Dragon Ball is filled with insane training sequences, the essence of such a Shonen anime. There are many scenes in which we see the Z engage in harsh training, showing no concern for themselves.
This is what the Dragon Ball series was famous for, but now it has all changed, what we see in the more recent and ‘modern’ installments is a more mellowed and toned-down version of the franchise.
But the original Dragon Ball Z shows us how it used to be done. The training scenes were on par with some of the best fight scenes, but perhaps Piccolo’s self-sparring scene might just be the coldest of them all. Let us delve in and understand why.
Piccolo’s insane training: Fighting himself… literally
While we see Piccolo take a backseat and be a spectator or somewhat of a background character in Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball DAIMA (since the Buu saga of Z), the fans tend to forget how ruthless the Namekian was with himself when he was training.
Piccolo figured out a special way to train, instead of using equipment or sparring with partners whose energy and skill levels differ from his, he whipped up a brilliant idea—why not fight himself?
This way, he can see and fix the flaws while also fighting against an opponent who exerts the exact same power level.
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For normal humans, even Saiyans, this is not possible. But Piccolo could do so, he utilized the high-speed regeneration powers of his race to tear himself away from his body slowly, at the same time, his body was regenerating, leading to there being two identical Namekians.
Then, without a word, they split apart and start fighting. They are the same entity, and both wish to grow stronger. They utilize and counter each of their moves, making for a ruthless battle that invokes some philosophical questions.
Why Super and DAIMA feel soft in comparison
No one knows who the real Piccolo is; both of them can be said to be real, yet they fight and train, not caring about such existential questions. This was the standard that was set in Dragon Ball Z. That is why Piccolo is a mentor.
Now we can see that DAIMA and Super are catered towards a more light-hearted or younger generation. Everything is toned down, starting from the violence to even such training arcs. That is why it feels like everything is being handed to the Z fighters as they grow stronger without limits at an unimaginable pace.
This was the charm of that time, the violence, the pure exertion of energies in order to grow stronger. No matter if we consider the training arcs or the battle arcs, we see a raw and primal vibe to them that is nowhere to be found in the newer series.
Now, with Toriyama having passed on, it is in the hands of Toei and Toyotarou to bring back this charm; it needs to completely change and become full of blood and gore, but the efforts of the fighters need to be more focused on, Piccolo’s relentless dedication reminds us of that.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
This post belongs to FandomWire and first appeared on FandomWire
