InDragon Ball’s anime and manga,Piccolois one of the most powerful Z-Fighters around, with his journey as a villain-turned-hero-turned-surrogate father being one of the best character arcs in the series forty-year-plus history. Garnering a respectable following that rivals his buddy Goku’s fandom at times,Bandai’s Banpresto has recently revealed a new piece ofDragon Ballmerch for their Crane Game that will officially allow fans to become Piccolo!
Offering a selection of licensed anime and manga merch from figurines to apparel to niche toys and more, Banpresto Crane Game cabinets are a fun and (mostly) affordable way to obtain exclusive nerd collectibles, with their mainly Japanese-only locations ensuring a robust secondhand market for their prizes.
Starting February 6th and similar to other wearable items already available in the game’s pool of loot, like apink Majin Buu capdesigned with his ear holes and head appendage, theBanpresto Crane Game will include a new prize: a green Piccolo beanie complete with the character’s pointy ears and forehead antennae.
Bandai Is Adding a Piccolo Cap Prize to Their Popular Banpresto Crane Game Cabinets
This Piccolo Hat Is a Crane Game-Exclusive Item
First introduced asthe evil King Piccolo— an ancient Namekian who split from Earth’s guardian, Kami, and vowed to conquer the world — this iteration of Piccolo eventually gave “birth” to Piccolo Jr., effectively putting his reincarnation/“son” on a path to become the badass hero fans know and love him as today. Receiving a powerful “Orange Piccolo” transformation in 2022’sDragon Ball Super: Super Herofilm,Piccolo joined the rest of the magically down-sized heroes in the recently premieredDragon Ball Daimaanime, proving the character’s staying power as aDragon Ballicon and integral part of the series.
Dragon Ball Fans Like to Call Goku a Bad Dad, But Piccolo Started the Debate Ages Ago With a Simple Quote
Goku’s reputation as a bad dad has always been a running joke, but a quote from Piccolo puts it into perspective and drives the point home.
Being one ofthe late Akira Toriyama’s favorite characters,Piccolo getting a new Banpresto Crane Game prize is a great way to honor the memory ofDragon Ball’s creatorwhile giving fans a way to express their love for the character in a super nerdy way. Presented as an all-green hat/cap/beanie with two large ears and two dangling antennae that match the character’s recognizable design, this Piccolo prize is a dream come true for cosplayers who don’t necessarily want to paint themselves green, giving them a low-key option to embody this Z-Warrior in a much more comfortable way.
Dragon BallFans Can Become Piccolo if Their Crane Game Skills Are Good Enough
Though already a difficult item to obtain through traditional means (unless you’re a Banpresto Crane Game expert, that is),Bandai could hype this new prize even further by adding a similarly designed Orange Piccolo cap in certain cabinets, a prize that would act as the perfect “rare” item for collectors to try their hand at winning while paying respect to Piccolo’s latest and greatest transformation. It remains to be seen what othericonicDragon Ballheroes and villainswill make the cut next, with this Banpresto Crane Game-exclusive beanie being a must-have for fans wanting to channel their innerPiccolo.
