Dragon Ball Can Make Piccolo Important Again

Dragon Ball Super quietly created a way for Piccolo to become relevant again, and back on the level of heroes like Gohan and Vegeta. Here's how.

Dragon Ball Super quietly created a way for Piccolo to become one of the anime's strongest heroes again. In the Saiyan Saga of Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo was the second strongest main character, but those days have long since passed. During that time, Gohan was just a small child and Vegeta was the main villain. The only hero whose power could come close to Goku's was his former nemesis, Piccolo.

Piccolo remained an integral part of the show through the Frieza and Cell Sagas. Shortly after his resurrection on planet Namek, the series gave Piccolo a huge boost in power by having him merge with a Namekian named Nail. Having Nail's power gave Piccolo the edge he needed to help Gohan, Krillin, and Vegeta against Frieza. Piccolo received another massive upgrade in the Cell Saga when Kami fused with Piccolo to become one being again. With Kami's energy, Piccolo was able to go toe-to-toe with Android 17 and Cell in his Imperfect form.

Things began to change for Piccolo in the Buu Saga. At this point, his power was no longer important, as he wasn't strong enough to even make a dent against Majin Buu. Piccolo's main role during this story was to serve as a guide for Goten and Trunks who had to fuse to become Gotenks. Piccolo survived longer than most characters since most of the cast was devoured by Buu, but when it came to fighting, Piccolo had little to contribute. He was no longer strong enough to keep up with characters like Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. That being said, that could change in the future. The Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super opened the door for Piccolo to be back on the level of the show's most powerful heroes.

How Dragon Ball Super Has Used Piccolo

The franchise's treatment of Piccolo didn't change all that much in Dragon Ball Super. The gap between Piccolo and all the other heroes who were above him widened further as both Goku and Vegeta reached the Super Saiyan Blue transformations. However, the anime did give him a few moments to shine. During the tournament between Universe 6 and Universe 7, Piccolo was pitted against Frieza's Universe 6 counterpart, Frost. Though Frost was clearly stronger than Piccolo, he wasn't the better warrior. Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon forced Frost to cheat, granting Piccolo a victory.

Prior to the Tournament of Power, Piccolo revealed that his power had greatly improved. Piccolo impressively defeated Super Saiyan 2 Gohan and motivated him to regain his Ultimate form. For the tournament itself, Piccolo was picked to fight on Goku's team, where he battled warriors from the Universe 6 and Universe 7 teams. Piccolo held his own for quite a while, and managed to outlast Krillin, Tien, and Master Roshi. Though Piccolo was just the fourth member of his team to be eliminated, he actually stuck around for most of the tournament until he was finally eliminated by the tiny insect, Damom.

Piccolo Can Fuse With Two More Namekian Warriors

Namekians other than Piccolo haven't been depicted as threats since the Frieza Saga when Nail fought Frieza in his first form. Dragon Ball Super introduced two more in the form of Saonel and Pirina. The duo act as members of the Universe 6 team in the Tournament of Power. After Kefla is defeated by Goku, Saonel and Pirina become their universe's last chance at survival. The two team up against Gohan and Piccolo, and do surprisingly well for Namekians. The fight lasts for several episodes, with Gohan and Piccolo struggling to take them down. Eventually, Gohan and Piccolo discover an unsettling truth about the two Namekians. Apparently, all the people on Universe 6's planet Namek agreed to merge in order to stave off the destruction of their universe. Half of the population fused with Saonel, while the other half fused with Pirina. This explains why the pair of Namekians are able to give someone like Gohan so much trouble. Combining an entire race into two single lifeforms is what made them so powerful. It took everything Gohan and Piccolo could muster to knock them out of the ring.

What would happen if Saonel and Pirina decided to fuse with Piccolo, just as Nail and Kami did in Dragon Ball Z? It is possible. There's no established reason why Universe 6 Namekians can't fuse with a Universe 7 Namekian, and there's obviously no limit on how many Namekians can be fused together. If Saonel and Pirina cooperated, Piccolo would have all of Universe 6's Namekians within him, which would boost his power tremendously, and it would be a permanent fusion that could never be undone.

How Piccolo Can Be Relevant Again

It's possible that in the next Dragon Ball anime, a situation would call for Piccolo to step up in a big way. The problem with that is Piccolo is nowhere near as strong as Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, and now, Android 17. That's why Piccolo wouldn't have been able to make a difference in the final act of the Tournament of Power, even if he did last long enough to challenge Jiren, Top, or Dyspo. Piccolo's relevance to the anime could change if Saonel and Pirina agreed to merge with Piccolo. If the next villain - whether it be Moro or a completely new character - were to pose such a huge threat to Universe 6, the two Namekians could be inclined to sacrifice their autonomy to preserve their world. After all, that is what their entire race was willing to do for the Tournament of Power. Saonel and Pirina could make a similar decision with Piccolo.

What would it mean for Piccolo if he had their power? It's important to note that Saonel and Pirina were strong enough to give Gohan nearly all he could handle. Gohan's struggle against the Namekians speaks volumes about the depths of their power, considering that Gohan can fight Kefla to a stalemate in the manga and force Super Saiyan Blue Goku to use his Kaio-ken technique. So if Piccolo merged with these two warriors, it's possible that such an upgrade would put him either on or above the level of Gohan and Android 17. It's hard to say exactly how strong Piccolo would be after fusing with them, but suffice to say, he'd finally be one of the strongest heroes in the anime, and someone could easily pull their own weight while fighting beside Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. Fusion is one way Dragon Ball Z kept Piccolo relevant, so it would make sense for the next installment in the Dragon Ball franchise to use the same move.