Upon laying eyes on those pointed green ears and dangling antennae, any true anime fan would be able to identify Piccolo, even if they've never seen an episode of Dragon Ball. As the final major villain in the initial series, Piccolo's appearance ushered in a new era of Dragon Ball filled with destructive energy blasts capable of reducing entire cities to craters. And while Piccolo did make a very interesting villain, he's changed his ways for good and is far from the monster he used to be.

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While many fans may feel as though the series has done Piccolo wrong in recent years, he still continues to add so much to the series, which is why it's always important to reflect on just how much he's changed since his very first appearance.

10 He's Taught Other Young Warriors

Despite coughing up his own children during his tenure as King Piccolo, the evil Namekian warrior never had the urge to teach his techniques to anyone. After making Gohan his first student, Piccolo taught the young Saiyan how to fly and harness his ki.

While he's never trained anyone else to the extent at which he trained Gohan, he was forced to oversee Goten and Trunks's perfection of the Fusion Dance, adopting the role as a tutor once more. He's touched a whole new generation of Saiyan warriors in ways fans would've never expected.

9 He Now Knows Where He Comes From

Piccolo On Namek for the First Time

After Piccolo first hatched from the egg King Piccolo coughed up, he wandered the Earth, gazing at human families from afar. It became easy to see that he longed for some sense of connection with others, but due to his monstrous appearance, he was always destined to be alone on Earth.

In Dragon Ball Z, after learning that he came from Planet Namek, his life was never the same. Now, he has a better understanding of where he comes from, as well as the culture that influenced everything from his outfit to his initial connection with the Dragon Balls.

8 He's Fused With Other Namekians

While many villains are evil just for the sake of it, Piccolo's reason was a lot more complex. He was the personification of the negative energy that Kami was forced to expel in order to become Earth's guardian. Fans always doubted that Piccolo and Kami would ever rejoin, but after seeing the incredible boost Piccolo had gained after merging with Nail, it became clear that the fusion between Kami and Piccolo was inevitable.

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At this point in the series, Piccolo's now a combination of Nail and Kami, and while he might look the same, he's an entirely different Namekian than the Piccolo who fought Goku during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament.

7 He's No Longer Connected To Earth's Dragon Balls

Being that Kami and Piccolo were two sides of the same coin, they shared a life link, meaning that the death of Kami brings about Piccolo's death, and vice versa. Since the Dragon Balls were initially tied to Kami's life force (due to him being their creator), Piccolo's death inevitably leads to the Dragon Balls turning to stone.

After Dende became Earth's new guardian, this was no longer the case, and Earth's new set of Dragon Balls were linked to him instead. This means that unlike before, Piccolo could now be wished back to life with Earth's Dragon Balls.

6 He Trains With Others

After King Piccolo coughed him up, Piccolo discovered his latent powers by accident after being attacked by a dog, and in only a few years, he'd gained enough power to give Goku a run for his money. Fans wondered just how Piccolo could get so strong on his own, and Dragon Ball Z later showed that he was capable of producing clones that made the perfect sparring partners. From the start, he'd always trained by himself, but he quickly put his habit aside, training heavily with Gohan and Goku in preparation for the Androids.

Now, in Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo not only regularly trains Gohan, but also partook in the practice match with Tien, Goku, and Gohan in preparation for the Tournament of Power. While the bulk of his training is still done alone, Piccolo clearly sees no shame in working with the others to grow together.

5 He No Longer Spawns Children

A large part of what made King Piccolo such a force to be reckoned with was his incredible power, but his ability to spawn his own minions also made him more of a force to be feared than he already was, especially given the fact that even his lackeys, like Drum and Tambourine, were powerhouses in their own right.

RELATED: 10 Of Piccolo's Strongest Techniques Dragon Ball Fans Forget About

After King Piccolo's defeat, we've never seen Piccolo resort to this technique himself, and with Gohan as his "son" he probably never will.

4 He Can Perform The Evil Containment Wave

Long before Dragon Ball even began, King Piccolo had been sealed away for years after falling victim to Master Mutaito's Evil Containment Wave. While Piccolo hadn't mastered the technique himself, he displayed his ability to reflect it during his fight with Kami. With the ease at which Frost was able to reflect Roshi's Evil Containment Wave, it seems like the technique is easier to reflect than it is to generate.

In Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo offered to teach the technique to Goku, apparently having mastered it sometime after his fight with Kami. While his mastery over the Evil Containment Wave most likely comes from Kami's knowledge that he absorbed after they fused, it's still a part of Piccolo's arsenal, meaning that he too can also seal villains in a rice cooker should he feel the need to.

3 He No Longer Wants To Destroy The World

King Piccolo was the incarnation of evil. Who could forget his proclamation 0f "Piccolo Day", when he vowed to destroy a sector of the planet every year as its new ruler? Piccolo was no different from his father. In his fight against Goku, he didn't hesitate to blow away everything in the vicinity, showing a disregard for the very planet he felt entitled to rule.

After becoming one of Earth's strongest defenders in the fight against the Saiyans however, we've watched him grow into a man who wouldn't even think of putting a dent in the planet.

2 Became The First Villain To Kill Goku

Ever since he was a young boy, there were tons of villains who longed for nothing more than to see Goku in a casket, from Red Ribbon mercenaries like Tao and General Blue to dastardly doofuses like Pilaf. While all of these villains had their day at some point, none came closer than King Piccolo, who ultimately failed, although his wish to kill Goku was finally granted after Piccolo was forced to take Goku's life to defeat Raditz.

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Although Piccolo couldn't capitalize on Goku's absence due to the coming of Nappa and Vegeta, it's clear that the Piccolo at that point in time would've carried on where his father left off had he not been concerned with the approaching invasion.

1 He's Become One Of Goku's Most Trusted Allies

Goku and Piccolo Rough Relationship History

Piccolo was Goku's final challenge in Dragon Ball, marking the end of Goku's days where the majority of his foes were just super strong Earthlings. Fans thought that they'd be going into Dragon Ball Z with Piccolo being Goku's main adversary, but with the threat of the Saiyans, Frieza, and the Androids, it didn't take long for Piccolo to join the other Z-Fighters in the fight to defend Earth from those who wished to do it harm.

It's hard to believe that Piccolo and Goku are so close now, but Piccolo's proven time and time again that he's one of Goku's most dependable allies. Before going off to train with Shenron in Dragon Ball GT, even Goku had to personally thank the Namekian warrior for all he'd done over the years, despite the two despising one another in their early history.

NEXT: 5 Reasons Piccolo's Best Move Is The Special Beam Cannon (& 5 Why It's The Hellzone Grenade)