Piccolo (Dragon Ball)

Piccolo
Dragon Ball character
Piccolo, as drawn by Akira Toriyama.
First appearance	Dragon Ball chapter #161 Son Goku Wins, February 9, 1988 (Weekly Shōnen Jump 1988)
Created by	Akira Toriyama
Voiced by	Japanese: Toshio Furukawa (adult) Hiromi Tsuru (child) English: Christopher Sabat (Funimation/Crunchyroll) Scott McNeil (Ocean Productions) Ray Chase (Bang Zoom!)
In-universe information
Species	Namekian
Family	King Piccolo (parent/incarnate) Kami (good counterpart, later assimilated) Nail (assimilated)
Apprentice	Gohan

Piccolo (Japanese: ピッコロ, Hepburn: Pikkoro) is a fictional character in the Japanese Dragon Ball media franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He made his appearance in chapter #161 "Son Goku Wins!!", published in Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on February 9, 1988,^[1] as the reincarnation of the evil King Piccolo, who was positioned as a demonic antagonist of the series. However, it is later revealed that he is in fact a member of an extraterrestrial humanoid species called Namekians from an exoplanet called Namek, those able to create the series' eponymous wish-granting Dragon Balls. After losing to Son Goku in the World Martial Arts Tournament, Piccolo teams up with him and his friends in order to defeat newer, more dangerous and powerful threats, such as Vegeta, Frieza, Cell, Majin Buu, Beerus, Zamasu, Jiren, Broly, and Moro. He also trains Goku's eldest son, Gohan, and the two form a very strong bond.

Piccolo is one of the most popular and recognizable characters from the Dragon Ball franchise. The character has been consistently well received by fans and video game publications, with high placements in multiple "top" character lists and popularity polls. The character has also inspired Naruto manga author Masashi Kishimoto, as well as an Internet meme which became popular in Japan in 2013.