Fan Dragon ball well aware that goku have repeatedly needed help getting back from the grave, and often Dragon Balls are the perfect quick fix for such things, but in one episode of Dragon Ball GT, the Z Warriors actually came up with a workaround that could bring one of their Dragon Balls back from the afterlife without using Dragon Balls–and it’s all thanks Piccolo.
While Piccolo is credited for this new way of resurrecting Dragon Ball’s heroes, he’s technically also responsible for the old way of doing things. Back before even the classic Dragon Ball, a Namekian known only as the Nameless Namekian traveled to Earth to become the planet’s god, aka Kami. To do that, the Nameless Namekian had to separate the good part of his soul from the evil part – even though that evil part had manifested into a being called its own King Piccolo. After King Piccolo was defeated by Goku, he gave life to a ‘son’, Piccolo (whom fans know and love today). After giving up their lives of evil and joining the Z-Fighters, Piccolo and Kami realize that the only way for Piccolo to reach his full potential is to reunite with his original self. So Piccolo and Kami once again become one, and with that fusion, Piccolo’s life is tied to the Dragon Balls of Earth because Kami is the one who created them. This means that Piccolo was directly responsible for any revivals performed with the Dragon Balls of Earth before Dende became the new Kami—and now he is also responsible for this alternative (and far superior).
Piccolo can open a portal from the afterlife to earth
In Dragon Ball GT episode 45 (written by Atsushi Maekawa, directed by Osamu Kasai, produced by Toei Animation), Goku and Piccolo are trapped in hell after Android 17 spiritually connects to an alternate version of himself built in hell and successfully executes a Dragon Ball two-way fusion technique to open a portal between Earth and hell. A lot of the old Z-Fighters villains have flown through this portal, but in the process, Goku finds himself trapped in hell. At that point, Piccolo was dead and enjoying the afterlife in heaven, until he asked King Yemma (who is responsible for a soul’s final destination) to send him to hell. King Yemma eventually did so, and when Piccolo went to hell, he made a psychic connection with Dende (Earth’s current Kami) and both of them performed the same technique 17 with his alternate self. Before long, Piccolo and Dende had mastered the technique, and Goku was free to leave Hell and fight 17 before he destroyed the world, though Piccolo was left behind.
The events of this episode completely changed the game when it came to Dragon Ball revival. First, when 17 first opened the gates of hell, the villains who had been dead for years literally flew through a hole in the sky, and they came back to life. No halo, no time limit 24 hours, they came back as if they had never died. Second, Piccolo and Dende proved that they can do this too, and Piccolo is still in hell even after the events of the Dragon Ball GT anime. So a dead person can be brought back to life instantly by flying through this portal, and Piccolo has the means to open this portal whenever someone needs him – in short, the Z-Fighters have just gained immortality.
While goku (and Krillin) can now resurrect any time they want, after convincing King Yemma to send them to hell, of course (which, to be honest, won’t be that difficult), they can only do so because Piccolo can never go back – a truly heroic sacrifice that guarantees all Dragon ball Heroes can be resurrected without the Dragon Balls.