Are Kami and Piccolo the same person in Dragon Ball? Their origins, explained

Modified Jul 18, 2024 16:38 GMT

"Are Kami and Piccolo the same person in Dragon Ball?" is a question that a lot of people might ask and is an understandable query, considering the context. Not only do the two characters look almost exactly the same and are the sole main Namekians during the vast majority of the story, but they are also so connected with each other that is not difficult to argue that they could be the same person.

There was a period, long before the start of the Dragon Ball story, when Piccolo and Kami were the same person. However, their origins are long and complex, which, in a way, has been developed throughout the vast majority of the original manga, with each portion serving a role to play in several arcs of the story.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and not Sportskeeda as a whole.

Why Kami and Piccolo aren't the same person

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Kami and Piccolo are not the same person because they used to be one entity, known as the Nameless Namekian, who arrived on Earth and eventually split into two halves. Those two halves went on to have their own roles to play in the story, becoming Piccolo and Kami in the process.

However, because of this splot, Kami and Piccolo are forever connected by a life thread of sorts, which means that if one of them dies, the other is going to perish as well. This was shown during the Saiyan arc when Piccolo received one of Nappa's attacks to protect Gohan, thus resulting in him and Kami dying at the same time.

The two characters would eventually merge once again during the Cell arc, reaching a state that the series initially described as a Super Namekian. While this fusion is technically no longer Kami or Piccolo, author Akira Toriyama always treated him as the latter, which the fandom has done as well.

Kami's origins in Dragon Ball, explained

Kami is the creator of the original Earth Dragon Balls (Image via Toei Animation)

As mentioned earlier, the Nameless Namekian arrived on Earth centuries ago after a natural disaster took place on his home planet. The Nameless Namekian, after several years, began to wander on this planet and reached the Lookout where he started to train to become Kami, the Guardian of Earth.

Since he needed to be pure of spirit to become Kami, he split into two halves, with the good one being the Guardian of Earth most fans are familiar with and the creator of the original Earth Dragon Balls, and the evil one terrorizing the planet as the Demon King Piccolo. His evil side would eventually be defeated by Goku several years later, although Kami would survive because the Demon King spawned a creature that would become the Namekian most people know as Piccolo.

Piccolo's origins through King Piccolo, explained

King Piccolo as seen in a Super filler episode (Image via Toei Animation)

King Piccolo was the final villain that Kid Goku faced in the original Dragon Ball manga and it took everything the protagonist had to win. As Goku managed to push through King Piccolo's torso, thus killing him in the process, the Namekian spat out an egg that carried on a bit of his own life. This is why Kami stayed alive despite his other half dying in that battle.

This egg would hatch and turn into the character most people know as Piccolo, who would retain some of the original King Piccolo's evil ways but was also a bit more honorable. Eventually, Goku's displays of mercy toward him and his son Gohan's friendship would redeem Piccolo, becoming an ally of the main cast and finding good in his heart.

FAQs about Kami and Piccolo

What happens to Kami if Piccolo dies?

Kami and Piccolo are two halves of the Nameless Namekien who created the Black Star Dragon Balls. Thus, if one of them dies the other half dies as well.

Did the Dragon Balls disappear when Piccolo fused with Kami?

Yes, the Dragon Balls disappeared after Piccolo fused with Kami. Namekian fusion assimilates two separate entities into one and other previous halves cease to exist. Hence, the Dragon Balls disappeared and the Black Star Dragon Balls became active.

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Edited by Ahana Mukhopadhyay