Piccolo (Senior)

**Piccolo** (ピッコロ, *Pikkoro*), also known as **Piccolo the Devil** (ピッコロ大（だい）魔（ま）王（おう）, *Pikkoro Daimaō*; *FUNimation* "King Piccolo"; Literally meaning "Great Demon King Piccolo") was the alter-ego and villainous incarnation of the God of Earth. He attempted to rule the world twice, failing in both endeavors, where he was first sealed into a container, where the villainous foe then returned after being released, that led to him gaining eternal youth. He was introduced as a demon, until later being explained that he in fact was a Nameccian and the father of Piccolo Junior.

## Background

Centuries prior to Gokū's adventures, Piccolo led a reign of terror across a more primitive Earth, using his demons to terrify the Earthlings. The Kame-Sennin, the Tsuru-Sennin, and Mutaito fought against Piccolo, and it was Mutaito who devised a way of sealing the devil: the Mafūba. Piccolo was sealed away by Mutaito in a electric rice-cooker, which the Kame-Sennin threw into the sea.

## Personality

Piccolo's personality was influenced by his birth; the amalgamation of the evil that was within God's personality, Piccolo was maliciousness in a humanoid form. He was truly evil, committing heinous acts of cruelty without remorse for those who's lives he ruined, and displayed the kind of sadism that allowed him to take life purely for sport. This malevolence is what allowed him to easily attempt the murder of a single child, order the execution of countless martial artists over a baseless fear, and create a holiday where he would destroy entire cities for forty-nine years. Despite his end goals, it could be said that Piccolo did not desire power for the sake of power, but merely so he could allow chaos to reign throughout the world unabated; this, in the end, was his desire, rather than ruling the world like a king.

Piccolo used "*washi*" (儂) as his personal pronoun when old; befitting, as the pronoun is used commonly by elderly men, though he switches to "*watashi*" (私) when making his wish for eternal youth to Shenron, and soon switches to this pronoun completely.

Despite his evil nature, Piccolo was shown to have some level of caring for his children, becoming utterly furious upon realizing Cymbal and Tambourine had died to the hands of an unknown force. He even went out of his way to get revenge for the two, showing Piccolo had some level of parental affection. He was not above using his children for petty revenge, however, passing on his memories and will to his final child and reincarnation, Piccolo Junior.

His overwhelming strength had led Piccolo to believe he was without peer, and it wasn't until he encountered Gokū that this illusion met contest. In spite of this arrogance, Piccolo feared martial artists for their capacity to use the Mafūba and seal him away again. In fact, this fear was so prevalent it caused him to flee from Muten Rōshi when the latter confronted him. Attached to this fear was the dread of the name Mutaito, the man who had sealed him away. This fear led to him ordering a genocide of martial artists globally.

## Appearance

Piccolo's appearance was identical to that of a standard Nameccian. He possessed green skin antennae, and pointed ears. His eyes were sharp, with a narrow nose and fanged teeth. As with all Nameccians, he possessed orange sections (pink in the anime) on his arms and legs. His attire was a purple *dōgi* with the character Demon (魔, *Ma*) inscribed on it. When he first appeared, he was considerably aged.

## Abilities

### Power

Piccolo, due to his immense abilities, was at one time one of the strongest beings on Earth. He reigned terror across the planet, using his immense abilities to terrorise the humans. It would later be revealed that Piccolo's unique strengths would come from being not a Demon, but a Nameccian.

## Part I

### Piccolo Daimaō Arc

Piccolo first appears within Pilaf's airship, presiding over the Pilaf Gang, and Piano on his throne. By his statement, the Dragon Balls will allow him to reach his objective; eternal youth, which will allow him to rule the world forever. Pilaf attempts to negotiate, asking for a portion of the world as a reward for freeing Piccolo from the rice cooker. Piccolo states that he will consider it.

Looking at the tattered rice cooker, Piccolo states his first goal is to kill all martial artists, as a way to avoid being sealed by the Mafūba.

Tambourine presented his master, Piccolo, with one of the Dragon Balls. Dragon Ball in hand, Piccolo declares that, with all seven, he will live forever. He instructs Tambourine to place the list of the finalists on his wall. Despite Tambourine's insistence that the martial artists must be weak, on the grounds that he killed Gokū, Piccolo advises caution. With this warning, he orders the death of all martial artists.

Piccolo sends Tambourine on his way to kill the martial artists. When Piano inquires as to who will continue the hunt for the Dragon Balls, Piccolo decides to make another demon — one made to look like a Dragon. Through an exhaustive process, Piccolo births an egg  from his mouth. As the new demon hatches, he bestows it the name "Cymbal". After determing whether or not his new child is a fighter, he sends him off after the next Dragon Ball, alongside Tambourine, to kill martial artists.

Aboard the airship, Piccolo senses the death of Cymbal, furiously declaring vengeance. Furious at the death of one of his children, Piccolo demands to know precisely how someone could have overcome Cymbal. Piano and the Pilaf Gang's assurances that Cymbal wasn't strong do nothing to calm the devil. Telepathically, he contacts Tambourine, ordering him to investigate the death of his brother.

Sensing the death of his other child, Piccolo furiously orders Pilaf to take the ship to Tambourine's last known location. He wants to meet the man who killed his children and kill him.

During their flight towards the last known location of Tambourine, Pilaf informs Piccolo that someone else is collecting Dragon Balls. Piccolo remains unperturbed, as he possesses one of the Dragon Balls. He decides to let his enemies find the rest of the Dragon Balls and save him time; his priority is killing the murderer of his children. Mai announces their arrival, and Piccolo heads to the top of ship. He instructs them to forego landing; he is angered to see his children lost to someone as small as Gokū, and descends to confront the boy.

He sees Gokū possesses another Dragon Ball, and commends the boy for his strength, being able to kill his demons. Piccolo is amused by Gokū's confidence, as the boy is too young to have heard of the tales of Piccolo.

The battle begins, and in an astounding display, Gokū and Piccolo seem virtually even. The former nearly dominates the latter, knocking him off his feet and shocking Yajirobe, the Pilaf Gang, and Piccolo himself with how strong the boy is. The devil removes his cape, declaring that he is cruelty incarnate, before rushing the young martial artist. The tide turns, as Piccolo dominates the battle, utterly crushing Gokū; when the boy bites him, he casts him aside, snidely advising Gokū to run away. Piccolo compliments Gokū's skills, but relishes in the thought of having to kill the boy. When Gokū takes the stance for the Kamehameha, Piccolo experiences a rush of terror, believing it to be the Mafūba. The boy unleashes the blast, and Piccolo survives it without a scratch.

The devil builds up his *ki*, releasing a powerful blast at Gokū. The young martial artist avoids it, leaping into the air. Piccolo, however, releases a follow-up that strikes Gokū directly. As Gokū falls limp to the ground, Piccolo sees that the boy's heart stopped, and takes the Dragon Ball from around his neck. He rises into the airship, declaring that the time for his youth's return is at hand.

Aboard the airship once more, Piccolo is informed that the holders of the five Dragon Balls are making their way to him. The devil is surprised by the boldness of someone who would challenge him, and wonders how his would-be opponent knows he possesses Dragon Balls. As Gokū wonders what Piccolo could want from the Dragon, the devil is giddy with the thought of his desire: youth. Piccolo, having arrived to where the Dragon Team buried the Dragon Balls, surmises it is most likely a trap. Deciding they want his Dragon Balls, the devil swallows the wish orbs. Kame-Sennin calls Piccolo out, and the devil descends with amusement, which is only heightened when Kame-Sennin tells him where the Dragon Balls are, and vows to keep him away from them.

Despite Piccolo believing the Kame-Sennin has no clue who he is, the Kame-Sennin reveals he indeed does. He also reveals the name of his master: Mutaito. The name strikes fear into Piccolo, but this is nothing compared to when he sees the Kame-Sennin release the electric rice cooker. Piccolo attempts to flee, but the Kame-Sennin unleashes his worst fear: the Mafūba. Caught in the energy stream, Piccolo is guided into the electric rice cooker, but the Kame-Sennin misses is mark; Piccolo is free, and mocks the Kame-Sennin for his last words. With his victory, Piccolo now has all seven Dragon Balls.

With all seven Dragon Balls, Piccolo sumons the Dragon. Surprised by the sky going dark, his excitement grows as he takes in Shenron. Shenron informs Piccolo that he can grant but a single wish. As Piccolo is about to state his wish, Chaozu appears to wish for Shenron to destroy Piccolo. Before the latter can finish the sentence, Piccolo kills him. Returning to Shenron, Piccolo wishes for eternal youth, and Shenron grants his wish.

Piccolo is ecstatic with his youth. When Shenron turns to leave, Piccolo instead releases a Kikōha from the Mouth, blowing Shenron to pieces, killing the Dragon God. Unable to contain his excitement, Piccolo revels in his newfound physicality. Youth in hand, and the Dragon Balls destroyed, Piccolo flies the airship towards the King's castle. His new goal is to usurp the king and let evil reign over Earth as its official ruler. When Pilaf inquires as to what reward he and his cronies will get, Piccolo instead drops them from the airship.

Piccolo arrives at the King's castle, and immediately proclaims himself King, killing a guard who tried to obstruct entry. Another guard meets their end by Piccolo's hands when he attempts to shoot him. Piccolo kills him with his Beam Eyes. The entire Royal Guard rushes the devil, who proceeds to kill them all. A superior agent comes along, and engages Piccolo. He is quickly beaten, and once he denies knowing where the King is, killed by Piccolo's hand. One of the guards tells him where to find the King, and Piccolo sees his escaping in an airplane. Piccolo flies to meet him, boarding the plane.

Piccolo kicks open the glass door, inquiring if the king of the entire world is also a coward. When one of the king's followers demands to know who Piccolo is, he states his name, and that he is the new king. After the man shoots at him, Piccolo grabs him and drops him from the plane, in-spite of the king's protests. The king inquires as to what Piccolo wants, and Piccolo replies that he's already told him — he, Piccolo, is the new king, and the king of the world will be the one to tell everyone. The king refuses, [Explosive Demon Light Cannon|and Piccolo makes an example of the city to show where refusal gets him]. After this horrific display, the king agrees to Piccolo's terms.

The King is then forced by Piccolo to make a public statement about his official dethronement. When the king tries to urge someone to stop Piccolo, the devil walks in, picking the king up but the throat to cease his speech. He addresses the camera directly, introducing himself as the Great Demon King. He announces with his ascension to the throne, law and order are hereby outlawed, and the citizens are free to commit crimes as they please.

By Piccolo's statement, he will enact a single law. The world has 43 regions, and he created an urn with 43 slips of paper. On every May 9th, he will conduct a lottery, pulling a paper from the urn to determine which region will be destroyed that year. He urges anyone with any problems to come see him, and he will solve their problems with their deaths. Piccolo then draws a lot from the urn, and the lottery winner is the Western Capital. He jokingly suggests for them to escape, if they have the time. As he prepares to carry out his kingly obligation of destruction, Piccolo sees Tenshinhan arrive in a plane. He decides that Tenshinhan will make a fitting example to the masses. Piccolo goads Tenshinhan to come face him, and seeing the latter fly down, surmises he can also use martial art; another reason for the boy to die. He then spits out a new egg, deciding not to waste his own time fighting Tenshinhan, and births a warrior he names Drum.

He orders Drum to kill Tenshinhan, and watches the resultant battle with some amusement. Once Tenshinhan is pressed to the ground, Piccolo, surprised to see the martial artist is still alive, tells Drum to crush Tenshinhan's heart. To his shock, he sees Gokū arrive, and explains to the confused boy that he regained his youth. Drum turns to fight Gokū, and Piccolo has confidence that his son will crush the boy. To everyone's shock, Gokū's first blow leads to Drum's death.

With Drum dead, Gokū sets his sights on Piccolo. The Devil notes that Gokū must still be opposing him. Gokū claims it isn't just that simple — he's going to kill Piccolo now. Piccolo boldly declares he will take five seconds to kill Gokū. The battle begins, with Gokū blocking the first strike and throwing Piccolo over his back. Gokū tells Piccolo it's been more than five seconds, enraging the Devil. Piccolo flies into the air, dashing downward and attacking Gokū twice: once on the ground and again in the air, when Gokū dodged, shocking Piccolo.

The second round begins, an infuriated Piccolo and an enraged Gokū seizing the others up. Gokū lunges at Piccolo, slamming a fist into his face. The Devil crashes into Piano, but forces himself to his feet. He strikes back, only for Gokū to dodge. Ducking under the Devil, Gokū makes a move, but is counterattacked by Piccolo. The effort isn't enough, and Gokū slams a kick into Piccolo's chest. With Piccolo stunned, Gokū unleashes an onslaught.

Despite this, Piccolo smiles, congratulating Gokū. He decides to go all out, even thoigh it will shorten his lifespan, to deal with Gokū. He begins to raise his power, finally using his full strength. He asks Gokū if he's ready, and Gokū says he is, asking if they can fight for real this time. Piccolo opens with a Kiai Cannon that pushes Gokū back.

The battle resumes, with Gokū and Piccolo rushing in to display their true power. They appear evenly matched, clashing with each other fiercely. Piccolo lands a solid blow, however, that looks like it killed Gokū, burying the boy solidly under rubble. Piccolo firmly believes he has won, but the voice of Gokū tells him he's wrong; the boy leaps out of the ground, unleashing a Kamehameha. Piccolo attempts to block, until Gokū bends the blast behind him. The blast collided, and Piccolo, in pain, calls Gokū a monster. Gokū tells him the battle won't end until one of them dies, but Piccolo says it will be Gokū who dies. As the fight continues, the two prove to be near-even.

The battle rages on, with Gokū gaining the advantage over Piccolo in terms of sheer power. Tenshinhan begins to believe Gokū can win, however, Piccolo releases a energy beam from his eyes, damaging Gokū's knee and causing his right leg to become useless. Piccolo, however, is struck when Gokū stretches forward with the Nyoibō, making him angrier still. Enraged, Piccolo begins to concentrate his *ki*, release Kikōha from the Fingertips towards Gokū. His ability to dodge is hampered, and his staff is blasted out of his hand by the energy beams. Within seconds, Piccolo releases another Kikōha from his palms, an energy beam, that collides with Gokū, creating a huge explosion.

In the wake of the destroyed city, Piccolo is confident that Son Gokū was killed, only to have his hopes dashed by sensing the young boy's ki. Tenshinhan used the Air Dance Technique to save Gokū, much to Piccolo's ire. While Piccolo is certain that Gokū merely delayed his death, the boy informs the Great Demon King that the stunt he just pulled also severely depleted his energy, and he won't be able to attack Gokū like that again. Agreeing that his *ki* is low, Piccolo still believes he can kill Gokū easily. As Piccolo begins to power up, Gokū rushes in to take advantage of his lowered guard. However, his attack isn't strong enough with the force of only a single leg behind it, and Piccolo releases a large scale Kikōha that created a large crater.

Gokū, however, calls on Kintoun, picking him up from the crater and dropping him back onto the battlefield, albeit damaged. Piccolo expresses his disbelief that a human could resist his power, and Gokū says that, since he has a tail, he just might not be human. With both of them drained, Gokū wants to continue the match. However, Piccolo, in desperation, grabs the unconscious Tenshinhan and uses him as leverage against Gokū.

With Tenshinhan held captive by Piccolo, Gokū finds himself in a pinch. Tenshinhan urges Gokū to kill Piccolo, and not to worry about him; in an attempt to quiet him, Piccolo applies pressure to Tenshinhan's skull. Piccolo picks up a rock, and blows it towards Gokū, breaking the boy's left arm. Regardless, Gokū decides to kill Piccolo as he'd simply kill them whether the boy attacked or no, and believed he could resurrect Tenshinhan with the Dragon Balls. Piccolo tells Gokū that he killed Shenron, and with another stone, breaks Gokū's left leg, causing the boy to fall to the ground, unable to move.

Piccolo discards Tenshinhan and flies into the air, determined to land the finishing blow on Gokū, However, Gokū still has one working arm, and releases a powerful Kikōha towards the ground, propelling him into the air towards Piccolo. Piccolo attempts to block, but with the imprint of a Giant Monkey behind him, Gokū races towards Piccolo.

With his energy condensed into a single punch, Gokū fells Piccolo. Before the Great Demon King dies, however, he casts his final son out as an egg into the distance, proceeding to explode..

## Legacy

Piccolo's death would go on to influence future events for several years to come. Upon being defeated by Gokū, Piccolo released an egg containing his reincarnation, ensuring his life force remained connected to God, and indirectly making it possible to revive Shenron.

His reincarnation, Piccolo Junior would eventually challenge Gokū as intended, but eventually redeemed himself and became a valuable asset to the Dragon Team. In this new role, Piccolo would train Gohan, and later Goten and Trunks in the art of Fusion, grooming generations of new warriors to defend the planet he'd once hoped to rule.

## Creation and Concept

Piccolo is believed to have been rather cheekily based by Toriyama on his then-editor, Kazushima Torishima,, and according to Torishima himself, Piccolo was also based on the Roman Emperor Nero.

## Trivia

* Due to the fact that he and Dr. Mashirito are based on Kazuhiko Torishima, Piccolo is capable of fusing with Mashirito in *Jump Super Stars*.
* In his native language of Nameccian, Piccolo's name translates to "different world".
* According to Toriyama, out of all the enemies in the series, Piccolo is his favorite.

## Notes & References

### Notes

1. ↑ The time King Piccolo breaks away from his good counterpart, later known as God

### References

1. ↑ *Dragon Ball: Adventure Special*, page 38
2. ↑ *Daizenshū 4*, page 47
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 *Dragon Ball: Bouken Special*
4. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 135, pp. 6-7
5. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 135, pages 10-13
6. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 136, pages 10-14
7. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 137, pages 2-9
8. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 139, pages 11-12
9. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 140, pages 1-3
10. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 140, pages 10-11
11. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 141, pages 13-14
12. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 142, pages 1-2
13. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 142, pages 5
14. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 142, pages 10-14
15. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 143, pages 1-14
16. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 144, pages 1-9
17. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 145, pages 1
18. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 145, pages 4
19. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 145, pages 7-10
20. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 145, pages 13-14
21. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 146, pages 1-14
22. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 147, pages 1-13
23. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 148, pages 1-5
24. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 148, pages 9-13
25. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 149, pages 4-14
26. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 150, pages 1-9
27. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 152, pages 4-7, pages 14
28. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 153, pages 1-4
29. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 153, pages 6-7
30. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 153, pages 9-13
31. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 154, pages 1-14
32. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 155, pages 1-2
33. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 155, pages 4-14
34. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 156, pages 1-10
35. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 156, pages 10-14
36. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 157, pages 1-14
37. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 158, pages 1-7
38. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 158, pages 9-14
39. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 159, pages 1-11
40. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 159, pages 12-14
41. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 160, pages 1-6
42. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 160, pages 7-14
43. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 161, pages 1-8
44. ↑ *Daizenshū 1*
45. ↑ *Kazé Anime Publisher Interview with Kazuhiko Torishima*
46. ↑ *Dragon Ball* chapter 244, pp. 12
47. ↑ [http://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/daizenshuu-2-akira-toriyama-super-interview/ *Dragon Ball Daizenshū 2: Story Guide*