Dragon Ball: Are Piccolo and King Piccolo the same character? Their relation, explained

Dragon Ball is a series that has been going strong since the 80s and this has resulted in a lot of different plot points and developments, with the character of Piccolo perhaps being one of the best examples of the franchise’s evolution. It is difficult for more recent fans of the story to realize that there was a point where Piccolo was Goku’s biggest rival and enemy and the idea of them teaming up seemed highly unlikely.

However, the rivalry between those two characters in the Dragon Ball series largely stemmed from the character of Demon King Piccolo. The evil side of Kami, King Piccolo terrorized the world and it took everything Goku had to put an end to him.

That also led to the birth of the Piccolo most fans know and love, leading to a unique and peculiar relationship between the two of them.

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

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Explaining the connections between Piccolo and Demon King Piccolo in Dragon Ball

Piccolo in the Z anime (Image via Toei Animation).

Goku faced Demon King Piccolo in early Dragon Ball and both fought to the death, with the protagonist barely winning and surviving. However, once the villain was about to meet his end, he spat out an egg that went flying across the land, which would eventually become the Piccolo most fans are familiar with, who was also known as Piccolo Jr.

This suggests that this is a father-son relationship but Goku’s training arc in the Lookout with Mr. Popo and Kami afterward made things all the more complex. It was revealed that Kami looked just like King Piccolo before the latter’s rejuvenation and that the former was his good side, who expelled his evil so he could become the Guardian of Earth.

If one of King Piccolo or Kami dies, the other will die as well because they are the same being, but Piccolo Jr. carried a degree of the essence of his father, which is why the Guardian of Earth didn’t die when his evil side was defeated by Goku.

This was confirmed later on when Piccolo sacrificed himself to protect Gohan against Nappa in the Saiyan Saga, thus leading to the death of both Namekians in the story for a considerable amount of time.

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Piccolo’s character arc in the series

Piccolo in Super (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball is not a series that often gets praised for character writing but Piccolo is often heralded as one of the best developed in the entire story.

While Vegeta is oftentimes perceived as the best character arc in the franchise and understandably so, there is much to like about how Piccolo went from being Goku’s greatest nemesis to one of his most trusted allies and friends.

Piccolo’s arc began in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai when Goku spared his life, claiming that he wasn’t as evil as the Demon King, and continued to grow as they teamed up to battle Raditz. But the true change began during the year Piccolo spent training Gohan, Goku’s son, where they bonded and the former even went as far as sacrificing his life to protect the young man when fighting Nappa.

Once Piccolo came back, he continued to be an ally for Goku and his friends while maintaining his connection with Gohan. It was during the Cell arc that he made his biggest change, going as far as merging with Kami once again, with the latter being aware of his growth.

While Piccolo has been somewhat left behind on the power scale (although the current manga is addressing that), he remains a beloved a character in the franchise.

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Final thoughts

Piccolo is both the offspring and essence of Demon King Piccolo, with the latter creating him from an egg he spat in his dying moments after being defeated by Goku.

While the Piccolo everyone knows started as a villain, willing to carry on the desires of his “father”, he has a redemption arc and becomes one of the most beloved characters in the Dragon Ball franchise.