#boo arc

[danthepest]

The once fear inspiring Piccolo Daimao.

It's kind of endearing that Gotenks (and by extension Trunks & Goten) wanted their uncle Piccolo to be impressed by them. They just chose the absolute worst time to do it. I swear, if it weren't for Piccolo's wish for eternal youth, the whole ordeal with Gotenks would've aged him by at least 50 years.

[danthepest]

I love this blink-and-you-miss-it shot in the We Gotta Power opening and what it implies.

Bulma didn't like or even trust Piccolo for a loooooong while until around the mid of the Cell arc. Krillin and him were practically buddies by then.

Meaning one of then invited him on a road trip or whatever and our grumpy former personification of evil agreed to it.

Piccolo is socializing and people enjoy his company and it makes me happy.

[danthepest]

You know what's really funny in Dragon Ball?

So you know that moment where Vegeta talks to the Earth and asks them to lend their energy for the Spirit Bomb against Boo? And the only ones who do it are the Dragon Team (and that one dude who did it out of curiosity) until Goku speaks up and we see people from Goku's childhood contribute?

What I find funny is that Karin, Yajirobe, #17, Chaozu & fucking Tenshinhan didn't raise their hands when Vegeta asked them to. #17 I can give a pass because it was intended to be Lunch and she never met Vegeta. But the others?

Were all four of them collectively thinking "you know what fuck that guy"? Were they willing to die and have the Earth obliterated again because they don't like Vegeta? It seems petty on the side of Karin & Yajirobe, regardless of how understandable it is to not like Vegeta.

Chaozu isn't even so much a real character as he is a prop.

But Tenshinhan? Dude never really let go of his grudge against him for what happened during the Saiyan invasion, giving him shit even during the Cell arc.

Tenshinhan didn't raise a pinky when Vegeta was begging. But when Goku spoke up he was all "TAKE ALL OF MY POWER AND DEFEAT BOO GOKU"

When Tenshinhan holds a grudge, he fucking holds a grudge. The universe be damned. And it is hilarious to me.

[danthepest]

I think one rleationship that doesn’t get talked about a lot in the fandom is the one between Krillin and Piccolo. Now granted, most of it is a lot more subtle and in the background (and a majority confined to the anime) compared to Piccolo and Gohan’s bond or the Goku & Vegeta rivalry, but its there.

They have a unique friendship and understanding which fascinates me to no end. They started as hostile opponents in the 23rd tournaments, with Piccolo belittling Krillin constantly (likely due to his memories of Tambourine killing the guy). As the fight progresses, Piccolo even apologizes for calling Krillin a small fry and by the end of it its not Yamcha, or Tenshinhan or even Goku who makes Piccolo rethink on how easy the world is to conquer, but Krillin. And the little guy seemed to take to teaming up with the demon pretty well. They bantered and planned and worked well with each other during the Saiyan invasion. Krillin was specifically pointed out in both manga and anime to being shocked and surprised at Piccolo’s sacrifice for Gohan.

Then you have his general support of Piccolo on Namek and their perfect cohesion durin the Garlick Jr arc.

And of course the infamous “Come on, we’re friends, right?” moment during the Cell arc. It led to Piccolo exploding in rage and exclaiming he was still Piccolo Daimao and biding his time to take over the world and “RAWR GRR EVIL” before flying off.

And Krillin didn’t buy it for a second. He read the guy instantly. Then you had Piccolo taking charge of the situation when the Cell Juniors attacked. While the manga doesn’t show Piccolo at all during that segment, the anime ran with it and going out of his way to smack a Cell Jr. away from Krillin. Krillin screamed after Piccolo when he charged in to help Gohan during the Kamehameha struggle against Cell.

Then you had cute moments like Krillin praying he doesn’t get paired up against Goku or Vegeta during the tournament only for Piccolo to grin and remind him that he’s technically praying to Dende or Krillin cheering Piccolo on before his “fight” against Kaioshin (which I’m totally still not bitter over). Or when they both have to stop each other from going in to try and help Vegeta when he self destructs and Piccolo asking Krillin for assistance in showing the kids the fusion dance again.

I just...I dunno, I find their interactions and subtle friendship really endearing and fascinating, especially since you wouldn’t really expect them to have one.

[danthepest]

Every now and then I think on how Piccolo taking Nappa’s blast for Gohan was the ultimate and most selfless sacrifice in the entire DB series.

He didn’t know about the Namekian dragon balls. He knew that Earth’s dragon balls would be gone if he died. For all he knew there was no coming back for him. He didn’t know he’d get to keep his body in the afterlife. Worst case scenario he’d end up in hell and have his soul erased. There was literally no we’ll-fix-this-later option for him. And he still jumped in to save the kid.

Everyone talks about Vegeta’s sacrifice in the Boo arc but in my mind it pales compared to Piccolo’s. Especially since Piccolo didn’t pull a dumb Majin episode beforehand.

[danthepest]

I just love the little added bit in the anime during the Spirit Bomb scene with #17 holding up the two hunters in the anime.

In the manga he’s just “oh hey, I recognize that voice (somehow). Guess I’ll help.”

In the anime he goes out of his way to force two poor sods to do their part before he raises his hand. Like no, you dumbasses are gonna do your part this time. That small bit is so perfect in showcasing personality and character.

#17 might be a ranger/hunter, but he’s still a mischievous little scamp, which is something DB Super seems to forget.