Why is Piccolo Considered "The Black Guy"?

[Lunatic Fringe]

Something that's kinda been, I guess, "bothering" me since I really started delving into the Dragon Ball internet fandom is the notion that Piccolo is...well, black. Your mileage may vary on what the term necessarily means but keep in mind that "Piccolo being the black guy" is basically a meme along with Krillin being the most useless, Yamcha's first death being hilariously pathetic, Popo being a racist caricature, etc so it's safe to say that it's not something that you're supposed to approach with a studious curiosity. Now, as I mentioned before, this meme "bothers" me. Not because I find it offensive but because I can't understand where or how it came about. I think about every black stereotype out there and I can't find anyway to connect the dots as to how this meme makes any sense. Is folding his arms and scowling all the time really what makes Piccolo "black"? I mean, I understand that the other memes I've referenced come about from a lack of understanding about how the original version plays out since I'm willing to bet that most American viewers that religiously watched DBZ from '99 to '03 on Toonami, like I did, had that as their first experience and therefore, didn't understand just how much Yamcha dying meant to the series or that Krillin had actually come a long way since his debut in the Dragon Ball anime. But even taking that casual, FUNi perspective into consideration, nothing comes up as to how Piccolo being "black" makes any sense. How did this come about? How did it get to be so prominent? I'm really at a loss here and I'd appreciate it if some in the know could shed some light on this cryptic concept.

[DBZAOTA482]

7 feet tall, good at basketball, deep voice, is a playa, and one of the hardest muthafuckas' of the Z-Warriors.

[Lunatic Fringe]

7 feet tall, good at basketball, deep voice, is a playa, and one of the hardest muthafuckas' of the Z-Warriors.

I'm pretty sure he'd be good at basketball. He wouldn't even have to move to block someone from making a shot.



On another note, that get-up MIGHT be where it all started but the way I've seen it talked about, it stems from actually examining his character and coming to the "black" conclusion.

[Soppa Saia People]

I've never heard of this but of all the "black stereotypes" I've heard he really only fits one (a deep voice).

[TheBigBoy]

Well he did release that album of slow jams in that one filler episode...it was considered too hot and heavy for the English release though.

[Lord Beerus]

Because in one episode of DBZ, he dressed up like Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air:

Spoiler:

[Akumaito Beam]

I could be off base but I think it's probably due to black fans of this franchise being hard up for representation. That is to say, Piccolo's race is abstract so it's easy to project any race on him. I've heard similar diatribes about how Freeza represents the white man and how the Saiyans are black people. Art can be interpreted in many different ways. That being said I'm the whitest fucking person you'll ever meet so take my opinion on this with a grain of salt.

[Cipher]

Shit, if you really want to get into it, I'd venture an enormous guess it has to do with Sabat's deep voice and some really problematic stereotypes, and Piccolo being the only visually different, skin-tone-wise, character among a standard "anime-white" cast.

Those, and WeeklyTubeShow's less problematic, genuinely hilarious YouTube videos.

[precita]

This topic is rather shady because its like saying all Nameks are black.

Do you consider Kami to be black? Dende? King Piccolo? All the other Nameks? Why should Piccolo be considered black and not his entire race?

[Herms]

Is this really a thing? I don't think I've ever encountered it before.

[B]

The only thing I've ever seen that perpetrated this was WeeklyTubeShow, and that is obviously a joke. Then again, I do not venture outside of Kanzenshuu too hard. The "I'm Just Saiyan" crowd is what I fear.

[Hellspawn28]

It could be his English voice that give people the idea.

[Saiga]

Is this really a thing? I don't think I've ever encountered it before.

I've encountered it a lot, and I'm not just including things like WeeklyTubeShow which is just meant to be random humour.

I've always been confused why this is, but it's probably to do with representation. Piccolo's also idealized a lot by fans, so I'd guess it's not because he's particularly black but because fans apply all these labels like "badass" "strategist" and the like to him which makes him appealing to identify with.

[successoroffate]

He's known as "Big Green" on the streets.

[s841]

I always thought it was because his skin was like the only one that wasn't white

[precita]

Do people really see the cast as "white?" Aren't they all, you know...Japanese?

I think Bulma, Android 18, and Mr. Satan are some of the few characters who are likely "white" and not Asian.

[DBZAOTA482]

I always thought it was because his skin was like the only one that wasn't white

Goku (manga), Vegeta, Krillin (manga), Yamcha, Goten (manga), and Trunks aren't white.

[s841]

I always thought it was because his skin was like the only one that wasn't white

Goku (manga), Vegeta, Krillin (manga), Yamcha, Goten (manga), and Trunks aren't white.

I said their skin not race. Is their skin not white?
Sorry what do you want me to call them? Black? Orange? Blue? Their skin is white. Picolo's isn't. That's my theory on why he's considered "black".

[Soppa Saia People]

I always thought it was because his skin was like the only one that wasn't white

Goku (manga), Vegeta, Krillin (manga), Yamcha, Goten (manga), and Trunks aren't white.

I said their skin not race. Is there skin not white?

Yes

Spoiler:

Spoiler:

[RandomGuy96]

7 feet tall

Black people are shorter than whites on average.