

In Dragon Ball, Piccolo and Kami are written as if they are demons from Earth,
but in Dragon Ball Z, it is revealed that they are actually aliens from the
planet Namek.

Another prominent character who _looks_ like a demon, [Emperor
Pilaf](http://www.dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_Pilaf), is never stated to
be a Namekian, but he shares the odd skin tone and pointed ears of one.

![Emperor
Pilaf](https://img3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20121115034813/villains/images/a/a0/Emperor_Pilaf.jpg)

Similarly, [Garlic Jr.](http://www.dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Garlic_Jr.) is
Namekian-looking, minus the antenna, and seems to have some connection with
Kami that is never fully explained. He also doesn't seem to grow taller at all
(Neither does Emperor Pilaf) and has the same approximate skin tone as Pilaf.

They're almost Namekian, but not quite, and don't seem to follow the same
character design as other Namekians, and they seem to be permanently short, so
I hesitate to call either of them Namekians.

I don't know if they're the same species, but they're very similar.

What exactly are these two characters? An offshoot of Namekians? Actual
demons? Or something else entirely?

![Garlic
Jr.](https://img13.deviantart.net/4ae3/i/2014/087/a/b/garlic_jr_by_luigicuau10-d7c1pfm.png)


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dragon-ball-series
What race are Emperor Pilaf and Garlic Jr.?


Garlic Jr. is a [Makyan](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Makyan) ( natives of
the Makyo Star) not a Albino Namekian. Albino Namekian are still presumed all
dead. For Emperor Pilaf nothing much is know, we can assume him as earthling
like other animal looking people.

Other [Known Makyans](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Makyan#Known_Makyans)

  * Cinnamon 
  * Garlic 
  * Ginger 
  * Herb
  * Jasmine
  * Mustard
  * Nicky
  * Salt
  * Sansho
  * Spice
  * Vinegar


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Since this question doesn't have a definitive answer yet, I suppose I'll
expand on my comment above.

As Ankit Sharma explains, Garlic Jr. is from the Makyo Star. However, I find
it doubtful that Emperor Pilaf is also from the Makyo Star. Emperor Pilaf [was
the first villain introduced in Dragon
Ball](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_Pilaf_Saga), when Goku was
still a child, before we even knew that Goku was an alien (let alone Piccolo,
who wasn't introduced until much later). All the material involving Garlic Jr.
is anime-original and dates to long after the start of the manga, whereas
Emperor Pilaf is Akira Toriyama's own creation and was introduced right at the
start.

So why do they look alike? I think it's just a coincidence. As Zibbobz
mentions in comments, this would make Emperor Pilaf some kind of Earth
creature. (Considering all the weird creatures that live on "Earth" in the
Dragon Ball universe, this isn't _too_ hard to accept.) The Dragon Ball manga
went on for a long time, and Toriyama himself occasionally used slightly
tweaked versions of his earlier designs; that's why Emperor Pilaf and Piccolo
look so much alike. The animators who designed Garlic Jr. had to come up with
their own design, but also make sure it was consistent with Toriyama's art
style. They chose to tweak Emperor Pilaf and Piccolo by changing the color and
removing the antennae, probably to maintain a recognizable look.

The animators did something similar in the movies: Turles, the villain of [The
Tree of
Might](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z:_The_Tree_of_Might),
looks exactly like Goku, for no reason I can remember. Bardock, Goku's blood
father, introduced in [Bardock - The Father of
Goku](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Dragon_Ball_Z%3A_Bardock_-
_The_Father_of_Goku), is also an exact copy of Goku's appearance (and even
shares the same voice actor in the Japanese version). Toriyama's character
designs, especially for non-human characters like these two, have a very
distinctive look. It's plausible that the animators decided to play it safe
and copy his designs, instead of taking their chances and trying to replicate
his unique style.


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  * Emperor Pilaf is actually a _[Monster-Type Earthling](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Emperor_Pilaf)_ as it's stated in Daizenshuu #4.
  * Garlic Jr. might look like Namekian or Demon but it's actually a Makyan. The [Makyo Star](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Makyo_Star) is their home planet. They share similarities with the Namekians and the Demons like pointy ears and evil heart respectively. But they do have a difference, they can transform into [Super Form](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Makyan#Super_form) which causes extreme growth of the body and an increase in strength. This is a bit different from [Great Namek Form](http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Great_Namek). Although both are gigantification techniques but the _Super Form_ is smaller in size.  
  
![](https://i.stack.imgur.com/Qj7fa.png)


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