Why else would a guy with a heart as pure as gold ditch his wife and sons every chance he can?
Hi guys, it's the DB Analyst here. Applying real world logic (I think) in the Dragonball world. Last time we looked into Goku, we uncovered some interesting findings surrounding his character. Is he a hero, an anti-hero or a villain in sheep's clothing? Are you struggling to figure out which one to pick? But isn't it popular to claim that Goku is a simple guy? It seems many agree that Dragonball is a simple story told simply but that doesn't automatically make the characters simple. So why is it so easy for people to bog down these characters to one word?
In Goku's case, he is defined by one word – dumb. Everything that we have ever seen him do over the span of the show always come back to – he's dumb, he's a man-child, he's selfish. Unlike everyone else, who has grown from learning from their mistakes and who has been matured after barely escaping the end of the world multiple times, Goku is just your happy, go-lucky, wacky moron. Well, if he is as dumb as it seems, maybe he just wasn't fully there (if you know what I mean), so maybe he missed some stuff. Hmm....
My major worry is if he is so terrible why do we love him so much? He has a ton of traits that is obviously not the best yet as mentioned previously in the topic "Is Goku a Hero?", he is always considered pure of heart and the key to changing people. Maybe the confusion only lies within the series itself, right? Well, how do you explain Goku Day and he being the mascot for the Tokyo Olympic Games? More than that, many people have been positively impacted to overcome personal obstacles, to never give up and to practice compassion – all because of Goku. Now, I'm really confused!
Well, not really. You see, I like to look at the “why” and “when”, “how” and “how often”. Even surrounding characters' reactions in these situations can help explain a person. Can you imagine looking at life through the eyes of a child? Mommy is good – she always let me gets my way; Daddy's bad because he doesn't. Very much one-sided and biased. No matter what they do, they are only good or bad. Let's look at another example of this. You asked a man why he's in love with his wife and he says, “She's funny.” Or ask why she is in love with him and she says, “He's handsome.” Is that all there is to a person? I hope not. A woman that is only funny I could imagine would get on your nerves and a man who is only handsome is pretty boring. Everything can't always be a joke and I'm pretty sure any successful relationship is about more than staring at one another all day. Obviously, there's more to the picture. Several parts make up the whole. The same definitely applies to Goku.
Goku in a Nutshell
1. He suffers a lust for battle but as stated before this goes out the window when he's fighting for vengeance (eg. When he fought Radditz, King Piccolo or even when he was fighting Frieza)
2. He has never faced any major consequences with his lust for fighting – again, it's all about fun for him. So I would like to think that it was probably a first for him when things not only went bad but really, really bad with Cell.
3. He has had a charmed life. He happens to meet the right people at the right time and everyone loves him no matter what. Even most of the ex-haters changed their minds and became allies.
4. He never had to experience working hard for something to not get. He trains and gets stronger. Yeah, it's hard work but his hard work ALWAYS pays off.
5. So is he really selfish? He would much rather fight strong guys but is it so bad? Let's look at the above. He can't “handle” his lust for fighting but he knows things will work out and if not then he will just get stronger somehow. (That's why I think he probably stayed dead after Cell – the guilt.)
6. Not so sure about why he's claimed to be a bad father and a bad husband. Everyone loves in their own way. It's obvious he loves them. (More on this topic another time.)
7. Goku is always playing up that naive or stupid card. It's pretty sneaky of him if you ask me. He says it matter-of-factly without holding back and add that with his happy, go-lucky personality. That's either gonna get you called an idiot or a Bulma tirade. Or worse...a Bulma slap.
8. Goku's personality is positive and carefree. Just because he hasn't soured like a Vegeta or hardened like a Piccolo, he has still been impacted by the trials he's been through. He just has his own way of handling things. And staying upbeat is evidence of him handling it. A down-in-the-dumps Goku should tell you something's up for sure, right?
This is how I view Goku but maybe you disagree or maybe I missed some other important points. Let me know what you think – is he a hero, an anti-hero or a villain?
NB: As stated, I will look into the anti-hero topic in depth but that will come later.