Redemption could be on the way for Piccolo in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. For a long time now, the only Namekian member of the Z-Warriors has contributed very little in comparison to Goku and Vegeta. Throughout the Buu Saga and through most of Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo was seen as inferior to the power level of several key characters, including Gohan, Future Trunks, Buu, and Gotenks.
These days, it’s mostly Goku and Vegeta that the world has to count on whenever there’s a threat, but there was a time when Piccolo was viewed as one of the Earth’s strongest forces. When Goku was training on King Kai’s planet, he was the Z-Warriors’ best weapon against the Saiyan invaders. And after fusing with Nail, Piccolo possessed so much strength that he managed to impress the likes of Vegeta and Frieza. Piccolo’s power saw another massive surge in the Cell Saga when he merged with Kami, thus temporarily pushing him above all the Z-Warriors, including Goku himself. Looking at how important Piccolo was back then, it’s easy to understand why some are disappointed that he’s since lost his relevancy to the main story.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero seems to be in a position to fix the franchise’s Piccolo problem. At San Diego Comic-Con 2021, artwork for the movie showed off Piccolo without his cape and headpiece, which all but confirms that he’ll be involved in the fighting, since he only puts them aside when he’s sparring with another character or battling an enemy. Plus, Toei Animation has previewed a look at Piccolo’s house, a place that the anime never explored. Super Hero diving into a side of Piccolo that none of the shows took the time to address points toward the movie being more Piccolo-focused than the stories preceding it.
It’s possible that Super Hero will continue what the Tournament of Power story started in regards to Piccolo’s power level. Piccolo proved that he’s much stronger than his fellow Z-Warriors have given him credit for when he defeated Super Saiyan 2 Gohan. Plus, the fight he put up against Universe 6’s Namekians further indicated that his power has climbed significantly. And since Piccolo has expressed a commitment to helping Gohan improve as a fighter, they both should make some impressive gains (which appears to be the direction taken by the manga continuation). After all, Ultimate Gohan being the third strongest Z-Warrior should make their training together especially productive for Piccolo. With a three-to-four time jump coming, it may even be enough for Piccolo to become Super Saiyan Blue-level.
If Piccolo makes progress in narrowing the gap between himself and the top two Z-Warriors, he could finally have a meaningful role in the story. The Namekian hero becoming relevant again in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero isn’t guaranteed to happen of course, but just the image of Piccolo in his fighting attire is a good sign. His opportunities to fight have been few and far between in Dragon Ball Super, but hopefully his performance in the Tournament of Power is just a precursor to what comes next. There’s a chance that Goku and Vegeta may find themselves depending on Piccolo more than ever when the new movie hit theaters in 2022.