Dragon Ball: 6 Strongest Piccolo Transformations, Ranked

Piccolo was Akira Toriyama’s personal favorite character during the creation of Dragon Ball, and it’s easy to understand why. He began as a memorable and popular villain in the original series, but evolved into a complex anti-hero in Dragon Ball Z. Through his bond with Gohan, Piccolo confronted his own nature, ultimately becoming one of the most relatable and human characters among Goku’s allies.

Piccolo’s strength in Dragon Ball Z was always changing. He had a few brief moments where he was the strongest character, but he didn’t stay at that level for long. Unlike the Saiyans, Piccolo can’t rely on many different transformations to increase his power. However, that doesn’t mean he’s powerless. While he can’t go Super Saiyan, Piccolo has a few forms of his own that help him close the gap with fighters like Goku, and his new Orange form in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is his most powerful yet.

6. Great Namekian Piccolo is a Poor Man’s Great Ape

Piccolo’s ability to become a Giant Namekian is purely for appearances and doesn’t increase his strength. During the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he transforms to try and swallow the container holding Kami. However, Goku quickly figures out that the transformation doesn’t make Piccolo more powerful and uses this knowledge to gain an edge in the fight.

Goku cleverly convinces Piccolo to grow to an enormous size, then flies into his mouth. Inside, Goku saves Kami, who was trapped in a bottle, and points out that Piccolo’s large form doesn’t actually make him any stronger. Defeated, Piccolo shrinks back down to his normal size, ready to resume his fight with Goku.

5. Merging With Nail Gives Piccolo His First Big Power Boost

Namekian Fusion is a technique where a Namekian can combine with other members of their race, significantly increasing their power. While not a simple transformation like becoming a Super Saiyan, it’s often presented as one in Dragon Ball video games and provides a similar level of strength. Piccolo first learns about this ability when he meets Nail, a dying Namekian, before his battle with Frieza.

When Piccolo absorbed Nail, his strength increased dramatically, jumping from a Battle Power of 3,500 (as seen in his fight with Nappa) to over 1,000,000. This new power allowed Piccolo to significantly challenge Frieza in his second form, forcing Frieza to transform into his third form to gain an advantage. This merger with Nail resulted in an astounding 28,471% increase in Piccolo’s power, making it the biggest single power boost ever seen in the series.

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4. Piccolo Becomes a Super Namekian Once He Fuses With Kami

Just before Piccolo fuses with Nail, Nail hints that he’d be much more powerful if he were complete. Long before the story of Dragon Ball begins, a powerful Namekian split himself in two, creating Kami and the evil Demon King Piccolo. This original Namekian, at his peak, was even stronger than Frieza. When the Z-Fighters realize they can’t defeat the Androids, Piccolo travels to Kami’s Lookout to merge back into his original, immensely powerful form.

After merging with Kami, Piccolo became the primary personality, though he gained some of Kami’s characteristics. He evolved into a Super Namekian, making him more powerful than any of the Saiyans before their training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. This new Piccolo was a match for Android 17 and probably could have defeated Imperfect Cell during their initial encounter. However, during the Cell Games, Piccolo was one of the few fighters visibly struggling in his battle against a Cell Junior.

3. Majin Piccolo is Strong Enough to Defeat Majin Buu

In the main Dragon Ball Z story, Babidi attempts to control Vegeta, sensing the hidden darkness within him. This results in Vegeta becoming ‘Majin Vegeta,’ which can be seen as an extreme outburst driven by his pride. He then pressures Goku into a fight that he, Vegeta, desperately wants. It’s interesting to note that some Dragon Ball Z video games explore alternate scenarios where Piccolo becomes Majin instead of Vegeta.

In several Dragon Ball games – Supersonic Warriors 2, Tenkaichi Tag Team, and Shin Budokai – Another Road – Piccolo is controlled by Babidi and transforms into Majin Piccolo. This transformation reverts him to his demonic origins, preventing the souls of those he defeats from reaching the afterlife. His power level as Majin Piccolo varies between games; he’s stronger than Super Buu in Supersonic Warriors 2, but comparable to Super Saiyan 2 Goku in Tenkaichi Tag Team and Shin Budokai – Another Road.

2. Ultimate Piccolo Gets All His Potential Unlocked By Shenron

Throughout much of Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo struggled to match the power of Goku and Vegeta after they became Gods. In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, he collects the Dragon Balls and wishes for Shenron to help him reach his maximum potential. This wish unlocks a powerful new form for Piccolo, similar to the Ultimate transformations achieved by others.

Similar to Ultimate Gohan, Ultimate Piccolo’s transformation doesn’t drastically change his appearance – his skin simply becomes yellow-green. More importantly, it significantly boosts his power, allowing him to go toe-to-toe with Gamma 2 after previously being weaker than both Gammas. However, this form doesn’t last long, as Piccolo quickly achieves his Orange form during the same fight with Gamma 2.

1. Orange Piccolo is Strong Enough to Rival Goku & Vegeta

When Piccolo used the Dragon Balls to reach his maximum strength, Shenron added an extra surprise. During his battle with Gamma 2, Piccolo transformed into his Orange form, becoming incredibly powerful. Gamma 2 couldn’t even damage Orange Piccolo, demonstrating a huge increase in his abilities. The artist, Toyotarou, has stated that Orange Piccolo is as strong as other top-tier characters like Goku in Perfected Ultra Instinct, Vegeta with Ultra Ego, Beast Gohan, and Full Power Broly.

Along with Gohan Beast, Orange Piccolo was the only fighter strong enough to face Cell Max in battle. He cleverly pretended to die to help Gohan unlock his Beast form, and together they fired a powerful combined Special Beam Cannon, finally defeating Cell Max. Currently, in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 103, Orange Piccolo is established as one of the strongest warriors in the entire multiverse.

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2026-05-11 01:06