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Piccolo - Dragon Ball

Piccolo is a recurring character in the Dragon Ball franchise. He debuted as the reincarnation of the Evil King Piccolo in the Dragon Ball Z series , making him, at the time, an antagonist and primary enemy of Son Goku. It is later discovered that Piccolo is actually a member of the Namekian race from the planet Namek. After a fierce battle at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Piccolo loses and later joins Goku in defeating Raditz . Piccolo is also the first to tutor Goku's first son, Son Gohan . Piccolo wears a purple kimono and a red sash with a weighted cape and turban. He is voiced by Toshio Furukawa as an adult and Hiromi Tsuru as a child in all Japanese versions.

Appearances in Dragon Ball

Piccolo is first introduced in Dragon Ball as the reincarnation of the evil King Piccolo. His plan is to continue his predecessor's domination of the world and seek revenge on Goku. Piccolo defeats Krillin in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai Tournament under the moniker "Demon Junior". He also defeats Krillin , who is disguised as Shen, sealing him with a reflected "Evil Containment Wave". Piccolo is tricked by Goku into using his giant form and Kami is freed. From there, Piccolo loses the fight when Goku headbutts him out of the ring. Afterwards, Goku gives Piccolo a senzu bean and he promises revenge on Goku as he leaves.

Appearances in Dragon Ball Z

Five years later, in the Dragon Ball Z series, Raditz arrives on Earth and Piccolo realizes that Raditz is a terrible threat. Piccolo then teams up with Goku to defeat Raditz. Piccolo then learns from Raditz that two other Saiyans are arriving on Earth and that they are looking for the Dragon Balls. He is surprised by Gohan's power and decides to train him to prepare for the Saiyans' arrival.

During training, Piccolo destroys the moon to prevent Gohan from transforming into his Great Ape form and removes his tail. His harsh demeanor changes during Gohan's training, becoming much softer as he begins to bond with the son of his former nemesis. During the fight with Nappa and Vegeta , Piccolo finally understands his Namekian origin. He tries to encourage Gohan to fight, but Gohan is too scared. After being encouraged to end the fight quickly, Nappa fires a powerful energy blast at Gohan, which Piccolo steps in front of to sacrifice himself and save Gohan's life. This causes Earth's Dragon Balls to become inert.

Piccolo is revived and transported to Namek with the Namekian Dragon Balls, allowing him to join the fight against Frieza. On the way to the battle, Piccolo fuses with a Namekian warrior named Nail and becomes much stronger. Frieza transforms into his third form, and Piccolo is easily outmatched. After Frieza transforms into his final form, Piccolo is hit by a death ray in the chest and is completely incapacitated. Gohan takes Piccolo away from the battle, as dying would mean that Earth's Dragon Balls would disappear again. He is then brought back to Earth thanks to a wish from Earth's Dragon Balls.

Piccolo trains with Goku and Gohan for three years before the androids arrive. He attempts to defeat Dr. Gero, but is unable to stop him from activating Android 17 and Android 18. Suffering a defeat at the hands of Android 17, Piccolo chooses to fuse with Kami to gain a massive power boost. After this, Piccolo learns Cell , whom Piccolo confronts and gets to know better. Piccolo battles Android 17 again and appears to be evenly matched, but Cell arrives and the fight is interrupted as Cell attempts to absorb the androids, despite Piccolo's best efforts. After the battle with Cell, Piccolo spends time training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in preparation for Cell's tournament. There, he battles one of the Cell Juniors, but is easily defeated until saved by Super Saiyan 2 Gohan.

Seven years later, Piccolo is ready to fight Supreme Kai at the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament, but backs out after discovering Supreme Kai 's true identity. He then follows Supreme Kai to Babidi in an effort to thwart Babidi's plans. Unfortunately, Piccolo is turned to stone by Dabura. Dabura's death, however, reverts Piccolo to normal, and he quickly attempts to kill Babidi. Angry at Piccolo's assassination attempt, Babidi calls on Piccolo to come forward or he will begin exterminating humans. Piccolo prepares to go to Babidi, but is dissuaded by Goku, who tells him that his knowledge and experience in training others is sorely needed. With no strong fighters, Piccolo begins training Goten and Trunks to achieve their fused form, Gotenks .

During the fight with Majin Buu in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Piccolo destroys the entrance, sealing himself, Gotenks, and Majin Buu inside. Majin Buu manages to escape by tearing reality apart with his sheer power, leaving Piccolo and Gotenks trapped. Fortunately, Gotenks performs a similar feat to create an exit that he and Piccolo manage to pass through in pursuit of Majin Buu . After being absorbed by Majin Buu, he is later freed by Goku and Vegeta, along with the other characters who were absorbed. He helps energize Goku for the final Spirit Bomb attack used to defeat Kid Buu.

Appearances in Dragon Ball Super

In Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo, killed by the resurrected Frieza, is later brought back to life and begins training Gohan once more. He then joins the tournament against Universe 6 where he loses to Freeze . When Future Trunks arrives, Piccolo suggests using the "Evil Containment Wave" to seal Goku Black .

Piccolo agrees to participate in the Tournament of Power, where he loses both arms and is forced to retreat by Prum of Universe 2. He later shares his energy with Goku during his fight against Prum of Universe 11. Jiren . Piccolo and Gohan also work together to eliminate Saonel and Pirina of Universe 6. However, Piccolo is later eliminated from the tournament by Damon of Universe 4.

Appearances in Dragon Ball GT

In Dragon Ball GT, Piccolo rescues Goten after his release , Baby Piccolo takes control of Gohan (controlled by Baby), where he is clearly overpowered and injured. After Baby's defeat, Piccolo sacrifices himself to destroy the Black Star Dragon Balls once and for all. Upon his death, he goes to Heaven, but forces King Yenma to send him to Hell so he can free a trapped Goku. Piccolo refuses to be brought back to life so that the Black Star Dragon Balls remain unusable. In the final episode, he is seen as a sort of guardian of Hell when Goku goes to say his goodbyes.

Powers and abilities

Piccolo possesses a range of abilities that he displays throughout the series. In addition to his superspeed, superstrength, and the ability to fly, being a Namekian grants Piccolo the ability to stretch his arms and regenerate lost limbs. His techniques include:

Super Giant Form - Allows Piccolo's body to grow to giant sizes.
Blast wave or destructive wave - a beam of energy fired from one hand using the other as support.
Special Beam Cannon - A charged energy beam attack that takes the form of a spiral or drill and travels at the speed of light.
Hellzone Grenade - An attack that allows Piccolo to fire numerous energy spheres around his opponent. He then gathers them all together to envelop his foe in the next blast.
Masenko - one of his signature attacks that he teaches to Gohan before Nappa and Vegeta arrive.
Light Grenade - an attack where he gathers energy and releases it as an explosion in all directions.
Namekian Fusion - Like all Namekians, Piccolo can perform a type of fusion unique to Namekians. This fusion is permanent.