Dragon Ball has made a habit of redeeming its villains over the years. From Yamcha all the way to Majin Buu, bad guys don’t stay bad for long in Dragon Ball. Even Frieza has been given a shot at integrating into the main cast in Super (although he still functions ostensibly as a villain, with the Granola arc hinting at his return into the main plot).
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Dragon Ball’s just not Dragon Ball if Goku isn’t convincing his enemies to see the light of reason through deadly combat. Naturally, this means a large chunk of the series’ supporting cast has done some vile things in the past. Dragon Ball’s first real super villain, Piccolo may be a hero nowadays, but he has a habit of trying to kill other characters – even if he isn’t always successful.
9 Son Goku
No other villain in Dragon Ball has as monumental an introduction as Demon King Piccolo. Piccolo leave Master Roshi, Chaozu, and Shenlong dead in the wake of his debut – and he would have taken out Goku too if not for some dumb luck. During their first fight, Piccolo actually manages to stop Goku’s heart outright.
Not just that, Goku wasn’t doing much damage during their fight to begin with. Even in his old age, Demon King Piccolo was a force to be reckoned with. Piccolo goes so far as to literally check Goku’s body for a pulse. The fact that his heart starts beating again sticks out as one of the most nonsensical moments in Dragon Ball. Compelling drama, though.
8 Tenshinhan
Tenshinhan spends the entire Demon King Piccolo arc trying to master the Mafuba in order to seal Piccolo away without a fight. Unfortunately, the rice cooker he’s using as a seal breaks before he ever gets the chance to use the Mafuba. Tenshinhan nonetheless makes his way to Piccolo where Drum beats him senseless.
Tenshinhan only survives after being rescued by Goku. Ten manages to return the favor during Goku’s fight, but he’s ultimately used as a hostage who King Piccolo intends on killing as soon as he finishes off Goku. Of course, that moment never comes and Goku kills Piccolo before he gets the chance to hurt anyone else.
7 Son Goku (Again)
Vegeta is often regarded as Goku’s best rival in Dragon Ball, but no one tries killing the main character as often as Piccolo. Between his Demon King past and time as Majunior during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Piccolo wants Goku’s death above all else. He even gets to kill Goku at the very start of the Saiyan arc.
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But Piccolo fails every attempt during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. Despite literally living his life just to kill Goku, Piccolo is countered every step of the way. He swallows Kami, destroys the arena, shoots Goku through a vital organ, and even cripples all of his limbs – but Goku still finds the strength to defeat Piccolo.
6 Nappa
After killing Raditz and Goku, Piccolo spends roughly an entire year training Gohan (Goku’s son) into a martial artist capable of handling the Saiyan Invasion. Through this training, Piccolo grows to genuinely care for Gohan, fostering a friendship that ends up playing a key role during the battle against Nappa.
Piccolo and Krillin lock Nappa into a combo attack that could have killed him had Gohan responded accordingly. Instead, he reacts in fears, giving Nappa the opportunity to counter. With Gohan about to take the brunt of a blast sure to kill him, Piccolo leaps in the way. As Piccolo lay dying, he cries for the first time and thanks Gohan for their friendship.
5 Frieza
Piccolo doesn’t have much of a role narratively in the Frieza arc, but it’s important that his character show up for the finale. After an entire saga of pure genocide, a Namekian gets the chance to put Frieza in his place. The fact Piccolo merges with Nail beforehand even adds an important personal layer to the fight.
With Nail’s strength augmenting his own, Piccolo turns the tide of battle in his favor. Second form Frieza can’t keep up with Piccolo and has no choice but to transform one more time. Unfortunately, this was Piccolo’s sole opportunity to kill Frieza and he passed it up. There’s barely anything Piccolo can do while Frieza’s in his third form.
4 Dr. Gero
Piccolo had an… interesting plan when it came to Dr. Gero. Pretending to be down for the count the instant Dr. Gero attacks, Piccolo was plotting a sneak attack before Vegeta entered the picture. It’s unlikely Piccolo would have been able to defeat Dr. Gero himself (especially since he was considerably weaker than Vegeta at this point), but it’s an odd strategy in the middle of a life or death fight.
3 Cell
Cell is such a perplexing creature that Piccolo has no choice but to pry him for information when they first meet. Sensing Ki from Goku, Vegeta, Frieza, and himself coming off Cell, Piccolo is naturally caught off guard. Cell poses a clear threat and Piccolo should have defeated him right here if had the foresight.
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Cell escapes by using the Taiyoken and lowering his Ki so he can escape on foot. It makes perfect sense that Piccolo would want to understand who Cell is and what he wants (especially in such a tense situation involving the Androids), but the pursuit of knowledge doesn’t exactly pay off in this case.
2 Android 17
With Cell draining the citizens of Earth left and right, the Dragon Team are left helpless, waiting for either Cell or the Androids to come to them while the Saiyans train in the Room of Spirit and Time. The Artificial Humans finally target Kame House, spurring Piccolo to fight off Android 17 on a nearby island.
Having just fused with God, Piccolo is the strongest he’s ever been and fights Android 17 to a stalemate. Piccolo comes close to killing 17 on at least one occasion, but the Android’s Energy Shield blocks the brunt of Piccolo’s Ki attacks. Cell interrupts the fight before Piccolo can finish 17, but the Android’s infinite stamina makes it unlikely Piccolo would have won to begin with.
1 Bobbidi
After Vegeta sacrifices himself to defeat Majin Buu, Piccolo confronts Bobbidi and slices him in half – leaving the warlock for dead. Unfortunately, Piccolo neglects to actually finish Bobbidi off. When Majin Buu inevitably revives himself, he pieces Bobbidi back together and the two start decimating the Earth’s cities.
If Piccolo managed to kill Bobbidi, Fat Buu wouldn’t have learned to play by killing others. He’d likely still have a chaotic nature to him and prompt defeating, but his threat level wouldn’t be so immediate without Bobbidi’s influence guiding him.