Piccolo, one ofDragon Ball’s best-known and most beloved characters, has been a part of the series almost since the beginning. When he was first introduced, the stoic Namekian was presented as the son and reincarnation of the evil King Piccolo, the main villain of the franchise’s first arcs. Despite harboring the same hatred towards Goku as his father did, the two beings were very different in both behavior and appearance.
It is that drastic change in looks that may have beenthe first hint at Piccolo turning over a new pageand becoming one of Goku’s closest friends, which ended up beingone of the series' best redemption arcs. The fact that he looked so different from his father may have been Akira Toriyama’s way of letting fans know that he was not as cruel as his progenitor.
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Piccolo Does Not Share Many Traits With The Demon Clan
His Appearance Does Not Seem To Have Been Corrupted by Evil
King Piccolo is known for being the progenitor of the Namekian Demon Clan, a group of beings corrupted by evil. Like his sons, the main villain of the originalDragon Ballanime series had an appearance that greatly differed from that of his Namekian brethren. He was not only taller and significantly more muscular, but his fangs, nails, and even his facial features were sharper than most Namekians.
King Piccolo’s children were even more corrupted, with most having been born with horns and wings. The series explains these alterations being caused by their evil nature. Yet, despite having sharp fangs and nails, Piccolo Jr. did not share many similarities with his father. When compared with a native Namekian, Gohan’s mentor looks almost identical, as if he was nota part of the Demon Clan like his father.
Making Piccolo look so different from his father and siblings could imply that he was not born with the same innate evil energy that his family had. If that is indeed the case,his change in ideals would likely have occurred whether he had encountered Goku or not.
While his actions during the final arc of the original Dragon Ball did paint him like a villain, this behavior can be attributed to the indoctrination of his father. If Piccolo had been raised by a gentle being like Kami, he could have become one of Earth’s protectors much earlier in the series.
Piccolo Also Lost Many Of His Demon Traits
His Evil Was Not As Strong Nor Permanent as His Father’s
Throughout theDragon Ballseries,Piccolo has gone through minor but significant changes to his appearance. While his fangs remained as sharp as when he was a child, they became significantly smaller, as well as his nails. By the time the Namek Saga began, there was no meaningful way to differentiate him from other members of his race.
These changes became even more significant duringthe surprisingly great Garlic Jr. filler arc, in which Piccolo tricked the evil conqueror by pretending to be controlled by the Black Water Mist. He accomplished this feat by allowing his Demon Clan features to manifest. While non-canon, this implies that Piccolo can still utilize the attributes of his evil heritage but subconsciously chooses not to. It is as if he is actively rejecting the evil that his father passed on to him during his birth.
This is truly interesting because, as fans know, Demon King Piccolo was born when the Nameless Namekian split his essence into two beings of pure evil (Piccolo) and pure good (Kami). That’s why King Piccolo’s progeny is truly demonic, but it begs the question of why Piccolo Jr. was born different. Perhaps, at the moment of his death, King Piccolo wanted to create a being that was as strong as possible to enact his vengeance, which caused his original Namekian genes to resurface.
Nonetheless, it is clear that meeting Goku and being forced to befriend him helped greatly in Piccolo’s redemption journey.Piccolomay have been one ofDragon Ball’s major villains when younger. Still, the Namekian warrior has become not only one of Goku’s best friends, but also a beloved hero for fans of Toriyama’s work.
Dragon Ball Z
Cast
Dragon Ball Z follows Goku, who lives a peaceful life with his family until the arrival of Raditz, a mysterious warrior claiming to be Goku’s brother. This revelation unveils their true heritage as Saiyans, a formidable warrior race known for conquering planets.
