Dragon Ball Z: Why Piccolo Vs. 17 Reigns Supreme To This Day
Get ready Dragon Ball fans because it is time to hop into the Time Machine and re-examine one of the best battles to ever take place in the Shonen franchise's history and what made it work so well. During the Android Saga, there was a time where things were quite different to the status quo of the past, as Piccolo was the strongest Z-Fighter, Goku was out of commission, and the Androids were roaming the Earth to have fun and eventually kill Son. This era also heralded one of the best fights in Piccolo Vs. 17.
Throughout Dragon Ball's history, whether it be in the original series, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball Super, Goku and his allies have fought against their fair share of opponents but the most interesting matches, normally, will see two combatants who are around the same power level fight one another. For me personally, the best era for fighting in the Shonen's history was toward the end of the original Dragon Ball, where firing off an energy blast really took some serious effort, and launching a "Kamehameha" had to be a last resort as the combatant using the ability would be drained following it.
The Dragon Ball Battle to End Them All
Piccolo and 17's battle wasn't much like Piccolo's fight against Goku during the finale of the original Dragon Ball, but it held the spirit of that encounter in that the Namekian and the Android were on nearly the exact same level, but with a twist. Each combatant had a unique strength that saw them differing wildly, where the Android effectively couldn't get tired or lose his energy and the former Demon King had far more battle experience. 17 truly did have the advantage here, simply because he could unleash full-blown attacks without ever skipping a beat, but Piccolo's tactical mind proved to even the score.
Piccolo's implementation of the "Hell Zone Grenade" helped to show how outside the box the Namekian was when it came to his fights, realizing how to manipulate his ki to a point where he could surround his opponent with countless energy blasts and direct them toward his target.
There are some criticisms for this fight, including the instance where both Piccolo and 17 punch each other in the torso so hard that their fists almost comically stretch their skin backward, or that we don't see a proper conclusion to the fight as Cell arrives to put a damper on the battle, but it remains an all-timer for a reason. On top of everything else, seeing Piccolo really get the opportunity to fight a one-on-one fight after Goku taking center stage for so long was a serious breath of fresh air.
During the fight between these two brawlers, you felt like either party could lose with the briefest slip-up and that's a feeling that should remain in more of Dragon Ball Super's fights into the future.
What was your favorite fight in the Dragon Ball series? Feel free to let us know in the comments or hit me up directly on Twitter @EVComedy to talk all things comics, anime, and the world of the Z-Fighters.