He’s just standing there. Most Dragon Ball fans remember Mr. Popo as the silent, dark-skinned attendant to Kami who spends his days watering flowers on a floating platform in the sky. He doesn't scream for five episodes to power up. He doesn't have a tragic backstory involving a destroyed planet. Honestly, he’s basically the most mysterious guy in the entire franchise. But if you actually look at the history of Dragon Ball Z Mr Popo, you realize the guy is a total powerhouse who has been low-key carrying the defense of Earth for centuries.
People forget that when Goku first reached the Lookout as a kid, he had just wiped the floor with King Piccolo. He was the strongest human-adjacent being on the planet. Then he met Popo.
Popo didn't even sweat. He swallowed a Kamehameha. Literally. He ate it.
The Power Scaling Mystery of Dragon Ball Z Mr Popo
The power levels in DBZ are famously inconsistent, but Mr. Popo exists in this weird vacuum where he seems as strong as the plot needs him to be without ever taking the spotlight. In the early days, his power level was officially cited around 1,030 in various Japanese guidebooks like the Daizenshuu 7. That’s higher than Goku and Piccolo were at the very start of the Raditz saga.
It’s wild.
Think about the training of the Z-Fighters during the Saiyan Saga. While Goku was running along Snake Way, Tien, Yamcha, Krillin, and Chiaotzu were up on the Lookout. Who was pushing them? Popo. He wasn't just a butler; he was a master martial artist teaching them how to sense ki and move "faster than lightning." He’s the one who introduced the concept of mental training and spiritual calm that eventually allowed Goku to master Ultra Instinct decades later. You could argue that without the foundation laid by Mr. Popo, Goku never learns the finesse required to survive the later sagas.
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More than just a gardener
His longevity is another thing. He’s lived for thousands of years. He has served every Guardian of Earth since way before Kami was even a thought. This makes him a literal living encyclopedia of Earth's history and magical lore. When the Z-Fighters needed to get to Namek, it wasn't a high-tech capsule that got them there—it was Popo remembering where an ancient Namekian ship was hidden and teaching Bulma how to trigger it with voice commands.
He’s the glue.
Then we get to the Majin Buu saga. This is where things get controversial for the power-scalers. There is a brief, often-discussed moment where Goten and Trunks, both Super Saiyans, are training. In the anime, Mr. Popo actually holds his own against them for a few seconds. He’s blocking kicks from two kids who could arguably flatten Frieza at that point. Is it "filler"? Maybe. But it cements the idea that Popo isn't some fragile old man. He is a divine entity whose limits we haven't actually seen.
The Cultural Controversy and Visual Changes
We have to address the elephant in the room. If you’ve watched the localized versions of the show, especially the 4Kids broadcast, you might have seen a bright blue version of the character. This is because Dragon Ball Z Mr Popo has been at the center of heavy criticism regarding racial caricatures. His design—jet-black skin, large red lips, and lack of a nose—draws directly from "blackface" imagery that was common in early 20th-century cartoons.
Akira Toriyama, the creator, likely pulled from these dated visual tropes without realizing the weight they carried in the West.
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Because of this, the character has been a point of contention for decades. In the manga, he remains the same. In most modern streaming versions, he remains the same. But that blue "recolor" remains one of the most jarring edits in anime history. It’s a reminder of how much the world has changed since the late 80s when the character was first penned. It's also why he's rarely the "face" of marketing campaigns today, despite being a core part of the lore.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Role
Most fans think he’s just a servant. That’s a mistake. He’s the "Genie of the Lookout," but his role is closer to a permanent guardian of the office of God. When a Kami dies or moves on, Popo stays. He’s the one who vets the next candidate. He’s essentially the HR department for the Earth’s divinity.
He also has some of the most unique abilities in the series:
- Matter Creation: He can create things out of thin air, like the carpet he flies on.
- The Magic Carpet: It’s not just for show; it can travel across the globe instantly.
- Interdimensional Travel: He can move between the Living World and the Other World (Check the Garlic Jr. saga, even if it's filler, it shows his range).
- Ki Mastery: He was the first person to teach the concept of "emptying the mind" to Goku.
He’s basically a lower-tier Angel, similar to Whis, but for Earth. He serves the deity, guides them, and stays out of the way of mortal conflicts unless absolutely necessary.
The Garlic Jr. Factor
Even though the Garlic Jr. arc is often skipped by fans who only care about "canon," it’s one of the few times we see Popo in the trenches. He has to navigate the depths of the Lookout to spread the Sacred Water to cure the world of the Black Water Mist. He’s brave, he’s capable, and he’s willing to sacrifice himself for a planet he’s watched for millennia. He’s seen civilizations rise and fall. He’s seen dozens of "Gokus" come and go.
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That kind of perspective is rare in a show where everyone is obsessed with the next power-up.
Actionable Insights for Dragon Ball Fans
If you're going back to rewatch the series or diving into Dragon Ball Daima or Super, keep a close eye on the background characters. Here is how you can better appreciate the nuances of the Lookout's hierarchy:
- Watch the OG Dragon Ball training: Pay attention to the episodes where Goku trains with Popo. It explains the "calm as the sky" philosophy that becomes the bedrock of every major technique Goku uses later, including the Spirit Bomb.
- Analyze the "Blue Popo" phenomenon: If you find a DVD or stream where he is blue, you're watching a specific era of American censorship history. It’s a fascinating, if uncomfortable, look at how media is adapted for different cultures.
- Respect the "Pecking Order": This is a meme from the Dragon Ball Z Abridged parody series by TeamFourStar. While it's a joke, it has permeated the fandom so much that many people now unironically view Popo as a terrifying, omnipotent god. It’s a fun community rabbit hole to explore.
- Check the Daizenshuu: If you want the hard stats, look up the translated entries for the Daizenshuu guidebooks. They provide the most "official" context for his origin as an entity sent from the afterlife to assist the Guardian.
Mr. Popo isn't a fighter in the way Vegeta is. He doesn't want the glory. He just wants the flowers watered and the tiles scrubed. But in a universe of planet-busting aliens, there’s something deeply respectable about the guy who has been holding down the fort since before the Saiyans even knew how to walk. He is the quiet anchor of the Earth's spiritual defense, and he deserves a lot more credit than just being the guy who stands behind Kami.
Check out the early manga chapters—specifically Volume 14—to see the original introduction of the Lookout. It changes how you view the "power" of the characters when you see a humble attendant effortlessly humbling the strongest man on Earth.