Episode 148 – The Monster Is Coming/The Gekiretsu Kodan that Split the Heavens!! Piccolo vs Artificial Human No. 17
One of the greatest, but also overlooked fights in all of Dragon Ball Z is the clash between Piccolo and Android 17. This episode marks another major point in Piccolo’s character arc — he’s now not only a good guy, but he’s also actively protecting Goku from being hunted by the Androids. He used to want nothing but to kill Goku and here he is protecting him. Progress.
As for the fight, the duel between 17 and Piccolo is one of the most raw, brutal and well choreographed fights in the series. Some of the best battles in DBZ are ones where the characters are evenly matched and not so powerful that every blow sends one of them through a mountain. It’s better when the fight is a great balance of skill and power, and this fight is one of those, perhaps the best of the saga.
