of Power, Frieza told him that he would only accept if Goku promised to use the Dragon Balls to bring him back to life if Universe 7 won. Frieza gambled on the part of Goku that wanted to see just how far his limits could be pushed, and he gambled right.

“Leave it to the biggest villain in the universe to exploit my biggest weakness. You know me too well.” – Goku after hearing Frieza’s terms for joining the Tournament of Power

Goku doesn’t really have that same connection with Cell though. The Cell Saga happened at a time when Goku was thinking of retiring as Earth’s protector and passing the mantle on to Gohan. He didn’t really fight Cell with the intention of winning; rather, it was probably just his curiosity wanting to test how strong he is in comparison. In the end, Goku wanted Gohan to experience what it’s like to be relied on and have the hopes of others on his shoulders. Even though Cell probably considered himself Goku’s rival, the same can’t be said from Goku’s perspective.

Given Time to Train, Could Cell Surpass Frieza?

Despite Being Behind Right Now, Cell’s Latent Potential Should Hold Up

In theory, Cell should have immensely more potential than Frieza. It would make sense that he could because Cell also has Frieza’s genes, allowing him to grow exponentially stronger with minimal training. Having Saiyan cells will also allow him to grow stronger after severe injuries, an ability that Frieza doesn’t have. No one truly knows what his upper limit would be if he had time to train and amass power-ups. But ultimately, it probably doesn’t matter since there’s currently no precedence for Cell’s return, and in the manga, Frieza only continues to break limits.

A new bio-android based on Cell’s schematics was created in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. This new being resembles a giant red and green semi-perfect Cell, and was a match for versions of Gohan and Piccolo that would have been far stronger than Golden Frieza’s first appearance. However, it is important to note that Cell Max is not Cell. It is a completely different creation by Dr. Hedo, who improved upon Dr. Gero’s original designs. There is no evidence to suggest that the original Cell could have gotten anywhere near that strong without prolonged training or additional power-ups.