King Piccolo

The evil cast off by Earth's guardian deity, sealed in a rice cooker and set free again.

King Piccolo was conceived by Akira Toriyama as a truly evil opponent for Goku, as all his villains up to that point had something "likable" about them. He came into being when the Namekian who became Earth's guardian deity purged himself spiritually, and the negative energy took on a physical form after being cast off.

Lore & Background

King Piccolo terrorized Earth until he was sealed away in a rice cooker by Mutaito, the master of Master Roshi and Master Shen. The Pilaf Gang later release him from his confinement, and he seeks the Dragon Balls to wish for eternal youth, killing Chiaotzu, who tries to thwart the wish. If either Kami or King Piccolo dies, the other will as well, and the Dragon Balls cease to exist. His spawn, Piccolo, is created to get revenge on Goku in the wake of his death.

Did You Know?

King Piccolo was created after Toriyama was told how Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed watching people suffer.
The video game Dragon Ball: Revenge of King Piccolo retells the Red Ribbon Army and early Demon King Piccolo story arcs.