One of the most common criticisms lobbed against Dragon Ball is that Goku doesn’t grow as a character when this couldn’t be further from the truth. Goku grows considerably throughout Dragon Ball, going from a naive child to a legitimate martial arts master ready to pass on his legacy by the end of the original series. In more ways than one, Goku doesn’t come into his own until Dragon Ball turns him into an adult.
While Dragon Ball Super has taken Goku’s character back in more ways than one, Dragon Ball Z’s depiction of the character was often nuanced and had him actively developing from arc to arc. Son Goku is the heart of the Dragon Ball franchise and his character only got better when he finally became an adult.
10 Goku Learns The Value Of Life
Goku doesn’t shy away from killing during early Dragon Ball – something prominently on display during the Red Ribbon Army arc – but he also learns the value of life relatively quickly. After watching Bora die in the Sacred Land of Karin, Goku vows to use the Dragon Balls to revive him: in turn, sacrificing his entire quest for another person.
As the story continues, Goku only begins to care more and more about life (albeit in the sense that he simply prefers not to kill). While his motivations are selfish, Goku starts seeing the value in sparing the lives of people like Piccolo or Vegeta – a move that earns him a reliable group of allies.
9 Goku Matures After Training With God
The Demon King Piccolo arc sees Goku going through some rapid development as it ends. After killing Piccolo himself, Goku attaches Nyoibo to the top of Karin’s Tower and scales his way to God’s Palace. There, he meets Mr. Popo and Piccolo’s double: Kami. Training with God helps Goku work through the impulsive rage he shows throughout the Piccolo arc.
By the time Goku shows up at the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, he’s a considerably more martial artist. He’s still his jovial self, but Goku is brighter than he lets on and makes use of several sophisticated strategies throughout the tournament. Training with God also helps Goku find a new passion for martial arts, one that ultimately spurs him to spare Piccolo Jr.
8 Goku Becomes A Smarter Martial Artist
On that same token, Goku becomes a much smarter martial artist after his three years with Kami and Mr. Popo. As mentioned, the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai has some of his most strategic moments in Dragon Ball. Goku saves his stamina for the final fight (never even hitting Chichi), tries to hide his true speed with under armour during his fight with Tenshinhan, and Outsmarts Piccolo time and time again.
During the final fight of the tournament, Goku pulls off a Kamehameha with his feet, lets himself get swallowed by a giant Piccolo to save Kami, and hides the fact he can fly until all of his limbs are broken so Piccolo never sees him coming in for the finisher. This is a trend that continues throughout the rest of Dragon Ball, with Goku’s fights against Vegeta and Frieza showing similar levels of combat genius on his part.
7 Goku Becomes A Family Man
Following the end of the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, Goku actually settles down with Chichi and starts a family. For five years, Goku puts training on the backburner and seemingly lives a peaceful life with Chichi and their son, Gohan. While Goku mentons that he’d like to train Gohan in the Saiyan arc, all signs point to Goku enjoying this peaceful life.
This does end up having consequences in the Saiyan arc, however. Goku genuinely believes himself the strongest man alive after winning the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, a fact that ultimately results in his death when his brother Raditz arrives from Planet Vegeta. Beyond this, Dragon Ball Super shows that Goku maintains a healthy relationship with his family and tends to spend a lot of time with his other son, Goten.
6 Goku’s Saiyan Heritage
Raditz’s arrival also heralds an important plot twist for Dragon Ball: Goku is an alien from outer space. While this could have been handled poorly, the revelation that Goku is a Saiyan completely recontextualizes his character for the better. Goku goes from being the strongest man on Earth to a universal underdog: he may be a barbaric Saiyan, but he’s the lowest of the low.
Goku’s relationship with his Saiyan heritage ends up driving his character arc throughout the Saiyan and Frieza sagas. Goku notably refrains from killing when in the presence of Vegeta, as if to disconnect himself from his Saiyan tendencies, while actively presenting himself as an Earthing until he turns Super Saiyan.
5 Goku Came To Terms With Who He Is
Goku’s character arc during the Frieza saga centers heavily on who he is – a Saiyan who was raised on Earth. For most of his time on Namek, Goku asserts his Earthling self. He refuses to kill the Ginyu Force, doesn’t fight at full power (albeit to also save stamina for Frieza), and outright claims to hate Vegeta.
After watching Frieza reduce Vegeta to tears before killing him, however, Goku takes on Vegeta’s pride as a Saiyan for himself. When Frieza kills Krillin before his eyes and Goku transforms into the legendary Super Saiyan, he asserts to Frieza that he’s a Saiyan who was raised on Earth. Only through his Earthling empathy was Goku able to trigger his full potential as a Saiyan.
4 Goku Gave Into His Saiyan Tendencies
Embracing his heritage on Namek ends up setting a precedent for Goku to start giving into his Saiyan tendencies. This is seen earliest during the Cell arc, where Goku outright refuses to stop Dr. Gero before he can attack the Earth with his Artificial Humans. While Bulma rightfully calls Goku out for this, he makes it clear that Gero hasn’t done anything wrong yet and that he wants a fair fight.
Goku’s love of martial arts was rooted in his character long before Raditz revealed his Saiyan heritage, but Dragon Ball takes Goku’s behavior to new levels in the Cell and Buu arcs. Goku gives Cell a Senzu Bean and even threatens to kill Kaioshin so he can fight Majin Vegeta.
3 Goku Realized He Needed To Pass The Torch
One of the core themes in Dragon Ball is the passing of the torch to the next generation. This idea is what drives Master Roshi’s character arc in the 21st and 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai, with Goku best representing the “next generation” in early Dragon Ball. By Dragon Ball Z, that role is being fulfilled by Gohan.
Come the halfway point of the Cell arc, Goku realizes he won’t be able to defeat Cell himself. He chooses to train Gohan to his full potential, planning to formally pass the torch to his son during the Cell Games. While the Buu arc does undo Goku’s actions, he gets another chance at passing the torch with Uub at the very end of the series – finally taking on a student in the same way Roshi took on him.
2 Goku Learns The Value Of Responsibility
Responsibility is an important theme throughout the Majin Buu arc, with Goku – now dead – preferring that the living save the Earth. Goku outright refuses to defeat Majin Buu when he has the chance so either Gotenks or Gohan can save the day. Both fail, but this ends up playing into the finale in a clever way.
Ultimately, Goku and Vegeta are responsible for Buu’s awakening. Their final battle on the Kaioshin’s planet sees both characters finally realizing this and fighting on behalf of the mess they made. Pushing this theme further is Vegeta forcing the Earthlings to take responsibility for their planet, so Goku isn’t the only one saving the day like usual.
1 Goku Becomes More Nuanced In General
There’s a lot more to Goku’s character than meets the eye. He actively develops from arc to arc and the notion that he’s static lacks in-text evidence. Goku matures and becomes a more nuanced character over the course of Dragon Ball. He begins as a child ignorant to the world and ends a worldly grandfather ready to pass on his martial arts knowledge.
Goku learns the value of life, becomes a more responsible person, and exposits some genuine wisdom in the Cell and Buu arcs that highlight how much he’s grown since the start of the series. Dragon Ball Super does backpedal on most of Goku’s maturity, but Dragon Ball Z refined Goku into a well rounded protagonist by the saga’s end.
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