Highlights
- The Demon King Piccolo was Goku’s formidable adversary but eventually reincarnated into the heroic and powerful Piccolo Jr., a key Z-Fighter.
- Piccolo’s fusion with Nail and Kami significantly boosted his power, enabling him to face formidable foes like Frieza and Cell.
- Piccolo’s latest transformation, Orange Piccolo, showcased his peak strength, proving to be a formidable force against powerful threats like the Gamma Androids and Cell Max.
Dragon Ball is a series known for its iconic characters who have shaped and influenced much of how anime is received to this day. From Goku’s love of fighting to Vegeta’s redemption arc, every member of the main cast of Z-Fighters is unique and nuanced, being instantly recognizable not only because of their great character design but also because of their personalities.
This has led to Dragon Ball housing some of the most incredible side characters in anime history, and one such character is the Namekian, Piccolo. Starting as a dangerous villain looking to destroy Goku to one of the Earth’s most important protectors, Piccolo has had one of the greatest redemption arcs in the series and the forms he has had over the years are a perfect reflection of that. So, let’s break them all down.
Demon King Piccolo Was His Introduction To The Series
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball, Episode 102, “Enter King Piccolo” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
February 24, 1988 |
|
Story Arc |
Demon King Piccolo Saga |
In his first appearance in the franchise, Piccolo was introduced as the ‘Demon King’, a powerful monster who wanted to kill Goku and rule the planet. Being one of the 2 beings made from the split of the Nameless Namekian, Demon King Piccolo was incredibly evil, as he embodied the evilness of the Namekian he was split from. He proved to be quite a challenge for the heroes to overcome, and was a thorn in their sides for quite a while, undergoing many power-ups and killing many allies before Goku defeated him.
That’s the problem with the human race. No respect… for the superior species.
Notable Feats
Even while he was in his old and weakened state, Demon King Piccolo managed to defeat Goku upon confronting him after the Saiyan’s fight with Tambourine. Afterwards, Piccolo would find the Dragon Balls and make a wish to restore his youth and strength to what it was during his first war on Earth. After gaining his former power, Piccolo eventually kills Shenron so that no one else can make another wish from the Dragon Balls.
Piccolo Jr. Is Who Fans Have Come To Love
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball, Episode 123, “Lost and Found” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
August 17, 1988 |
|
Story Arc |
Piccolo Jr. Saga |
In their final battle, Goku manages to defeat the Demon King by using his martial arts prowess to punch a hole through the Namekians’ stomach. However, in his dying breaths, he spits out one last egg from his mouth, one which would hatch into the Piccolo that exists today, as both the descendant and the reincarnation of the Demon King.
This version of Piccolo retained all the memories and abilities of his ‘father’, which gained him a lot of power, as well as parts of the Demon King’s personality. However, this Piccolo would eventually turn into a hero, training Gohan and becoming one of the integral Z-Fighters who has helped to protect the Earth many times over against even larger threats. Piccolo has now completely carved himself away from the legacy of his evil ancestor, becoming one of the most beloved and powerful heroes in the entire series.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? After all my years of training to defeat your father, I go out like this trying to save you; his son.
Notable Feats
Piccolo Jr. has been a mainstay in the series for decades at this point. Defying his evil nature, he initially becomes allies with Goku in his fight against Raditz, and ironically kills his age-old rival in this fight, though this time, they were fighting together. Following this, Piccolo went on to train Gohan, leading to Saiyan becoming the fighter that he is today, as the Namekian had a huge hand in why Gohan is considered to be so powerful.
Moreover, he has helped in every major arc of the series since the start of Dragon Ball Z. Gaining incredible power-ups in the Frieza, Cell, and Buu Sagas, Piccolo cemented himself as one of the best characters in the entire series, owing to his lovable personality and incredible redemption arc.
Both Versions Of Piccolo Could Become Giants
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball, Episode 102, “Enter King Piccolo” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
February 24, 1988 |
|
Story Arc |
Demon King Piccolo Saga |
This giant form is known as the Great Namekian and was an ability that was primarily used by the Demon Clan. Just as the name suggests, this form allows the user to grow into a gigantic form that increases their strength and, though the transformation itself is quite painful due to the stress it puts on the user and their body, it does increase their durability and the resistance they have to their opponent’s attacks. Though this power was great, both versions of Piccolo that used this form were defeated by Goku.
Notable Feats
The size of this transformation can be seemingly controlled by Piccolo, as it was seen to dwarf the average person in size. Piccolo was able to deal great damage to Goku and many others in this state, though the transformation was largely forgotten about for many years. It was used once more in Dragon Ball Super: Super Heroagainst the monstrous Cell Max.
Piccolo’s Fusion With Nail
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 77, “The Fusion” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
February 13, 1991 |
|
Story Arc |
Namek Saga |
Following the rest of the Z-Fighters to Namek, Piccolo finds that Frieza has been spreading destruction on the planet, such as when he defeats a warrior-class Namekian named Nail and leaves him for dead. Nail is eventually found by Piccolo, and he fuses with him, transferring his power, abilities, and essence to the Earth-based Namekian warrior to make him stronger than he has ever been before.
Notable Feats
After absorbing Nail, Piccolo notices an incredible boost of power. Since the more dominant of the two Namekians retains control of the body, it was Piccolo who remained while assimilating Nail into his being, subsequently becoming powerful enough to contend with Frieza’s Second Form, and also ended up close to victory before the Galactic Tyrant transformed once again.
Piccolo Fuses With Kami
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 141, “The Reunion” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
May 27, 1992 |
|
Story Arc |
Cell Saga |
Piccolo’s next massive power-up would come during the Cell Saga, where a threat greater than the Androids would cause Kami to sense impending danger. Due to the nature and strength of this upcoming enemy, Mr. Popo advises that Kami should now fuse with Piccolo to gather enough power to defeat this new foe, which the two Namekians do, assimilating Kami into Piccolo to form the strongest Namekian to ever live.
This fusion is significant for several reasons, chief among them being the fact that the merger of Kami and the being who was once Demon King Piccolo symbolizes the rebirth of the Nameless Namekian who had split into those two centuries ago. This powerful state is the strongest Piccolo had ever been and was the default state he stayed in until Dragon Ball Super.
No longer am I Kami or Piccolo. I am the Namek who has long since forgotten his name.
Notable Feats:
Though technically the Nameless Namekian, the personality of this character was still that of Piccolo, and he was still referred to as such. Krillin confirms that this state is stronger than an unmastered Super Saiyan state, greatly shooting the Namekian up the power charts of the series at that point. It was also in this transformation that Piccolo stood his ground against Buu earlier on in the Buu Saga.
Later, Piccolo would also get recruited to Universe 7’s team for the Tournament of Power, where he more than proved his spot by defeating quite a few powerful competitors. These not only included the Namekians of Universe 6, but also Frost, the multiversal counterpart to Frieza.
Piccolo’s Unleashed Potential Was Very Powerful
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
June 11, 2022 |
|
Story Arc |
Super Hero Arc |
In the Super Hero movie, the Red Ribbon Army made a triumphant return with a pair of powerful Androids named Gamma 1 and 2. At the start of the film, Piccolo fights against Gamma 2 and puts up quite a great effort with his superior martial arts and strategic style, but eventually comes up short due to Gamma 2’s superior strength. After this, Piccolo makes a wish to Shenron to unlock his latent potential, which makes him far stronger and lets him contend with the Android on much more even footing.
Notable Feats
Potential Unleashed Piccolo was the strongest version of the Namekian that fans had seen up until the point of his introduction. This form fared far better against Gamma 2 in their rematch and seemed to be equal to the Android, but was eventually briefly defeated again before unlocking his ultimate power.
Orange Piccolo Is The Namekian At His Strongest
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
June 11, 2022 |
|
Story Arc |
Super Hero Arc |
After granting Piccolo’s wish, Shenron informed him that he had also put in a little gift for the Namekian. Though this remained a mystery for most of the movie, it was eventually revealed at the end of the film, where Piccolo unlocks his ultimate form after seemingly being defeated by Gamma 2 in their rematch. Orange Piccolo was the apex of strength on Earth at that time, so powerful that standard punches and attacks from the Gamma Androids didn’t even hurt him. Since Gamma 1 was going toe-to-toe with Ultimate Gohan, it can be inferred that Orange Piccolo was far more powerful.
I turned orange? Really? I didn’t even notice. But it felt like some switch inside me got flipped, the same way it does with you.
Notable Feats
Gamma 2 was the strongest Android ever made up till that point in the story, but even his attacks on Orange Piccolo did nothing to him. Piccolo proceeds to knock the Android out with just one punch. Later, after the awakening of the incredibly dangerous Cell Max, Orange Piccolo fought against the monster very well, even transforming into a giant form to take him on. Though it was Beast Gohan who dealt the finishing blow, it wouldn’t have been possible without Orange Piccolo.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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