Goku confronts the Artificial Humans, who wound Yamucha and mercilessly destroy the city around them, and becomes enraged at their actions! They decide to move the battlefield to another location and have it out. The Artificial Humans tell Goku that since Doctor Gero manufactured them after observing all of Goku's fights up to now, their force is without fail greater than his.
After transforming into a Super Saiyan, Goku's power rises far higher than the Artificial Humans had anticipated. The Artificial Humans are unable to conceal their surprise. However, Piccolo starts feeling doubt and anxiety that Super Saiyan Goku's power was not what it previously had been. And then, just as Piccolo feared, the tide of the battle gradually turned toward the Artificial Humans' favor.
Having become the underdog, Goku swallows a senzu bean, but he shows absolutely no signs of recovering. And with good reason, since he was suffering the effects of a heart illness. Piccolo steps in to help Goku, but is obstructed by No. 20. Just as things look grim, Vegeta shows up and rescues Goku. However, Piccolo has misgivings about Vegeta being able to defeat No. 19.
Having undergone his awakening as a Super Saiyan, Vegeta overpowers No. 19 and destroys him in short order! Having witnessed his abilities, No. 20 realizes that he cannot beat Vegeta and begins to flee. However, when he sees Piccolo and the others in pursuit, he devises a plan. He will absorb Piccolo's energy and make it his own, then defeat Vegeta with it.
Using the absence of his presence to his advantage, No. 20 attacks Piccolo and absorbs his energy. However, after being saved from that tight spot by Gohan, Piccolo turns around and overpowers No. 20. Just then, as promised, Trunks arrives from the future to help out. However, after seeing No. 19 and No. 20, Trunks reveals to Vegeta and the others a startling truth!
No. 20 is cornered by Piccolo, but when Bulma flies by to see how things are going, he attacks her and uses the opening to escape toward his laboratory. Vegeta and the others remaining behind are then told by Trunks and Bulma that No. 20 is actually Doctor Gero and that there are other Artificial Humans besides him. Upon learning this, Vegeta happily takes off in pursuit of Doctor Gero...
While Vegeta wishes to do battle with No. 17 and No. 18, Trunks attempts to talk him out of it in order to prevent them from being reactivated. Meanwhile, Piccolo, Kuririn, and Tenshinhan have split up to search for Doctor Gero's laboratory. However, Doctor Gero is one step ahead of them and arrives at the lab first, where he awakens No. 17 and No. 18!
No. 17 and No. 18 destroy Doctor Gero and awaken the remaining Artificial Human, No. 16. Trunks grows alarmed at the advent of the situation he feared most. However, the three Artificial Humans completely ignore Trunks and head off toward Goku's house. Feeling his pride wounded, Vegeta disregards Trunks' attempts to stop him and begins chasing them down!
Stubbornly rejecting any help from Piccolo or Trunks, Vegeta challenges No. 18 to battle alone and wages an evenly-matched battle against her. Trunks is unable to hide his surprise at Vegeta's abilities, which are far greater than he imagined, to say nothing of No. 17. However, faced with the inexhaustible stamina possessed by No. 18, Vegeta's movements began to drop off more and more, until...!
Trunks leaps forward to rescue Vegeta from his predicament! However, No. 18 nimbly dodges Trunks' attack. Piccolo and the others also rush forward to rescue Vegeta. This time No. 17 comes to No. 18's support, easily beating Piccolo and the others. Finally, No. 18 thoroughly works Vegeta over, until he is beaten as well.
Piccolo and the others regain their strength with the help of some senzu beans but are dumbfounded by the tremendous strength of the Artificial Humans. Vegeta, who has had his pride left in tatters, swears revenge in his heart and leaves the scene. Meanwhile, Piccolo instructs Kuririn to move Goku to a safe location and firms up his resolve toward a certain matter. He and Kuririn and the others then go their separate ways.
The Artificial Humans steal a truck and head straight for Goku's house. Kuririn and Trunks, who arrive at Goku's home before the Artificial Humans, load the unconscious Goku aboard an airplane and rush toward the Kame House. Elsewhere, having been beaten by the Artificial Humans, Piccolo heads to the Heavenly Realm, seeking to merge with Kami-sama to increase his power. But what is Kami-sama's reaction to this?
Trunks realizes some hidden truths about the fabric of his "parallel world." For example, even if Goku and the others are able to defeat the Artificial Humans, Trunks' own tragic future would remain unchanged. In the future, Bulma believes that it would be nice if there were another, peaceful future, which is why she built the time machine. However, they soon discover that there is a second time machine out there...
Once Trunks and the others learn about the mysterious time machine, they succeed in discovering its location. Inside the derelict time machine, which arrived in the present a full year before Trunks first came, they find an eerie eggshell. Moreover, they discover the cast-off husk of a strange-looking creature nearby. Trunks and the others tremble with unspeakable fear. Who does this time machine belong to?!
The residents of a small city named Gingertown suddenly disappear. The city is fairly close to where the time machine was discovered. Watching from the Heavenly Realm, Kami-sama witnesses the monster attacking the city and makes up his mind to merge with Piccolo. Following their joining, the newly-born Piccolo rushes to Gingertown and discovers the monster.
Cell, a monster who possesses a Ki identical to both Goku and Freeza, appears before Piccolo. Piccolo faces off against this unknown new foe. As if to sneer at Piccolo, Cell uses his own knockout technique, Makankosappo, against him. Then, to finish off Piccolo, who is unable to hide how shaken he is, Cell assumes the Kamehame-Ha pose. Exactly who is this terrifying monster?
Cell performs Goku's finishing technique, the Kamehame-Ha, with the greatest of ease. Piccolo avoids the blast by the narrowest of margins, but is then seized upon by Cell, who absorbs the life essence out of his left arm. Cell agrees to detail his origins to Piccolo before finishing him off, but it was a trap set by Piccolo to get him to reveal his identity. Piccolo quickly re-grows his left arm, and challenges Cell to battle anew!
After Piccolo releases his full power in order to defeat Cell, he is joined by Kuririn and Trunks. Cell states that it would be difficult for him to prevail against all three of them in his fledgling body and flees the scene for the time being. In time, Vegeta also joins Piccolo and the others, and Piccolo exhibits his rage at letting Cell get away. Will they be able to find Cell, now that he is on the move and suppressing his Ki?
Knowing that it will not change their present situation, Trunks and Kuririn head off to eliminate Cell, who has just been born, for the sake of the future. They discover the larval form of Cell in Doctor Gero's laboratory, and destroy it along with the entire building. While there in the lab, they obtain the design schematics for No. 17, and Bulma begins to look for a weakness in the Artificial Humans.
Cell appears, seeking life essence, and continues to attack people. Kuririn happens to run into Cell, but when he challenges him, he winds up on the losing end. Just when things look critical, Piccolo and Tenshinhan arrive and rescue Kuririn! Then, at the Kame House, Goku finally awakens from his slumber and has made the grand resolution to go beyond even Super Saiyan.
Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks decide to train within the Room of Spirit and Time, a place where a year's time passes in one day. Upon first experiencing the overwhelming null space inside, Trunks has his doubts. Elsewhere, while pursuing Goku, the Artificial Humans move from Goku's house to the Kame House. There they are met by Piccolo and company, who challenges them once again to battle...
The three Artificial Humans, No. 16, No. 17, and No. 18, arrive at the Kame House in search of Goku. However, Goku is, of course, not there, being engaged in training at Kami's temple. Piccolo, having powered up by merging with Kami, lures the Artificial Humans away and begins fighting No. 17 on an uninhabited island. The tremendous power released by Piccolo as he fought No. 17 is detected by Cell, who is searching for the Artificial Humans...!!
Bulma completes an Artificial Human emergency shutdown controller, a beam of hope to save the earth. Bulma then rushes to the Kame House with it. As the unimaginable battle between Piccolo and No. 17 continues, things gradually lean in No. 17's favor. While a fighter like Piccolo loses his stamina rapidly every time he uses up some power, the Artificial Humans never grow fatigued!
At length, Cell shows up at the ongoing battle between Piccolo and No. 17. Piccolo stands paralyzed before the overwhelming power of Cell. Cell starts to attack No. 17 and No. 18 so that he can absorb them and attain his perfect form!! If Cell attains his perfect form, there will be no stopping him! Piccolo challenges Cell, ready to give up his life, but he is unable to inflict any damage on him!
Cell, having defeated Piccolo without any trouble, begins attacking without mercy in order to absorb No. 17. Not even No. 17's power is able to put a dent in the superior power of Cell. Just as he is about to be swallowed up by the creepy, wide-open orifice at the end of Cell's tail, No. 16, who had shown no inclination to fight up to now, takes action. Saying "the time for me to fight has come," he steps forward to stop Cell!
No. 16's finishing technique, Hell's Flash, explodes against Cell. When the others see his powers are evenly matched with Cell's, they all begin to have hope. Then, finding an opening, Cell successfully absorbs No. 17! Cell begins to transform. Grabbing No. 18, No. 16 tries to escape. However, having powered up, Cell heads them off! Is No. 18 about to be absorbed, as well?!
Risking his life to stop Cell as he closes in, and to allow No. 18 to get away, Tenshinhan repeatedly blasts Cell with his Shin-Kikoho technique. No. 16 and No. 18 successfully get away, but Tenshinhan's life is left hanging by a thread. Then, at the moment that Cell is about to wipe out Tenshinhan, Goku instantaneously moves from Kami's temple to stand before Cell!
Vegeta and Trunks at last complete their father-and-son training inside the Room of Spirit and Time. They immediately take off from Kami's temple to go defeat Cell! Elsewhere, the fiendish hand of Cell closes in on No. 16 and No. 18, who have concealed themselves from his ferocious attacks. And, at Kami's temple, Goku and Gohan are about to start their own training within the Room of Spirit and Time.
Cell closes in on the island where No. 16 and No. 18 are hiding, so that he can absorb No. 18 and achieve his perfect form. Just as it looks like Cell is about to gain his perfect form, a powered-up Vegeta arrives! Vegeta transforms to become a Super Saiyan, glowing with a golden color, and begins to unleash a ruthless attack on Cell. Vegeta's super power overwhelms Cell!!
Through his training in the Room of Spirit and Time, Vegeta has reached a second stage and obtained a power even greater than Cell's. Even at his full power, Cell is as helpless as a baby against the powered-up "Super Vegeta." Meanwhile, Kuririn arrives at the island where Vegeta and Cell are fighting, carrying the Artificial Human emergency shutdown controller that Bulma made.
Not even a blast from Cell at full power is able to leave so much as a scratch on Super Vegeta. As Trunks, Kuririn, No. 16 and No. 18 look on, Vegeta backs Cell into a corner. As the gap between Vegeta and Cell becomes evident, Vegeta begins to think there is no worth in killing him. But then, Cell challenges him with a perilous enticement: "If only I could become my perfect form!"
Vegeta's pride reacts to Cell's claim that if he could attain his perfect form, he would not be beaten. As a result of the Saiyan instinct to fight ever-stronger opponents, Vegeta chooses to allow Cell to have his perfect form. Ignoring Trunks' attempts to stop him, Vegeta allows Cell to get away. As Cell escapes from Vegeta's ferocious attack, No. 18, whom Cell had been searching for, appears in his line of sight!
Cell makes a strike at No. 18 in order for him to evolve into his perfect form. Trunks attempts to prevent that from happening, but Vegeta, of all people, stands in his way! Trunks is forced to attack his own father, Vegeta, to stop Cell from powering up to his perfect form. Cell uses the opportunity to blind them with a Taiyo-ken blast, and at last absorbs No. 18!!
After taking Trunks and the others by surprise and absorbing No. 18, Cell is enveloped in an enormous ball of light. The impact reaches the Kame House, Kami's temple, and the rest of the world. As Cell emerges from the clearing smoke in his perfect form, Kuririn and Trunks both launch attacks on him. At that same time, in the Room of Spirit and Time, following grueling training, Gohan successfully transforms into a Super Saiyan!
Cell, in his perfect form, knocks out Kuririn with one blow as though it were nothing. Super Vegeta then starts to challenge Cell. Vegeta launches attack after ferocious attack, but Cell does not take things the least bit seriously. Vegeta hits Cell with a kick at full power but is unable to do any damage to him!
With a single earnest strike from Cell, Vegeta takes tremendous damage! Vegeta is stunned by Cell's abilities, but by putting his entire strength into a Final Flash attack, he blows half of Cell's torso away! However, after Cell regenerates himself, he attacks Vegeta again, easily knocking him out. Taking his father's place, Trunks unleashes his power and commences to challenge Cell!!
As Trunks' whole body grows larger, and his hair stands on end, he starts his battle with Cell. However, all Trunks does is withstand attack after attack from Cell. It was a tactic to get Cell to follow him so that Kuririn could rescue Vegeta. After confirming that Kuririn had safely gotten away, Trunks raises his Ki even further!
Elevating his Ki, Trunks increases his muscle size throughout his body. As he confronts Cell, he remembers the hellish future he came from. No. 17 and No. 18 indiscriminately attacked humanity. Gohan and the other Z Warriors were killed, one after the next, until Trunks was the only warrior remaining. In order to prevent that future from ever happening, Trunks has to defeat Cell!
With a Ki even greater than Cell's, Super Trunks begins to attack. However, Cell dodges him with a look of confidence on his face. Trunks had only raised his power and could not keep up with Cell's speed. When Cell points this out to Trunks, he admits defeat. However, so that he might enjoy the ultimate fight, Cell proposes that they hold a tournament.
After declaring that in ten days' time, he will be holding a Tenkaichi-style tournament where he will fight against other martial artists, Cell takes off, leaving Trunks behind. Upon hearing this, Artificial Human No. 16 decides that he wishes to participate in the "Cell Games." He ends up going to the Capsule Corporation, where he asks to have his body repaired. Meanwhile, Cell creates a ring for the tournament in an uninhabited wilderness plain.
Cell strikes a television studio, where he broadcasts his declaration to the entire world that he is holding the Cell Games. He says that he will take on any challengers, and if no one is able to defeat him, he will kill every last person on earth! Vegeta and Trunks resolve that, in order to win the Cell Games, they will train once again inside the Room of Spirit and Time after Goku and Gohan emerge.
The entire world breaks down in a panic at Cell's broadcast. As this happens, the warriors begin their preparations for the Cell Games. Bulma works to repair No. 18 [sic]. At Kami's temple, Vegeta and son await Goku and son. At last, Goku and Gohan finish their training in the Room of Spirit and Time! However, upon hearing about the Cell Games, Goku says that he will spend the remaining time down in the lower realm.