Super Saiyan 4, are still celebrated today.

The anime's strengths and weaknesses essentially boil down to great ideas, but poor execution. The Black Star Dragon Balls make for an effective enough premise, yet the hunt to find them can be monotonous. Android #17's return as a villain makes for some interesting contrast between him and his sister, but he isn't a very entertaining villain. One thing Dragon Ball GT did incredibly well, however, was give Piccolo his own shine, bringing the villain-turned-hero's character arc to a satisfying close.

Dragon Ball GT Gave Piccolo a Satisfying Final Arc

After an Emotional Goodbye, Piccolo Reclaimed His Old Title

During the Baby Saga, the Earth doesn't have long, as the Black Star Dragon Balls will destroy the planet on which a wish is made within the year. When that time comes, however, and the residents of Earth are safe, Piccolo decides to stay behind on the dying planet, knowing that his death will also rid the world of the Black Star Dragon Balls. After an emotional goodbye with Gohan, Piccolo is sent to the afterlife, where he travels to Hell in order to free Goku, who was imprisoned there by Hell Fighter #17, Dr. Gero, and Myuu.

While becoming trapped in Hell seems like a terrible fate, it's more of a full-circle moment for Piccolo, who was introduced in Dragon Ball as the great Demon King. Villains defeated in the series are sent to Hell, where they can train and become unrivaled in the afterlife, causing issues even after they've died. Now that Piccolo's in town, however, he becomes the de facto guardian of Hell, essentially regaining his old title as the Demon King. It's a satisfying end for one of Dragon Ball's most beloved fighters, and an instance of GT adding meaningful development to a character.

GT's Spiritual Successor Also Added to Piccolo's Demon Roots

Dragon Ball Daima Also Revisited the Old Demon King, Though Not in As Satisfying a Way

The recently completed Dragon Ball Daima also made sure to add to Piccolo's Demon King roots, though not in as meaningful of a conclusion. With the introduction of Planet Namek in the original series, the Demon King title Piccolo once held sort of lost any meaning. However, Daima revealed that Namekians actually originated from the Demon Realm, but fled long ago. The franchise's latest anime adventure pulled quite a bit from GT, and followed its lead in giving Piccolo some meaningful development, though it doesn't hit quite the same satisfying note.

Dragon Ball GT has been the target of endless criticism in the near three decades since its conclusion. Nevertheless, the series is able to hit some high heights at times, and Piccolo's full-circle final arc is one of those moments. Dragon Ball hasn't taken much time diving into the Namekian's origins, and any future entry would likely benefit from exploring Akira Toriyama's favorite character just a bit more.