Piccolo

Lore & Background

Piccolo is initially assumed to, like his parent, be a member of the Demon Clan (魔族, Mazoku); however, midway through the series, it is learned that they are actually members of the alien race called Namekians (ナメック星人, Namekku-seijin). 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. Orange Piccolo (オレンジ・ピッコロ, Orenji Pikkoro), 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.

Reader's Guide

Piccolo has shown many unique abilities throughout the series. Due to his Namekian physiology, Piccolo can expand his arms, move fast enough to not be seen, regenerate lost limbs of his body so long as his head is still intact, and possesses superhuman hearing and strength. Piccolo's Chōkyoshinjutsu (超巨身術; "Super Large Body Technique", or "Super Giantification Spell" in Viz's manga) 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, including his cape and turban outfit. 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. In one instance, he alerts Goten and Trunks of Buu's proximity to the dimension where the two were training.

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". Like many other characters in Dragon Ball, Piccolo has the ability of flight through the technique called Bukū-jutsu (舞空術; lit. "Air Dance Technique"). He also possesses an attack called the Bakuretsumaha (爆裂魔波; lit. "Exploding Wave", or "Destructive Wave" in the English anime dub), which is fired with one hand being supported by the other.

One of Piccolo's most powerful attacks is the Makankōsappō (魔貫光殺砲; lit. One of Piccolo's most powerful attacks is the Makankōsappō ('Special Beam Cannon' in the English anime dub), fired from his index and middle fingers. 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 Renzoku Sen Kōdan (連続閃光弾; lit. "Repeated Flash Bullets", "Hellzone Grenade" in English media), 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 Masenkō (魔閃光; lit. "Demon Flash") is another of his signature attacks, being one that he teaches to his pupil Gohan. Another move Piccolo is seen to have is the Gekiretsu Kodan (激烈光弾; lit. "Violent Light Grenade", simply "Light Grenade" in the English anime dub) 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 Mafūba (魔封波; lit. "Demon Sealing Wave", "Evil Containment Wave" in the English versions), 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. 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, he has been known as a "Super Namekian" and was able to fight on par with Android 17.

Did You Know?

• In the original Japanese version, 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.
• The character has also inspired Naruto manga author Masashi Kishimoto, as well as an Internet meme which became popular in Japan in 2013.