Character Spotlight: Piccolo

Born from evil and left alone. This sounds like the story of villain who cannot be redeemed, and yet, Piccolo proves that wrong. He’d become the most powerful member of his species. He would come to respect his greatest rival. He would even become a pretty good surrogate father. How does this happen? What is Piccolo? Let’s find out!

Piccolo Jr. was born the way many Namekians are, from an egg spit out by his parent. His parent was Piccolo Daimo who was believed to be a demon king, who himself was all the evil parts of a Namekian named Kami purged from his being and created a whole other person. Piccolo would grow up feeling the anger of his father, who had been killed for trying to take over the world by a young man named Goku. Training his entire life, Piccolo would prepare to face Goku for a final showdown during a fighting tournament.

During the tournament, Piccolo is amazed at the skills of the other fights but still beats them. He is even confronted by Kami, who wishes to bottle away the child of his evil side, but Piccolo is able to reverse it and absorb Kami instead. Finally, Piccolo is able to face off against Goku and while he nearly beats him, Goku comes out victorious, freeing Kami, and even helps Piccolo by healing him. This gratitude would not be forgotten even though Piccolo would still try to seek his vengeance and take over the world.

Years would go by with Piccolo training even harder to gain his vengeance against Goku but was interrupted by an alien named Raditz. Raditz had found Piccolo by his energy signature but had been seeking out his brother Kakarot who had been missing for years. Raditz nearly killed Piccolo until he found the energy signature he was looking for, Goku was Kakarot unbeknownst to anyone. Willing to work with Goku since no one else would get the luxury of killing Goku but himself, he would aide Goku in trying to retrieve his son, Gohan, from Raditz. The fight would cost Piccolo his arm but Piccolo is able to stop Raditz and get his vengeance against Goku in one blow. He’d stop Raditz by shooting through Goku, but learn that more of Raditz’s people, Nappa and Vegeta, were coming in a years time to take over the world.

His vengeance sated but knowing that even greater threats were on the horizon, Piccolo began to train. He was bothered by Kami’s observation that Piccolo seems to be far less evil than his father ever was. Furthermore, he takes to training Goku’s son, Gohan, who he sees the potential of being more powerful than anyone who came before him. What starts as a plan to use the boy as a weapon becomes a a bond, Goku is resurrected but Gohan and Piccolo must fight off the foretold invaders until he can arrive to help them. Piccolo sacrifices himself to save Gohan, Piccolo would realize that his time with Gohan had softened his heart and outlook on life.

Now Piccolo’s home world, Namek, along with Earth each held seven mystical artifacts, the Dragon Balls. Once collected, they could summon a mighty dragon with which a single wish could be made for nearly anything before they’d have to be recovered again a year later. Having finally made friends, Piccolo would be revived by Goku, Gohan, and their friends and family, which Piccolo was now a part of.

Working with Goku and helping train Gohan, life would take on bizarre new heights as new threats came to threaten not only Earth, but the entire universe. All the while, Piccolo would continue to train Gohan while finding new ways to be amazed at how their strength surpasses their enemies. They fight alien kings, gods, androids, cyborgs, magical entities, even an evil Goku but all of them eventually fall to the might of Earth’s defenders. While Piccolo may have made it his life goal to oppose his better aspect of Kami, he would end up surpassing him as a protector of Earth.

There you have it! Piccolo has a weird back story, especially if you count his dad and Kami as part of him instead of as parents. Piccolo has been part of the Dragon Ball series for decades even though he wasn’t there from the start but he sure has stuck around. He proves himself an even better father to Goku’s children than Goku is just in how much he cares. Dragon Ball Super was the return of the series after nearly two decades and recently ended. Will we see more of Piccolo and friends in the future? Time will tell! See you next time!