DBZ's Cell Vs Pokemon's Ash: The Ridiculous Fan Movie That's Too Good To Be True
"Pokémon" is a franchise where children can throw hands with god for fun, so why wouldn't the fandom want to see Ash Ketchum test his luck outside the boundaries of canonical fiction? In 2017, Team Four Star — a YouTube channel best known for creating "Dragon Ball Z" comedy videos — answered the question as to what might happen if Ash encountered Cell in the wild. In "DBZ," Cell is a genetically engineered Ken whose job is murder, built from the DNA of Earth's mightiest heroes and villains. He's an arrogant, power-absorbing being who can shoot giant lasers from his hands. Conversely, Ash is an eleven-year-old who hangs out with an electric rat.
Team Four Star's video sees Ash joined by Misty and Brock as he continues his journey on the road to becoming a Pokémon master. The trio stumble across Cell, who is waiting alone in an empty arena. Brock immediately assumes that Cell isn't human and instead of taking a second to start a clarifying conversation, Ash just assumes that the big green guy is a Pokémon. So, he tries to catch Cell. It ... does not go well. Cell watches with a bemused expression while Ash attempts to engage in a Pokémon battle.
The funniest part of the video? Cell never kills anyone. He's so confused by Ash's brazen attitude and his tiny little pocket monsters that the only people who suffer significant harm are Jessie, James, and Meowth, Team Rocket's famous trio who follow Ash everywhere he goes. They annoy Cell enough to warrant a laser blast to their iconic hot air balloon. As for Ash and his friends, Cell just tells them to leave before his patience wavers.
YouTubers love Easter Eggs
In true YouTube fashion, Team Four Star's parody video is packed with deep-cut references to "Pokémon," "Dragon Ball Z," and the channel's own backlog. When Ash asks his Pokédex what kind of Pokémon Cell is, the image that appears on the handheld device's screen is a MissingNo.. "Pokémon" fans might recognize MissingNo. as the glitched sprite from "Pokémon Red" and "Pokémon Blue." The name is short for "Missing Number" and exists because the first set of games originally featured 39 additional creatures that were ultimately saved for later games. MissingNo. is essentially the remaining data from that removal.
This isn't Team Four Star's only video that pits Cell against a character outside of his franchise. He's encountered Naruto, Deadpool, and Yugi Moto in this same fashion. The funniest part about this gag is that it implies that Cell is waiting for Goku, while others attempt to be a worthy contender. Speaking of Yugi Moto, Cell spends no small amount of time mocking Ash for Pokémon's many similarities to Dual Monsters from "Yu-Gi-Oh." The only reason the poor kid isn't a smoldering pile of ash (pun not intended) is because Cell decided not to add injury to insult. Guess we can't chalk this up as one of Ash Ketchum's greatest moments throughout his journey.
Just before the credits roll, Mewtwo soars across the sky. Cell only catches a quick glimpse, but it's enough for him to ask, "Is that f****** Frieza?" This last punchline references a widely held belief that the legendary psychic-type Pokémon Mewtwo is modeled after the "Dragon Ball Z" villain. In fairness, their designs are similar ... well, Mewtwo's design is similar to one of Frieza's many forms, at least.