Dragon Ball Daima Introduces a Big Piccolo Retcon, But Super Hero Made It Make Perfect Sense

Warning: Contains spoilers for Dragon Ball Daima episode #11.One of the best parts aboutDragon Ball Super: Super HeroandDragon Ball Daimahas been how both works have given Piccolo some much-needed focus and development. Not only didSuper Heroessentially make Piccolo the protagonist, butDaimahas done a lot to flesh out Namekian lore which, in turn, has made Piccolo feel more developed than he ever has before.

Piccolo has received a lot of welcome attention in recent years, but at least inDragon Ball Daima, it hasn’t all been great.Daimahas been filled with retcons toDragon Balllore in nearly every episode, and surprisingly,Dragon Ball Daimaepisode #11might have made a very blatant retcon to one of the oldest elements of Piccolo’s character. One moment fromDragon Ball Super: Super Heromakes it less egregious than one would think, but regardless, it’s still a weird development to see in the series.

Majin Kuu offers Majin Duu some chocolate.

Dragon Ball Daima’s Piccolo Retcon Actually Happened Years Ago In Super Hero

InDragon Ball Daimaepisode #11, Neva joined the heroes on their quest for the Dragon Balls, mainly because they need someone to speak Namekian to activate them. Piccolo said he couldn’t do it because he’d been on Earth so long that he’d forgotten the language, Piccolo and Kami spoke fluent Namekian when they fought in the World Martial Arts Tournament, which happened after both of them had lived on Earth for centuries, soDragon Ball Daimastating that Piccolo can’t speak Namekian is a clear contradiction of some of Piccolo’s oldest lore.

Piccolo not knowing Namekian also ignores how he fused with Nail, someone who spent his entire life on Namek.

Piccolo not knowing Namekian is undeniably weird, but surprisingly, it might not be a retcon.Dragon Ball Super: Super Herowas the first time Piccolo used his gigantification power since he fought Goku, and when Krillin brought that up to Piccolo, Piccolo said that he forgot he could do that. The implication is that Piccolo is somehow so forgetful that he forgets about some of his powers, soPiccolo not knowing how to speak Namekian is less a retcon and more playing into the joke about him forgetting about his abilities first established inDragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Piccolo’s Weird Forgetfullness Plays Perfectly Into Dragon Ball’s Humor

Why Dragon Ball’s New Piccolo Joke Is So Good

Piccolo being forgetful to the point that he forgets his powers is odd to consider, but it’s much better than one might think. Not only is it a clever way of lampshading how longDragon Ballwill go without addressing certain powers or plot points, but the most classic style ofDragon Ballhumor is the kind that revolves around characters acting as stupidly as need be for the sake of the plot, soPiccolo’s being so forgetful that he can’t remember his powers works because of how faithful it is toDragon Ball’s style of comedy.

All of that, of course, plays well into the central conceit ofDaima. The biggest selling point ofDaimahas been its return to the classicDragon Ballaesthetic both visually and narratively, and because of that,Piccolo’s running gag of being forgetful perfectly plays intoDragon Ball Daima’s return to classicDragon Ballhumor. Whether that was intentional is unclear, but it continues to show how great the writing is for bothDragon Ball DaimaandDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and that will hopefully continue into any futureDragon Ballprojects, as well.