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"Fifty years I was alone. And when I'm finally saved from that loneliness, all I find is horror. In this form, I am powerless; doomed to witness these atrocities. I need a body... I WILL HAVE A BODY!"
— "The World's Strongest"

Dr. Wheelo (Dr.ウィロー, Dr. Uirō), full name Dr. Jonathan Wheelo, is a former human who's body died long ago, but his brain survived in stasis. He spent 50 years in that state, due to his laboratory being iced over, Kochin (who had been off getting groceries) used the Dragon Balls to melt the ice.

In DragonBall Z Abridged[]

Before the events of World's Strongest, Dr. Wheelo was a famous biologist and cancer researcher who's scientific breakthroughs have forever changed the landscape of the field for the better. Unfortunately, his research would end one day when he ended up with lung cancer .

In an attempt to save his life, his assistant, Dr. Kochin, placed his brain inside a glass container to keep him alive. This was successful, but once Kochin left to buy groceries, Dr. Wheelo’s laboratory froze over. Unable to thaw the ice, Kochin scoured the earth for the Dragon Balls so as to thaw the ice but had no way of locating them without a radar, leaving Dr. Wheelo stranded with no company and nothing to do for the next 50 years, unaware that Kochin had created an exoskeleton for him so he could move freely. This led to some mental instability on Wheelo's part.

During Wheelo's life as a biologist, he created three creatures which Kochin later dubs as "bio warriors" named "Blub Blub", "Zap Zap", and "Burr". Originally, they were created to be cute and aid the elderly. It's unclear what Zap Zap and Burr's purposes were, but Wheelo does reveal that Blub Blub was created for hugs.

Unlike the original movie, Wheelo is not evil and only wants a body, reacts with annoyance whenever Kochin does something that makes Wheelo look like the villain (or when Kochin spent an ungodly amount of Zeni on spiked balls for the Red Ribbion Army), and expresses horror when he sees that Kochin modified his creations into 'Bio Warriors.' The final straw comes when he discovers that his brain had actually been in an exo skeleton for the last 50 years with Kochin not bothering to even tell him this. Thanks to Gohan, who is the only person to notice Wheelo isn't evil and just wants a new body, he eventually gets his wish granted by Shenron. Although a thankful Wheelo says he can live a normal life again, his brain had absorbed the fluids in his tank and had grown to the size of a Greyhound, and hadn't been shrunk back to normal when he had his body restored, much to the disturbed reactions of the Z Fighters.

Apparently, Dr. Gero knows Dr. Wheelo personally, as he mentioned that he needed to thank him for helping him back himself up into his own supercomputer during Super Android 13 (it may be that he simply got the idea from Wheelo). Whether or not Dr. Wheelo knows that Dr. Gero is evil remains to be seen, but Kochin getting funding from the Red Ribbon Army might have something to do with their connection.

DragonBall Z Abridged Movie: Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan[]

In the movie, he is mentioned to have rather ironically died of brain cancer.

Trivia[]

  • In Toriyama's original design, Dr. Wheelo's exo skeleton has not only his brain but his organs as well http://www.kanzenshuu.com/production/toriyama/, this was changed in the anime, so he's a giant brain (which is why when he gets a body, he gets a huge head).
  • Wheelo is the first movie villain to be turned into a good person in the Abridged series, having him be the victim of Kochin's stupidity more than anything.
    • It is most likely because TFS liked the idea of Wheelo "needing a hug" in the Neighborhood Clucky dub.
  • Dr. Wheelo states that Kochin leaving to get groceries for fifty years was exactly how his father abandoned him.
  • In the Big Green DVD menu selection, Dr. Wheelo is pictured as Dr. Briefs in the "trading" cards, further explaining why TFS Bulma adores him.
    • This could also be a possible explanation/in-joke for Dr. Briefs' Abridged characterization, as unlike his kindly canon counterpart, he is shown to be an inhumane monster on a similar level as the original Dr. Wheelo.
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