Why is Piccolo Considered "The Black Guy"?

[Kamiccolo9]

Oh no, they resonate. Japan is simply an extremely racist country, even against groups which are very similar to them culturally and genetically. To say nothing of South Asians and black people.

Now? Yes. In the '80s? Less so.

It's kind of a different cut from racism in Western countries, which is founded on years of systematic abuse and privilege, though, and from which those images stem. I've done some study abroads in Japan, so while this is anecdotal, my take was that--while, yes, racist--other races are approached with a kind of fear/novelty (obviously worse the more rural you go). Compared to Western countries, many people there have genuinely never met a person of another race.

I don't really know why I'm defending it, because it's still racist as f*ck. But, you know, context. It's a little different.

Pretty much. It stems more from a sense of cultural superiority, rather than systematic oppression, if that makes sense. I'd rather not go into a thesis over it, but I thought I'd back up your anecdotal evidence with a little academic "authority."

[Polyphase Avatron]

I thought Mr. Popo was the black guy

[Thouser]

Uppa and Bora want to defend their land from strangers like Tao (who is very Japanese), and other invaders.

Tao Baibai isn't "very Japanese," though. He wears Qing Dynasty inspired clothes, and wears a pony tail, a reference to the queue that Chinese men were required to wear under Manchurian rule in the Qing Dynasty. His name even uses the Mandarin pronunciation of the characters in his name (桃白白), which follows the "one character surname, two character given name" pattern that is common in Chinese names.

[The Monkey King]

I could be off base but I think it's probably due to black fans of this franchise being hard up for representation.

I think it's this really.

Back in school a lot of my friends argued and made jokes that Piccolo is the 'black guy' of the groups, as a black guy myself I believe this viewpoint stems from:

Piccolo's deep voice
His serious and stotic personality
His skin colour being very different from the rest of the cast.
Not having crazy spiky hair like most of the cast

Some frinds even made parralels with Namek and Africa claiming:
It being conqured and destroyed by aliens hoping to take its treasures is similar to the 'Scramble for Africa' by Europeans
Namek isn't as technologically advanced as Earth in the traditional sense
Heck in the Cooler film Namekians were in chains

And I might be reaching here but maybe some African Americans could identify with Piccolo due to him being born on an Alien planet and not knowing where it is he came from exactly and him feeling so 'at home' when he came to Namek.

[Kakacarrottop]

Because a lot of black people like Dragon Ball Z and can relate to him. If anything he's actually "the muslim guy" of the group.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Because a lot of black people like Dragon Ball Z and can relate to him. If anything he's actually "the muslim guy" of the group.

Because he wears a turban?

[RandomGuy96]

I think people just like to project themselves on him, because he's "cool" and an alien.

[Hero]

[
Most of those are horrible stereotypes, though.

Which I'm not going to hold against Toriyama too much. Japan was very late, and still is, in some sense, in catching up to peer countries in terms of racial sensitivity, being very homogeneous itself. Though they received those images, the problematic elements wouldn't really resonate with them.

Are they really though? Nam and Uppa are portrayed in a positive light. Nam is noble and wants to save his village from a drought, he and Roshi/Goku become great friends. Uppa and Bora want to defend their land from strangers like Tao (who is very Japanese), and other invaders. Also if it weren't for the hats and the snowy area, Suno and her family wouldn't seem any more based on Russians than any other village in the series.

Its not like they were saying, "Look at the stupid Indians!" or anything like that. Even General Black kills Red and takes command of the Red Ribbon army.

If anything I thought Mr. Satan was supposed to be a parody of how stupid Americans are compared to Japanese martial artists and how they're in denial. And even then Toriyama portrays Satan as a hero when he needs to be.

I agree with this. I'm Indian and while obviously not all Indians look like Nam... a lot in rural India do! Hell, even me and my brother make jokes about how in my part of India every guy has a huge turban and beard.

In regards to Dragon Ball, though... yeah, how the characters look might be old-school, but in terms of what they do I have no problem. Nam is honorable, Upa and Bora were great characters, Black in the RRA was essentially the big baddie in the Red Ribbion HQ even. To me, Dragon Ball is very cartoony and exaggerates the looks of its characters for that effect. The Crane Hermit has a beak-like mouth 'cuz he's... the crane hermit! Farmers wear overalls, right? Overalls on the farmer with a shotgun it is! Black people usually have bigger lips than other races, right? Huge lips on Black and Popo it is! A lot of Indians have dots, right? Nam gets a dot!

[Soppa Saia People]

[
Most of those are horrible stereotypes, though.

Which I'm not going to hold against Toriyama too much. Japan was very late, and still is, in some sense, in catching up to peer countries in terms of racial sensitivity, being very homogeneous itself. Though they received those images, the problematic elements wouldn't really resonate with them.

Are they really though? Nam and Uppa are portrayed in a positive light. Nam is noble and wants to save his village from a drought, he and Roshi/Goku become great friends. Uppa and Bora want to defend their land from strangers like Tao (who is very Japanese), and other invaders. Also if it weren't for the hats and the snowy area, Suno and her family wouldn't seem any more based on Russians than any other village in the series.

Its not like they were saying, "Look at the stupid Indians!" or anything like that. Even General Black kills Red and takes command of the Red Ribbon army.

If anything I thought Mr. Satan was supposed to be a parody of how stupid Americans are compared to Japanese martial artists and how they're in denial. And even then Toriyama portrays Satan as a hero when he needs to be.

Isn't Tao supposed to be Chinese ? I don't know but I always got Chinese vibe.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

I'm a little surprised at how insulted some people here seem to sound over the idea of why some sections of the fanbase would joke about it. It's not about looking for "representation" or people trying to "reclaim" things. Its about what fans perceive in how characters resonate to them growing up. If we would argue DBZ has deeper themes to characterizations what most people credit it for, it shouldn't be that hard to see it mean other things to other viewers. There are plenty of fans of all backgrounds who project things they recognize onto characters they feel connects with them or what they idolize. A lot of Goku fans I hear look to him for never giving up - and hence body build. A lot of Gohan fans I've heard talk about feeling powerless or bullied only wanting to then release their"hidden power" to stand up for themselves. some people love Vegeta because of his defiant and social independence, or his pride on valuing personal achievements in a different way from Goku's more hopeful-optimistic look on life.

Piccolo is no exception. It's not because of what he looks like definitively but it plays a role onto him standing out. From his looks, he actually his characterization themes being what people seem to relate with. As with Piccolo's dub voice and darker skin colour, yes - but in comparison to the other characters who look a lot more relatively similar to each other aesthetically. While they are presented to be given deeper more direct friendships to each other as opposed to Piccolo who (by choice) isolates himself socially from them. He's also a character who's father was introduced to heavy persecution by society because of how he looked and how humans treated each other. While never knowing his own true origins on why he looks different to the Earthlings he dubbed himself as a demon. However bitter by having to fulfill a goal given to him by a corrupt father figure that wanted him to fufill a bad ambition. (comparable to poverty and children resorting to crime by social influence). He then later in adulthood only connects to one character that did not have prejudice towards and didn't see him as intimidating. (Where as the other characters that did only remember negative things associated with him even after he disbanded from them but later is trusted to teach the children the realities of a hard reality of how he was taught to fight.(Gohan, Goten, Trunks). At best Goku's friends only respect him enough to trust him after the years they spent with his assistance. His characterization fits a lot of experiences some black fans may relate with particularly because of that, and considering how the social history of how aesthetic-segregation is reflective off those early similarities and outcome. It's unintentional possibly, but he is great for that role he gives by the parallels.

In parodies, he's just the "black guy" because he's the play-on "token" minority guy of the group, which is usually always subordinating a role given to non-white characters in hollywood media.(Usually through inserted Black characters) so piccolo is like a facetious play onto that, and him being the only Namek in the group is like a parallel.

[TheAmericanDream]

^ I couldn't agree more with this. I seem to remember a Funimation dub line about "not mattering about your color" to Gohan when he was asked why he didn't return to Planet Namek. That line always felt like it was a bit forceful but as a black guy it did make me wonder if there was anything to the analogy, but I think I was just looking for ways to project onto one of my favorite chararacter. You laid out reasons people "Why sometimes Piccolo is seen as the Black guy" and I don't think there's anything too strange or insensitive about it. I believe the Wutang Clan also saw Son Goku's character progression and revelations about being a Saiyan under the servitude of Freeza having parallels with struggles of being an African American and he's about as far off visually as you can get once he turns Super Saiyan!

I think you only run into a problem if people were to say "Dragonball is offensive or prejudice because of" insert thing Toriyama probably didn't do or saying that "Toriyama clearly made Piccolo black" that's just nonsense.

[TobyS]

I remember seeing what was a clip from weekly tube show, not knowing that's what it was some years ago.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQXiX_kg0Rw

(Perhaps just from that alone years later it was referenced by TFS, seen above as a the second version in the clip)

I feel like the Piccolo is a black guy thing was already present before though, kind of an easy assumption to make, cool, tough, tall, shaven head, deep voice, somehow vaguely more spiritual and wise then the others. Kind of patronizing stereotypes even if they are positive ones, it ticks enough boxes such that you can see the overlap.

I think the "people identifying with who they can", especially when there's a "shortage", sounds plausible. Check out this scene from chasing Amy where the black dude speaking puts a racial spin on star wars. Was it what Lucas had in mind? No but it fits right!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7L9io-b9Uew

[Draconic]

Piccolo as the black guy occured to me after watching the TV show Spartacus, where I liked to refer to Onomaeus as the Piccolo of the gladiators. Both stoic and very skilled, wise and caring, but ultimatley outclassed by the main three guys (Spartacus - Goku, Gannicus - Gohan and Crixus - Vegeta)

[chubby_samurai]

Why would someone associate Piccolo as being black?

- Piccolo's stern demeanor is similar to the stereotypical 'always serious' militant black man.

- The appearance of planet Namek resembles parts of Somalia and Ethiopia.

- Of the clothes to choose from Goku's wardrobe, Piccolo opted for the 'Post Boy' look.

- Turbans aren't limited to India and the Arab world, headwraps are also popular in North and Western Africa (and yes, there are groups of black people indigenous to North Africa).

- Scott McNeil made Piccolo sound far more 'black' than necessary (perhaps moreso than Chris Sabat).

- It's been a long-running gag that's hard to ignore.


Dragon Ball can be ambiguously racist from time-to-time (it stars a race of Asian-looking alien apes who can transform into green-eyed caucasians with super-long mullets whenever they get pissed off, and features a blackface genie who speaks almost retardedly in the Japanese version), but I suppose this (hopefully, innocent and unintentional) childish ignorance is part of the charm of the series.

There are black characters who do exist in the 'Dragon World' universe (Killa, Agent Black, Boss Rabbit's henchman, that random girl in Gohan's class, the lady who let young Krillin borrow a marker, possibly that pimp android, etc.), but the majority of them are portrayed in an not-so-flattery manner.

Piccolo can be viewed as a true 'black' man (with some dignity and a personality), and not some throw-away racial stereotype.