Summary
When it comes to the anime industry as a whole, there are perhaps no characters who have reached the same level of global fame and admiration as Goku, the protagonist of theDragon Ballfranchise. Due to fans being with him at every step of his journey from a humble child living in the mountains to one of the universe’s strongest and most important protectors, he holds a place in people’s hearts that simply can’t be replicated.
However, this level of love for the character doesn’t mean he is free of all chastisement. Over the years, he has garnered some fair criticism regardinghis character arc and personality, and much of this critique is well-founded. The most scathing of this has to do withDragon Ball Super’sdepiction of the Saiyan, which some fans say has completely ruined the character, so let’s see if this is true.
Story Arc
Emperor Pilaf Saga
Ever since his debut in the series, Goku has embodied the tropes that have become synonymous with most Shonen protagonists. He is a kind, fun-loving, and adventurous person who just so happens to be the strongest character in his series; an archetype that has permeated most franchises since many main characters in their own seriesare modeled after the Saiyan.
As is common with this trope, Goku is also a very aloof person. This is no secret as it endears the character to the fans and gives them a comedic edge. However, while Goku has never been portrayed as a genius, many fans argue thatDragon Ball Superhas outright made him stupid, to the point where he endangered the entire multiverse just so he could get what he wanted. While this can be funny, often the level of the lapse of judgment that Goku shows is too overdone.
Power comes in response to a need, not a desire. You have to create that need.
A common example that many fans point to have to do with his comments about kissing. After kissing Bulma, Goku asked Vegeta what that act was, which rightfully took everyone by surprise considering Goku has a wife and 2 children. The intention of this bit was undoubtedlyto garner a laugh from audiences, but the outlandish nature of the question was so stupid that it failed to get a positive reaction from them. Playing off of his aloof nature is one thing, but to make him stupid to the point where he doesn’t know what kissing is, despite doing it in the series before, just outright makes Goku look very bad.
Another aspect that fans tend to find absurd about Goku is his need for battle. It has never been a secret that Goku’s true passion in life is to train and become stronger to push himself beyond his limits. This is an integral part of his overall character arc and has always been a great way of showing how dedicated he is to becoming better than he was before.
However, the need to protect life and the love he has for it has always been at the top of his list of priorities. Goku has always fought against evil for the greater good and if there’s one thing he hates, it’s the disregard villains have for life in general, which is why his singularneed to fight stronger and stronger peopleinSuperhas been strange to see. As stated previously, Goku has always loved to do this, but his need to fight stronger opponents for self-improvement has never put the lives of others in danger.
InSuper, Goku finds out about the existence of the multiverse and many powerful fighters in it. Due to this, he becomes the person who gives the idea to Zeno and the Grand Priest to hold the Tournament of Power in the first place, which is a massive point of contention between him and various other characters in the tournament. Here, his reckless love of fighting outright puts perhaps trillions of lives in danger. Although it’s revealed later that Zeno was going to destroy the low-ranking universes anyway, it’s clear that this addition was an afterthought.
Is All Of This Criticism Fair?
HasSuperRuined Goku?
When taking everything into consideration, the question of whetherDragon Ball Superhas irredeemably ruined Goku pops up. All things considered, the answer is no, Goku’s character hasn’t been ruined in the series. There is no doubt that there have been quite a few moments in Goku’s arc that are objectively bad and that he has been made far stupider inSuperthan he has ever been before.
However, these relatively minor flaws don’t take away fromthe legacy of the character. Sure, he may have had some stupid moments but, time and time again, Goku has proven to be a compassionate person who protects life in all categories and is also a genius strategist when it comes to battle. In hindsight, the criticisms are fair, but the damage done to the character inSuperis fairly minimal and doesn’t take away from one of anime’s greatest heroes.
