Cell Max Returns to Dragon Ball, Making Another Big Comeback for Players
Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo are two of the most celebrated transformations in recent Dragon Ball conversation, but the spotlight keeps shifting back to a familiar threat: Cell Max. The character last appeared after being taken down by those heroes, and now he’s set to return for players to experience again.
Of course, Dragon Ball isn’t just about the big baddies. The Dragon Ball community is also tracking an ongoing anime project for The Galactic Patrol, plus a remake of the Beerus arc. On the game side, Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2 has wrapped up its final DLC, expectations are rising for Xenoverse 3, and Sparking Zero is still receiving support. There are also plenty of mobile titles in the mix, with Dokkan Battle remaining one of the franchise’s biggest draws.
Villains have always been a major strength for the series, and the franchise is now moving toward what’s framed as its most significant antagonist since the era of DBZ.
Cell Max Returns in Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle
Cell Max is officially making a comeback on July 14 in Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle, arriving as a new unit. Early reactions aren’t entirely positive, though—some players are frustrated by the timing and the specific choice of which characters to spotlight.
For context, this marks Cell Max’s second run as an LR (Legendary Rare), which is described as the game’s rarest unit tier. Even with that, a portion of the community feels the roster is missing other highly requested options—particularly an LR version of Orange Piccolo, and even characters like Kid Buu—leading to disappointment for those hoping for different additions.
Quick scan: what’s coming
- Cell Max returns in Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle on July 14
- He’s arriving as a new unit, and this is his second appearance as an LR (Legendary Rare)
- Some players are upset because LR Orange Piccolo isn’t included, and Kid Buu also isn’t present
- Dokkan Battle has been live since 2015, with more than 350 million downloads reported worldwide and over $3 billion in gross revenue
Still, the argument for why this event could land well is straightforward: the arc itself is a major crowd-pleaser, and Cell Max remains a recognizable name. With DBZ content drawing consistent interest, it’s reasonable to expect the banner to find an audience—especially since the game has room to expand the LR lineup beyond this single release.
Dragon Ball Z: Dokkan Battle is a long-running gacha title built for a large player base, and that scale matters when it comes to community demand. The game is developed by Akatsuki and published by Bandai Namco, and it’s been active since 2015—now stretching to an 11-year lifespan. At last reporting, the game had surpassed 350 million downloads worldwide and brought in more than $3 billion, which helps explain why new LR units continue to be a frequent focus.
Yes, there may be some “again with Cell Max?” fatigue among certain players, but there’s also a good chance the broader audience still wants more opportunities to pull and build around the character. And because the LR tier is a limited but flexible target for future releases, there’s still plenty of time for other DBZ picks to get the same legendary treatment.
There’s also plenty of marketing material to point toward the arc’s key faces and moments, including Cell Max from Dragon Ball Super, a standoff moment featuring Beast Gohan confronting Cell Max, and the presence of Orange Piccolo in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
One more angle to consider: it’s possible Dokkan Battle is pacing its releases on purpose. The game’s gacha structure means players generally need to spend in-game currency and chase units through banners. When the lineup withholds popular LRs—like Orange Piccolo—it can increase anticipation for a later reveal, and holding characters such as Kid Buu back may be a strategic decision even if fans want them sooner.
In the end, Cell Max and the full story arc built around Gohan and Piccolo is still positioned as one of Dragon Ball Super’s most popular stretches, even if opinions are mixed on how everything plays out. When people talk about the best parts, it’s usually Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo that come up first—often cited as some of the strongest transformations introduced during Super.
