TV-Series
Description
Piccolo Junior, also known as Ma Junior and later simply as Piccolo, is a Namekian warrior introduced in the final story arc of Dragon Ball. He is the final offspring and reincarnation of King Piccolo, a demonic being who terrorized Earth before being defeated by Goku. As King Piccolo lay dying, he expelled a single egg containing his successor, and from it Piccolo Junior was born, carrying his predecessor's power, memories, consciousness, and a burning desire for revenge. Because he was created as the demon king's heir, he inherited the mission of avenging King Piccolo's death and conquering the world.
Piccolo Junior shares a spiritual link with Kami, the guardian of Earth, because the two originated as halves of a single being. If one of them died, so would the other, which would also cause Earth's Dragon Balls to vanish. This connection makes him a uniquely dangerous figure, since destroying him would carry catastrophic consequences. Over time it is revealed that Piccolo, like Kami and King Piccolo before him, belongs to a humanoid alien race called Namekians, originally from the planet Namek, and is part of the Dragon Clan known for creating the Dragon Balls.
In his early years, Piccolo Junior's personality is cold, cruel, and intimidating. He is ruthless in combat, takes satisfaction in asserting his superiority, and shows little regard for the lives of others. His primary motivation is to kill Goku in public and fulfill his father's ambition of domination. He spends three years training alone under harsh conditions, then enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament under the alias Ma Junior so he can face Goku directly. During the tournament he displays extraordinary power and cunning, defeating opponents easily and even reversing Kami's attempt to seal him away, trapping the guardian inside a container instead. His final battle with Goku is devastating and destructive, and although Goku wins, he chooses to spare Piccolo's life, an act that plants the first seed of change in the young warrior.
From that point, Piccolo's role begins to shift. When Raditz, a Saiyan claiming to be Goku's brother, arrives on Earth, Piccolo forms a temporary and uneasy alliance with his former enemy because the threat is far greater than their personal rivalry. During the fight he uses his signature technique, the Special Beam Cannon, to pierce through both Raditz and Goku, killing the invader but costing Goku his life in the process. Afterward, Piccolo takes on the responsibility of training Goku's young son Gohan, intending at first to use the boy's hidden potential as a weapon against the incoming Saiyans. The harsh wilderness training, however, leads Piccolo to develop genuine care and respect for the child. He becomes a mentor and a father figure to Gohan, and when Gohan is about to be killed by the Saiyan warrior Nappa, Piccolo throws himself in the way and dies protecting him, admitting that Gohan was the first person to ever treat him as a true friend.
Because of his spiritual bond with Kami, Piccolo's death also kills the Earth's guardian and temporarily disables the Dragon Balls, but he is later revived and travels to Namek, where he joins the struggle against Frieza. There he merges with Nail, a powerful Namekian warrior, gaining a great increase in strength and fighting Frieza directly. Later, during the conflict involving the Androids and Cell, Piccolo decides to reunite with Kami, his long-separated good half, and the fusion restores him to the state of the original Nameless Namekian. This merger erases the last traces of evil and hatred within him, and he emerges as a completely reformed warrior devoted to protecting Earth. He continues to take part in major battles against threats such as Cell, Majin Buu, and later enemies in Dragon Ball Super, though his role increasingly becomes that of a wise strategist and mentor rather than the strongest fighter on the battlefield.
Piccolo's mature personality is calm, reserved, and stoic. He speaks little, prefers solitude and quiet meditation, and tends to keep his distance from others, yet he is honest, direct, and often the most rational voice in a crisis. He cares deeply for Gohan and later shows an easy rapport with children, helping Goten and Trunks learn the Fusion technique and serving as a trusted confidant to Dende, the new guardian of Earth. His development traces a clear arc from a vengeful demon seeking world conquest to a loyal and reliable defender of the planet.
As a Namekian, Piccolo possesses a wide range of distinctive abilities. His physiology grants him superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and hearing, and he can stretch and expand his limbs to attack from a distance. He can regenerate lost body parts as long as his head remains intact, and he can enlarge his body to an enormous size in battle. He can fly, project powerful energy waves, and use the Special Beam Cannon, a concentrated energy attack capable of piercing nearly any defense. He also knows the Evil Containment Wave, a sealing technique he once used against Kami, and he can perform Namekian fusion to absorb the power and knowledge of other warriors of his race. In later installments, particularly the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, he gains a new transformation known as Orange Piccolo, which dramatically increases his strength and allows him to fight alongside the most powerful warriors in the series.
Piccolo Junior shares a spiritual link with Kami, the guardian of Earth, because the two originated as halves of a single being. If one of them died, so would the other, which would also cause Earth's Dragon Balls to vanish. This connection makes him a uniquely dangerous figure, since destroying him would carry catastrophic consequences. Over time it is revealed that Piccolo, like Kami and King Piccolo before him, belongs to a humanoid alien race called Namekians, originally from the planet Namek, and is part of the Dragon Clan known for creating the Dragon Balls.
In his early years, Piccolo Junior's personality is cold, cruel, and intimidating. He is ruthless in combat, takes satisfaction in asserting his superiority, and shows little regard for the lives of others. His primary motivation is to kill Goku in public and fulfill his father's ambition of domination. He spends three years training alone under harsh conditions, then enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament under the alias Ma Junior so he can face Goku directly. During the tournament he displays extraordinary power and cunning, defeating opponents easily and even reversing Kami's attempt to seal him away, trapping the guardian inside a container instead. His final battle with Goku is devastating and destructive, and although Goku wins, he chooses to spare Piccolo's life, an act that plants the first seed of change in the young warrior.
From that point, Piccolo's role begins to shift. When Raditz, a Saiyan claiming to be Goku's brother, arrives on Earth, Piccolo forms a temporary and uneasy alliance with his former enemy because the threat is far greater than their personal rivalry. During the fight he uses his signature technique, the Special Beam Cannon, to pierce through both Raditz and Goku, killing the invader but costing Goku his life in the process. Afterward, Piccolo takes on the responsibility of training Goku's young son Gohan, intending at first to use the boy's hidden potential as a weapon against the incoming Saiyans. The harsh wilderness training, however, leads Piccolo to develop genuine care and respect for the child. He becomes a mentor and a father figure to Gohan, and when Gohan is about to be killed by the Saiyan warrior Nappa, Piccolo throws himself in the way and dies protecting him, admitting that Gohan was the first person to ever treat him as a true friend.
Because of his spiritual bond with Kami, Piccolo's death also kills the Earth's guardian and temporarily disables the Dragon Balls, but he is later revived and travels to Namek, where he joins the struggle against Frieza. There he merges with Nail, a powerful Namekian warrior, gaining a great increase in strength and fighting Frieza directly. Later, during the conflict involving the Androids and Cell, Piccolo decides to reunite with Kami, his long-separated good half, and the fusion restores him to the state of the original Nameless Namekian. This merger erases the last traces of evil and hatred within him, and he emerges as a completely reformed warrior devoted to protecting Earth. He continues to take part in major battles against threats such as Cell, Majin Buu, and later enemies in Dragon Ball Super, though his role increasingly becomes that of a wise strategist and mentor rather than the strongest fighter on the battlefield.
Piccolo's mature personality is calm, reserved, and stoic. He speaks little, prefers solitude and quiet meditation, and tends to keep his distance from others, yet he is honest, direct, and often the most rational voice in a crisis. He cares deeply for Gohan and later shows an easy rapport with children, helping Goten and Trunks learn the Fusion technique and serving as a trusted confidant to Dende, the new guardian of Earth. His development traces a clear arc from a vengeful demon seeking world conquest to a loyal and reliable defender of the planet.
As a Namekian, Piccolo possesses a wide range of distinctive abilities. His physiology grants him superhuman strength, speed, endurance, and hearing, and he can stretch and expand his limbs to attack from a distance. He can regenerate lost body parts as long as his head remains intact, and he can enlarge his body to an enormous size in battle. He can fly, project powerful energy waves, and use the Special Beam Cannon, a concentrated energy attack capable of piercing nearly any defense. He also knows the Evil Containment Wave, a sealing technique he once used against Kami, and he can perform Namekian fusion to absorb the power and knowledge of other warriors of his race. In later installments, particularly the film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, he gains a new transformation known as Orange Piccolo, which dramatically increases his strength and allows him to fight alongside the most powerful warriors in the series.