Everyone is training to get ready for the Androids that Trunks warned them about. Gohan, Goku, and Piccolo train in the mountains. Vegeta trains himself under to 450 times the gravity of Earth in the gravity sector of Capsule 3, keeping in mind that his main goal is to get stronger than Goku. Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and Chiaotzu also undergo rigorous training to prepare for the future. Three years pass...

Goku, Gohan, and Piccolo fly to the southern island 90 km away from where Trunks appeared to regroup with the others. They encounter Krillin on the way and everyone lands to meet with Yamcha and Tien (Chiaotzu was left behind because he wasn't too strong to be of any use in fighting.) Bulma is also there holding a baby, to whom is introduced as her child, Trunks. Bulma tells that she is there to see how the Androids look like. Everyone except Goku and Piccolo becomes startled that the baby is Vegeta's kid. Yajirobe flies on a hovercraft in to give the warriors a bag of senzu beans from Karin. Everyone looks at the city below the cliff in which they stand on but see no signs of the Androids.

Yajirobe is leaving and his ship mysteriously explodes. The Z Warriors separate to investigate while Gohan brings Yajirobe to safety. Two mysterious figures, Androids 19 and 20 jump around the city killing the people they pass by. Yamcha unknowingly encounters the strange figures in his search for the androids. Android 20 grabs Yamcha by the mouth, stealing energy in the mist, and jabs a hand through him. The others sense Yamcha's troubling ki and arrive to the scene. Krillin takes Yamcha's body back to Bulma for senzu. Goku, Tien, Piccolo, and the Androids fly off to more deserted areas for better fighting grounds.

The Androids request to stop at Stone Mountain. Piccolo sees it as the androids' advantage for fighting because they can hide in the mountain mazes if they lose the battle. Goku and Android 19 battle first. Goku has the advantage, but doesn't do too well even in Super Saiyan level. Yamcha is revived with a senzu. He tells that the androids have the ability to absorb energy. Gohan, Krillin, and Yamcha then go to warn their comrades of this factor. Android 19 absorbs part of Goku's energy via Goku's kamehameha before he is warned of the androids' ability. Goku suddenly suffers from his heart failure and collapses. Android 19 beats Goku around and then begins to absorb the remains of Goku.

Vegeta leaps in to save Goku, telling that it will be he who will be the one to defeat Kakarot. To everyone's surprise, Vegeta powers up into Super Saiyan mode too. He tells how during training, he realized that he training methods were not going to be good enough to defeat Goku, so he got angry and turned into a Super Saiyan. Yamcha goes and takes Goku back to Master Roshi's place to recover. Vegeta beats Android 19 and purposely lets him steal some of his energy. Then, he kills the android off. Android 20 watches and realizes how he miscalculated the power levels of the Z Warriors. Thinking that he will lose to Vegeta, Android 20 runs away. Vegeta demands a senzu to restore his energy and then pursuits after his target. Everyone joins in the hunt.

Trunks returns from the future and looks for the Z Warriors. Seeing the decapitulated head of Android 19, he realizes that the Z Warriors were fighting the wrong androids. Android 20 sees that he's been surrounded and makes a move to absorb Piccolo's energy. Gohan comes and saves him, and Piccolo is restored back to full energy with a senzu. Android 20 is surrounded again and is about to be killed. Trunks also arrives to the scene, telling that Androids 19 and 20 are not the ones that will terrorize the future. Bulma flies in with baby Trunks and Yajirobe. Dr. Gero shatters the ship with a fireball to create a diversion for escape.

Trunks rescues his mother and his baby self. Bulma tells the identity of the android she saw. Android 20 is really Dr. Gero, who created Android 19 to which he used in turn to make himself into an android. Trunks tells that Androids 19 and 20 are the wrong set of androids to fight. Androids 17 and 18 are the real targets, but are not yet awaken. Gohan carries Bulma, baby Trunks, and Yajirobe to fly back home. Everyone else flies off to destroy Dr. Gero's lab before Androids 17 and 18 can be unleashed. Dr. Gero realizes this plan and also races towards his lab.

Dr. Gero knowing the hidden location of his lab, gets to it faster than the Z Warriors. The Z Warriors catch up, but by the time they reach the lab Androids 17 and 18 have already been released. Everyone watches the androids. Androids 17 and 18 make a mess of their creator's laboratory and then Android 17 slices Dr. Gero's head off before crushing it. Androids 17 and 18 also head to the pod of another android and release him, Android 16. Finally, they head to face the Z Warriors. In a remote area, Androids 17 and 18 easily beat Tien, Piccolo, Trunks, and Vegeta. Android 16 refuses to fight, telling that he was created to destroy Goku only. Krillin, too scared to fight, watches the horror. The androids head to Krillin and tell him that the Z Warriors are not dead yet. They confess that everything is a game, and that they'll be glad to fight their enemies again once they get stronger.

The Z Warriors suspect the Androids of coming to Goku's house to kill him and move Goku to the Kame House. On the journey, Bulma contacts the crew and tells our the discovery of an abandoned time machine much like Trunks', but Trunks has his machine a capsule with him. He tells that Bulma only made one capsule in the future, and Trunks and Gohan fly in to investigate. Nearly, the shell of a creature hatched not too long ago is discovered. In a closely town, the mysterious creature is absorbing everyone.

Piccolo sees that the only way to defeat the Androids would be to power up dramatically, and decides to fuse back with Kami. Kami, watcher of the earth, watches an enemy unlike any other attack Gingertown. Victims are completely consumed, and no one is spared. Kami tells Piccolo that the earch does not need a god now, but a super powered being. The two fuse with Piccolo as the base, and the two become one again.

Piccolo flies to the town with the strange evil being who is absorbing everyone. (All the inhabitants of the town have vanished and only empty clothing remain.) The being hatched from the time machine shows itself. The two fight. Cell holds Piccolo captive and absorbs an arm. Piccolo breaksfree and demands to know more about his opponent before he loses his life to it. Cell yields to what he believes to be Piccolo's final wish before he absorbs him. It introduces itself as Cell, another one of Dr. Gero's creations. When Trunks returned to the future and killed Androids 17 and 18 of that time, Cell killed Trunks and stole his time machine to return to the past where the Androids were still alive. Cell reveals about how Dr. Gero abandoned the project on him but left the computer on to develop him on its own. In order to reach perfect form, he needed the beings of two figures crucial to the powerup- Androids 17 and 18. As newly hatched, he needed energy. That is why he has been absorbing people. Piccolo laughs and tells that he won't let Cell reach perfect form. Then, he tears off his useless limb and regenerates his arm. The two fight again, but Cell escapes the town to enter other parts of the city, where he continues to kill for energy. Piccolo and his comrades hunt for Cell before it is too late.

The Androids are heading for Goku's house via car and trashing any unlucky cities they pass by.When they finally reach Goku's house, they find it abandoned and then slowly travel to Kame's House, thinking the whole process of "hunt and kill Goku"a game.

Goku recovers from his illness and, hearing everything while asleep, prepares to join in fighitng. He teleports for Gohan and then to Vegeta and Trunks' location, telling of a place where they can train for one year in one day. Everyone goes to Sky Palace and enter the Room of Spirit and Time, where time passes by slower. Only two people can train at a time in the room. Vegeta and Trunks enter first. After devouring many civilians, Cell grows strong enough to face the Androids and head for them.

The Androidsreached the Kame House. The Non-Saiyan Z Warriors are there and Piccolo stalls. Piccolo and the Androids fly to a nearly island and battles Android 17 while the remaining Androids watch. As the two fight, Cell reaches them. Cell easily beats Piccolo and heads for Android 17.Android 17 knows nothing about Cell and attempts to bully him, but Cell also easily beats the android. Before Cell is able to absorb Android 17, Android 16 joins the fight. Android 16 overwhelms Cell. Cell becomes buried in a pile of rubble, but emerges atop Android 17 and absorbs him. Cell changes into form 2. Cell becomes stronger than Android 16 and shatters him. Then, he heads for Android 18 and devours her, reaching Perfect Form.

The training in the Room of Spirit and Time is complete and the Saiyan warriors emerge stronger than ever. The parts of Android 16 are gathered and Bulma rebuilds him to fight as a Z Warrior. Everyone is ready to face Cell again.

A tournament is held to fight Cell in what is known as the "Cell Game". In this "game", if Cell wins he will destroy the earth. Goku and Cell battle to a standstill. The battle gets intense, but Goku suddenly surrenders and tells Gohan to take his place. Goku gives Cell a senzu bean to make it fair for Cell and Gohan enters the ring. Everyone is shocked at what Goku did.

Gohan tells that he understands why his father is making him fight. He tells that whenever he gets angry, he powers up unbelievably. Cell boasts that he wants to see this hidden strength of Gohan's and begins torturing him to make him angry. Goku calmly watches while Gohan is still not angry enough to fight back. Gohan is getting beaten badly but Goku tells his comrades to just watch and wait. Android 16, a robot, has no "ki" so he can't be sensed. The android silently walks to Cell and puts him into a lock-hold Android 16 tells everyone to clear out because he will ignite the doomsday device that Dr. Gero placed in his creations as a backup plan. Krillin shouts that it won't work because Bulma removed the bomb when he rebuild the robot. Cell laughs and shatters Android 16 again.

Cell grows tired of this and threatens to harm the spectators- Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Piccolo. Cell flies to Krillin to steals his bag of senzu beans and heads back to Gohan. He counts seven spectators and, from his tail, spits out seven miniature blue duplicates of himself. The Cell Juniors are born. Gohan watches desperately as the seven little monsters fly towards his comrades. Goku, too weak to fight after fighting Cell, is unable to fend off the Juniors. The other Z Warriors get beaten as well. Gohan only watches in distress, seeing that it's because of him that Cell afflicted the attacks upon his comrades.

In the background, Hercule, his disciples, a reporter, and a camera-man have been boardcasting the fight. Android 16's head was thrown in the direction of Satan. The head begins to talk and request that it be brought close to Gohan, telling that this is the only way that the world can be saved. After much reluctance, Satan cowardly carries the head across the battlefield, throws it in front of Gohan, and hides behind a rock again. Android 16's head encourages Gohan to fight. Cell sees the touching scene and splatters the head with a foot. The death of Android 16 triggers the hidden rage in Gohan and Gohan powers up to Super Saiyan level 2, surpassing the limits of the ordinary Super Saiyan level. Gohan steals the senzu back from Cell and then single-handed kills all Cell Juniors.

Gohan heads for Cell and bullies him. Cell powers up to 100% and attacks, but is still unable to defeat Gohan. With a kick in the body, Cell spits Android 18 back out and degrades back into form 2. Seeing no way to win in an even weaker form, Cell activates his self-destruct sequence (the bomb in his body) so that the planet will go with him. To save the Earth, Goku teleports Cell to Kaiou's planet. Cell explodes and Kaiou's tiny planet gets ruined. Goku, Kaiou, Bubbles, and Gregory die at the cost of saving the earth.

The Z Warriors stand stunned at what happened, not knowing whether to mourn the loss of Goku or cheer the victory that the earth has been saved. An unexpected fireball flies out and pierces through Trunks. Trunks dies before he hits the ground. Cell, in perfect form, appears smiling. The Z Warriors must face Cell again, without Goku.

Cell tells that when he exploded, the nucleus of one of his brain cells survived. From the cell, mitosis was possible and he was able to regenerate his entire body. Cell boasts that he was also able to rebuild himself in perfect form, commenting that it may be the work of the Saiyan cells in possesses. Saiyans grow stronger each time they reach the brink of death, and likewise with these cells, Cell is now stronger. Vegeta becomes outraged and shoots hundreds of fireballs at Cell. The smoke clears and reveals Cell unscathed. Cell flies over and knocks Vegeta out. Then, he aims a fireball at Vegeta's helpless body and shoots. Gohan intervenes the blast to save Vegeta's life, taking the blast for him. Gohan gets back up with half his body bloody.

Cell and Gohan blast Kamehameha blasts at each other and a fireball duel is followed to see who can hold out longer. Cell's fireball begins to overwhelm Gohan's, but Gohan simply tries to hold out without much effort of fighting back. Through Kaiou, Goku yells to encourage his son. The remaining Z Warriors (Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, and Piccolo) shoot fireballs at Cell to try to help Gohan, but Cell's aura blows them away each time. Vegeta wakes back up and flies above Cell, telling himself that it is impossible for low class Saiyans (Goku and Gohan) to be stronger than him, an elite warrior and also Prince of all Saiyans. He charges up a fireball and blasts it at Cell. In this distraction, Goku tells Gohan that now's his chance. Gohan strengthens his fireball and overwhelms Cell, disintegrating the monster in the blast.

The Z Warriors cheer over this victory and head to Sky Palace. Vegeta staggers away in disbelief that Gohan is stronger than he. Hercule and the news reporters revive back to consciousness. Hercule, seeing the area empty, takes advantage and takes credit for killing Cell, taking titles for "The World Champion who saved the world from Cell" and "The Strongest Man in the Universe".

As the world parades for Hercule, the Z Warriors are in Sky Palace. Dende heals Gohan and Trunks. Android 18 awakens. The Z Warriors threaten to kill her, but Krillin tells them not to. Android 18 flees. The warriors yell at Krillin for his decision, but then tease that he has a crush on her. The dragonballs have been gathered. Three wishes are permitted. A wish is made to remove the bombs in the Androids. Another is made to revive all those killed by Cell. However, Goku is still dead. Through Kaiou, Goku tells that it is okay. The Z Warriors all reflect on Goku's life. Hercule emerges a hero. Gohan breaks the news about Goku to his mother.