In a dazzling piece of photorealistic fan art, Samuel L. Jackson channels Dragon Ball's Piccolo to a jaw-dropping effect. On a post to his Instagram account, Brazilian illustrator and artist Samuka uploaded his iteration of the iconic actor Jackson made up in a perfect rendition of Goku's one-time arch-rival turned trusted partner and respected teacher of Gohan.
One of the major antagonists of Dragon Ball's earlier chapters, Piccolo was spontaneously born when Goku killed his father King Piccolo in Dragon Ball chapter 161. While Piccolo was his own independent being, he retained a significant amount of the memories and mindset of his father, and initially adopted the attitude of seeking to avenge his father's death by defeating Goku. While he nearly achieved his goal, Goku was ultimately able to win the day. After his defeat, although he swore to come back as a stronger, wiser, more experienced opponent who would beat Goku, he had a change of heart after running into Goku's brother Raditz and learning of his plan to destroy the Earth. From then on, Piccolo became one of the pillars of the "friends of Goku" warriors.
In a May 22, 2022, Instagram post, Samuka uploaded his idea of what Piccolo would look like "in real life," and who he would resemble the most. The image perfectly matches Piccolo's normally somber and surly demeanor with a classic Samuel L. Jackson "don't mess with me" stare. After viewing the image, it is not hard for a fan to conclude that, should Dragon Ball ever be made into another live-action film or television series, no one would be better than Jackson to play the role of Piccolo. Viewers can almost hear Piccolo, in Jackson's voice, tormenting Goku at the World Martial Arts Tournament.
What makes the image particularly hypnotic is how well Samuka integrates Piccolo's green color onto Jackson's face. The lighting, shadowing, and texture of the image make Jackson look as if he actually has green skin rather than just being covered with green make-up. At first glance, Samuka's treatment of Piccolo's antennas and ears seems a bit off, but a longer viewing of the image proves they are perfectly blending into the overall effect.
Samuka's art seems to focus heavily on transforming famous movie and television personalities into characters from Dragon Ball and other comics, manga, and anime including Thundercats, Spider-Man, and Batman. His experience has done him well as his rendition of Samuel L. Jackson as Piccolo in this work of fan art is truly a spectacular image.
Source: SamukaArts