ModernDragon Ballhas largely been carried by two fighters: Goku and Vegeta. The former has always been the series' iconic protagonist, while the latter has become widely beloved for his transition from villain to full-time hero, and their screen time shouldn’t come as a surprise to fans.Saiyans areDragon Ball’s selling point after all.
However, with a cast as varied and recognizable asDragon Ball’s, no one would complain about other characters stepping into the spotlight. Fortunately, recent events in the series have seen a return to form for two fan-favorite characters, and it’s time for one of them to take on a larger role in whatever comes next forDragon Ball.
It’s Piccolo’s Time to Shine
Dragon Ball’s Most Underrated Character Is Set to Take On a Larger Role
The success of 2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Herolikely took both fans and executives at Toei Animation by surprise. Not only was a new, CGI-heavy animation and art style introduced into the film, but neither Goku nor Vegeta took on leading roles. In fact, their screen time boiled down to a few minutes of fighting,while Piccolo and Gohan took over the spotlight.
Nevertheless,Super Herowas received incredibly well by fans and critics alike, and performed admirably at the global box office despite a limited release compared to 2018’sDragon Ball Super: Broly.
Arguably the best part about the film was the decision to give both Gohan and Piccolo massive power-ups, not just returning them to relevance, but putting them oneven footing with Earth’s strongest heroes. Now,Dragon Ballboasts a super team consisting of Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, and even Broly.
Now that he’s caught up to the rest with his new Orange transformation, it’s timeDragon Ballgave Piccolo some shine.
Whenever the series resumes, those in charge would be smart to utilize that team, and allow for a larger group to go to battle than fans have seen in recent years.
Dragon Ball Is Better When Piccolo Is Relevant
Inserting Piccolo Into Battles Gives Them Higher Stakes
Dragon Ballwouldn’t be better for simply allowing other fighters to step into the spotlight. Piccolo in particular, however, does add quite a bit to the series when he’s involved,given that his life is tied to the Dragon Balls—or they might be, at least. It’s a bit vague just who shares that connection since Dende became the guardian of Earth.
He did recreate new Dragon Balls based on the old ones, but it’s still the same Shenron when summoned, who establishes a clear relationship with Piccolo duringSuper Hero. And though it might be non-canon,Piccolo’s death on Earth inDragon Ball GTsort of insinuates he’s still tied to Dragon Balls in some way.
Nevertheless, whether his death means the disappearance of the Dragon Balls or not, the series is better when Piccolo is around and on the battlefield, andSuper Heroproved that. Now that he’s caught up to the rest with his new Orange transformation, it’s timeDragon Ballgave Piccolo some shine, or at least gave viewers more of his adorable dynamic with Pan.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
