A Bit of a Headache: Dragon Ball's Creator Confirmed A Secret Frustration With Piccolo

Piccolo: A Complex and Popular Character

In the long-running shōnen series Dragon Ball, the Namekian known as Piccolo has become a staple Z-Fighter who has a long and storied history stretching back decades, one that has seen his character ebb and flow with the direction of the story at hand. But when commenting on this fan-favorite character during an interview about the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, series creator Akira Toriyama reveals a secret frustration with Piccolo that he just can’t get over.

Piccolo's real name revealed.

Transitioning from a straight-out villain to a reluctant anti-hero to a full-blown warrior fighting for the side of good, Piccolo has become one of the most popular characters in all of Dragon Ball lore, despite his sometimes convoluted and confusing past within it. Being split off from his evil King Piccolo “father,” fusing with a powerful Namekian named Nail, absorbing the energy of the Dragon Balls’ keeper, Kami, and, more recently, unlocking his power and becoming Orange Piccolo, it’s a wonder how fans can keep up with Piccolo’s constantly changing story, with Toriyama outright admitting his problem with the character is just that: Piccolo's complexity and complicated history as a Z-Warrior.

Piccolo is a ruthless DBZ hero.

Piccolo's rich history and character development have made him a beloved figure in the Dragon Ball universe. However, the dynamic nature of his story has presented challenges for Toriyama, as he grapples with the intricate details of Piccolo's journey.

Piccolo Dragon ball z Namekians

Piccolo's History Complicates Things For Akira Toriyama

A frustration confessed to during a Dragon Ball: Super Hero-related interview, Toriyama is asked about Piccolo and his backstory and what fans can expect regarding both in the film. Commenting that Piccolo is “a rather complex character,” Toriyama goes on to talk about Piccolo’s rich history and eventually reveals, “It’s such a complicated past that even I have trouble remembering it (laughs)”. Explaining that “Most Namekians are sage types, and fighting types like Piccolo are rare,” Toriyama clarifies that the Namekians are “still a very mysterious race, so they can be a bit of a headache even for me, the original creator,” officially giving a few reasons as to why Piccolo is a tough character for him to write.

Putting a finer point to calling the Namekians a “mysterious race” after admitting, “For some reason, they have teeth yet only drink water,” Toriyama outs himself when it comes to not knowing or even fully understanding all the intricate details of the people living on Namek, and thus, everything there is to know about Piccolo. Clearly joking about a few (but not all) of his comments during this interview, Toriyama's words do speak to how he isn’t all that consistent when it comes to deep and consistent lore, despite his mastery and domination over the medium he helped make popular, and makes total sense that he struggles from time to time remembering every piece of baggage Piccolo’s character comes with.

The Namekian Race Is A Frustrating Component For Dragon Ball's Creator

But despite being a bit fuzzy on the reasoning behind some of the choices he made creating Piccolo and his brethren, it doesn’t seem like Toriyama is too concerned about fixing these gaps in lore logic, yet also doesn’t seem like he’s going to be setting up any more creative hoops he’ll need to jump through writing Piccolo in the future. And although Piccolo is confirmed here to be Toriyama’s favorite Dragon Ball character, it doesn’t change the fact that Toriyama seems to at least partially regret making him — and the entire Namekian race — so complicated.

Toriyama's recent revelations have shed light on the complexities and frustrations he faces in creating and maintaining the lore of the Namekian race within the Dragon Ball universe. Despite his mastery and domination over the medium he helped make popular, Toriyama's struggles in remembering every piece of baggage Piccolo’s character comes with underscores the challenges of crafting a compelling and consistent narrative for such a complex character within the Dragon Ball universe.