Who was God before Kami?

[precita]

In the episode Goku meets Kami for the first time in Dragonball, we see a flashback where Kami asks the previous God/guardian of Earth to become his successor but he's refused because of the evil thoughts in his mind...so he expels that which turned out to be King Piccolo.

So since Kami was a Namek and we see some guy in a robe before him in the flashback, who exactly was that and where did he go? Was this ever explained in the manga? I seem to recall the Garlic Jr. movie saying his father competed with Kami to be the next God too...but I wonder if there's anything else.

[Polyphase Avatron]

Pretty sure it was never elaborated on. Best we know is that it was likely some earthling.

[Herms]

who exactly was that and where did he go?

It's explicitly said that he died, and that he saw his death coming, hence why he was on the lookout for a replacement. And while it's never stated, presumably he was an Earthling, since that's how the system is theoretically supposed to work: a fine, upstanding member of a planet's population is selected to become god of that planet, according to the DB version of theology. It's just that Earth keeps getting Namekians appointed as God due to various wacky circumstances. This is even sort of addressed in the Garlic Junior filler arc, where the spirits of all the prior Gods of Earth are angry at the Current Occupant for being an extraterrestrial, and he has to protest that he loves Earth just as much as they do.

[nickzambuto]

After becoming the first Super Saiyan, Bardock remembered the planet that his son would be sent to sometime within the next thousand years. He traveled there hoping to somehow reunite with his son when he arrives, and through his pure heart and great power was eventually anointed as guardian. However after several centuries, even a Super Saiyan succumbs to his age. Giving up on his dream of seeing his son, Bardock picks the Kami we know as his successor and happily passes.

Either that or Beerus did it.