Is Dragon Ball Super About to Retire Piccolo from Fighting?

Dragon Ball Super's latest manga arc has been heavily focused on new villain Moro, and Goku and Vegeta's efforts to power-up enough to beat him (you know, your classic Dragon Ball Z arc...). However, while that has been the main storyline of the "Galactic Patrol Prisoner" arc, there have been some important subplots weaving their way through the manga, which could possibly have game-changing results for the Dragon Ball series. The Dragon Ball Z-fighters have come back into the spotlight, but in Piccolo's case, this battle for Earth against Moro may be his last. The latest chapter of Dragon Ball Super hints that Piccolo may have finally realized what fans have known all along:

The Z-Fighters have become ridiculously outpowered when it comes to the level of Dragon Ball Super's battles.

Chapter 58 of Dragon Ball Super sees Goku arrive back on Earth just in time to help save the Z-Fighters from Moro's Galactic Bandit Brigade henchmen. The closest call was Goku stopping Moro's top lieutenant, Saganbo, from slaughtering Gohan and Piccolo, along with Androids 17 and 18. Goku pulls out his new Ultra Instinct Sign power to thrash Saganbo, and while watching Goku move faster than any mortal is capable, Piccolo has the following realization, after Goku praises the power-ups he and Gohan achieved:

"Not much point in training when we still can't defend the Earth. When was it, I wonder? When did you get so far ahead of us?"

(Photo: Shonen Jump Magazine)

Piccolo basically iterates what Dragon Ball fans have been thinking, pretty much since Dragon Ball Super began. DBS focused so heavily on the power upgrades to Goku and Vegeta that it left virtually every other character from Dragon Ball Z behind. With Goku mastering Ultra Instinct, and Vegeta learning an entire array of new techniques on Yardrat, the power gap between them and the Z-Fighters is only going to get more insurmountable.

On the one hand, some fans see the solution being power-ups of character like Piccolo and Gohan that bring them closer to Goku and Vegeta's levels; however, Dragon Ball Super may be laying foundation for Piccolo to go another route. Moro wiped out all of New Namek and the Namekian people, save for one healer, as well as Dende and Piccolo on Earth. Piccolo's power, knowledge, and cunning may best be served as a leader / teacher / protector of his people (assuming they're wished back into existence), rather than trying to still pretending he's a contender in the expanding Dragon Ball Multiverse.

What do you think should be next for Piccolo in Dragon Ball Super? Let us know in the comments. You can read the latest manga chapters online HERE.