Back in 2022, Toei called it quits Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, a very good movie that shows a new style of art and set Piccolo and Gohan (aka, his son) ahead. If you come away from the movie loving any of the characters, especially the first one, it seems like that’s the point of it all.

During a recent radio show celebrating The Dragon Ball 40th anniversary, longtime executive producer Akio Iyoku spoke about the series’ past and present projects. According to the translated notes of the Twitter user peraperayume (thanks, CBR), Iyoku wanted Piccolo to be like Goku and Vegeta, who both leveled up a lot throughout It’s Dragon Ball Super run and the Broly movie. At that point, Piccolo wasn’t there yet, something many fans of the character have noticed. Iyoku is one such fan, and aims to address that problem.

As he said this, he sought out creator Akira Toriyama’s advice on how to do the Namekian right. Ultimately, their talks sparked Toriyama’s writing idea Super Heroes. That movie put Goku and Vegeta on the sidelines so that Piccolo and Gohan could take center stage and battle a newly resurrected Red Ribbon Army. Eventually, the duo opened up new forms to use, with Piccolo being the latest. Orange mode considered by Toriyama as his first proper upgrade.

Happy New Year!🐉
Yesterday on January 1st, Akio Iyoku spoke on the “All Night Nippon – Dragon Ball 40th Anniversary Special” radio show for about 20 minutes about various things in DB, including Daima and what’s to come👀
Translated some fragments🔽

Source:https://t.co/X40t6ECrUR pic.twitter.com/I12WCPxl2W

— Andy Antaro 🇩🇪 (@peraperayume) January 2, 2025

While Piccolo is in the current Dragon Ball Always anime, his Orange form has yet to pop up in that, as well as last year’s fighting game Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. (This before, however, added to Xenoverse 2 as DLC.) Looks like the movie did its job and made people want more Piccolo. Now, it’s just a matter of how Toei balances that need with other fan-favorite characters—even since. Toriyama’s passing early last year.

Want more io9 news? Check when to expect the latest wonders, Star Warsand Star Trek releases, what’s next for DC Universe in film and TVand everything you need to know about the future of Doctor Who.