When fans of the Dragon Ball franchise look at the Z-Fighters as a whole, it's not uncommon for the Saiyans to steal the limelight. There are genuine reasons for this, mostly having to do with the fact that these are the strongest members of the cast as well as the central focus of the story, with their genetic gifts giving them the ability to get even more powerful with their various forms and abilities.

Due to this focus, the achievements of the other Z-Fighters are usually pushed under the rug, making many forget just how important they are. One such character is Piccolo, the Namekian warrior who has given everything over the years to protect the world that he once sought to destroy, giving him an incredible amount of depth as a character. So, let's take a look at why Piccolo may be the most underrated Z-Fighter in Dragon Ball.

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A Genius Tactician

Piccolo's Mind Is His Greatest Asset

In a series like Dragon Ball, strategy and planning in a fight tend to take a back seat to brute strength. Despite this, Piccolo has always been someone who values proper combat tactics in his battles, often exploiting his opponent's weaknesses or playing to his strengths in ways that are separate from physical might. No matter the situation, other characters can reliably count on Piccolo as being the one to have the ideal plan of action.

There are many examples of the Namekian using his strategic mind, both in and out of combat. For example, in the Buu Saga, Piccolo planned to take Super Buu along the most roundabout route into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in the hopes of buying as much time as he could for Gotenks. Also, in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, his pretending to kidnap and harm Pan while dressed as a Red Ribbon soldier is what drew out Gohan's latent power even more. There are many more examples of why Piccolo is a master strategist.

An Exceptional Mentor

Piccolo Is One Of Dragon Ball's Best Teachers

One of the biggest things that Piccolo is known for is his training of Gohan. After Goku's death against Raditz, Piccolo took it upon himself to train his son in the time before the arrival of Vegeta and Nappa. This was brutal and grueling training that oftentimes felt as if Piccolo was going too far. However, this definitely paid off, as it cultivated Gohan's mindset and made him far stronger than ever before. Even his current strength owes a lot to the tough training he went through at an early age.

Most importantly, however, is the fact that this training fostered a bond between the two that is one of the most iconic in the entire franchise. Aside from a student-mentor relationship, Gohan and Piccolo are best friends to this day, so much so that Piccolo even sacrificed his life to save the young Saiyan in their fight against Nappa. Moreover, it was only when Gohan thought Piccolo had died that he awoke his incredible Beast transformation.

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An Exceptional Warrior

Piccolo Is One Of Universe 7's Strongest Characters

Throughout the years, Piccolo has unlocked amazing new transformations that have continued to make him one of the Universe's strongest characters. However, he has always eventually been overshadowed by his Saiyan allies. Despite this, his discipline has been unmoving, as the gap in power never caused him to stop his own training, continuing to be a vital asset to ensure Earth's safety and is always ready against a threat.

This was finally changed in the Super Hero movie, where the Namekian finally underwent a new transformation that has finally brought him to the level of his comrades. Orange Piccolo was the form that he awoke to fight the terrifying Cell Max, who was confirmed to be a Universal threat and truly held his own in the fight. His power is so great that Goku even commented upon sensing it in the closing moments of the Super Hero arc in the manga.

A Villain Turned Hero

Piccolo Has One Of The Best Character Arcs

Piccolo's first showings in the series were quite different from how the character is now. In the original Dragon Ball, he took the form of Demon King Piccolo, an incredibly evil villain with nothing but world domination and destruction on his mind. This brought him at odds with Goku and his friends many times, which always led to his defeat.

However, something changed in Dragon Ball Z. Upon realizing the threat of the Saiyans, Piccolo chose to ally himself with Goku and the Z-Fighters in the hopes of eliminating a common enemy. They were successful in this, though after seeing Goku's sacrifice, the Namekian's perspective changed. Piccolo then proceeded to train Gohan, effectively becoming a new father figure to the boy and filling a huge gap in his life.

This character arc culminated in the battle against Nappa, where he sacrifices his life to protect the son of the man he once swore to kill. That solidified Piccolo as a changed man who, despite not even being human, came to view Earth as his home, willing to put his own life on the line to protect it. Now, he remains one of Earth's foremost guardians as well as one of the most important Z-Fighters of them all.

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Dragon Ball Super

Action

Adventure

Release Date

July 5, 2015

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

131