Dragon Ball has always been, and likely always will be, the story of Son Goku and his legacy. He’s the first character we’re introduced to and the only to have an arc that spans the entirety of the franchise. It’s only fitting that his family would end up getting so much exposure as the series went on. Grandpa Gohan played a big role in Goku’s arc during Dragon Ball, Bardock was the start of his own special, Gohan was the main character for a stint, and Goten made up half of one of the Buu saga’s most prominent characters. The Son legacy is very much alive in Dragon Ball.
With such a big family, you’re bound to see many traits that compliment each other. Gohan is a foil to Goku, Goten is a foil to both, and Bardock is essentially the antithesis of Goku. Given Toriyama’s often subtle writing style, it’s also easy to overlook many of the nuances found in the characters. Dragon Ball gets written off quite often as a simple manga, but there’s a good reason it’s been so influential to anime throughout the years: it’s well written. Characters are dynamic and the story around them plays off their strengths and weaknesses. No other family shows this better than Son Goku’s.
25 Goku’s As Low Class As It Gets
Throughout the first two arcs of Dragon Ball Z, Vegeta mentions pretty regularly that Goku is a low class warrior. This can be taken as just a taunt, but it shines light on the Saiyan class system. Vegeta, an Elite, was born with an incredible amount of power. By the time he and Goku fight in the Saiyan arc, it’s unlikely Vegeta’s ever trained a day in his life. Goku, on the other hand, started the series as one of the weakest characters in hindsight. Despite this, all his training has pushed him to a point where he can face Vegeta head on.
Goku, the working class, has risen up and begun to overthrow the bourgeoisie.
In a sense, this is a personal proletariat revolution on Goku’s part. Goku, the working class, has risen up and begun to overthrow the bourgeoisie. As Marxists believe a proletariat revolution is inevitable in any capitalist society, it makes sense Goku would eventually grow past a point where the stationary upper class could no longer keep up with him.
24 Bardock Was Made Canon By Toriyama… Again
Even though Toriyama claimed he could never write a story like The Father of Goku, he went around and tried to write a story like The Father of Goku. Tacked onto the end of Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, Dragon Ball Minus is a prequel to the original manga following Bardock’s last days on Planet Vegeta. It’s incredibly short, there’s no character development of any kind, and it turns Bardock from a cruel mercenary into a loving father. Needless to say, Dragon Ball Minus is not very good.
Dragon Ball Minus is not very good.
The saddest thing about Minus is that it overwrites the original special. It was never actually canon, but it was referenced in the manga. With it, Minus brings implications that hurt the overall narrative. Goku wasn’t sent to Earth to destroy it, Bardock’s role in the series is actually significant, and Saiyans aren’t as bad as they seem. Minus’ only worthwhile or interesting inclusion is a certain character who shines new light on Goku.
23 Goku Has A Mother
She’s soft, she’s sweet, and she’s Goku’s mother. Meet Gine! As fascinating as she is conceptually, there’s unfortunately not much to analyze by sheer virtue of her being a character in Dragon Ball Minus. Her docile nature can be used to explain why Gohan and Goten are so inherently passive, but that was less a question that needed answering and more thoughtful character consideration on Toriyama’s part while creating Gine. She gets enough fanfare for being Goku’s mother, but you would think she wouldn’t have to share a half baked manga chapter with Bardock. Should Toriyama ever decided to revisit her character again, hopefully he’ll do her more justice.
22 Everyone Has Said Good-Bye At Least Once
The family that dines together, dies together. That’s a saying, right? Perhaps not unusually, every single member of Goku’s family has died at least once. Gine blew up on Planet Vegeta, Bardock took Freeza’s death ball head on, Grandpa Gohan was crushed by Oozaru Goku, Goku and Raditz died together thanks to Piccolo’s Makankosappo, Chi-Chi was turned into an Egg by Buu, Gohan and Goten exploded with the Earth, and Pan was taken out by Freeza’s blast at the end of Resurrection F.
This isn’t even taking into account Goku’s second death, Future Trunks’ timeline, and all the casualties included at the end of Resurrection F. Considering Goku’s the only character in his family, besides Grandpa Gohan, who’s been shown to keep a body after death, that’s bound to make for one awkward afterlife.
21 Long Hair Runs In The Family
Goku has one of the most iconic hairstyles in anime history. It’s a feature he inherited from his father, Bardock, and a trait his son, Goten, inherited from him. That said, the signature Goku look isn’t the only hairstyle that runs in the family. Long hair is also a common style, courtesy of Gine.
The signature Goku look isn’t the only hairstyle that runs in the family.
Raditz is the first member of Goku’s family we see with long hair, but it doesn’t take long for Gohan to grow his hair out during the Cell saga and Goten ends up sporting long hair at the end of DBZ. While Gohan and Goten don’t look very much like Raditz, their hair does share similarities with Gine’s. Of course, Gine was designed after the fact, but it was a good call on Toriyama’s part to draw her with hair similar to her grandchildren.
20 Gohan’s Potential Is More Unique Than You Think
From as early as his introduction, Gohan has been characterized as someone with an incredible amount of potential. It’s quickly noted that this potential may come from the fact that he’s a half Saiyan-half Earthling hybrid, but the actual text paints portrays Gohan’s seemingly infinite potential as something unique to him. While Goten and Trunks are incredibly strong for their age, neither show the same amount of raw, natural talent Gohan does.
So where does Gohan’s potential come from if not genetics? Honestly, probably nowhere meaningful. The whole point of Gohan’s character is that he’s inherently gifted, but chooses to forgo fighting in favor of his studies. It’s more Toriyama doing something literarily interesting with a character instead of exploring the scientific reasoning behind it. Not every answer needs to be hard coded in-universe.
19 Goku Does Actually Love His Wife
Goku is not the greatest husband in Dragon Ball. Akira Toriyama is not trying to write him as a great husband. When you go so far to say he doesn’t care about or love Chi-Chi, however, you’re underselling Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship. In just the original series, there are multiple times where Goku brings up Chi-Chi just to mention her. This isn’t something a husband who doesn’t love his wife does. When he talks about Chi-Chi, he never says anything negative about her.
There are multiple times where Goku brings up Chi-Chi just to mention her.
The last thing he says to Gohan before he dies during the Cell Games is to apologize to Chi-Chi on his behalf. Dragon Ball Super even goes so far to show Goku fall into a burst of rage when Zamasu tells him he personally murdered Chi-Chi. This isn’t even touching upon Battle of Gods where Chi-Chi is the last person Goku thinks of before he’s seemingly beaten by Beerus. He’s not an amazing husband, but the man cares about his wife.
18 Even Though He Never Kissed Her
Even though Goku does love Chi-Chi, he actually hasn’t kissed her. Originally revealed in the Dragon Ball Super anime, most people assumed it had to be a joke. How could Goku and Chi-Chi have children but never have kissed? Then, the manga version came around and made it pretty clearly not a joke on Goku’s behalf. Of course, it’s meant to be humorous for a us, but Goku seems entirely earnest when commenting on his lack of lip kisses.
To be fair, both Goku and Chi-Chi are rather uneducated and neither grew up in a household with two guardians. It’s entirely possible the concept of kissing has never occurred to them. Totally weird and definitely something that raises more questions than it answers, but not entirely out of the question. Let’s just agree this was a gag on Super’s behalf and ignore it until the end of time.
17 Pan Can Easily Become The Strongest Character In The Series
More than any other character in Dragon Ball, Pan has the potential for genuine greatness. At the end of the original manga, she’s: the daughter of the strongest man alive, impressive enough for Goku to comment on how amazing each new generation is, and strong enough to demolish an experienced martial artist with one hit. At just four years old, Pan is leagues above Gohan’s Saiyan saga strength. Dragon Ball GT squanders her potential, as it does with everyone and everything else, but Super has done a good job of honoring Toriyama’s vision of an all-powerful Son Pan.
Pan has the potential for genuine greatness.
Not only is she capable of flying despite being an infant, she can also inflict damage with her little kicks and can control Ki to some extent. Compare these feats to what we saw of Baby Trunks in the Cell saga. Pan is actually threat, even as a babbling baby, Trunks just did normal infant things. Should Dragon Ball continue after Super, which it more than likely will, bet your money on Pan taking the spotlight in a big way. Goku’s arc at the end of Z was always about paving the way for the next generation. Well, the next generation is here, and she’s fearsome.
16 Gohan And Goten Just Aren’t Fighters
As much of a battle maniac Goku is, his sons were never destined for the same, incredibly specific, glory as he. Instead, Gohan and Goten have always been more interested in living a grounded lifestyle away from the action Goku seeks out. That’s not to say they dislike fighting, both are shown enjoying themselves in battle, but it does mean they aren’t natural fighters like Goku. Talented? Absolutely. Martial artists? Not a chance.
Talented? Absolutely. Martial artists? Not a chance.
Take Gohan for instance. The first thing we learn about him is that he wants to grow up to be a scholar. His entire arc in the Saiyan saga revolves around getting him to understand he needs to fight. Not once does he actually want to fight. This is a theme that carries over through the entirety of Z and has its emotional peak during the Cell Games. Goten doesn’t have as much emotional baggage behind his reason for not wanting to fight, but that’s precisely why he doesn’t want to fight. He doesn’t need to. His life has always been comfortable and he’s never been the Earth’s last chance. Why risk your life when your dad can just save the day?
15 Goku Being A Great Grandpa Makes Sense
Goku gets criticized quite often for being a bad father, (which we’ll be discussing later on in this lecture,) but he rarely gets the credit he deserves for being an excellent granddad. During the last few episodes/chapters of DBZ and throughout the entirety of Dragon Ball GT, Goku and Pan’s relationship is portrayed as something very special for the both of them. Goku cares about his friends and family, but he and Pan connect on a deeper level. He treats her as an equal, has genuine fun with her, and puts his life on the line for her during GT. Pan is the one person Goku consistently shows a delicate amount of care for.
Goku cares about his friends and family, but he and Pan connect on a deeper level.
It makes sense if you think about it. Who was Goku’s sole parental figure growing up? Grandpa Gohan. Goku didn’t have a father to emulate or look up to, so his actual role as a father is disjointed and scattered. Through his grandfather, however, he understands the patience and nurture needed to raise a child who isn’t your own. His affection towards Pan is an inheritance from his adoptive grandfather, Gohan, and one that leads to an intimate bond we’ll hopefully see more of in Dragon Ball’s future.
14 Gohan’s Age Was Retconned
When we first see Gohan at the start of the Saiyan arc, he is four years old. That’s the number of fingers he holds up when Krillin and Bulma ask his age and that’s the number he says he is. The interesting thing is, this is actually a retcon. In the original Weekly Shonen Jump release of Dragon Ball, Toriyama wrote Gohan as a three year old. When the time came for a volume release of those chapters, Toriyama ended up rewriting them so that Gohan was now four. Given the dark subject matter he ended up dealing with during the saga, Toriyama likely felt it more appropriate to age Gohan up a year. He’s still a little kid, but the age-up does help his role in the arc feel a bit more believable.
13 Adult Gohan Is Teen Gohan And Teen Gohan Is Kid Gohan
You know how the video games like to separate Gohan into three categories? Yeah, that’s all wrong. Who we know as Adult Gohan, the Gohan featured in the Boo arc, is actually 16 years old meaning he’s actually Teen Gohan. Who we know as Teen Gohan, the Gohan featured during the Cell Games, is actually 9 years old, and not 11 like the dub claims he is. Either way, he’s not a teenager and is actually Kid Gohan. The original Kid Gohan is the only one who tends to be labeled correctly as he’s five years old. So what’s going on here?
If you ignore age completely, then the labels do make some sense.
Honestly, it’s just the localization trying to differentiate the Gohans with more appealing names. If you ignore age completely, then the labels do make some sense. Boo arc Gohan does look like an adult and Cell Games Gohan very much resembles a teenager. This is more just the natural result of Toriyama’s art style, though. The Japanese version of the games avoid this problem entirely by labeling Gohan’s iterations as Childhood, Boyhood, and Adolescence.
12 Goku’s Really Not That Bad Of A Dad
Dragon Ball Z Abridged is quite possibly the greatest DBZ fan work out there, but it has done an undeniable amount of damage in regards to how Goku’s parentage is discussed within the fandom. It should be noted that fans have always commented on how poor of a father was long before DBZA, but cases in favor of Goku have become harder to find. Which is a shame, because Goku isn’t that bad.
Goku’s not so deadbeat.
He’s often characterized by fans as an absent father, but let’s look at a timeline. Goku raises Gohan for four years, he dies for one year, he protects Gohan during the Saiyan fight and on Namek, he disappears for almost two years, he trains Gohan for three years, trains him in the RoSaT for one year, and then dies for seven years. He’s not that absent and, when he can, he spends a lot of time with Gohan. He’s also actively raising Goten in Super. It’s funny to joke that Piccolo is a better father to Gohan, but Goku’s not so deadbeat.
11 The Peculiar Case Of Super Saiyan Goten
Goten’s status as a Super Saiyan has been a topic of debate within the fandom for years now. Originally, the prevailing theory was simply that, because Goku could already turn Super Saiyan when Goten was conceived, Goten inherited Super Saiyan from birth. Later, Toriyama added new information and confirmed that Goten was born without a tail and that tailless hybrids can turn Super Saiyan easily. With the very recent addition of S-Cells, though, it seems like the original fan theory has actually ended up being canon.
Goten inherited Super Saiyan from birth.
S-Cells are cells found in Saiyans that allow them to turn Super Saiyan. The more S-Cells you have, the easier you can trigger Super Saiyan. Zenkais and a gentle spirit allow for Saiyans to build up their S-Cells, but they’re also genetic meaning that Goten actually did inherit Super Saiyan from his father.
10 Goku Wasn’t Around For Gohan’s Birth
Just like the kissing comment, Goku not being around for Gohan’s birth is a Dragon Ball Super addition that’s mostly present to be a quick joke. Upon seeing Bulma pregnant during the Universal Survival arc, Goku reveals he wasn’t around for the birth of either of his sons. Not being around for Goten makes sense as he was dead, but Gohan’s birth is a bit illogical and contradicts how present of a father Goku actually was during DBZ. Again, it’s one of those things that’s included to remind us that Dragon Ball has its fair share of gags, but it doesn’t exactly mesh well with the original series. Then again, Goku does hunt so maybe he was just out looking for dinner when Chi-Chi gave birth.
9 Goten’s Design Is Genius
Goten’s design is usually considered rather lazy for just being a miniature version of Goku. After all, character design should be varied, shouldn’t it? While it’s certainly better to have a cast that doesn’t all look alike, the context behind Goten’s character design is actually quite brilliant. At this point in the story, Goku is dead. Given Toriyama wrote the series by the seam of his pants, it’s likely this was meant to be a permanent fixture. Goku’s such an inconic character, though, and doubts about excluding him surely creeped into the back of Toriyama’s mind.
Goten was born and it was like Goku never left.
So, pen in hand, Toriyama crafted a way to let him keep Goku dead while still drawing him. Goten was born and it was like Goku never left. Of course, it’s worth noting how Toriyama differentiated the two. Goku as a child was stocky while Goten was far leaner. Goku was more aggressive and in your face, but Goten was passive and docile. Toriyama didn’t just lazily shrink his main character, he created a foil in the form of a son. Goku ended up coming back properly, of course, but that doesn’t make the likely intent behind Goten’s design any less impressive.
8 It Was Toriyama’s Decision To Make Goku The Main Character Again
You’ve heard it, I’ve heard it, and we’ve both probably said it before: “Toriyama was pressured by fans into making Goku the main character again.” It’s right up there with “Toriyama wanted to end the series with Freeza/Cell” as one of the most regurgitated misconceptions. Fans, as a whole, should take more precaution in fact checking before they say something, but Toriyama is kind of at fault here.
Fans, as a whole, should take more precaution in fact checking.
If all your Dragon Ball knowledge comes from exclusively reading the manga or watching the anime, the text makes it very clear Gohan is becoming the main character of the Buu saga. So what causes the shift if not angry fans? Well, Toriyama. The more he drew Gohan as the lead, the more he realized he didn’t enjoy him in the protagonist role. Gohan is passive and doesn’t enjoy fighting like Goku does. For a battle manga, that just doesn’t work. While he does give Gohan one of the happier endings, he made the shift back to Goku the first chance he got.
7 Dragon Ball Z Is Not Gohan’s Story
“Dragon Ball is Goku’s story, Dragon Ball Z is Gohan’s.”
There sure are a lot of misconceptions surrounding Gohan, aren’t there? Just like the main character misconception, this one also has some basis in reality. In the anime, and only the anime, Gohan is pushed heavily as Goku’s narrative equal. The Saiyan saga focuses more on Gohan than it does Goku, Gohan takes over for SSJ Goku during the Freeza fight, he’s the main character of the Garlic Jr. filler arc, the tail end of the Cell saga puts him front and center, and Toei plays up Gohan’s importance near the end of the Buu saga before transitioning to Goku.
In the anime, and only the anime, Gohan is pushed heavily as Goku's narrative equal.
The manga is a much different story. While Gohan is still important, Toriyama didn’t go out of his way to make him important like Toei did. Gohan’s role in the story is natural and there aren’t any implications of Toriyama building Gohan up to be the real hero until the end of the Cell Games. It’s made clear that Dragon Ball Z is still Goku’s story.
6 Toriyama Did Not Like Drawing Chi-Chi
In an interview featured in Dragon Ball Z Son Goku Densetsu, in response to being asked if he prefered Chi-Chi or Bulma, Toriyama replied: “To be honest, I’m really not fond of Chi-Chi as a character. (laughs) In the middle of the comic, I started to think, 'I don’t want to draw her anymore,' and, sort of as a way of spiting myself, I decided, 'you’ll have to draw her if she gets married to Goku, so marry them off!' So, I drew her as a kind of punishment. (laughs)”
I started to think, “I don’t want to draw her anymore,”
It makes a certain amount of sense. Toriyama has no interest in romance and Chi-Chi is a predominately romantic character in a battle manga. She doesn’t exactly fit in. That said, not many authors can force a character they don’t like into a story without making them come off poorly, so kudos to Toriyama for managing to portray her relatively positively. Just a shame the anime didn’t follow suit.