What is Piccolo’s Role in ‘Dragon Ball Super: Broly’?

Dragon Ball Super: Broly pares down the huge roster of the main series and focuses on a few characters for the film, and one of the more interesting inclusions is Piccolo, who’s role in the film has been kept under wraps during the lead-up to the film’s release.

But what does Piccolo show up in the film for? Does he actually play a significant role in how the film progresses? Yes!

Warning! Below are major spoilers for Dragon Ball Super: Broly!

Piccolo first appears in the film soon after Super Saiyan God goku finds himself on the tail end of a beating from an increasingly powerful Broly. When he’s about to lose consciousness, Piccolo calls out to him telepathically in order to get an update about what’s happening. He says he’d go help, but fears he’d only get in the way. He unfortunately doesn’t have any Senzu beans either, so Goku tells him to stay put because they may need his help. And should the situation get bad enough, he’ll Instant Transmission to Piccolo’s location.

This actually comes to pass in the climax of the film as Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Vegeta’s tag-team efforts are overwhelmed by Super Saiyan Broly. They’re able to distract Broly with Freeza, and use the window to transmission themselves to Piccolo. As they’re out of options, Goku suggets they use the fusion dance to fuse. It’s here that Piccolo teaches the two how to properly do the dance. They mess up twice, one because their fingers don’t align (leading to chubby Gogeta) and another because their bodies aren’t angled properly (leading to a skinny Gogeta).

But, as revealed through trailers, they eventually manage to succeed and become Gogeta. From here, they transmission back to Broly and bring the fight to an end. So Piccolo manages to play a pretty decisive role, and it’s implied that Goku and Vegeta would not have been able to win had it not been for his help.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly is open in theaters worldwide. Funimation brought the film to the United States on January 16, and tickets for the film are now on sale. You can read ComicBook.com’s spoiler-free review of the film here, and Dragon Ball Super: Broly is described as such:

“A planet destroyed, a powerful race reduced to nothing. After the devastation of Planet Vegeta, three Saiyans were scattered among the stars, destined for different fates. While two found a home on Earth, the third was raised with a burning desire for vengeance and developed an unbelievable power. And the time for revenge has come. Destinies collide in a battle that will shake the universe to its very core! Goku is back to training hard so he can face the most powerful foes the universes have to offer, and Vegeta is keeping up right beside him. But when they suddenly find themselves against an unknown Saiyan, they discover a terrible, destructive force. Locked into battle with the formidable Broly, Goku and Vegeta face their most dangerous opponent yet!”