About

Android 17 is the first artificial human designed by Dr. Gero to be created by fitting a human being with cybernetics. As a mortal man, he and his unnamed sister (the eventual Android 1 cool were runaways whom Gero kidnapped and conducted experiments on, resulting in their transformation into cyborgs. Gero's blueprints for Android 17 in FUNimation's dub of the Imperfect Cell Saga suggest otherwise however, instead citing that 17 and 18 "are made up of organic substances padded after human cells". On the other hand, aside from nothing there suggesting that the human cells cited couldn't be their own original human cells, every other account of the series, including biography sections within video games and a piece in a later saga within the same dub (albeit with the statement specifically about 1 cool , agree with the former.

Android 17 has shoulder-length black hair and blue eyes. Underneath his hair, he has two gold hoop earrings. Around his neck, he wears an orange bandana. He wears a short sleeve black shirt with the Red Ribbon Army's logo, and underneath, he wears a long sleeve white shirt. He wears a belt to hold up his blue jeans which have a tear below the knees of the left leg. Just below the first belt he wears another belt with a gun holster and another pouch. 17 wears green socks and blue and white shoes. During his cameo in the Buu Saga, he wears a blue jacket and, during the Super 17 saga, he wears a tan, knee-length jacket.

Initially a reckless anarchist, 17 later reveals himself to be little more than a rebel without a cause. When he is revived by Shenron because of a wish that restored both the lives of all of Cell's victims and all the damage caused during the Cell Games, Android 17 goes on to live a life of peace in obscurity. At the end of Dragon Ball Z, 17 provided energy for Goku's Super Spirit Bomb to destroy Kid Buu. He reappears in Dragon Ball GT when scientists Gero and Myuu brainwash him telepathically and he is eventually merged with Hell Fighter 17, a Machine Mutant version of himself created by the scientists in Hell. Yet even without the ability to maintain his mind, 17 still exhibits some of his sensitivity, especially towards his twin sister. This is in stark contrast to his alternate self from Future Trunks's timeline, where he is a murderous sociopath who cares for no one but himself and 18. Android 17 is considered a Z Fighter, mainly because he has killed sinister characters such as Dr. Gero (twice) and Dr. Myuu; and he has helped to defeat other major villains such as Cell and Buu. While under control, he forced his transformed-self to reveal his own weak point, thus allowing Goku to kill him.

Android 17's strongest personal trait is his sense of self. He does his best to resist the will of Dr. Gero (or later, Dr. Myuu), and fights a futile battle against Imperfect Cell to assert his identity and his pride. He has an energy pistol which sees use by Future Android 17 against humans, although it is assumed to be generally ineffective against the likes of the Z Fighters. This pistol can be seen holstered to his character model in the video game Budokai 3.