Hot take of the day: Shallot is a better protagonist than Goku
it's in the same vein as my thoughts on Ryunosuke Naruhodo vs Phoenix Wright as protagonists but almost flipped on its head since the compelling story protag vs player character standin is supposed to be the opposite in the case of Goku vs Shallot.
So some major points to consider:
-Shallot does the amnesia plot way better than Goku
Goku's amnesia plot isn't even resolved until he's like 50 and that's during dragon ball super's Granolah Arc where everything just magically comes back to him when he hears Bardock's voice through his old scouter logs. Point blank I hate amnesia plots, and I especially hate them when the resolution is a big every memory comes back at once shtick. If you are going to do an amnesia plot you need to either allow the memories to trickle in slowly, or just keep everything permanently forgotten.
Shallot's amnesia plot is a good example of the former. Obviously his big moment is when he remembers Giblet is his twin brother. But he still remembers certain things before this point. Heck when he first appears in legends he still has some of his memories. He knows his own identity, he's a saiyan soldier from Sadala and his name is Shallot, and he remembers the moments leading up to his trauma. This is more true to life for irl memory loss due to trauma (although forgetting your twin brother is a less believable phenomenon but it does make fir a better story, plus it helps that it was magic induced to make him easier to manipulate).
-Shallot develops more compelling relationships with those around him
Goku has a knack for being able to become allies with literally anyone but this talent does unfortunately come with the consequence that he's way too trusting and sometimes treats his good friends more superficially than they deserve, while putting his loved ones in danger for the chance to have a bigger fight in the future.
Shallot also likes strong opponents and a good fight but he has mich stronger social skills than Goku does. Don't get me wrong he is ignorant and far from perfect at times but he does actually pick up on when he makes people upset and corrects his behavior accordingly. Shallot allows himself to be emotionally vulnerable around people he trusts, allowing him to form deeper connections and mutual understandings especially with his fellow saiyans (allowing him to contrast the genocidal anger that Giblet allows to consume him).
-Shallot actually stands for something and faces real personal conflicts during the course of his story
Toriyama said in an interview in reference to the scene from the Buu saga where Goku tells Gohan not to intervene on Spopovich beating Videl (which reading the Manga version made my jaw drop to the floor), that ge wrote that scene as a way to remind readers that Goku is not actually a righteous heroic type (like fuck, you think you know a guy....). His only interest from day one was to fight strong opponents, he's just that superficial.
Shallot on the other hand IS a righteous heroic type. He was thrown into this circumstance against his will and while getting stronger and tapping into new power is no doubt a goal of his, his primary goal is to restore the honor of the saiyan race and protect those he's come to care about. He has a strong sense of justice and morals that he does not like straying from, especially when he's being commanded by others. Goku is definitely more of a pushover in this respect. He can in fact be manipulated with the promise of a good fight. Shallot prioritizes resolve over raw power. While he might be initially distrusting of others, he is a loyal ally once he warms up to someone, and when it turns out that they oppose his morals in some capacity he feels deeply betrayed. He allied with frieza only to protect his friends, then stood up to him as soon as he no longer had anything to lose. He lamented at the fact the Ginyu force who warmly took him in were working under frieza's thumb. He went to Zahha beaten and badly injured to try to find out why the person he thought was his ally would betray him in such a way. When his own twin brother tried to kill him, he was saddened and rejoiced once he turned to his side.
Compare that to Goku and Raditz. Goku immediately denounces his brother and Raditz is dead two episodes later never to be seen again. The Shallot and Giblet plot is basically that but actually done well.
pixelskylines
vaporwave
kianamaiart
titsay
izzy806
kaledo-art
