Since 1989 We’ve seen the mighty members of the DBZ troop become who they are today; from Goku’s adventures from when he was a child, to the friends and frienemies that he fights alongside with whenever the forces of evil strike his home planet of Earth. (By way of Planet Vegeta, of course.) For 30 years we’ve seen some of the greatest battles take fold and have gone down in the Dragon Ball Hall of Fame; such as Goku vs. Frieza, Gohan vs. Cell, and Piccolo vs. Android 17. While we’re on the subject of the green man from Namek, many of us old school fans know that he wasn’t always a good guy. In fact if he kept his original persona from back in the day (considering the level he’s at now), well…he’d be a problem. (However that possibility is pretty much dead now.)

Piccolo (or Piccolo Jr.) is the son of the late King Piccolo, who indeed was an evil Namek. His dream was to dominate the Earth and crush anyone who dare oppose him, but it wasn’t until that fateful day of the World Tournament, that he came across the Earth-bound saiyan we’ve come to know and love. There’s a lot of things we know since their fateful encounter, but to some there are a few things that you may not know about the villain-turned-hero Namekian. Here are seven things you may (not) know about Piccolo.

7. Originally, Piccolo Was Supposed To Be A Demon!

As a fan of the original Dragon Ball when it first came out, you’d think that after hearing the name ‘Demon King Piccolo’ that the one we know was supposed to be an actual demon. Yep, according to Toriyama, Piccolo’s current design wasn’t originally part of the plan. During Goku and King Piccolo’s first encounter, the part where he was considered a demon king held up, but during the Saiyan Saga, it was bright to his attention that Piccolo was in fact a race of green slug people known as Namekians.

6. He’s No Older Than Gohan!

Well, never saw this one coming. Just by looking at Piccolo’s stature, you’d never think that he was actually a child. He looks like an adult and certainly acts like one, but technically speaking, he was really only just a toddler when he was first introduced into the series. You’d never think that after Goku’s death that Piccolo would train up Gohan and (dare we say it) actually be a better teacher/mentor/father-figure than Goku – and BOTH of them are children!

5. He’s One Of Two People To Actually Kill Goku!

Every single villain after Piccolo tried it, and every single one of them failed to do so. However Piccolo was only one of two people (the second being Cell) to actually kill the main character of the show, Goku. All out of options on how to kill Raditz Piccolo charged up his super special move that we’ve seen all throughout the franchise; the Special Beam Cannon! Goku had to hold his brother in place so he couldn’t dodge, however he didn’t have enough time to dodge himself, so Piccolo happily killed them both. Sorry, Vegeta.

4. Namekians Only Need Water To Survive!

This one’s tricky depending on whom you ask but with Piccolo’s abilities as well as all other Namekian abilities, it seems that they only need water to survive. Why is this? It could be the fact that since his race has the traits of plants (i.e. regrowing limbs after they get destroyed) you’ll only see them drinking water as part of their diet. At other times you may have seen him eating other foods, but that could all be the work of filler.

3. He’s Had Crossovers with One-Piece!

You know how we’ve dreamed of seeing an anime crossover when we first brought up the conversation in the past? Well our Piccolo has been a part of that great convo! (Him and the VA that voices him, Chris Sabat!) With One-Piece and Dragon Ball being two of the most popular franchises ever made (next to Naruto, but he came out later on), it would only make sense that both Piccolo and Zoro would cross paths with one another and even get a crossover called Cross Epoch.

2. He’s Sacrificed Himself For Gohan Numerous Times!

As much as he hated Goku back in the day, Piccolo found himself gaining a bit of a soft spot for Gohan – to the point where he would give his own life to save him. It was pretty clear that this would be somewhat of an on-going pattern since the fight with Nappa in DBZ; where Piccolo put himself in harms way in order for Gohan to live. In Super he did the same thing when Frieza was firing a blast at Gohan. After doing this many times over the franchise, it’s pretty clear who’s the most important person in the Namekian’s life.

1. James Masters Regrets Taking Piccolo’s Role Because His Son Loves Dragon Ball!

Everyone involved in the movie title that ‘Shall Remain Nameless’ we’re embarrassed to be a part of it due to the fact that they we’re really fans. (Even the director admitted that he was looking for a paycheck rather than put more passion into a title that has been our childhood.) The only person who was an actual fan of the franchise was James Masters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer for you 90’s kids out there), and that was due to the fact that his son is a Dragon Ball fan. He says that playing Piccolo was something that his son was proud of him for, even though the title that ‘Shall Remain Nameless’ bombed.

And thus ends our post on the seven things you didn’t know (but now know) about Piccolo. Until next post, stay nerdy my friends! 😉