It's not every day a demon king bent on world domination becomes everyone's
favorite grumpy uncle… but Dragon Ball’s Piccolo isn’t your everyday kind of villain.
For many American Dragon Ball fans, English language dub actor Christopher Sabat is
synonymous with the character Piccolo. Although, thanks to streaming services
simulcasting Dragon Ball Super during its original airing, many more U.S. fans are now
familiar with the performance of Piccolo's original Japanese actor, Toshio Furukawa.
"Vegeta looks that terrified. Who is that guy?"
Furukawa has a deep love and respect for Piccolo and has
no problem showing it. He explained in a Dragon Ball Official Site interview,
"Whenever someone asks me who my favorite character is, I always answer 'Piccolo' without
hesitation. I have around 3,000 Piccolo figures, if that gives you an idea of how much I like him."
Funnily enough, Piccolo becomes a collector of sorts in the movie Dragon Ball Super:
Super Hero. He amasses several Penenko plushies from Videl and Gohan,
despite his protests. Even if Piccolo isn't as wild about his collection as Furukawa
is of his Piccolo figures, perhaps — deep down — he shares his voice actor's hobby.
Let's be clear: the first character to ever boast a power level above one million is
Frieza. The intergalactic tyrant shows off this might during his second transformation
on Namek against the Z-Fighters. Several other Dragon Ball villains — such as Majin Buu and
Moro — and heroes like the Supreme Kai clearly possess power levels exceeding one million,
and they achieved it long before they actually appear in the series.
The first hero to surpass one million on-screen is Piccolo. The Namekian accomplishes this feat
in the Frieza Saga, when he absorbs the Namek warrior, Nail. The resulting power boost is
tremendous, making Piccolo more than a match for Frieza's sophomore state. In the manga,
Piccolo's new strength leads Frieza to change into his third form mere moments
into their fight. However, in the anime, Frieza mistakenly remains in his second form too long,
allowing Piccolo time to show off his full, unrestrained power. While
Frieza does easily regain the advantage when he completes his transformation,
that doesn't take away from Piccolo's impressive milestone — achieving it before even Goku.
Longtime readers and viewers are used to seeing Goku win fights. But they know he's had his fair
share of defeats, too. When fighting in the World Martial Arts Tournament, he lost the final round
twice. First to Master Roshi in disguise in the 21st tournament. Then to Tien Shinhan in the 22nd.
"Tri-Beam!"
That all changes in the 23rd tournament, which Piccolo enters to get his revenge on Goku for
killing his previous incarnation, the Demon King Piccolo. The Namekian proves to be Goku's match,
with the Saiyan just barely defeating his reborn foe. But Piccolo shouldn't feel too
badly about the loss, as it convinces Goku to both spare his life and gives him the
title of "archenemy" as a sign of respect. But Piccolo's defeat by Goku in the finals is unique,
since the Saiyan abandons the next two World Martial Arts Tournaments he takes part in,
and gets tickled out of a victory in Dragon Ball GT.
If somebody asks a Dragon Ball fan what Piccolo's signature move is,
many would likely say it's the Special Beam Cannon. The technique first appears in Dragon
Ball Z, during the fight with Goku's brother, Raditz . Though he first misses his target,
his second attempt is a direct and lethal hit — thanks to Goku's
sacrifice. Piccolo's not too choked up, as he considered Goku an enemy at the time.
The Special Beam Cannon goes on to appear many times in the anime and movies,
often when Piccolo makes his entrance. But in the original Dragon Ball manga — which isn't
split into Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z as it is in the U.S. — Piccolo never uses it again
after defeating Raditz. It's not until the Dragon Ball Super manga that Piccolo uses the
Special Beam Cannon again. Though he had already used it a few notable times in the Super anime.
Though much of Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball tends to be action-packed and dramatic, he's a comedy
guy by his own admission. While his most famous work of humor is Dr. Slump, there are plenty of
jokes and gags throughout the Dragon Ball saga. He often includes comical characters — like the
fighting con man Hercule, aka Mr. Satan — among his favorite Dragon Ball characters.
"This is really happening? The whole world's about to see its
hero get his lunch eaten by a pug-nosed toddler?"
Another of his preferred creations is Piccolo, who's quite serious by comparison. Why him?
Quite simply, because he's a man of few words, which creates a sense of mystery that
Toriyama likely considers part of his appeal. Toriyama is also a big fan of Piccolo's dad,
noting that Goku's fight with the Demon King is one of his favorite battles in Dragon Ball.
For the most part, the Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z,
and Dragon Ball Super anime are faithful to the character designs from the manga.
As for Piccolo, his design differences are small, but still notable. In the manga,
Piccolo — like the rest of his species — has three fingers and a thumb,
while the anime throws in one more: the poor, neglected pinky. While the anime series also
changed the color of Piccolo's scales from gold to pink, the movie Dragon Ball Super:
Super Hero gives Piccolo's scales their original manga color — but he's kept that extra finger.
Faithful Dragon Ball Z viewers will probably remember the Grand Kai. Besides being the boss of
the other four cardinal Kais, the Grand Kai is memorable for his laid back,
almost hippie-like demeanor. His biggest role in the anime is holding the Other
World tournament, where he promises Goku a training lesson for being a finalist.
"In his current condition, I'm not sure his body can withstand the art of Grand Kai."
While the Grand Kai has also appeared in the Dragon Ball Z movies, Dragon Ball GT,
and even Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters, he doesn't show up in the original manga at all. It's
easy to think that — like the grasshopper Gregory — the Grand Kai is an anime-only
character. But leave it to Piccolo to confirm the character does exist in the manga. When
Piccolo forfeits his match with the mysterious Shin, who he believes to be the Grand Kai,
Shin corrects him, explaining he's actually the Supreme Kai. That scene — which the anime
adapts pretty faithfully — proves that the Grand Kai exists somewhere in the source material's
universe. Perhaps one day, the Dragon Ball Super manga will finally deal the Grand Kai in.
They may come from different worlds, but Piccolo and Vegeta have a lot in common.
They are aliens who live on Earth — both aloof, guarded, and at times ruthless to
their enemies. Both begin as villains when they're introduced, only to later reform.
You'd think with all their similarities, the two would be friends. Of course,
Vegeta's pride and temper make it difficult for him to become pals with anyone. But the
two have never fought, either, despite having been enemies during their first encounters.
When Vegeta first arrives on Earth, he lets Nappa fight Piccolo and his Earthling allies,
with Piccolo being killed before he even gets the chance to face the Saiyan prince. On top
of that — after Vegeta's reform — the two have seemingly never even sparred with each other.
While Vegeta may consider Piccolo too weak to train with, it'd certainly be interesting
to see if he'd change his mind now, with Piccolo's new orange form being a factor.
Poor Goku — a lot of people have wanted him dead over the years. One of them is Piccolo.
His beef began when the Saiyan first interfered in the Namekian's quest for world domination.
Piccolo's hatred only grew when Goku killed his Demon King incarnation,
and vanquished him at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
"Uh oh, I really think this is gonna hurt."
"Haha. A lot."
So what makes Piccolo different from everyone else who's tried to send Goku to the next dimension?
Two things. He's the first person to actually succeed, when his Special Beam Cannon kills
Raditz and Goku simultaneously. The other is even more surprising: he's the only heroic character
to do the deed. Sure, he isn't a hero at the start of Dragon Ball Z, but he does become one not long
afterward. Not even other ex-villains like Tien Shinhan or Mr. Buu can say they've done the same.
Though in Buu's case, it's kind of a technicality, as Goku is already dead when they fight.
While the character we know as Piccolo has gone by that name for centuries,
it's not the one given him when he and Kami were born. So what was he called before? Not even he
knows. As Mr. Popo reveals, the Namekian who eventually split into Kami and Piccolo arrived
on Earth when he was incredibly young. He ended up forgetting everything about his alien origins,
his name included. When the Namekian eventually decides to purge all evil from
himself, the malevolent half takes on the name Piccolo — the word for "another world" in his
native language. The other half becomes known by his new title, Kami — a Japanese word for "god."
Piccolo and Kami relearn their alien origins when they fuse back together. Yet most of
their memories from Namek, their trip to Earth, and their original Namekian name,
never return. He eventually decides to just stick with Piccolo so Goku won't call him "Kamiccolo."
Vegeta isn't the only Saiyan with whom Piccolo shares some things in common. Like Goku,
Piccolo travels to Earth to avoid becoming a victim to a catastrophic event. In Goku's case,
it's the destruction of Planet Vegeta, making him one of the last survivors
of his species. In Piccolo's, it's a calamity that kills all but two people
on Namek. Who is Piccolo's fellow survivor? Why, none other than Guru.
"Frieza and his wicked men. Because of them, nearly all my children have – have been murdered."
Having become the sole inhabitant of Namek after Piccolo's departure,
Guru repopulates the planet. Consequently, Piccolo has become the only Namekian not
descended from Guru. Well, there's also Lord Slug. But seeing as the movie Dragon Ball Z:
Lord Slug isn't canon, he may not exist in the universe at all.
As most Dragon Ball fans know, Goku is just a kid when his adventures begin. But
even in his mid-teens, Goku doesn't really mature all that noticeably.
It's not until his fight with Piccolo that Goku actually appears grown-up.
As it turns out, Piccolo is actually responsible for Goku's growth spurt. Kazuhiko
Torishima [KAHZ-ew-hee-koe TOR-ish-ee-mah], the manga editor of Dragon Ball and Weekly Shonen
Jump, claimed Toriyama had grown frustrated with having to always fudge Goku's height and
other physical attributes to make his battles with taller opponents seem more believable.
Since Piccolo's both taller and less comical than most of Goku's previous opponents, Toriyama felt
depicting Goku with actual muscles would not only make the fights look more detailed and impactful,
but also more realistic and dramatic. So while Goku still has the same "kid" proportions against
Demon King Piccolo, he's notably changed by the time he fights Piccolo Jr. Perhaps Goku's youngest
son, Goten, would have had his own growth spurt earlier if he'd fought with Piccolo more often?