One of the things that make the Dragon Ball franchise so great is that it has a deep history to go and pull from. Not just in regards to Son Goku, but the various other characters that have come and gone and made a significant impact on the show. The latest movie in the line, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, very much went back to the roots of the franchise, all the while giving two key characters a chance to rise above the station that they had been on for a while now: Gohan and Piccolo.
Piccolo has been in the series in one form or another since the franchise’s earliest days. He was once a villain bent on destruction but was stopped by Goku and eventually turned over a new leaf. Piccolo was vital in the killing of Raditz (and Goku by extension) and then made it his mission to go train Gohan to help unlock the potential that was within him. He was there for both the Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga, Cell Saga, and the Majin Buu Saga. Every time Piccolo played a key role in some form or another.
But once Dragon Ball Super came around, his roles kind of diminished due to the power levels of the enemies that they were facing. In fact, in the Broly movie, his only role was to basically talk to Goku and Vegeta after they fled Broly mid-fight and talk about how the fusion dance kept failing. Not exactly dignified for the proud warrior.
But in Super Hero, he finally got the chance to shine on a massive level, which his voice actor, Christopher Sabat was more than happy to talk about. In an interview he notes that he’s “never given up” on Piccolo and was just happy he was given something to go on:
“This movie is the first major power of a Piccolo since he fused with Kami basically. He hasn’t really had much of a power up in a long time.”
Indeed. During the Frieza saga, he fused with other Namekians in order to get a leg up on Frieza and others, even if only briefly. This time around, it was the all-powerful Shenron who came forth and granted him “all that is within you, plus a little extra”, which gave rise to “Orange Piccolo” as he so bluntly called it.
The power-up was worth it, and the movie’s character did shine. Plus, if the anime continues, he has more of a reason to be in the fight because he has more to give.
Whether that happens though will depend on what Akira Toriyama does next with the franchise as a whole.
Source: ComicBook.com
