The Namekians are one of the many powerful races of the universe of Dragon Ball, capable of truly special abilities. Piccolo is the most prominent Namekian in the franchise and uses his powers to help overcome numerous threats over the years. Here are some five unique facts about Piccolo, both as an individual and more generally in regards to Namekian biology.
Piccolo's Asexual Birth
Namekians are capable of a strange form of asexual reproduction, as proven by King Piccolo during the events of Dragon Ball and by Guru in Dragon Ball Z. King Piccolo is able to lay eggs, which can grow into new independent Namekians. These eggs can also be used to induce a reincarnation, as King Piccolo did after being mortally wounded fighting Goku. This resulted in the birth of Piccolo Jr., the more well-known Piccolo, who would go on to be a major hero and redeem his previous incarnation's name. However, unlike his father, Piccolo theoretically cannot create any offspring himself.
There are two forms of Namekians: the Dragon Clan and the Warrior-Type. Dragon Clan Namekians are capable of mystical abilities, such as creating Dragon Balls. They are also shown reproducing asexually. The Warrior Clan does not seem to possess these abilities, explaining why Piccolo can't create Dragon Balls of his own. Kami was a member of the Dragon Clan, as was King Piccolo after Kami expunged the evil from his body and inadvertently created him.
This meant that King Piccolo was technically still a Dragon Clan-type Namekian, and retained those additional abilities. However, when he laid Piccolo Jr, he made him a Warrior-class Namekian. While this gave Piccolo a stronger power level, it seems that it may have prevented him from creating any offspring himself.
Piccolo's Kami Connection
Because he is a resurrected form of King Piccolo, Piccolo Jr. also retains the latter's connection to Kami. The two came into being at the same time and were originally a single nameless Namekian. After coming to Earth, this Namekian sought to become the new Guardian. But his inner darkness kept him from achieving this power. Instead, the Namekian was forced to split himself into two twin forms -- the good side becoming Kami and his darker half becoming King Piccolo. Similar to Namekian Fusion, the two became eternally bonded, with a shared lifeline -- if one were to die, the other would perish as well.
Piccolo Jr. retained this aspect of his father. This resulted in the death of Kami during the Saiyan Saga, due to the death of Piccolo while fighting Nappa. It also meant that the two could reform into a single being, which they do shortly before the beginning of the Cell Saga. Although the two effectively fuse into a single being, this counts as the technical demise of Kami -- rendering his Dragon Balls inert. Because Piccolo is of the Warrior-type, he lacks the ability to create new Dragon Balls. This requires the Z-Warriors to bring Dende to Earth to become the new Guardian.
Piccolo's Magic Materialization Technique
Although he lacks the full magical potential of Kami, Piccolo does seem to have at least one mystical technique perfected: Magic Materialization. The technique is a frequent ability of the Dragon Clan and is technically the ability used to create Dragon Balls. Although Piccolo isn't capable of creating anything that grand, Piccolo does use it in Dragon Ball Z to create clothing for Gohan. This is likely how Piccolo also produced his own clothing.
Other characters have used this ability as well, suggesting it isn't an inherent Namekians technique so much as a power they can use. This includes Garlic Jr, who crafts a throne for himself during the anime-only Garlic Jr. Saga, and the demonic Dabura, who crafts a sword out of nothing during the Buu Saga. As a magical technique, it doesn't draw upon Ki to be utilized. In theory, it's an incredibly useful power for the Dragon Clan Namekians to possess. Ironically, Namekians have been shown to be largely uninterested in most material items -- they have little motivation to use this amazing ability!
Piccolo's Healing Factor Is Extraordinary
Namekians have an extraordinarily impressive healing factor, allowing them to replace lost limbs with ease. Namekian Regeneration seems to be a natural aspect of Namekians, with Piccolo utilizing it repeatedly over the course of Dragon Ball Z. After having his arm severed during his battles with Radditz and Imperfect Cell, Piccolo is able to regrow the arm in moments. However, the act requires a good deal of concentration and is shown to be physically taxing on the Namekian.
Other Namekians have displayed the same power, including Nail (who regrew his arm after it was ripped off by Frieza) and Lord Slug (who regrows his arm after Goku severely injured it). By the time of Dragon Ball Super, Piccolo is shown adapting to otherwise devastating body blows as well -- at one point even casually healing a hole in his chest during the Tournament of Power. However, it's notable that Namekians cannot have their heads destroyed and then regenerate, as the regenerative nucleus that makes this possible is located in the skull. If that is destroyed, then the Namekians lose the ability to regrow limbs.
Namekians Like Piccolo Have Advanced Hearing
Namekians are shown to possess incredibly attuned senses, including hearing. Those large pointed ears certainly come in handy. While this can come in great use in the wild, it also presents an unlikely weakness in the form of verbal assaults. This becomes a prominent beat during the non-canon movie Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug. Slug, a powerful Namekian, attacked the Earth and restored his youth with the Dragon Balls. He quickly proved to be a formidable foe, even holding Goku at bay.
However, Gohan had earlier discovered that whistling is more than enough to be practically torturous to Piccolo. Realizing this potential advantage, Piccolo ripped off his own ears and ordered Gohan to whistle -- hurting Slug long enough for the heroes to gain an advantage. Piccolo's ability to regenerate allowed him to restore his ears afterward, restoring his sense of hearing.
