Dragon Ball is full of beloved heroes and villains who have helped the franchise become such a success, but Piccolo remains one of the series’ most fascinating figures. Piccolo was originally introduced as an intimidating antagonist who’s meant to end Goku. However, the Namekian experiences an inspirational redemption arc that makes him one of Dragon Ball’s most compelling characters. Piccolo learns to fight by Goku’s side and tirelessly defend Earth, but he also develops a touching relationship with Goku’s son, Gohan, who teaches him what it means to be a friend.
Piccolo doesn’t always get the attention that he deserves in Dragon Ball. That being said, he’s still responsible for some game-changing battles throughout the franchise. Dragon Ball wouldn’t be the same without Piccolo’s heroic contributions, and he’s accomplished a diverse fight profile, some of which are more impressive than others.
10 Gamisalas’ Invisible Attack On Piccolo Is An Impressive Tournament Of Power Tussle
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 109, "Unavoidable? The Ferocity Of A Stealth Attack!"
Piccolo is one of the first fighters from Universe 7 that Goku and Gohan recruit to participate in the Tournament of Power. The majority of Piccolo's best battles in Dragon Ball Super come out of the Tournament of Power. He contributes to many group fights that celebrate Universe 7's consistent supporting players. Universe 4's Gamisalas is a challenging competitor who lands many blows on Universe 7's strongest before they even know what's hit them. It's later revealed that Gamisalas' signature skill is that he possesses the power of invisibility.
Piccolo figures out Gamisalas' secretive strategy and pushes the Universe 4 fighter out of their comfort zone by firing off constant ki blasts that produce dust storms that reveal Gamisalas' location and erase his advantage. Lacking his invisibility, Gamisalas isn't nearly as formidable of a foe. Piccolo easily overpowers his opponent and eliminates him from the Tournament of Power with a well-timed Mouth Energy Wave. This is a creative clash that reflects Piccolo's intelligence as well as his physical strength. It's also been years since Piccolo's put his Mouth Energy Wave to use, which in itself makes this fight memorable.
9 Frost Proves That He’s Just As Unrighteous As Frieza During His Tournament Of Destroyers Duel
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 34, "Piccolo Vs. Frost! Stake It All On The Special Beam Cannon!"
Dragon Ball Super's multiverse opens the series up to many exciting possibilities and a wealth of new opponents. The Tournament of Destroyers between Beerus' Universe 7 and Champa's Universe 6 is the series' first true taste of what other universes have to offer. Frost emerges as Universe 6's version of Frieza, and it's not long until everyone knows that these two tyrants are quite similar, despite Frost's initial acts of deception. Piccolo faces off against Frost, which becomes a stunning showcase of all of Piccolo's trademark techniques.
Piccolo makes exceptional use of his Multi-Form and Demon Hand abilities to confuse and confine his Universe 6 opponent. Piccolo attempts to finish Frost off with his Special Beam Cannon, only for him to somehow miss his restricted target. Piccolo's uncharacteristic failure is revealed to be the result of Frost poisoning the Namekian with a concealed needle. Piccolo is originally announced as the battle's loser, but he's retroactively awarded the victory after Frost's unscrupulous actions get him disqualified. It's a great battle that's well-staged and full of suspense.
8 Piccolo & Gohan Emphasize The Power Of Teamwork Against Universe 6’s Saonel & Pirina
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 118, "Accelerating Tragedy Vanishing Universes"
One of the most satisfying developments to come out of the Tournament of Power is the presence of established alien species, like new Saiyans and Namekians, in other universes. Universe 6 reveals two deadly Super Namekians, Saonel and Pirina, who have both repeatedly fused with their universe's other Namekians to become top fighters. It's a lot of fun to see Piccolo take on other Namekians in battle, but this fight gains even greater value when Gohan joins to help out his mentor.
Saonel and Pirina intensify this showdown with their Mouth Energy Wave and Energy Blade techniques. The Universe 6 Namekians are still no match for the combined efforts of Piccolo and Gohan. Saonel and Pirina might have stood a chance against Piccolo and Gohan if they individually took them on, but these two have decades of teamwork to pull from, which makes them a truly deadly duo.
7 Piccolo Tests Imperfect Cell’s Power In Their First Fight
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 143 & 144, "His Name Is Cell" & “Piccolo’s Folly”
Cell becomes a tremendous threat to the planet and grows increasingly dangerous after he absorbs Androids 17 and 18 and attains perfection. Piccolo is one of the first heroes to test Cell’s power back in his initial Imperfect form, which sets a terrifying precedent for what’s to come. Piccolo’s initial altercation with Imperfect Cell is dense in backstory, as the villain explains who he is, that he comes from the future, and that he contains the DNA of the galaxy’s greatest warriors.
This battle is merely a prelude to greater chaos. However, it speaks to Piccolo’s impressive strategic skills as he successfully stalls for time to regain his strength and regenerate his damaged arm. It’s a satisfying demonstration of the stronger warrior that Piccolo has become since he’s fused with Kami, as well as the myriad of abilities that Cell has at his disposal.
6 Piccolo Makes A Noble Sacrifice During His Battle With Nappa
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 27, "Nimbus Speed"
The battle against Nappa intensifies once Vegeta recognizes that Goku has returned to Earth and is quickly approaching the battlefield. Piccolo leads a valiant effort against Nappa that targets the Saiyan’s tail, which he learned was their weakness during his battle against Raditz. This plan proves to be useless when it’s revealed that Elite Saiyans have learned to move beyond this weakness and their tails aren’t blindspots for them. Piccolo and Krillin resort to their Tri-Form technique to overwhelm the Saiyan with multiple versions of themselves, but they’re still woefully outmatched.
Nappa grows impatient and retaliates against Gohan, who lands a successful attack on him. Nappa releases his Bomber DX blast on Gohan and the young boy is too terrified to flee. Piccolo, at the last minute, intervenes and blocks the attack, only to perish in the process. It’s a truly tragic loss, but one that forever solidifies the bond between Piccolo and Gohan. Gohan learns how much he truly means to his mentor, which is something that he never forgets.
5 Piccolo & Goku Put Aside Their Differences Against The Superior Saiyan Raditz
Dragon Ball Z Episodes 3, 4, & 5, "Unlikely Alliance," "Piccolo's Plan," & "Gohan's Rage"
Raditz arrives in Dragon Ball Z’s first episode and forever changes the series’ status quo by bringing Saiyans into the fray. Raditz’s strength is unlike anything that’s previously been encountered and it pushes Piccolo and Goku – former enemies – to work together for the first time. The prospect of Goku and Piccolo fighting as a team is quite exciting, especially since both of these characters have grown significantly stronger since the original Dragon Ball’s end. Piccolo and Goku don’t have time to devise a proper strategy because Raditz’s attack comes as a complete surprise.
This adds a scrappier quality to this clash where Raditz continually has the advantage, no matter what the heroes do. Finally, Piccolo and Goku resort to a dangerous gambit where Goku is willing to sacrifice himself if it means that he’ll take out Raditz in the process. Goku restrains Raditz while Piccolo unveils his Special Beam Cannon technique – an ability that he ironically enough designed to eliminate Goku. It’s a bittersweet victory for Piccolo and one that still pushes him into a panicked position once he learns that even stronger Saiyans are on the way.
4 Orange Piccolo Versus Cell Max Is The Namekian’s Biggest Battle To Date
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Goku and Vegeta get to celebrate most of Dragon Ball’s biggest victories, especially in Dragon Ball Super. This makes Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero such a refreshing change of pace because it benches the signature Saiyan duo in favor of a story that instead puts Piccolo and Gohan in the spotlight. Super Hero revolves around Red Ribbon’s return, which includes two state-of-the-art Androids – Gamma 1 and 2 – and an upgraded version of Cell, Cell Max.
Piccolo undergoes a tremendous glow-up in Super Hero where Shenron rewards him with two significant boosts – Power Awakening and Orange Piccolo – the latter of which is now the character's strongest form. Piccolo combines his new Orange transformation with his gargantuan Great Namekian ability so that he can engage in kaiju-sized chaos with Cell Max. It's an epic battle that's easily Piccolo's greatest challenge in Dragon Ball Super. It's ultimately Gohan Beast who destroys Cell Max, but Orange Piccolo's contributions are essential to the Saiyan's success.
3 Piccolo Makes His Namekian People Proud As He Faces Frieza’s Second Form
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 81 & 82, "Déjà Vu" & "Frieza's Second Transformation"
Goku is ultimately the one who vanquishes Frieza on Planet Namek. However, his momentous arrival is preceded by Piccolo, Gohan, Vegeta, and Krillin holding their own against the villain as he cycles through numerous transformations. Piccolo experiences his first fusion when he merges with Nail as a last-ditch effort to preserve their planet and eliminate this evil. Piccolo’s power boost is tremendous, and it leads to a thrilling fight against Frieza’s second form.
Piccolo holds the advantage here, and he could have potentially ended Frieza’s reign of terror if his hubris didn’t get the better of him. Piccolo is so confident in his strength upgrade that he allows Frieza to shift into his third form. The tables are soon turned, in terrifying fashion, as Frieza’s third form bombards Piccolo with energy blasts that he’s unable to avoid. It’s an error that nearly costs the Namekian his life before a vengeful Gohan steps in.
2 Piccolo’s Accelerated Altercation Against Android 17 Becomes A Fierce Fight
Dragon Ball Z, Episodes 148 & 149, "The Monster Is Coming" & "He's Here"
Future Trunks has warned Earth’s Z-Fighters about Androids 17 and 18’s incredible power and that they’re responsible for his timeline’s destruction. These Androids systemically humble the heroes and Piccolo wouldn’t stand a chance here if not for his fateful fusion with Kami. This is Piccolo’s final Namekian fusion in Dragon Ball, and it bestows him with overwhelming strength. Piccolo challenges Android 17 and gets much better results than Super Saiyan Vegeta’s ill-fated fight against Android 18.
Piccolo’s fight with Android 17 depicts two apex warriors at their best. The two trade dizzying displays of ki blasts and there’s creative choreography to this clash. It looks like Android 17 holds the advantage since he doesn’t lose energy over time, unlike Piccolo. However, this battle is interrupted when Imperfect Cell arrives and these enemies are forced to become temperamental allies as they wage war against this greater evil. It’s arguably Piccolo’s last great fight in Dragon Ball Z, and he takes on more of a background role during the Buu Saga.
1 Goku & Piccolo’s First Fight At The 23rd World Tournament Is A Superpowered Spectacle
Dragon Ball, Episodes 143, "Battle For The Future"–148, "The Victor"
Piccolo and Goku are dear friends in Dragon Ball Z, but the original Dragon Ball introduces Piccolo – or Piccolo Jr., as he’s known at the time – as his demonic father’s last chance at revenge. Dragon Ball’s final story arc creates overwhelming tension as Piccolo Jr. rapidly matures and gets ready to seize his opportunity at his father’s slayer. This clash occurs during the finals of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, which doubles as the original Dragon Ball’s last big brawl. Goku’s fight with Piccolo Jr. echoes his previous duel against Demon King Piccolo but also highlights how much Goku has learned and grown in the several years since he was last seen.
Goku adeptly dodges Piccolo’s powerful energy blasts and remains confident, even after Piccolo transforms into a giant in his Great Namekian form. Goku suffers broken bones and a gnarly chest wound, but he emerges as the winner when he demonstrates for the first time that he’s learned how to fly. It’s the first – and only – World Martial Arts Tournament that Goku wins, and it establishes respect between Piccolo and Goku that lasts a lifetime.
