The Untold Truth Of Dragon Ball's Piccolo

Your Namekian hearing has not deceived you: "Dragon Ball" has made Piccolo a contender again. Though never too far behind the central Saiyan characters of the franchise, it's true that the gap between Piccolo and warriors like Goku and Vegeta has grown dramatically in recent years, especially due to the introduction of god transformations. Thanks to "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero," however, the caped warrior from Namek finally has a transformation of his own.

Given that Piccolo is a major character in the "Dragon Ball" franchise in general and the 2022 movie "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" in particular, it seems like a good time to explore some of his lesser-known facets. Sure, "Dragon Ball" aficionados know the basics: he's the reincarnation of Demon King Piccolo, Gohan's mentor, and arguably the coolest-dressed of the main "Dragon Ball" heroes. Yet there's a lot more beneath his air of mystery than you may realize. Set down those weighted robes and power up to maximum, because it's time to assimilate the untold truth of Piccolo.

Let's be clear: the first character to ever boast a power level above one million is Frieza. The intergalactic tyrant originally displays such massive might when he shows off his second transformation to Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta on Namek. Not only that, but several "Dragon Ball" villains, such as Majin Buu and Moro, sport powers well above one million eons before most of the main "Dragon Ball" cast is born. Heroes like the Supreme Kai also clearly possess power exceeding one million long before they actually appear in the series.

The first hero to surpass one million on-screen, however, is Piccolo. The Namekian accomplishes the amazing feat shortly after he's resurrected in the Frieza Saga, namely when he absorbs the powers and body of his fellow Namek warrior, Nail. The resulting power boost is tremendous, making Piccolo more than a match for Frieza's sophomore state, even with his weighted clothing on. In the manga, Piccolo's new strength leads Frieza to change into his third form mere moments into their fight; in the anime, however, Frieza makes the mistake of staying in his second form a little longer, allowing Piccolo time to show off his full, unrestrained power. While Frieza easily regains the advantage when he transforms again, that doesn't take away from Piccolo's impressive milestone, which he achieves before even Goku does.

If somebody asks a "Dragon Ball" fan what Piccolo's signature move is, many would likely say it's the Makankōsappō, alias the Special Beam Cannon. The two-fingered technique first appears during the fight with Goku's brother, Raditz, in the "Dragon Ball Z" era, where Piccolo uses it twice. Though he first misses his target, his second attempt is a direct and lethal hit, although Goku, who keeps Raditz from dodging again, dies with his older sibling. Piccolo's not too choked up about it, however, as he considers Goku an enemy at the time.

The Special Beam Cannon goes on to appear many times in the "Dragon Ball Z" anime, as well as in the movies, where Piccolo often makes his entrance by firing the attack from off-screen. However, in the original "Dragon Ball" manga (which isn't split into "Dragon Ball" and "Dragon Ball Z" in Japan, like it is in the U.S.), Piccolo never uses it again after defeating Raditz. He does seem to use a similar technique against Nappa, although given the differences it has, including its size and the way it's fired, it could be considered a separate attack altogether. It's not until the "Dragon Ball Super" manga that Piccolo uses the Special Beam Cannon again on the comics page, though he had already used it a few notable times in the "Super" anime by that point.

For the most part, the "Dragon Ball," "Dragon Ball Z," and "Dragon Ball Super" anime are pretty faithful to the character designs from the manga. There are differences, however. A famous example, for instance, is Bulma's hair color, which is bluish-green in the anime, but purple in the color chapters of the manga. Similarly, Korin the cat is blue in the manga, rather than white.

As for Piccolo, his design differences are smaller, but notable nonetheless. One is the color of his scales, which the anime changes from gold to pink. The other is more overt: namely, the anime gives Piccolo an extra finger! In the manga, Piccolo (like rest of his species) has three fingers and a thumb, whereas the anime throws in one more: the poor, neglected pinky.

While "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" is animated feature to give Piccolo's scale its manga color, he'll still keep that extra finger the anime and movies have always given him. Sounds like a good time for the character to catch up on his pinky swears.

They may come from different worlds, but Piccolo and Vegeta have a lot in common. Both begin as villains when they're introduced, only to eventually reform. They have their similarities in personality, too: aloof, guarded, and at times ruthless to their enemies. They're also, of course, aliens who live on Earth.

You'd think with all their similarities, the two would at least be friends. Yet they've never been particularly close the way Piccolo is with Gohan and even Goku, whom Piccolo eventually befriends. Of course, Vegeta's pride and temper make it difficult for him to become pals with anyone. Interestingly, however, the two have never fought, either, despite having been enemies during their first meeting. When Vegeta first arrives on Earth, for instance, he lets Nappa fight Piccolo and his Earthling allies, and Piccolo's killed before he even gets the chance to face the Saiyan prince. On top of that, the two never seem to have even sparred with each other after Vegeta's reform. While Vegeta may perhaps consider Piccolo "too weak" to train with, it'd certainly be interesting to see if he'd change his mind now that Piccolo's new form, Orange Piccolo, is a factor.

While the character we know as "Piccolo" has gone by that name for centuries, it's not the one bestowed upon him when he and Kami are born. So what was he called before? Not even he knows. As Mr. Popo reveals, the Namekian who eventually splits into Kami and Piccolo arrives on Earth when he's incredibly young, and ends up forgetting everything about his alien origins, name included. When the Namekian eventually decides to purge all evil from himself, the malevolent being that coalesces from the exorcised malice takes on the name Piccolo, which he recalls as being the word for "another world" in his native tongue. The Namekian whom Piccolo splits from, meanwhile, never renames himself, and instead becomes known by his new title, Kami, which is a Japanese word for "god."

Thanks to Nappa and Vegeta, Piccolo and Kami relearn their alien origins. Yet most of their memories from Namek and their trip to Earth, including their Namekian name, never return, even when they fuse back into one. For that reason, the re-merged being tells Mr. Popo he's simply the Namek who's forgotten this name. He eventually decides to just stick with "Piccolo" so Goku won't call him "Kamiccolo," as that name combo isn't exactly his cup of fresh water.

Despite being the first Piccolo-focused Dragon Ball movie, "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" doesn't clear up matters on this front, choosing not to dwell on Piccolo's past. Maybe someday a feature or manga story will tell all.

As most Dragon Ball fans know, Goku's just a kid when his adventures begin, and he stays that way for quite a while. Even in his mid-teens, Goku doesn't really grow taller, at least not all that noticeably. It's not until his battle with Piccolo, aka Piccolo Jr., that Goku's body begins developing into what he'd look like as a grown-up.

As it turns out, Piccolo himself is responsible for Goku's so-called "growth spurt." As Kazuhiko Torishima, the editor of the "Dragon Ball" manga and "Weekly Shonen Jump," told Forbes, 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?