Android 18 has been the undisputed waifu of Dragon Ball for decades. Cold, stylish, and dangerously powerful, she’s one of those characters that Akira Toriyama seemed to pour a special kind of attention into.
And now we know just how much thought went into her, because archival sketches from the late mangaka have surfaced showing early concept designs of Android 18 that never made it to the anime.
The first sketches of Android 18 were far more fashion-forward than we thought
Introduced during the Cell Saga alongside her twin brother Android 17, Android 18 was supposed to be an unstoppable threat, and according to Future Trunks’ dark timeline, she very much was.
In the main canon, things took a different turn: she eventually joined the Z Fighters and even had a daughter with Krillin, Goku’s best friend. But regardless of which timeline you’re rooting for, one thing was always consistent about her: the girl had style.
Toriyama was actually quite deliberate about that. Android 18 is one of the few characters in the entire series who changed outfits with any regularity, something almost unheard of in Dragon Ball, where most characters wore the same clothes for entire sagas.
The recently surfaced early concept art makes it clear this was intentional from day one.
The looks we never got to see on screen
The sketches show a range of outfit variations for Android 18, from casual looks to more formal alternatives, and some that are genuinely striking for never having made the cut.
Among the designs that didn’t survive into the final anime, there’s a version of Android 18 sporting a skirt, black vests, and an oversized hoodie. It sounds simple, but seeing it laid out in Toriyama’s hand makes it feel like a small missed universe, an alternate version of the character that could have been iconic in a completely different way.
What’s fascinating about these sketches is how they reflect Toriyama’s process. He wasn’t just drawing a fighter with a fixed look, he was building a character with a wardrobe, a sense of personal identity, and the kind of detail that most manga artists never bother with for supporting characters.
Some of those early outfit ideas did eventually make it into the series in various forms, but plenty others simply got left on the drawing table.
It’s a reminder of why Dragon Ball’s character design remains some of the most beloved in animation history, and why Toriyama’s archives keep delivering surprises even after his passing in March 2024.
Now it’s your turn, if Toriyama had gone with one of those never-before-seen designs, would Android 18 have hit different? Would the hoodie version have been peak waifu material, or is the classic denim jacket look simply untouchable? Drop your take in the comments, we genuinely want to know what the fandom thinks.