Why?

Why do I like Piccolo?

This is probably going to be the longest section of my site, since I could rant for hours. If you're really in the mood to read a LARGE amount of text of nothing but praise for Piccolo, well, you're in the right place. If not, then I suggest you leave now. This is going to be a continued section in my site, and I'll constantly add stuff to it.

The very first line of DBZ I had ever seen was one of Piccolo, saying something about focusing on the battle ahead. I didn't think much of DBZ at the time, but I thought "hey, this guy's voice is really cool..." So I stayed on the channel for a bit. To my dissapointment, they didn't show Piccolo for a long time, so I switched away. Years later, after going through the "Moonie stage" I learned that DBZ was an anime, so I thought "hey, why not watch it?" I did, and it happened to be the episode where Piccolo first sacrificed his life for Gohan. I stared at the screen in shock, and then grew sad when Gohan screamed into the air for Piccolo. I immediately knew that I liked this guy.

I watched DBZ for a few more episodes, then decided that I probably wouldn't see Piccolo again for awhile, so I turned to the internet, and researched the guy. The more I knew about him, the more I fell in love with him. I watched the series just as it was starting out. He was such a cool character...a nice relief from all the characters you see today pumped full of saccharine like most characters (e.g. a certain pink-haired freak), but more reserved.

Piccolo seems to always have an outside role in DBZ. He's incredibly important, and all the characters would probably die if it weren't for his efforts. But he's always overshadowed by the hero, Goku. He plays the backbone of the Z-warriors. In one episode alone, he saved Goku's life twice. But he doesn't get much credit, which makes me mad, but also makes me respect him. It's not easy taking the back-up role in life. Everyone wants to be the front, the best, and get all the fame and credit.

I once recieved an e-mail from Sage Nagai. We got into a discussion about Piccolo, and she gave some of the greatest praise I've seen...I've even kept the e-mail, it was so good. Here it is:

Piccolo is more than cool; he is a role model. He isn't annoyingly cheerful; although he is possessed of a great ability to love and to be devoted, he isn't sappy and saccharine. His sarcastic, icy front which he shows to the world just *drips* penache. He never gives up, even when he's been blasted into a large crater in the ground, even in the face of unrelenting failures. His courage and spiritual strength are unrivaled.
Shouldn't we have guys like him being the role models presented on children's programming, unlike lobotomized, drugged, unrealistically optimistic guys like Barney, or greedy, self-serving, disrespectful guys like Garfield? Both of these characters have no spiritual strength; they have no penache. They don't have the resolution that Piccolo has; they don't have the same stamina in the face of repeated failure and grinding hardship. They don't teach children that when confronted with seemingly insurmountable difficulties in life, the only solution is to keep hanging on and trying to surmount them, until at last you manage to succeed."

I was amazed. It's exactly what I've wanted to say, but been unable to.

I've been doing some thinking, lately, wondering why I like anime so much. I came up with a good amount of reasons, of course, but one reason stuck out in my mind. In America, it seems the hero always gets everything. All the attention, all the focus, all the credit, and basically, everything s/he wants. The other characters are approprietly named "side kicks." They tend to get nothing. They're there mostly to make the hero look better. But Japan doesn't do that. The side-characters in Japan get a lot of attention. Now, admittedly, Dragon Ball Z is one of the worst shows about other characters getting the credit, but hey, at least the side-kicks have personalities. Piccolo has personality. He has an attitude. Although Goku does take the credit and the winnings in battles, Piccolo is not shoved in the background. He can't be simply glossed over. His presence just draws attention to him (Well, that, or his green skin n_n). I think that's another reason I liked him so much. He obviously wasn't the main character, yet he still got to do things, like come up with plans of attack, and release the finishing attack. I liked that.

It's also cool to know Akira Toriyama (for those of you who don't know, he's DBZ's creator)'s second favorite character is Piccolo. And no, he doesn't take second to Goku. n_n

Well, that's the end for now, but be sure, more to come later!!