Hello friends! It’s your friendly neighborhood heretic fan, just here with a bit of a message~
Now normally I dont get into too much on this blog as I use it mainly for Saiyuki news and scans but I’ve been seeing some conversations so let me make this clear before we get started.
Son Goku from Saiyuki is a grown man and should be treated as an adult.
If anyone in the back didn’t hear, hang on.
Alright, with that out of the way, let’s continue shall we?
Why did this post have to be made? Well, for one, let me just say I just think maybe some clarification was needed as there was a couple back and forth comments regarding how people should see Goku.
It may come as no surprise but Goku is my favorite character. I love almost all of them but Goku holds a big place in my heart. Since 2002~2003 I have loved this series. I have watched every anime episode, read every chapter, listened to almost every available drama CD.
I went from being someone who couldn’t contribute much years ago to someone who grew a blog and provided as much information as I could. I love this community, but there’s one tiny thing that continues to pop up that I feel like I’m constantly addressing on side blogs, but now I’m bringing it up here.
People shouldn’t look at Goku as being a child. Having an energetic and positive personality, or being short, does not make one a perpetual teenager. Hell I’m older than Goku and I’m shorter, and I’m pretty energetic in terms of personality, does that mean I should consider myself a teen? The idea that ‘positive’ and ‘happy go lucky’ means ‘childish’ is something we should move past. There are a lot of upbeat adults that you wouldn’t call children, right?
Goku deserves that same respect and then some. Yes he has moments of immaturity but he’s serious when it matters, and even keeps the others in line.
In Gaiden yes, you can literally call him a child. He is a scared little kid and he was trapped in a cave for 500 years. He grew out of that fear. He was wild and a bit over the top in the beginning of the main series, but he was also 18 years old. He was a legal adult at the start of the series. And he has matured leaps and bounds, so much that everyone in the group acknowledges it quietly. But also remember Saiyuki was a product of its time, the late 90s. Minekura’s writing has changed dramatically.
Speaking of which, Anime!Goku and Manga!Goku are VERY VERY different, and if you’ve only seen the anime you have not seen the true Goku. Even a Worm was never animated, you missed out on some HUGE moments that built on Goku’s character where he’s now very independent from Sanzo and the guys. Mind you the anime kind of butchered all their characters but that is an essay for another day.
I’m not saying you can’t view Goku as your ‘Precious Son’ (Hell I call him that) and yes you can see Sanzo as sort of a foster dad to him, but I think he’s grown in a way that he’s his own man who doesn’t depend on the other 3 to guide him. He’s only 5 years younger than Sanzo and it’s not an uncommon age difference between friends. Gojyo is more like a big brother, and they ACT like brothers. Gojyo even tends to instigate the teasing! And Hakkai is like a tutor but even he has seen his student graduate.
Goku is not the kid of the group. He has earned the right to be called an adult.
I’d write more but this is already getting long, so feel free to check my previous essays that go into great detail and research to Goku’s character growth.
Also if you read all this and already acknowledged Goku for the man that he is, thank you ♥
Goku’s Character Growth
A dive into Goku’s maturity
Goku outgrows his best friend
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