Piccolo is a tall and muscular Namekian, bearing a strong resemblance to his father, King Piccolo, although he is noticeably shorter and leaner. King Piccolo’s extreme height is suggested to have been a deliberate choice to intimidate others rather than a natural trait. Piccolo has a solid facial structure, with less pronounced cheekbones, a rounder chin, and a straight nose compared to his father. In the Dragon Ball manga, Piccolo has four fingers with black nails, but in the anime and the Dragon Ball Super manga, he has five fingers with white nails. His arms, legs, and stomach feature colored patches of skin with red borders and thin black lines, which appear pink in the anime and yellow in the manga, as well as in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and Dragon Ball Daima.

Piccolo Jr.’s initial outfit as a child resembles King Piccolo’s attire, following the same color scheme seen on the Kanzenban manga covers. As an adult, Piccolo adopts a dark purplish-blue gi, pointy orange shoes, and a sky-blue obi (which is red in the manga). Piccolo also frequently wears a white turban with a dark purple-blue top and a white cape when not fighting seriously. Initially, the turban was depicted with two pointy ends, but this feature disappeared from his design after his debut.

Piccolo is known to train with weighted clothing, similar to Goku. His cape itself is not weighted, but there is weighted padding underneath, which becomes evident when the cape is damaged during his battles with Frieza and Lord Slug’s henchmen. Over time, Piccolo’s outfit became more distinct. By the time he fought the Androids, his outfit’s neckline was lower, resembling Goku’s gi but without the undershirt.

In certain media like the manga, movies, and video games (Supersonic Warriors 2 and Super Dragon Ball Z), Piccolo wears a red obi instead of a sky-blue one. Although he discarded King Piccolo’s symbol, he once used it when creating a uniform for his pupil, Gohan, after Gohan’s outfit was torn during his transformation into a Great Ape. In the anime, Piccolo humorously wears one of Goku’s old outfits when forced by Chi-Chi to attend driving school, a look he despised.

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Piccolo’s outfit changes slightly. His gi becomes a brighter shade of purple, the neckline is even lower than before, and he sports a red obi, consistent with the manga and other films. His shoes are olive brown, rounder at the tips, and have gray soles. To infiltrate the Red Ribbon Army base, Piccolo disguises himself as a Red Ribbon Army soldier, wearing a uniform with the number “94” on the chest, which references Pan’s nickname for him, “Piccoyo.”

Throughout the Dragon Ball series, Piccolo is known for his stern, serious demeanor, often appearing grumpy and preferring solitude. He rarely smiles and enjoys spending time in isolation, frequently seen meditating in quiet places or drinking thawed ice water in the northern regions. Despite this stern exterior, Piccolo exhibits a noticeable cockiness in battle and tends to be confrontational, offering direct and honest opinions about people and situations. He is known for his analytical and tactical abilities, often using precise strategies to expose his opponents’ weaknesses. Even Baby, a villain in Dragon Ball GT, acknowledged Piccolo as one of the most brilliant fighters in the galaxy.

Originally, Piccolo inherited his father King Piccolo’s desire for world domination and his vendetta against Goku. He harbored a violent, destructive nature and initially had little regard for anything other than victory. This ruthless side was evident during his battle with Goku in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, where Piccolo showed no mercy, brutally injuring Goku in a bid to exact revenge for his father’s defeat. However, despite his violent tendencies, Piccolo displayed a sense of restraint and honor. For example, he once saved a mother and daughter from debris during a storm and spared Krillin’s life after the latter surrendered in the tournament. This pragmatism also led him to ally with his former enemy Goku to combat shared threats, such as the Saiyans, marking the beginning of his transformation from villain to hero.

After his intense battle with Goku, Piccolo’s personality slowly began to change, particularly after he teamed up with Goku to defeat Raditz. Though he still considered Goku his enemy at that time, Piccolo started showing respect for him, especially after Goku sacrificed himself to ensure Raditz’s defeat. During the fight against Nappa, Piccolo praised the bravery and tactics of the Z Fighters, demonstrating his growing appreciation for his allies.

Piccolo’s most profound change began when he started training Goku’s young son, Gohan, to prepare for the arrival of the Saiyans. Initially viewing the boy as merely a tool, Piccolo’s feelings softened as he grew close to Gohan. Gohan’s kindness and ability to hold conversations with Piccolo without resulting in violence helped him see Piccolo as more grumpy than evil. Both Mr. Popo and Kami noticed the shift in Piccolo’s personality, with Kami speculating that Piccolo wanted to leave a positive legacy, even if it was through Gohan. Piccolo’s emotional evolution culminated in his self-sacrifice to save Gohan from Nappa, a defining moment in his character arc. Piccolo admitted that Gohan was the first person to see him not as a monster but as a friend, cementing his transformation from a villain to a loyal protector of Earth.

Throughout the series, Piccolo’s character development continued as he fought to protect his newfound friends and the planet. After fusing with Nail, a fellow Namekian, Piccolo felt more whole, having gained knowledge of his heritage and understanding of Namekian culture. This transformation deepened when he remerged with Kami to combat the Android threat. Kami’s willingness to merge with Piccolo was a testament to how much Piccolo had changed, as he could now be trusted to use the fusion’s power for good. After fusing with Kami, all remnants of Piccolo’s evil nature disappeared, and he developed a strong attachment to the Earth’s Lookout, becoming deeply distraught when it was destroyed by Super Buu.

While Piccolo maintained a stern demeanor, he grew to care for all living beings, often showing compassion even for those he had no personal connection to. For example, he tried to spare a man during Cell’s attack on Ginger Town and expressed deep guilt and horror when he inadvertently contributed to the mass extermination of humans by suggesting that Super Buu delay his attack to give Goten and Trunks more time to train. Despite his compassion, Piccolo still struggled to understand human relationships, particularly romance, which he referred to as “mushy stuff,” likely due to the Namekian race’s lack of such relations.

Over time, Piccolo also became more relaxed and even joyful, partaking in social events like Bulma’s birthday party and Gohan’s wedding. In Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo displayed a nurturing side, helping raise Gohan’s daughter Pan. He took great pride in his role as her caretaker, creating detailed schedules and even engaging in silly activities like playing Peek-a-Boo with her. Piccolo enjoyed his time with Pan, to the extent that he sang to her at night when she cried, though he kept this playful side hidden from others. He also began training Pan in martial arts, encouraging her to prove herself before he would teach her how to use ki.

In Dragon Ball GT, Piccolo’s selflessness reached its peak when he sacrificed his life to ensure the Black Star Dragon Balls could no longer be used, demonstrating his willingness to put the greater good above all else. Throughout the series, he continuously encouraged Gohan to keep training to protect the ones he loved. Despite his demanding and merciless training methods, Piccolo remained deeply invested in Gohan’s growth, willing to push him to his limits for the sake of unlocking his true power.

Though Namekians typically survive on water alone, Piccolo has a history of consuming solid food. As a child, he was seen catching and eating a fish. In Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo is occasionally seen eating at social gatherings, implying that he eats for social reasons, though he still primarily consumes water. In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, when Videl offered to bring him food, Piccolo reminded her that he doesn’t need food to survive and lives on water, suggesting he may have stopped eating solid food entirely.

In Xenoverse, Piccolo demonstrated that he had learned from his father’s mistakes. He referenced the Evil Containment Wave that defeated King Piccolo as an analogy for using any available tool or strategy to win. Piccolo even developed a technique to reflect the Evil Containment Wave, eliminating the one weakness that had previously endangered his father. This adaptability and pragmatism highlight Piccolo’s strategic growth and his journey from a vengeful warrior to one of Earth’s most intelligent and capable protectors.