Dragon Ball Z’s 5 Best Piccolo Aura Farming Moments, Ranked

Demon King, Namekian, teacher, and protector of the world, Piccolo is undoubtedly one of the most iconic Z-Fighters in all of Dragon Ball Z. During Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo may not be the strongest fighter, but he continually shows just why he is a force to be reckoned with. Not only is Piccolo a capable fighter who earns a series of power-ups, but he also always looks cool when doing it. Piccolo is, to his very core, what is colloquially known as an aura farmer and is the progenitor of the nonchalant intro.

Battles in Dragon Ball Z are rarely won by any non-Saiyans; however, that doesn’t mean that non-Saiyans like Piccolo never get to shine. Piccolo is the king of arriving just in time to save the day and hold the villain off just long enough for it to matter. From jumping in front of attacks to save his student to deflecting a devastating Ki blast from the Legendary Super Saiyan, Piccolo always arrives just in time, and the wind always manages to make sure his cape billows just right. During the 291 episodes and 13 movies of Dragon Ball Z, these are the five highest-ranked Piccolo moments where his aura is undeniable.

5. Piccolo Saves Gohan from Bojack

The first moment we’ll discuss is the last-minute save that Piccolo pulls off during the Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound movie, where Piccolo arrives and protects Gohan from a giant Ki blast. As our first entry on the list, this moment is full of aura and showcases Piccolo’s perfect timing and techniques, but this scene is close to an exact mirror of another entry on the list.

Even as our first entry, this moment is still noteworthy, showing us the power of Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon as well as giving viewers an iconic scene of Piccolo’s cape billowing as he saves Gohan. This allows us to see the Saiyan tap into his iconic Super Saiyan 2 later in the movie.

4. Piccolo Saves Gohan from Broly

Same pose, same last-minute save, same drip! Piccolo never misses a chance to save his student, especially in a Dragon Ball Z movie. Many fans likely see this as Piccolo’s greatest moment of aura, where he showed up to save Gohan and then got tossed around by Broly.

Even as a scene that inspired future moments in other Dragon Ball Z movies, this is only ranked fourth on our list because, as far as the aura farming goes, Piccolo garners a lot of style points for his arrival, but quickly loses our favor when his showdown against the Legendary Super Saiyan begins. As the progenitor and one of the key scenes used to show off Akira Toriyama’s favorite character, this moment deserves to be remembered, but lacks the raw substance that will appear in the rest of this list.

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3. Piccolo vs. Cell

Super Piccolo’s introduction led to perhaps some of the most iconic scenes and fights in all of Dragon Ball Z. The Cell Saga was a glowing highlight for the Namekian and showed the true prowess of a hero fighting for his world. Piccolo arrived after finally becoming whole again through merging with Kami and delivered blow after blow against Imperfect Cell, all while dripping with aura.

The maneuvers seen in this fight were some of the only of their kind we got to see in Dragon Ball Z. Piccolo managed to outpace Cell in every aspect and combined dexterous maneuvers with spinning and flying strikes. This face-off was impressive, but only falls third on our list because, even with all the aura, Piccolo still ended up not being able to finish off the devious biological android.

2. Piccolo vs. Android 17

Again, the Cell Saga was one of immense aura, and Piccolo was one of the main characters farming that aura. While the Saiyans trained in the hyperbolic time chamber, Piccolo took his new powers for a spin and faced off against multiple powerhouse enemies. The number two spot for Piccolo’s downright aura farming is his intense fight with Android 17. Android 17, up to this point, had shown himself to be possibly the strongest enemy the Z-Fighters had faced.

To stall for time and make the Android feel his wrath, Piccolo stood toe to toe with him and showed off his real strength. Piccolo and Android 17 went blow for blow, demonstrating their mutual durability. Piccolo tanked multiple hits and landed multiple hits in a fight of power blows and wills. This fight was one where it felt like Piccolo had caught up with the Saiyans, and though it didn’t last for all of Dragon Ball Z, it solidified Piccolo as one of the best fighters in the group.

1. Like Master, Like Student

Our final entry and the most aura-filled moment doesn’t come from a face off or a life save, but rather from a moment during the Cell Saga where Piccolo shows us that even if he is outclassed, he’s still going to remain nonchalant, and he has even taught his student the same. This moment comes as the Z-Fighters watch as Goku and Perfect Cell face off and firing this fight Cell uses an Android Barrier that expands covering a large area and as the camera pans to the other Z-Fighters we see all of them flinching away and covering their faces from the blowback.

However, as we cut to Piccolo and his student Gohan we get to see that Piccolo will always remain level-headed and has taught Gohan the ways of the billowing cape. Gohan would go on to defeat Cell in this saga, and it’s undeniable that Piccolo had taught the young Saiyan how to farm for aura and to always ensure that everyone can see the fit.