Since I seem to need to spell things out clearly: No, I do not think Goku is a bad person. I do not think one can objectively view him as such, and anyone attempting to over one mistake is beyond misguided. Goku’s good far outweighs his bad, and he genuinely cares deeply for his friends and family.
The entire purpose of highlighting these choices, this string of past mistakes, this particular trait, was simply to show that this is not some sort of character regression. It’s not a “flanderization”. It’s very much in line with how Goku has behaved in the past even up to the end of the Buu arc, despite people’s insistence to the contrary.
Pointing this out does not erase the good Goku has done. Pointing out that Goku’s history with the Red Ribbon Army was literally started solely because he was looking for his Grandpa’s Dragon Ball does not erase that he liberated the people of Jingle Village, or give up his Grandpa’s Dragon Ball to revive Upa’s father after Tao murdered him. It just means that he didn’t go out of his way to hunt down and destroy the Red Ribbon Army once he knew they existed, only when he encountered them on his quest. Similarly, he did not go to Namek to save that world, or seek out Freeza to end his Empire. He encountered them on a quest to revive his friends, and was pulled into combat. That he enjoyed it, and had wanted a crack at Freeza certainly helped bring about his end, however.
Goku and Vegeta opting to allow the Androids to appear doesn’t detract from the fact that Goku tried to move the fight to an isolated location, nor is he directly to blame for Gero slaughtering the people he did, but it did happen because of that. Similarly, Goku stubbornly refusing to take his heart medicine nearly left him dead and certainly left everyone else to fend for themselves. This is the pattern I’m trying to point out. Similarly, Goku asked for that tournament with no idea there’d be a punishment for the losers, let alone one so severe. And now, the only way to potentially fix it is to survive, win, and try to wish them back. Which Goku has acknowledged. In some cases, it’s an innocent mistake or lapse in judgement, but it unfortunately has grave consequences. But not just him, it’s happened to all characters at some point.
However, even if bad can result from it, good can come of it too. Goku pushing Gohan to fight Cell, and Gohan’s subsequent loss of senses and Goku’s choice to stay dead had some negative effects. Goku died, Goku missed the birth of his second son, Gohan spent seven years without his father, with likely mostly Krillin to bounce life questions off of. Because, let’s face it, Piccolo won’t know a thing about puberty, and Vegeta’s not the dude to ask. And Chi-Chi would kill Yamcha for his advice in the matter. lol BUT, it also had unforeseen beneficial consequences. Had Goku not been gone, he would likely have been far weaker and certainly never would have attained SSJ3. He never would have learned of the Fusion dance. When Babidi had inevitably come seeking Buu, they would have been even more unprepared, and the universe itself would have been imperiled.
So no, I don’t think it’s all bad. I also don’t think it doesn’t happen. I just think we need to look at the bigger picture from time to time is all.
gracieabrams
germansingergirl
s-u-f-j-a-n-s-t-e-v-e-n-s
izzy806
