Piccolo Jr. Saga

The Piccolo Jr. Saga closes the original Dragon Ball anime with a story that transforms its protagonist from a remarkable boy into an extraordinary young man. After defeating King Piccolo, Goku is carried to Korin Tower by Yajirobe, healed with a Senzu Bean, and informed that a being named Kami, the creator of the Dragon Balls, lives in a palace above the clouds. Kami and King Piccolo were once one entity, split apart so that Kami could become Earth's Guardian. With King Piccolo dead but his reincarnation already hatched, Kami offers Goku a deal: train on the Lookout for three years, and in exchange, Kami will recreate Shenron so that Goku's friends can be revived.

Mr. Popo and the Humbling

Goku arrives at the Lookout brimming with confidence from his victory over King Piccolo, and Mr. Popo shatters it immediately. Kami's servant defeats Goku in their first sparring match without apparent effort, dodging everything the boy throws and countering with strikes Goku cannot see coming. The lesson is clear: defeating King Piccolo does not make Goku the strongest fighter in the world. Not even close. Mr. Popo teaches Goku to sense his opponent's movements rather than react to them, a fundamental shift in fighting philosophy that will define Goku's combat style for the rest of the franchise.

Meanwhile, at Kame House, the Dragon Balls have become active again. Bulma and the others summon Shenron and wish back everyone killed by King Piccolo and his demons. Krillin, Master Roshi, Chiaotzu, and every innocent victim return to life. The world rejoices, and reporters swarm the area looking for the boy who defeated King Piccolo. But Goku is on the Lookout, invisible to the world, training in silence.

The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament

Three years later, an eighteen-year-old Goku descends from the Lookout for the tournament. His friends do not recognize him. The scrawny kid has become a tall, powerful young man wearing a turban to conceal his identity. Only after he removes it and reveals his trademark hair do they believe him. Krillin thanks Goku for what he did for him, a moment of emotional sincerity that grounds the reunion.

The tournament roster includes Goku, Krillin, Tien, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu, but also two unknowns: a mysterious angry woman who demands Goku remember her, and a tall, intimidating fighter who enters under the name "Junior." Goku and Tien immediately recognize Junior as Piccolo Jr. but agree to keep it secret, not wanting to cause panic among the other competitors or spectators.

The tournament delivers one memorable fight after another. Mercenary Tao, now a cyborg seeking revenge on Tien and Goku, enters the bracket and immediately breaks the rules by pulling a hidden knife and a cannon from his robotic arms. Tien drops him with a single punch, carrying his unconscious former colleague to Master Shen's feet and telling the old man to take Tao and never return. It is a scene of quiet finality for one of the franchise's earliest rivalries.

Goku vs. Chi-Chi

The mysterious "Anonymous" fighter attacks Goku with genuine fury, demanding to know if he remembers her. He does not. She tells him that he once promised to take her as his wife. Goku, having no idea what a wife is, asks Krillin for clarification. The crowd watches in bewilderment as a martial arts match becomes a relationship negotiation. Chi-Chi agrees that if Goku can defeat her, she will reveal her identity. Goku creates an invisible shockwave that knocks her out of the ring, and Chi-Chi happily announces herself. Goku, remembering the childhood promise he made while thinking "bride" was a type of food, proposes on the spot. The audience cheers. Chi-Chi is overjoyed. Goku is visibly confused by her affection. It is one of Dragon Ball's most endearing scenes.

Piccolo Jr. Reveals Himself

Junior faces Krillin in the quarterfinals. Krillin fights brilliantly, deploying techniques like the Double Tsuibikidan and demonstrating that he has learned to fly. But Junior is in a different class entirely. He defeats Krillin, then reveals his true identity by growing to an enormous size in his match against Hero, who turns out to be Kami possessing a human body. The spectators panic. The commentator nearly loses his composure. Piccolo Jr. expels Kami from his host and swallows him whole, meaning that if Piccolo dies, Kami dies too, and the Dragon Balls vanish with him. It is a calculated hostage move that forces Goku to fight without the option of killing his opponent.

The Final Round

Goku versus Piccolo Jr. is the longest, most complex fight in the original Dragon Ball series. Piccolo unleashes attacks that crack the tournament ring and send debris flying into the audience. He grows to giant size. He fires his devastating techniques at full power. Goku matches him at every turn, using the skills Mr. Popo taught him and the power Kami helped him develop. The fight destroys the arena entirely. At its climax, Piccolo traps Goku inside a bottle using the Evil Containment Wave, but Goku breaks free. Goku eventually headbutts through Piccolo's chest, mirroring his father-killing blow against King Piccolo, but spares the demon's life because killing Piccolo would kill Kami and destroy the Dragon Balls.

Goku is declared the winner of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, the first time he has ever won the tournament despite competing in three of them. He gives Piccolo a Senzu Bean to heal his wounds, an act of mercy that bewilders everyone present and plants the first seed of the grudging respect that will eventually transform Piccolo into an ally.

The Piccolo Jr. Saga accomplishes a transition that most long-running series struggle with: it ages its protagonist without losing what made him compelling. The eighteen-year-old Goku is taller, stronger, and more composed than the child who started the series, but he still mistakes marriage for food, still charges into fights with a grin, and still offers mercy to enemies who tried to destroy him. The growth is visible in his fighting, in his calm under pressure, in the way he senses attacks before they arrive. But his personality remains untouched. He is still Goku.

The Birth of Piccolo's Redemption

Goku's decision to spare Piccolo Jr. and give him a Senzu Bean is one of the most important moments in the franchise. In that single act, Goku rejects the cycle of violence that defined King Piccolo's saga. He refuses to kill an enemy even when the entire world would approve, choosing instead to preserve a life that might someday become an ally. That bet pays off across the entirety of Dragon Ball Z: Piccolo becomes Gohan's mentor, the Earth's defender during Goku's absences, and one of the most reliable warriors in the Z Fighter roster. Without Goku's mercy here, none of that happens.

Closing the First Chapter

The saga ends with Goku and Chi-Chi leaving the tournament together, heading toward their wedding and the domestic life that Chi-Chi has dreamed of and Goku does not fully understand. In the anime, a filler arc follows involving fire-resistant wedding dresses, but the manga closes the original Dragon Ball story right here: a young man walking away from his greatest victory with his bride at his side, a beaten enemy regenerating behind him, and the promise of Dragon Ball Z waiting on the horizon.

The original Dragon Ball series, which began with a monkey-tailed boy finding a glowing orb in the woods, ends with that boy standing as the strongest martial artist on Earth. The Piccolo Jr. Saga distills everything the series built over hundreds of chapters: friendship tested by combat, enemies who become allies, power earned through suffering, and a hero whose greatest strength is not his fists but his willingness to believe that everyone deserves a second chance.