is a fictional character in the Japanese Dragon Ball media franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He made his appearance in chapter #161 "Son Goku Wins!!", published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on February 9, 1988, as the reincarnation of the evil King Piccolo, who was positioned as a demonic antagonist of the series. However, it is later revealed that he is, in fact, a member of an extraterrestrial humanoid species called Namekians from an exoplanet called Namek, those able to create the series' eponymous wish-granting Dragon Balls. After losing to Son Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Piccolo teams up with him and his friends to defeat newer, more dangerous and powerful threats, such as Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, Beerus, Zamasu, Jiren, Broly, and Moro. He also trains Goku's eldest son, Gohan, and the two form a powerful bond.
Piccolo is one of the most popular and recognizable characters from the Dragon Ball franchise. The character has been consistently well received by fans and video game publications, with high placements in multiple "top" character lists and popularity polls. The character has also inspired Naruto manga author Masashi Kishimoto, as well as an Internet meme which became popular in Japan in 2013.
Creation and development Piccolo, more specifically his parent, King Piccolo, was created by Toriyama as he wanted to have a villain who would be a true "bad guy." Before his creation, nearly all the previous villains in the series were considered too likable. His editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, stated he introduced Toriyama to evil historical figures for inspiration. King Piccolo was created after he told the author how Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed watching people suffer. However, the Shenlong Times issue #2, a bonus pamphlet given to some buyers of the Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide guidebook, says that the character was modeled after Toriyama himself. After creating King Piccolo, Toriyama noted that it was one of the most interesting parts of the series and that he became one of his favorite characters. Although Piccolo's transformation from a villain to a hero was considered by Toriyama to be cliché, he still felt excited when drawing him, noting that despite having a scary face, he still looks appealing. When Toriyama was later asked in an interview, he admitted that Piccolo very soon grew to be his favorite character.
Piccolo is initially assumed to, like his parent, be a member of the ; however, midway through the series, it is learned that they are actually members of the alien race called . Toriyama stated that he never thought of making Piccolo an alien until Kami was introduced. Until recently, Dragon Ball Daima has introduced that Namekians are now from the Demon Realm, an alternate universe of demons, making the whole race of Namekians a Demon race.
For the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Toriyama said that he wanted the plot to focus on the dynamic between Gohan and Piccolo due to how their close relationship motivates the former even more than his father, Goku, to be determined to fight. , which Toriyama considers Piccolo's first transformation, was made orange and extremely muscled to distinguish him from Piccolo's regular form. The buffed body was done since, unlike other characters, Piccolo does not have hair to change in a transformation. Toriyama wondered that while he should have been more over-the-top with Piccolo, he is glad he finally gave him a chance to make him as strong as Goku. Toriyama said that, while Piccolo is a stoic character, he wanted to make him act different in the movie.
Voice actors
In the original Japanese version of the anime and all other media, Piccolo is voiced by Toshio Furukawa, with the only two exceptions being his initial newborn child form which was voiced by Hiromi Tsuru, and in Dragon Ball Daima, where a mini version of Piccolo was voiced by Tomohiro Yamaguchi. Furukawa, who up to that point had mostly played happy lighter-voiced characters, said he got the role because he stated in interviews at the time that he wanted to play a villain. He said it was difficult to constantly perform with a low voice because his normal lighter voice would break through if he broke concentration. When asked if Takeshi Aono's work as King Piccolo influenced his portrayal of Piccolo, Furukawa replied that because King Piccolo was impulsive, he initially played his own role as an energetic person around eighteen-years-old and later imagined him as close to thirty-years-old in Dragon Ball Z. Furukawa, as well as Gohan's voice actress Masako Nozawa, said the episodes where Piccolo trains Gohan left an impression on them. He said the fans really enjoyed those episodes as well. Furukawa also cited Piccolo making a pun for King Kai as memorable because it was so out of character for him. By the time he reprised the voice in Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo had become Furukawa's favorite character of all his roles.Dragon Ball Super Cast Comments
In English, several different voice actors have voiced Piccolo, including Scott McNeil in episodes 1-53 (1-67 unedited) in Funimation Entertainment's initial dub of Dragon Ball Z in association with Saban Entertainment and Ocean Productions as well as Geneon's dub of the first three Dragon Ball Z films,Dragon Ball Z Geneon dub's credits and episodes 108-291 of Westwood Media's dub of the franchise (in association with Ocean Productions);Dragon Ball Z Westwood dub's credits by Ethan Cole in Chinook Animation's dub of Dragon Ball GT (produced in association with Blue Water Studios);Dragon Ball GT Chinook dub's credits by British-born French actor Paul Bandey in the infamous English dubs of the movies released exclusively in the UK and the Netherlands by AB Groupe (wherein the character was referred to as "Big Green"), by David Gasman (who also voiced Goku in this dub) in the European dub of Dead Zone (there called In Pursuit of Garlic), vocal grunts by Ed Marcus in The History of Trunks (or Gohan and Trunks) and consistently by Christopher Sabat in Funimation's in-house dub of all Dragon Ball media.Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Dragon Ball Z Kai Funimation dub's credits Ray Chase voices Piccolo in the Toonami Asia broadcast of Dragon Ball Super produced by Bang Zoom! Entertainment.Archived at Ghostarchive and the Wayback Machine:
Abilities Piccolo has shown many unique abilities throughout the series. Due to his Namekian physiology,Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 2, chapter 20 Piccolo can expand his arms,Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 183 move fast enough to not be seen,Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 188 regenerate lost limbs of his bodyDragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 189Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 2, chapter 11 so long as his head is still intact, and possesses superhuman hearingDragon Ball Z manga, volume 12, chapter 141 and strength. Piccolo's allows him to become gigantic to the point where he is capable of reaching mountain-like heights. He can also conjure objects such as garments and a blade,Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 2, chapter 14 including his cape and turban outfit.Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 14, chapter 161Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 16, chapter 183Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 17, chapter 196 Among Piccolo's known psionic skills, he is able to communicate telepathically with select individuals. Thus, this enables him to read minds and mentally contact others nearby.Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 13, chapter 152 In one instance, he alerts Goten and Trunks of Buu's proximity to the dimension where the two were training.Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 25, chapter 295 Piccolo's range of abilities is very wide, an example of this is in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, when Piccolo is battling Cell Max, Piccolo forgets one of his abilities until Krillin reminds him, specifically, Piccolo's previously mentioned "Super Large Body Technique" that he had used only in the original series.
Like many other characters in Dragon Ball, Piccolo has the ability of flight through the technique called . He also possesses an attack called the , which is fired with one hand being supported by the other. One of Piccolo's most powerful attacks is the an attack that is expelled from Piccolo's index and middle fingers.Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 1, chapter 7Dragon Ball Z manga, volume 1, chapter 8 Unlike most energy-based attacks in Dragon Ball, the potent Makankōsappō pierces its targets like a drill rather than enveloping them or exploding on contact. Another attack of Piccolo's is the , which involves firing off many orbs of energy that float around the opponent. Piccolo then squeezes his hand to make all the orbs converge onto the opponent, exploding on contact. The is another of his signature attacks, being one that he teaches to his pupil Gohan. Another move Piccolo is seen to have is the which is conjured by putting his hands on his chest, gathering energy, and then releasing it outwards. One of Piccolo's less frequently used techniques is the ability to fire energy rays from his eyes, which he first uses against Krillin's energy attack during their match in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai, then later against Goku in the finals, and again when he trains Gohan. It is also revealed that he is capable of performing the , and invented by Master Mutaito to seal his evil parent in a rice cooker, and can reverse this technique, using it against his good counterpart.Dragon Ball manga, volume 18, chapter 181
Piccolo can also perform a type of fusion, which he does with Nail on planet Namek to confront Frieza and with Kami to confront the Androids, each time greatly increasing his power; the first time enough to clash toe-to-toe with Frieza's second form, and in the latter, he becomes much more powerful than an unmastered "Super Saiyan". In this form, which was before the original Piccolo and Kami separated known as a "Nameless Namekian", he was able to fight on par with Android 17.
In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Piccolo has Dende upgrade the earth's Dragon Balls, allowing Shenron to grant a potential unlock similar to the Grand Elder Guru's power in Dragon Ball Z. This results in him gaining a yellow Potential Unleashed transformation. Against Gamma 2, it is revealed that the "extra" power-up that Shenron had given earlier was a new form, Orange Piccolo.
Appearances Dragon Ball Introduced as the offspring and reincarnation of King Piccolo, Piccolo Jr. plans to continue his parents' mission of world domination and avenge his death at the hands of Goku. Piccolo enters the 23rd Tenkaichi Budōkai under the alias . Piccolo defeats both Krillin, who gives up,Dragon Ball manga, volume 15, chapter 173 and Kami, by reversing the Evil Containment Wave and sealing Kami in the container intended for Piccolo.Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 181 He then fights Goku in the final round, who tricks Piccolo into enlarging himself so he can retrieve Kami,Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 187 from there causing many of Piccolo's techniques to backfire on him. Though crippling both Goku's arms and legs,Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 191 Piccolo is defeated when Goku headbutts him out of the ring,Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 193 though recovers thanks to receiving a Senzu bean from Goku, who he promises to defeat as he departs.Dragon Ball manga, volume 16, chapter 194
Dragon Ball Z