Piccolo (Dragon Ball)

Piccolo
Dragon Ball character
Piccolo, drawn by Akira Toriyama
First appearance	Dragon Ball chapter #161: Son Goku Wins!! (1988)
Created by	Akira Toriyama
Voiced by	See Voice actors
Profile
Aliases	Demon Junior Big Green (AB Groupe dub)
Species	Namekian
Relatives	Piccolo Daimao (parent / incarnate) Kami (good counterpart, later assimilated) Nail (assimilated)

Piccolo (Japanese: ピッコロ, Hepburn: Pikkoro^?) is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is first seen as the reincarnation of the evil Piccolo Daimao in chapter #161 Son Goku Wins!! (孫悟空勝つ!!, Son Gokū Katsu!!^?), published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on February 22, 1988, making him a demon and archrival of the protagonist Son Goku. However, it is later revealed that he is a member of an extraterrestrial humanoid species called Namekians, those able to create the series' titular wish-granting Dragon Balls. After losing to Goku, Piccolo decides to team up with him and his friends in order to defeat newer, more dangerous threats. He also trains Goku's first child Gohan in martial arts, with the two forming a strong bond.

Piccolo, more specifically his parent Piccolo Daimao, was created by Toriyama as he wanted to have a villain who would be a true "bad guy." Prior to his creation, nearly all the previous villains in the series were considered too likable. His editor, Kazuhiko Torishima, claimed he introduced Toriyama to evil historical figures for inspiration. Piccolo Daimao was created after he told the author how Roman Emperor Nero enjoyed watching people suffer. However, the Shenlong Times issue #2, a bonus pamphlet given to some buyers of the Daizenshuu 2: Story Guide guidebook, says that the character was modeled after Torishima himself. After creating Piccolo Daimao, Toriyama noted that it was one of the most interesting parts of the series and that he became one of his favorite characters. Although Piccolo's transformation from a villain to a hero was considered by Toriyama to be cliché, he still felt excited when drawing him, noting that despite having a scary face, he still looks appealing.