Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero just introduced Orange Piccolo, the first-ever transformation for the anime’s Namekian Z-Warrior. Suddenly unlocked during the climax of the battle with Gamma 2, his brand-new ability was key to the Z-Warriors’ victory over Cell Max in Super Hero’s ending. It’s hard to imagine the heroes prevailing without Piccolo’s shocking power-up.
Unlike Krillin, Yamcha, and Tien, Piccolo has managed to avoid fading into complete irrelevancy as the story has progressed. But with characters like Goku and Vegeta constantly gaining access to new Super Saiyan forms, that hasn’t been an easy task. As a Namekian, Piccolo has no natural transformations, thus preventing him from leaping as far up the power scale as the anime’s Saiyan heroes. Although Piccolo is one of the few characters on the show who has never taken a break from his training, he was still considered to be several leagues behind Goku and Vegeta when Dragon Ball Super ended. Recognizing that he needed more power to beat Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 in Super Hero, Piccolo asked Shenron to unlock his full potential.
The Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero was to get the same power boost that the Grand Elder gave Gohan and Krillin in the Frieza Saga, but he ended up with so much more. While losing to Gamma 2, it was discovered that Shenron threw in something “extra” when Piccolo made his wish. Though Shenron typically isn’t one to grant bonuses that weren’t asked for, that’s exactly what he did in Super Hero. The orange Namekian emblem that appeared on his back hinted at the reason for Shenron’s special gift. It seems the Eternal Dragon helped him because Piccolo is a member of the race that created the Dragon Balls. And now, Piccolo is a top-tier Z-Warrior again for the first time since the Android Saga.
How Orange Piccolo Compares To Dragon Ball’s Other Heroes
At the very least, Piccolo is the fourth strongest main character in the Dragon Ball franchise now. As Orange Piccolo, the Namekian demonstrated that he was clearly stronger than Ultimate Gohan (but weaker than Beast Gohan) and powerful enough to pose a threat to Cell Max. With what he accomplished, there’s no doubt that he’s sured several Dragon Ball heavyweights, including Golden Frieza, Future Trunks, and Android 17. He was most likely already ahead of Android 18 and Majin Buu, and now that gap has widened considerably with Piccolo now being Super Saiyan Blue-level or above by now. As for how he stacks up to Goku and Vegeta, that remains to be seen for the time being.
Even if Piccolo is still weaker than the top two Z-Warriors, the difference between them is significantly smaller than it once was. After all, Piccolo pointed out himself that even with Goku and Vegeta on their side, victory wouldn’t have been assured, which is a sign that their power levels aren’t much higher than Gohan and Piccolo’s anymore. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has altered the franchise’s power structure so dramatically that Goku and Vegeta aren’t alone at the top anymore.