Piccolo

""Gohan, you're the only real friend I've ever had. Thank you... I'm proud of you. Wish me back, okay?... Get 'em... Gohan...""

- Piccolo after saving his best friend Gohan

Piccolo is the son and reincarnation of King Piccolo and a hero from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT.

Dragon Ball
After being dealt a fatal blow by Goku, King Piccolo’s last action was to spit out an egg, which contained his last son and his reincarnation, Piccolo Jr. Determined to avenge his father’s death, Piccolo Jr. spent the next three years training for the next World Martial Arts Tournament in which he knew Goku would be competing. The Namekian planned to kill the Saiyan, then take over the world as his father had hoped to. As the tournament rolled around, Piccolo (having matured to a teenager physically) entered under the name, “Junior” (Ma Junior in the Japanese version with ma meaning “evil” or “demon”). He easily won the preliminaries and made it into the finals, first facing Goku’s friend, Krillin. Though surprised by his resilience and getting hit by one of his attacks, Piccolo defeated Krillin without too much trouble, even thinking he’d kill the monk at one point. After that, his opponent was a geeky looking, but strong human named Hero, who Piccolo realized was being possessed by his counterpart, Kami. As they fought, Kami tried to use the Evil Containment Wave to seal his evil half into a container. However Piccolo actually reflected it back at Kami, sealing him away instead, and swallowed the container. This made Goku’s chances of freeing Earth’s guardian almost impossible, since they both knew he’d have to kill Piccolo to rescue Kami, but that would just kill Kami as well. The Namekian’s next match was the one he’d been waiting for, his rematch against Goku. Despite his new assortment of moves, Piccolo found the Saiyan using many of them to his advantage, even when he grew to giant size. Goku tricked him into getting so big that he managed to go down the Namekian’s throat and save Kami. But Piccolo wasn’t done, even when Goku used his Meteor Combination attack against him. He successfully crippled the Saiyan’s arm and legs and stated he wouldn’t make the same mistake his father had (leaving Goku one good arm). Piccolo finally lost after Goku used flight for the first time and the Saiyan showed him mercy, giving him a Senzu Bean to heal his wounds. Despite this kindness, the Namekian swore to destroy Goku and conquer the world, before leaving.

Saiyan Saga
As five years went by, Piccolo continued to train to avenge his father and kill Goku, when one day he encountered the Saiyan, Raditz. Raditz had been using his scouter to try and find his brother Kakarot (actually Goku) and eventually Piccolo used his most powerful technique at the time, Destructive Wave. This did nothing to Raditz, much to the Namekian’s shock, and the Saiyan left after his scouter picked up the power level of Kakarot. Piccolo followed him to Kame House, where, after learning of Raditz’s plans to wipe out humanity, he offered Goku a temporary alliance to fight this new threat. Despite the two of them fighting together, Piccolo and Goku were no match for the considerably stronger Raditz. The Namekian even lost an arm in the fight, but after Goku’s son, Gohan, (who Raditz had kidnapped) landed a powerful attack on him, Piccolo managed to finish him with his new technique, the Special Beam Cannon. However Goku gave his life in the process by holding Raditz in place so the Namekian did somewhat manage to avenge his father. But before he died, Raditz tricked Piccolo into telling him about the Dragon Balls and revealed everything had been heard by two far more powerful Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta, who’d be on Earth in a year. Piccolo angrily finish Raditz with a final blow, rather than making him suffer, which Kami pointed out was an indication his other half was changing. In order to prepare for the new enemies coming to Earth, Piccolo brought Gohan to the Break Wastelands to train, having seen great potential in the boy. Though at first, the Namekian acted very harshly towards Gohan, he slowly warmed up to the half-Saiyan and began to really care about him. After Vegeta and Nappa arrived on Earth, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Yamcha, and Krillin confronted them. Goku had been wished back to life by that time, but it would take awhile for him to get to the battle. However Piccolo learned from the Saiyans that he was a Namekian, not a demon like he’d thought. The Saiyans started by growing a group of Saibamen, plant-based creatures with the same power level as Raditz. The Z-Fighters fought them until Yamcha was killed by one that used a self-destruction move. An enraged Krillin used a technique to destroy most of the remaining Saibamen and Piccolo took out the last one as it attacked Gohan. Nappa fought the group next and Piccolo and the others were dominated in combat by the Saiyan. Tien and Chiaotzu were killed in the battle and, trying to think of a plan, the Namekian remembered how Goku grabbed Raditz’s tail, causing him great pain. But when Piccolo tried the same thing on Nappa, the Saiyan revealed he and Vegeta had evolved beyond that weakness. The Namekian was knocked unconscious by Nappa, but he managed to get back to his feet and blast the Saiyan in the back at one point. After Vegeta detected that Goku was approaching, he ordered Nappa to finish off Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan. The Saiyan unleashed an extremely powerful blast against Gohan, but Piccolo leapt into the way of the blast, giving his life to save the boy. As he died, the Namekian told Gohan he’d made him soft and was the only one who’d called him friend, before dying, and as a result, Kami died as well, making the Dragon Balls useless. After Goku defetated the Saiyans, Gohan, Krillin, and Bulma set out for Namek so they could use the Dragon Balls there to wish back Piccolo and the others.

Namek Saga
After dying, Piccolo, along with Tien, Chiaotzu, and Yamcha went down Snake Way to train on King Kai’s planet. While there, the Namekian apparently didn’t learn any of King Kai’s techniques, but his power level did increase exponentially.

Frieza Saga
Eventually Krillin and Gohan, with help from the young Namekian, Dende, used the Namekian Dragon Balls to summon the dragon, Porunga. Piccolo used King Kai’s psychic powers to contact Gohan and told him to use the first wish to bring him back, then the second to bring him to Namek to help fight Frieza. Piccolo reasoned that his resurrection would bring back Kami and with him, the Earth’s Dragon Balls so other wishes could be used to bring back Yamcha, Tien, and Chiaotzu. However Piccolo ended up on a random place on Namek, since Gohan had failed to specify where he’d wanted the Namekian to end up when he had Dende made the wish. Piccolo was moved by seeing his home world for the first time and feeling the suffering his people had been put through. He headed towards a powerful energy source, which he thought was Frieza and as he flew, passed over Nail, a Namekian warrior who’d fought Frieza. Piccolo landed next to him and Nail offered to fuse with him, which at first Piccolo had no interest in doing. However Nail explained that his personality would not be affected, Piccolo would only gain his power as a result. Eventually Piccolo accepted and after fusing, he was amazed by his new power and headed towards Frieza. Upon arriving, the Namekian found Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta (who’d turned on Frieza), battling with the warlord, who’d at that point, entered his second form. Piccolo engaged Frieza and was able to fight on par with him, despite wearing his weighted clothing. Vegeta was shocked that the Namekian Nappa had so easily brought down a few months ago had strong enough to fight Frieza. However Frieza transformed into his third form and assaulted Piccolo with a series of unavoidable strikes, badly injuring him. Gohan angrily fired an energy blast at Frieza who deflected it back and Piccolo used what little strength he had left to prevent the energy blast from hitting the boy. As Frieza began transforming into his true form, Gohan brought Piccolo to Dende for healing, but even after that, the Namekian knew he was completely outclassed by Frieza’s true form. After completing his transformation, Frieza killed Dende with an energy blast so he couldn’t heal his friends anymore. Piccolo, Gohan, and Krillin attacked Frieza all at once, but he evaded all of their attacks. The Namekian was forced to watch helplessly as the empowered Vegeta attacked, but was beaten down by Frieza. After Goku joined the fight and was eventually driven to try and form a Spirit Bomb. To buy some time, Piccolo took the remaining energy from Gohan and Krillin and he engaged Frieza, successfully surprising him and kicking him in the head, giving Goku the time needed to form the Spirit Bomb and throw it at Frieza. However the warlord survived and fired a powerful beam at Goku, but Piccolo took the hit for him, leaving him on the verge of death. This, along with Frieza killing Krillin, drove Goku to unlock his power as a Super Saiyan and he engaged Frieza in a final battle. Gohan carried Piccolo away from the battle and managed to get off of Planet Namek with him as it started to explode as Goku fought Frieza, eventually defeating him. The Namekian was healed by Dende, who been brought back, along with everyone killed by Frieza and his men due to a wish made on the Earth’s Dragon Balls, and brought to Earth due to a wish Porunga granted. After the Namekians set out to find a new home planet, Piccolo declined going with them and stayed on Earth to watch over Gohan, as well as keep training.

Garlic Jr. Saga
After Garlic Jr. returned, now even stronger than before, thanks to the presence of the Makyo Star, Piccolo joined forces with Krillin and Gohan to stop him. During the conflict, the Namekian constantly had to deal with Kami getting hurt or tired, which affected him as well. Piccolo managed to free Kami and Mr. Popo (after Garlic Jr. captured them) by pretending to be under the control of the Black Water Mist, almost killing Gohan to keep the charade. Eventually Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan managed to defeat Garlic Jr., sending him back to the Dead Zone.

Trunks Saga
A year after the defeat of Frieza, Piccolo sensed him, along with another extremely powerful being approaching Earth. He met up with Vegeta, Krillin, Gohan, Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, Puar, and Bulma near the place they would land. However Piccolo and the others knew they had no chance against two such powerful foes. But a mysterious young man showed up (Future Trunks), who transformed into a Super Saiyan and easily slew Frieza, King Cold, and their soldiers. Piccolo and the others went with him to where he said Goku was going to land and the Saiyan landed just as he said. Future Trunks went to talk with Goku in private, but Piccolo’s super hearing allowed him to hear their conversation. Future Trunks revealed he was Vegeta and Bulma’s future son and that in three years, two androids created by Dr. Gero would rampage across the Earth. Goku would be unable to stop them since he would die six months earlier from a heart disease and the other Z-Fighters would be killed in battle with the androids. Future Trunks had come back to give Goku the cure for the heart disease, as well as warn the Z-Fighters of what was to come. The young half-Saiyan headed back to his own time and because Goku didn’t know how to tell the others, Piccolo told them everything Future Trunks had said (except who his parents were). The Z-Fighters went their separate ways to train for the oncoming threat with Piccolo training alongside Goku and Gohan.

Android Saga
As the three years went by, Piccolo met with the other Z-Fighters at the designated time to face the Androids. However as time went on, the group couldn’t sense the two and Goku realized that since they were Androids, they didn’t have energy signatures like their past opponents. Thus, they would have to look for them and Piccolo and the others went into the city to find the Androids, though this was hard since they had no idea what the two looked like. However when Yamcha was badly injured by the Androids, Piccolo and the others headed to his location and found the two. Goku talked them into going to another location so the city wouldn’t be destroyed in the fight, but the Androids destroyed a large part of it before leaving. The two picked to fight in a rocky, desert area and Piccolo deduced that they wanted to fight here, so they could run for the hills if the fight went bad for them. Goku took on Android 19 but when he transformed into Super Saiyan form, Piccolo was shocked, since his power level was lower than normal. Though the Saiyan was able to fight 19 at first, the heart disease started to take effect and he began weakening, before being taken down by. Piccolo and the others tried to help, but Android 20 intervened, blasting Piccolo into the ground with his eye beams. However Vegeta showed up and was able to destroy Android 19 after transforming into a Super Saiyan himself. Despite being rather drained from the battle, the Saiyan acted as if he was eager for another fight and Android 20 didn’t call his bluff, fleeing. After Vegeta was restored with a Senzu Bean, Piccolo and the others went hunting for 20, but the Namekian was ambushed by the android. As he started to drain Piccolo’s energy, the Namekian sent out a telepathic message to Gohan, who headed for his mentor’s location. He managed to knock 20 off of Piccolo, who was given a Senzu Bean by Krillin, and said he’d fight the android himself. The Namekian managed to surprise 20 with his power, who hadn’t expected him to be so strong, and succeeded in taking of the android’s arm. Piccolo then sent 20 crashing to the ground, leaving Krillin shocked at his strength as well, noting the Namekian was powerful for a Super Saiyan. However Future Trunks showed up, along with Bulma, and 20 blasted her vehicle, taking the opportunity to run for it and saying he was going to activate Androids 17 and 18. Bulma told Piccolo and the others that Android 20 was Gero reconstructed into an android and where his lab was. The Namekian told Bulma who Future Trunks was since he’d been born in their timeline at that point. Piccolo went with Krillin and Tien to find Dr. Gero’s lab and destroy the Androids before they could be activated. Krillin managed to find it and alert the others, but they arrived too late and Androids 17 and 18 were activated. However the two killed Gero, before activating Android 16 and Piccolo and the others went after them. At first they watched Vegeta fight Android 18 and it seemed as if the fight was even, but Piccolo saw the Saiyan was using up his strength with each attack, but 18 was still going strong. After the android broke Vegeta’s arm with a kick, Piccolo and Futures Trunks leapt into the fight. However they were struck down by Android 17, though the Namekian got back to his feet and attacked 17 again as he was choking Tien. But the android dealt Piccolo a powerful blow to the chest that almost tore him in half.

Imperfect Cell Saga
When the androids left, Krillin gave everyone Senzu Beans and Piccolo said he had an idea. Krillin asked what it was, but the Namekian just snapped at him and headed for Kami’s Lookout. Upon arriving, Kami didn’t need Piccolo to explain why he was there, since he’d read his counterpart’s thoughts; he wanted to fuse into one being again. However Piccolo stated that they wouldn’t be fusing equally, he’d just be using Kami as a means of becoming more powerful. He went on to say that the only reason Kami was still around with all the new foes upon them was to keep the Dragon Balls working. Despite this, Kami was not against the idea of fusing with Piccolo, but wanted to observe things a bit more, before making a final decision. Piccolo tried to argue, but Kami pointed out that Future Trunks had said these Androids were different from the ones in his time and Vegeta started the fight they’d just been in. Piccolo just called Kami a coward and waited on the Lookout for him to make a decision. When Cell, a much greater threat than the Androids, showed up Kami realized he had no choice. Using Piccolo as the base, the two fused back into the original “Nameless Namek” they’d come from and left the Lookout. He headed for Ginger Town where Cell had appeared and confronted the android, who claimed he was Piccolo’s brother, much to his shock and they fought each other. The Namekian had the upper hand, but was surprised when Cell used the Kamehameha and managed to dodge. However this let the android send his stinger into Piccolo’s left arm, draining the life out of it and leaving it withered and useless. The Namekian head-butted Cell and broke free, though he claimed he was beaten and got the android to explain himself. Cell revealed his name and that he was a creation of Dr. Gero, a combination of the cells of Earth’s greatest fighters. The android revealed that he sought to absorb Androids 17 and 18 to attain his Perfect form. However Piccolo had heard all he needed to and tore the withered arm away, regenerating a healthy new one in its place. After Future Trunks and Krillin showed up, Cell used his Solar Flare to escape and Tien and Vegeta soon arrived as well. Piccolo explained what the android was up to and he went with Tien to search for Cell, as he went from town to town absorbing people. However the android kept detecting their energy when they got close, then lowered his own and hid. To deal with this, Piccolo, Krillin, Gohan, Tien, and Yamcha used a jet to look for Cell, since it let them travel while keeping their energy hidden. As they were looking, Goku (having recovered from his heart disease) teleported onto the jet with a plan. He explained that he, Gohan, Future Trunks, and Vegeta could get in a year’s worth of training in one day inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and went with Gohan to the Lookout where it was located. Piccolo and the others continued to search for Cell, but the Namekian began to despair since with every town the android absorbed the closer he got to becoming strong enough to go after 17 and 18. Piccolo and the others went to Kame House, but at that moment, Androids 16, 17, and 18 arrived, looking for Goku so they could kill him. Realizing he could destroy 17 and 18 to prevent Cell from absorbing them, Piccolo decided to take them on. After going to a deserted island to fight, the Namekian found he’d only have to fight 17, increasing his chances at victory. At that point, Piccolo had about the same strength as 17 and the Namekian used a combination of his ingenuity and abilities to match his opponent’s endless energy. But Cell showed up, now with more power than Piccolo thanks to all the humans he absorbed. Plus the Namekian’s fight with 17 had cost him a good deal of his energy. When Cell went after 17, Piccolo tried to help him, but was unable to match Cell in combat and played one last card, using his Light Grenade attack to destroy the island. However it did nothing to Cell and Piccolo realized he and 17 couldn’t stop the android, so he told 17 to run for it. But Cell broke the Namekian’s neck with a punch, before blasting a hole through his chest and throwing him into the ocean. Piccolo’s regeneration managed to barely keep him alive and was rescued by Goku, who brought him to Kami’s Lookout.

Perfect Cell Saga
Piccolo managed to quickly recover, but since Cell absorbed Android 17, entering his Semi-Perfect form, he couldn’t do anything but watch. The Namekian watched as Vegeta in Ascended Super Saiyan form defeated Cell, but then allowed him to absorb Android 18, transforming into his Perfect form. Piccolo then watched Cell defeat Future Trunks, before announcing his tournament, the Cell Games, and gave Earth’s warriors 10 days to prepare themselves.

Cell Games Saga
After Goku and Gohan finally emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Piccolo conjured up a version of his outfit for Gohan at his request. He marveled at how strong Goku had become thanks to having obtained the Ascended Super Saiyan form. Piccolo proceeded to enter the Hyperbolic Time Chamber himself and though his training inside made him somewhat stronger, he was still no match for Cell. After coming out, Goku asked Piccolo if he could defuse with Kami and the Namekian said he couldn’t. This prompted the Saiyan to head to Namek to get Dende to be the new Guardian of Earth, so they could use the Dragon Balls again. As the time of the tournament rolled around, Piccolo went with the others to the location of the Cell Games. After Goku engaged Cell, Piccolo watched on the sidelines with the others, until the Saiyan forfeited to the android and had Gohan fight instead. The Namekian objected, saying Gohan wasn’t strong enough to fight Cell, no matter how much stronger he’d gotten and was especially vocal after Goku gave the android a Senzu Bean to make the fight fair. After Cell managed to get Gohan into a crushing bear hug, Piccolo blamed Goku for the pain his son was being subjected to and attempted to help, even if it cost him his life. Cell stopped his attack and, deciding to target Gohan’s friends, spawned several miniature versions of himself, the Cell Jrs, who attacked Piccolo and the others. Piccolo, Vegeta, and Future Trunks managed to hold their own against the Cell Jrs, while the others were beaten down by the clones. However this made Gohan snap, causing him to transforming into a Super Siayan 2 and easily destroy all the Cell Jrs. Piccolo then watched as Gohan overwhelmed Cell, prompting him to try and self-destruct, which would take everyone on Earth with him. Goku managed to get him away from the planet with his Instant Transmission, but after exploding Cell regenerated now even stronger than before as Super Perfect Cell and got back to Earth with Instant Transmission. He killed Future Trunks upon returning and engaged in a Kamehameha duel with a weakened Gohan. Piccolo and the other Z-Fighters assaulted Cell from all sides with energy blasts, which did nothing until Vegeta joined in, allowing Gohan to finally destroy Cell. Piccolo complimented Vegeta on finishing Cell with an honorable attack, but the Saiyan just told him to get lost. The Namekian returned to the Lookout, where Gohan asked him if he could come see him again there, to which Piccolo responded that he could count on it.

World Tournament Saga
Seven years later, Piccolo was told by Gohan that Goku would be brought back to Earth for one day to compete in the World Martial Arts Tournament with the other Z-Fighters. Under the alias of “Ma Junior”, Piccolo entered as well, but while he was there, he met a strange purple alien, the Supreme Kai, who bothered him greatly. For his first match, the Namkeian went up against the Kai, who he was extremely reluctant to attack. Piccolo questioned who this being was and the Supreme Kai responded to his thoughts, saying that he’d find out soon enough so they should just enjoy the fight for now. Piccolo decided to just surrender the match and, upon meeting the Supreme Kai in the spectator’s area, asked him if he was the Grand Kai, ruler of the Kais (who were beings that ruled over a quadrant of the galaxy). The Kai’s companion, Kibito, introduced him as the East Supreme Kai and Piccolo, because of Kami existing inside of him, was awed to be in his presence. Later on, during a match between Gohan and Kibito, Gohan’s energy was drained, thanks to the Supreme Kai paralyzing him, by two strangely powerful humans. The Kai wanted to follow the two to see where they were going with the energy and Piccolo, Vegeta, Goku, and Krillin went to help him. As they followed the pair, the Supreme Kai told them that the two humans, Yamu and Spopovich, were pawns of a wizard named Babidi. He wanted the energy to awaken a destructive monster his father created called Majin Buu.

Babidi Saga
Piccolo and the others were joined by Kibito and Gohan and they hid themselves on a mountain near Babidi’s spaceship. They watched as the wizard destroyed Yamu and Spopovich since he had no more use for them, but were attacked by Dabura, Babidi’s most powerful servant. The demon king killed Kibito, before using his spit to turn Piccolo and Kirllin to stone.

Majin Buu Saga
After Majin Buu killed Dabura, Piccolo and Krillin were restored to normal, but Piccolo was in pieces due to being knocked over earlier by Trunks, shattering him. However his head was still intact, allowing the Namekian to regenerate himself, but when he did, he sensed Majin Buu’s great power. Piccolo saw that the badly hurt Supreme Kai was about to be turned into a snack by the majin, he didn’t know what to do. He wanted to help the Kai, but he knew that he had no chance against a monster like Majin Buu. However before the majin could make the Supreme Kai a snack, Vegeta showed up and attacked him. He then stated that he would destroy Majin Buu for (apparently) killing Gohan, news of which greatly shocked Piccolo. The Namekian watched them battle at first, but when the majin used his Angry Explosion, Piccolo just managed to get away with Trunks, Goten, and Krillin. But when Majin Buu began brutally beating Vegeta, Piccolo couldn’t prevent Trunks and Goten from intervening. While they attempted to help Vegeta fight the majin, the Namekian went to confront Babidi. The wizard tried to make Piccolo let him live by saying he was the only one that could control Majin Buu. However the Namekian replied that it didn’t matter since they’d be destroying the majin and sliced Babidi in half, almost killing him and spit at him. Piccolo watched as Vegeta knocked Trunks and Goten unconscious and went over, prompting the Saiyan to ask him to take the children away from the battle site. Realizing that Vegeta was going to give his life to stop Majin Buu, Piccolo prepared to leave with Trunks and Goten. Before he could, the Saiyan asked the Namekian if he’d see Goku in the afterlife, but Piccolo told him he’d committed too many evils for that to happen. He left with Krillin, stopping to watch Vegeta use his Final Explosion to try and kill Majin Buu. As the blast disappeared, Piccolo gave Trunks and Goten to Krillin, telling him inform everyone else of what happened and went back to the battle to see what happened. The Namekian came to a large crater, remembering the time he had to give his life to save Gohan, and paid his respects to Vegeta, wishing him goodbye. However Piccolo found Babidi, barely alive, and was about to finish him off, until he noticed the chunks of Majin Buu moving. They reformed back into the majin and the Namekian retreated, successfully catching up with Krillin. Piccolo told him they had to go back to the Lookout, since it was their only chance at a safe location. Goku arrived after they did and he told them about Vegeta’s actions, then told Piccolo about the Fusion Dance technique, which he’d learned in the afterlife. Since Goku had no one suitable to fuse with, Mr. Popo suggested teaching it to Trunks and Goten instead. However Babidi contacted the people of Earth, telling them he wanted to location of Trunks, Goten, and Piccolo, threatening to destroy innocent people until he found them. He had Majin Buu destroy one city as a demonstration, Piccolo wanted to go to try and prevent some of the destruction, Goku told him not to, so he could help the boys learn the Fusion Dance. After the Saiyan went back to the afterlife, Piccolo began teaching the boys the Fusion Dance on his own and managed to correct their mistakes when their fusions came out wrong the first two times. But when they finally succeeded, Piccolo faced a new challenge, trying to control and discipline their fusion, Gotenks, who was extremely powerful, but highly arrogant. After fusing the first time, Gotenks flew off to try and fight Majin Buu early, but was beaten badly and returned to receive a scolding from Piccolo. When they fused in the Super Saiyan form, Gotenks went into action again and the Namekian went after him. The fusion flew around the Earth a number of times, wasting time and even took a nap waiting for Piccolo to catch up. Gotenks only tried to confront Majin Buu when there was only one minute left in the fusion time and separated before he could face the majin. After Trunks and Goten got back to the lookout and waited an hour before they could fuse again, Piccolo watched Majin Buu. He saw how the majin changed due to his newfound friendship with Mr. Satan.

Fusion Saga
However as Piccolo continued to watch, he saw Majin Buu split from his evil side and the two fight one another, but the Evil Buu absorbed the good one, becoming Super Buu. Now even strong and able to detect energy, Super Buu headed to the Lookout, looking for the powerful fighter that Goku promised him he could fight. Piccolo tried to stall since Goten and Trunks were sleeping and asked for more time, but Super Buu wanted to fight then and there. Desperate to buy time, the Namekian suggested to the majin that he kill all the people left on Earth, knowing they could use the Dragon Balls to bring them back. However Super Buu fired off countless energy blasts, which homed in on and killed all the people left, except for Mr. Satan and the few people who could dodge them, like Tien and Chiaotzu. Super Buu then demanded to face the fighter promised to him and Piccolo asked for one hour to wake up and prepare the fighter. The majin didn’t seem likely to accept, but the Namekian added that Videl, who was Mr. Satan’s daughter was asking. This made Super Buu agree to wait but promised to kill everyone if he had to wait longer than that. Acting quickly, Piccolo brought Goten and Trunks to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where they had fifteen days to train in that hour. As they waited for the hour to pass, Videl approached Piccolo and asked him how Super Buu knew her father. The Namekian explained the relationship Mr. Satan had with Majin Buu and how he’d managed to turn the majin good. However after only about thirty minutes, Super Buu was done waiting and demanded to face the fighter. Seeing he was out of options, Piccolo began bringing the majin to the time chamber, but took the longest route possible so as to give Goten and Trunks more time to prepare. But Super Buu figured out what Piccolo was doing and demanded that he bring him to the fighter immediately. The Namekian contacted Goten and Trunks telepathically, telling them he and Super Buu would arrive in one minute, which gave them six hours to prepare themselves. But Piccolo had a secret plan in case Goten and Trunks lost, blow up the entrance to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. This would trap Super Buu inside for all eternity, but Piccolo and the boys would be trapped as well. After finally getting there, Piccolo watched as Goten and Trunks fused into Gotenks and took on Super Buu. Though at first he just used goofy moves that didn’t really do anything, but eventually went Super Saiyan and finally managed to use his Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack to blow Super Buu to bits. Piccolo made Gotenks help him vaporize the remains of the majin in an attempt to stop him from regenerating. However the resulted vapor regenerated back into Super Buu and Piccolo asked Gotenks if he had anything left. The fusion lied that he didn’t, hoping to make the fight more spectacular, and the Namekian blew up the door to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Super Buu, enraged and horrified at the prospect of never eating sweets again, let out a powerful scream that actually tore open a hole in the dimension, allowing him to escape. Piccolo and Gotenks tried to do the same, but they couldn’t even after Gotenks fused again. However the fusion revealed he could go Super Saiyan 3 and easily tore open the hole again, allowing Piccolo and himself to escape. After confronting Super Buu again, who bragged about turning everyone on the Lookout to chocolate and eating them, Gotenks finally turned serious. Piccolo watched him fight the majin, but their battle destroyed the Lookout in the process, much to his dismay. Eventually Gotenks asked the Namekian to help him with one of his attacks, where they struck Super Buu around like a volleyball while he was stuck in a ball of Gotenks’ Galactic Donuts. Piccolo continued to watch the fusion fight Super Buu, but as Gotenks was about to finish him off, he started running out of power. He turned back to his normal form, before finally defusing all together and Piccolo thought they were out of options. He prepared to make one last stand with Goten and Trunks, but then Gohan arrived, now much more powerful. He was able to easily fight Super Buu, pushing him to the point that he blew himself up in a huge explosion. The majin then hid himself and his energy and while they were waiting for him to reappear, Gohan told Piccolo how he’d gained his power increase. He’d been training on the planet of the Kai’s and the Elder Kai drawing out a great deal of hidden power in him. They went to find Dende, who Gohan had sensed was alive, and on the way, they found Mr. Satan. Piccolo picked him up, seeing the traits of a real hero in him, and they managed to find Dende. But Super Buu showed up and though Gohan stepped forward to finish him off, he wanted to fight Gotenks again. Goten and Trunks agreed and fused again, transforming into a Super Saiyan 3, but it was all just a trap. Super Buu sent out some pieces of himself, which absorbed Gotenks and Piccolo and he became even more powerful.

Kid Buu Saga
However Goku and Vegeta, fused into Vegito, were absorbed by Super Buu, and defused inside. They freed Piccolo, Goten, Trunks, Gohan (who had also been absorbed), and Majin Buu from inside Super Buu. However Piccolo, Goten, Trunks, and Gohan were killed when Kid Buu (Buu’s original incarnation) blew up the Earth with his Planet Burst. But Piccolo and the others were revived, along with the Earth, thanks to the Namekian Dragon Balls. Piccolo then gave his energy, along with everyone else, to help Goku form a Spirit Bomb, which used to destroy Kid Buu. Ten years later, Piccolo along with many of the other Z-Fighters attended the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament, where he saw the emergence of Uub.

Dead Zone
After Garlic Jr. set out to become Guardian of the Earth, Piccolo was forced to team up with Goku to stop him. The Namekian managed to take down Sansho, one of Garlic Jr’s minions while Goku defeated the other two. Piccolo and the Saiyan went to take on Garlic Jr. himself, but were unable to defeat him due to the fact he’d used the Dragon Balls to gain immortality. Garlic Jr. opened a portal to the Dead Zone to trap them all in, but Gohan’s hidden powers appeared. He managed to knock Garlic Jr. into the portal, trapping him in the Dead Zone instead.

World’s Strongest
While Piccolo was meditating in the mountains, he was attacked by three strange warriors, bio-warriors created by Dr. Kochin, who knocked him out. He was brought to the lab of Dr. Wheelo and brainwashed into acting like his former self by a strange device. When Goku showed up to rescue Master Roshi, Piccolo fought him, but Gohan managed to destroy the brainwashing device. After Dr. Wheelo showed himself, Piccolo attacked him, but even when he worked with Goku and the others, they couldn’t beat him. Goku managed to blast Wheelo into space with a Kamehameha amplified by a Kaio-ken, the doctor prepared to blow up the planet with his Planet Geyser attack. Piccolo, Krillin, and Gohan managed to keep him busy until Goku gathered enough energy to fire a Spirit Bomb at Wheelo, destroying him.

The Tree of Might
After Turles arrived on Earth and planted the Tree of Might, draining all of the planet’s energy, Piccolo showed up as Turles was trying to make Gohan join him. The Namekian saved the half-Saiyan and tried to fight Turles, but he and Gohan were beaten. After the Saiyan sent his henchman against Goku, Piccolo tried to fight him again, but fared no better than the first time.

Lord Slug
Piccolo went with Goku and Gohan to stop Lord Slug’s plans to Terra-freeze the Earth. They faced off against Slug’s henchmen and defeated all of them, leaving Goku to face off against Slug himself. But after Slug grew to giant size and Goku proved no match for him, Piccolo tried to fight the Super Namek. After he was unable to defeat Slug, Piccolo tore off his ears and told Gohan to whistle, which exploited the Namekian’s super sensitive hearing. It brought Slug to his knees and Goku was able to destroy him, along with his Terra-freezing machine with a Spirit Bomb.

Cooler’s Revenge
After Gohan obtained Senzu Beans to help heal Goku after an encounter with Cooler and his soldiers, he was attacked by Cooler’s Armored Squadron. Piccolo came to his rescue and took on the squadron, first easily killing Doore with a homing energy blast. Neiz eventually bound him with energy waves, allowing Salza to pursue Gohan, but Piccolo turned the energy back on him, killing him. The Namekian eventually managed to catch up with Salza, but Cooler arrived and fired an energy blast into his chest. As he fell, almost dead to the ground, Piccolo said Cooler (thinking he was Frieza) should be dead, before he was assaulted by a number of energy blasts. However the Namekian survived and his wound healed thanks to his regeneration.

The Return of Cooler
When New Namek was being attacked by Cooler with the Big Gete Star and his clones, the Meta-Coolers, Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Oolong, Krillin, Master Roshi, and Yajirobe went to help. They took on Meta-Cooler’s Cyclopian Guards and at first they had trouble penetrating the robots’ armor. However Piccolo told them to concentrate their energy on a single point, which let them destroy a few of the Cyclopian Guards. But there were too many and Piccolo and the others were captured, along with the Namekians. Goku and Vegeta managed to finally destroy Cooler and the Big Gete Star, saving Piccolo, the other Z-Fighters, and the Namekians.

Super Android 13!
After Goku and Future Trunks were struggling to deal with Androids 13, 14, and 15, Piccolo and Vegeta showed up to make the fight even. But when Androids 14 and 15 were destroyed, 13 absorbed their components to enter his super form. Piccolo and the others struggled against him, however Goku destroyed the android with use of a Spirit Bomb.

Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan
When Broly easily brought down Gohan and Future Trunks, Piccolo arrived to help, saving Gohan from what would’ve been a fatal blow. He gave the Z-Fighters Senzu Beans and the Namekian joined forces with Goku, Gohan, and Future Trunks to fight Broly. However they stood no chance against the Legendary Super Saiyan with Piccolo getting blasted away by an energy blast. After recovering, the Namekian tried to make Vegeta, who’d been in shock due to the fear of Broly’s power, help fight, but he refused and Piccolo left him behind, but not before insulting him. This made Vegeta snap out of it and face off against Broly, but even with his help they were no match for the Legendary Super Saiyan. Piccolo eventually told the others to channel their energy to Goku and though Vegeta refused at first, he helped as well. This let Goku defeat Broly and Piccolo and the other Z-Fighters escaped, along with a group of aliens Broly’s father, Paragus, had enslaved, with the ship Piccolo used to get to the planet to escape the Comet Camori.

Plan to Eradicate the Super Saiyans
Once Dr. Raichi put devices the emitted Destron Gas around Earth, Piccolo, along with Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Future Trunks went to destroy them. However they were forced to deal with phantom versions of Frieza, Cooler, Lord Slug, and Turles. Piccolo and the others managed to destroy them in the same way as they’d been defeated. They tracked Dr. Raichi to a planet, where they were forced to fight the android, Hatchiyack. Piccolo and the others finally managed to destroy him with a combination of attacks, then escaped the planet before it was destroyed.

Bojack Unbound
Piccolo and the other Z-Fighters (with the exception of Goku who was dead due to the battle with Cell) competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament thrown by X.S. Cash. Piccolo gave up his match to Krillin, but it turned out that a space pirate called Bojack and his men had taken over the tournament and wanted to conquer Earth. After Gohan went to take on Bojack, Piccolo saved him from the pirate’s energy attack with his Special Beam Cannon. The Namekian attempted to fight Bojack, but couldn’t beat him and was saved by a barrage of energy blasts from Future Trunks. However Gohan eventually managed to take down Bojack and his minions by transforming into a Super Saiyan 2.

Yo! Son Goku and His Friends Return!!
Piccolo, along with the other Z-Fighters, attended a party thrown by Mr. Satan, when Vegeta’s brother, Tarble, showed up. He told them about two of Frieza’s former henchmen, Abo and Kado, who were now as strong as Frieza himself. After the two arrived on Earth, Piccolo watched with the others as Goten and Trunks fought them, since their power levels were of no concern to them. When Gohan started coaching the two boys, Krillin noted to Piccolo how dependable Gohan was, but the Namekian just replied he was still too weak. Krillin noted that Piccolo was still a strict master and later on, Piccolo destroyed a giant energy blast fired by Aka, Abo and Kado’s fusion, with his Special Beam Cannon.

Baby Saga
After the Tuffle parasite, Baby, arrived on Earth, Piccolo sensed his presence after he possessed Goten. When the parasite took over Gohan, Piccolo went to confront him, but was blasted by the possessed Super Saiyan. The Namekian survived the attack and after the Earth was evacuated, Piccolo helped a young boy left behind as the planet was about to blow up. Goku showed up to teleport the two to safety and the Namekian gave him the energy he needed, but wanted to remain behind. This was because the Black Star Dragon Balls had brought about Earth’s destruction and they had been made by Kami before he separated from King Piccolo. Thus if Piccolo died, the Black Star Dragon Balls would be turned to stone and could never be used again. In his last moments, he had a telepathic farewell with Gohan, before dying in Earth’s explosion and did not wish to be brought to life again.

Super 17 Saga
Though Piccolo was sent to Heaven by King Yemma’s judgment, after Super 17 showed up, he started blasting things so Yemma would send him to Hell. There, the Namekian collaborated with Dende to open a portal back to Earth to get Goku back to Earth to deal with Super 17. They succeeded and later on, Nappa, General Blue, Staff Officer Black, and Major Metallitron engaged Piccolo, but he presumably beat them all.

Shadow Dragon Saga
After Goku decided to leave with Shenron, he went to Hell to wish Piccolo good-bye and promised to get him back to Heaven, where he belonged. However the Namekain had become a sort of peacekeeper in Hell, fighting a giant monster who was causing problems, while the watch-keepers cheered him on.

Personality
Piccolo used to be much like his father, having no mercy or regard for his opponents, but he slowly began to change. After the battle with Raditz, he showed a more honorable side, commemorating Goku for sacrificing himself. Piccolo really began to chanhe after training with Gohan and when he fused with Nail, he started to fight in the name of the Namekians and to protect the innocent. However Piccolo was still somewhat arrogant and ruthless, but his fusion with Kami allowed him to lose all traces of evil he once had. He has always been a loner, not talking much, except if it’s about fighting and has no understanding of romance.

Powers
Piccolo has a very high power level, due in part to his fusions with Nail and Kami. He possesses superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and durability, as well as the ability to manipulate energy in the form of blasts and flight. As a Namekian, Piccolo can regenerate himself as long as his head is intact, grow to giant size, and stretch his arms and has superhuman hearing. He can also use telekinesis and telepathy and can magically create objects out of thin air. Piccolo has a number of signature techniques, such as the Explosive Demon Wave, where he holds out one arm with the other supporting it and fires a powerful energy blast. Another is the Special Beam Cannon, where Piccolo holds his index and middle fingers up to his forehead, charging energy into them, then holds his fingers out in front of him, yelling the attack’s name. Two energy beams fire from Piccolo’s fingers, one spiraling around the other and the attack is powerful to drill through almost anything, exploding against everything else. Originally, it took Piccolo five minutes to charge this attack, but as time went by, he became able to use it faster. Another of his techniques is Scatter Shot, where he swings his arms out to his sides, charging energy spheres into each hand. Piccolo then cries out the attack’s name, firing numerous energy spheres at his opponent. Another technique he uses is Light Grenade, where he brings his hands together in front of him. Piccolo then forms a yellow energy sphere in his hands, before bringing his hands forward and firing the sphere.

Trivia

 * Akira Toriyama, creator of the Dragon Ball series, at one point stated that Piccolo was his favorite character.


 * Around the time of the Namek Saga, it was revealed that his name in Namekian means "another world".


 * Since King Piccolo and Kami were once one being, Kami could be considered Piccolo's father and has even referred to him as "son" on some occasion.


 * Piccolo and Ronroa Zoro once appeared together in Cross Epoch, a collaboration between Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda as a pair of hopelessly lost swordsmen. They also had the same Funimation dub actor and appeared together in a promo for Dragon Ball Kai.


 * Each time Piccolo fused with a Namekian, he became the strongest of the Z-Fighters at the time, but was soon surpassed.


 * Early on in the series, anyone Piccolo killed would be unable to rest in peace, same as his father, but Raditz didn't suffer this fate, which Kami noted was an indication he was becoming less evil.


 * Like Goku, Piccolo wears weighted clothing to make his training harder, namely his turban and his cape. The weights in his cape can be seen occasionally when it was damaged in fights.


 * Piccolo originally had four fingers in the manga, but was given five in the anime.


 * His name comes from a half-sized flute.


 * In Dragon Ball and during his fight with Raditz, Piccolo bled red blood, but it was changed to purple later on in the series.


 * Often in the movies, Piccolo saves Gohan's life just before he is killed by the villain. In Broly - Second Coming, Gohan is saved by Krillin wearing Piccolo's outfit.