Dragon Ball Z has been one of the most popular shonen anime for more than 35 years and there’s still no end in sight for 706z87″ title=”akira”>Akira Toriyama’s signature series. Dragon Ball Z has left its mark on the anime industry in several ways, but the series has received a lot of attention for its grandiose villains. There are some intimidating antagonists of increasing strength that threaten the universe throughout Dragon Ball Z. Each of these enemies have their own respective fandoms. However, Frieza has become the closest thing that Dragon Ball Z has to a central villain and this tyrannical terror continues to return with new transformations in tow.
Many Dragon Ball Z fans cite Goku’s Super Saiyan showdown against Frieza as one of the anime’s greatest moments. Admittedly, Goku’s feud against Frieza forever changes Dragon Ball Z’s trajectory, but that’s not to say that greater heights couldn’t be reached if another hero were to take Frieza down. All the evidence points to a more satisfying story arc if Piccolo defeated Frieza instead of Goku.
Goku Has No Personal Connection To Frieza
Dragon Ball begins with Goku as the primary hero and it makes sense for him to be the one who celebrates the greatest victories. The series’ scope has drastically expanded by Dragon Ball Z’s trip to Planet Namek and there have been lengthy periods where Goku is even out of the spotlight. Goku’s status as Dragon Ball Z’s protagonist and how he’s the strongest character makes him a natural choice to defeat Frieza, but it’s dramatically hollow. Goku has no real connection to Frieza and hasn’t even heard of the villain until he arrives on Namek. Frieza is responsible for the death of Goku’s father, as well as the destruction of Planet Vegeta as a whole. However, this resonates more with Vegeta and his Saiyan pride as opposed to Goku who’s still coming to terms with his roots.
Goku’s big showdown with Frieza takes on a David-versus-Goliath dynamic and Goku draws greater strength through a desire to protect his loved ones. It’s the same generic motivation that always pushes Goku forward whereas all of this personally affects Piccolo. Piccolo isn’t just fully aware of Frieza’s reckless history, but he’s in the middle of watching his planet and people get conquered by the tyrant. For Piccolo, this isn’t just a pit-stop to get Dragon Balls; it’s his home.
The Arc Revolves Around Namekian Loss
Dragon Ball Z’s trip to Planet Namek exposes the heroes to a beautiful world that’s unfortunately caught up in turmoil. These episodes repeatedly depict the merciless massacres of Namekians who are just trying to live their lives. Frieza and his minions take Namekian lives in their hunt for the Dragon Balls, but Vegeta also turns to similarly violent tactics. The poor treatment of Planet Namek and its inhabitants even culminates in the planet’s destruction. The surviving population gets displaced to Earth for an extended period while a new planet gets constructed. This saga is full of Namekian loss, which becomes more cathartic if it’s able to culminate in Namekian strength.
Dragon Ball Z teases moments where Namekians rise to the occasion in surprising ways. Dende heals fighters on the battlefield, the Elder Guru unlocks the hero’s potential, and Nail sacrifices his individuality for the greater good. Goku is disconnected from all the characters, yet a victory from Piccolo would feel like the culmination of these smaller acts of Namekian success. Piccolo properly standing up for his planet proves to Frieza that he can’t just take over planets and subjugate their people anymore. If nothing else, it’s considerably more symbolic if Piccolo fights on his home planet until its final minutes rather than a Saiyan who is just passing through. It means more if a Namekian is responsible for Planet Namek’s survival or becomes the one who goes down with the ship. Piccolo contributes to plenty of victories following Frieza’s defeat. However, Piccolo’s death as he guarantees Frieza’s destruction would have made for a fitting end to the character.
Piccolo Goes Through A Pivotal Transformation Before Goku
Dragon Ball Z falls into a formulaic pattern where a villain’s defeat is typically the result of a surprise transformation for the hero. Goku’s pivotal Super Saiyan transformation is a classic Dragon Ball Z moment that feels worthy to take on Frieza’s final form. However, Piccolo also experiences a major power boost after he performs a Namekian fusion with Nail.
Piccolo’s greater strength is used to push Frieza out of his comfort zone and into his third form. There’s no reason the same tactic couldn’t have been used, but with Frieza’s final state. Piccolo’s transformation feels insignificant when Frieza defeats him shortly after. A victory from Piccolo helps Nail’s sacrifice not be in vain. Even a scenario where both Goku and Piccolo defeat Frieza together after they’ve transformed would work better.
It Would Have Prevented The Series’ Super Saiyan Obsession
Goku’s inaugural Super Saiyan transformation is an iconic anime moment, but it’s also the beginning of the end for Dragon Ball Z in many ways. Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation success over Frieza triggers a dangerous precedent wherein new Super Saiyan levels are perpetually discovered. This pattern never comes to pass if Piccolo is the one who takes out Frieza on Namek. This isn’t to say that Super Saiyans couldn’t come around later in Dragon Ball Z’s run, but they’d be less of an easy solution if Piccolo first establishes a stronger precedent for Namekians. Piccolo beating Frieza could lead to there just being a singular Super Saiyan stage instead of a new tier that arrives in each new arc.
It’s fascinating to consider the many ways that Dragon Ball Z might be different if Goku’s big victory instead went to Piccolo. Namekian supremacy might have even led to a fusion between Piccolo and Goku during Super Buu’s battle instead of doubling down on Saiyan strength. It also likely wouldn’t have taken Piccolo several decades to receive a game-changing transformation in the form of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s Orange Piccolo. Piccolo would be onto a whole new spectrum of colors by now if he beat Frieza instead of Goku.
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