[7][8] In the Japanese version of the entire Dragon Ball anime series and subsequent related media, Android 18 is voiced by Miki Itō.

[14] When they encounter Vegeta, Android 18 decides to fight him and easily bests him in battle, receiving only damages to her clothing and breaking his arm.

[18] The androids go to Goku's home and do not discover him there, leading them to journey to Master Roshi's house, but they do not find him there either due to his having departed not long before.

[19] 18 watches Android 17's battle against Piccolo, at one point becoming impatient and offering her assistance to her brother's decline, until Cell arrives, who reveals his intent to absorb the pair.

[24] She and Android 16 hide on an island after this,[25] where she refuses to leave his side and watches Vegeta's fight against Cell before Krillin approaches her with a remote to turn her off.

He destroys it, realizing his love for her, and Android 18 is soon afterwards absorbed by Cell who blinds everyone with Solar Flare (太陽拳, Taiyōken), allowing him to reach his final form.

After Gohan defeats Cell,[27][28] she is healed and declines Krillin's advances for the time-being, despite him using the Dragon Balls to have her self-destruct device removed.

Within the months of their release, shortly after the death of Goku, they kill their timeline's versions of Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Yajirobe, Gohan managing to escape.

When Trunks returns from the past, now vastly stronger than he was in their previous encounter as a result of his training, she shows interest in finally ending his life after he confronts her and Android 17, but is killed by him instead.

After the duo reveal themselves by transforming into Super Saiyans, Android 18 wins the match by default,[33] advancing to the next round against Mr. Satan, who she outclasses in strength, but throws the fight nonetheless after she secretly arranged to have the prize money shared with him so as not to ruin his reputation.

[38] in the film Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods, Android 18 is present at Bulma's birthday party, attempting to fight Beerus following him being enraged by Boo taking his pudding, but being defeated with a single strike to the neck;[39] in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', she shaves Krillin's head before he goes off to fight a resurrected Freeza, being killed after Freeza destroys the planet but having her death undone when the timeline is reversed.

[41] After Trunks returns from the future, he discovers Android 18 and Krillin's marriage, meeting 18 again and preparing to engage her before she greets him.

[50] Universe 3's Paparoni and Koichiarator merge to form Anilaza and Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, Frieza, 17, and 18 attempt coordinating their attacks against the being.

Android 18 appears in two non-canonical Dragon Ball Z films; she briefly appears at the beginning of the seventh;[53] In the eleventh, Android 18 tries to retrieve money from Mr. Satan that he owed her from their deal that she would lose the tournament so she would not publicly upstage him, later fighting against Bio-Broly along with Krillin, Goten and Trunks and saves civilians from being killed by him.

!, being saved by Krillin from having a building collapse on both her and her daughter after it was hit by Aka's Super Wahaha no Ha (スーパーワハハノ波, Supā Wahahanoha).

[58] She is freed of his control with the use of the Sacred Water, though has to abandon Earth the following year to avoid the planet's explosion thanks to a wish he made with the unstable Black Star Dragon Balls.

Her voice actress Meredith McCoy recorded vocals for a theme song by Bruce Faulconer for Android 18, the track being named after her.

Android 18 is also referenced in the song "Blessing" by Chance the Rapper when the lyricist raps that he laughs when Krillin mentions blonde hair.

[69] In the 2010 arcade game Dragon Ball Heroes, after Super 17 is defeated by Android 18, Gohan, Vegeta and Goku, she is forcefully merged with her brother by Towa to power him up against the three Saiyans.

In another story, 18 begins having a headache she believes is brought on by Krillin being in trouble when she is encountered by Android 16, passing out shortly thereafter.

During the matches, Android 21 has repeated instances of losing her composure as she breaks down,[88] culminating in her ordering 18 to fight Krillin when he stumbles across the group.

Sheldon Pearce of Complex dubbed her the "most compelling" of the androids and credited her with keeping Krillin a relevant character after her introduction.

[95] David F. Smith of IGN believed the subplot of the relationship between Android 18 and Krillin helped to keep the Cell arc "a little more interesting".

Android 18 was ranked #4 on Santiago Rashad's list "Top Ten Misused Dragon Ball Characters" who felt that she was underused barring two later films, Bio-Broly and Battle of Gods, and that she was possibly used less due to not being a Saiyan.

[98] Aaron Hubbard of Moviepilot observed her shift from fighter to mother and wife as "unjust" given that she had been a threat to the protagonists in her first appearances, though still thought highly of the character.

[99] Chris Homer of The Fandom Post felt Android 18's "getting in the spotlight" was one of the decent moments in the Super 17 storyline.