Dragon Ball Daima's Approach Towards Son Goku Is Way More Tied to the Manga Than You May Have Realized

Some fans were shocked when Goku went out of his way to save a complete stranger during a scene inDragon Ball Daimaepisode #4. As a result, it seemed that the late Akira Toriyama had finally embraced the anime’s overly heroic interpretation of Goku which reached its apex during the Saiyan’s iconic fight against Frieza on Namek. After all, Toriyama had onceexpressed frustration with how the anime changed Goku, using colorful phrases like “extremely twisted person” to describe his true nature or even saying there was a “poison” inside him.

Even those who were unaware of Toriyama’s own opinions oftentimes would point to how Goku only fought to protect his friends or family, or to challenge himself against strong opponents, rather than to follow some stereotypical heroic ideal. However, both earlier and later events in theDragon Ballmanga reveal thatGoku is actually much more heroic than even diehards fans realize.

Goku saves Sea Turtle in Dragon Ball

Goku Has Helped Complete Strangers Numerous Times in Dragon Ball

In fact, Toriyama himself even laid the foundations of Goku’s heroic nature as early as the third chapter when the young Saiyan went out of his way to help a random sea turtle who was far from the ocean. By then, Goku was determined to find his grandpa’s four-star Dragon Ball, and he had just befriended a girl named Bulma who provided him with the only means of actually finding it (and the other six). And yet,Goku could think of nothing else but to help this stranger get back home, regardless of Bulma’s earnest attempts to bring Goku’s focus back to their mission.

Then, by chapter #84, Goku was in the midst of his latest attempt to retrieve the coveted four-star Dragon Ball, and yet, he wasdistracted once more after witnessing another stranger in distress. In this case, it was the young native Upa who Goku didn’t know yet, and the boy was crying out to his father for help. Of course, some might point to the fact that Goku seemed more curious than inspired by anything heroic, and didn’t attack until realizing that Upa had been captured by the Red Ribbon Army. Goku even later minimizes his contributions when Upa’s father tries to thank him, attributing his actions as a byproduct of “beating up” the Red Ribbon Army. Nonetheless, his actions were still heroic.

Goku goes to save a captured Upa from the Red Ribbon Army in Dragon Ball

Much later inDragon Ball Zchapter #263, Goku was only inspired to fight Majin Vegetaafter his then-former friend had killed innocents in the process. In fact, Goku had rejected Vegeta’s challenges until that point. Granted, other civilians had been murdered earlier on during the heated exchange, but it had been less direct. Moreover, Goku only agreed to fight if they were in a more neutral area away from the remaining bystanders, underscoring he didn’t want to risk hurting them. Even though Goku only directly voiced anger at the fact that Vegeta had allowed himself to be taken over, Goku showed real concern for people’s safety on that occasion.

Dragon Ball Daima Actually Supports How Truly Complex Goku Is as a Hero

Goku Has Neve Been a “Hero” in the Classic Sense

Of course, Goku has also exhibited more problematic behavior that supports the overall surprise about how he saved a complete stranger inDaima. In a situation that shares similarity to Goku’s reaction to Upa’s father, Goku only agrees to save a captured mayor in chapter #57 when a girl named Suno asks him, and his reason is because she had rescued him in the previous chapter. However, Goku’s clearly worst offense takes place much earlier in chapter #16 ofDragon BallwhenGoku isn’t driven to act when one of Carrot Monster’s henchmen kicks a woman with her child. He just stares blankly as he munches on some food.

However, the only thing these instances prove is thatGoku is a much more complex characterthan some people believe. There are times when he goes out of his way to help people, even when doing so won’t immediately benefit himself, his friends, or family, and then there are times when he will put himself first. And this still aligns with what Toriyama has said about Goku and the way he wanted to portray him. It’s encouraging to see thatDragon Ball Daimais staying faithful to those nuances and contradictions that make the character so memorable.

Dragon Ball Z: Majin Vegeta’s evil smirk.