Summary
Dragon Ballfans have long had a standing complaint with Goku over how willing he is to help out dangerous enemies, such as when he offered a Senzu Bean to Cell. However, Akira Toriyama has an interesting justification for why Goku does these things, and it proves that these moments aren’t a result of bad writing, but rather a deliberate character decision.
Goku has a long history of taking mercy on his enemies, and even offering to level the playing field if he feels like he has too much of an advantage. Fans often complain, because these moments can make Goku look extremely foolish; the villain in question will almost always take advantage of Goku’s kindness, and then pull some kind of cruel trick, asFrieza did when Goku gave him enough energy to survive on Namek.
For Goku to do the same thing again and again when it often turns out the same way… it certainly makes Goku look dense, to say the least.
Goku’s Aid to His Foes is Born From a Desire for Fair Play
Goku Really Just Wants a Fair Fight
In an interview with Akira Toriyama, published in the bookDaizenshuu 2and translated by the website Kanzenshuu, when Gotenks' battle against Buu is brought up, Toriyama says, “But then after all, I’m always thinking of how there are a lot of guys on our side, but only one enemy.If you think about it, isn’t it unfair? They can just gang up on him.” The interviewer concurs, bringing up Goku’s statement to Buu, which Toriyama then repeats. “That’s right. He said, ‘You did well all on your own.’ I suppose that Goku’s motive was that, no matter what kind of enemy there was, he wanted to fight them one-on-one.”
Toriyama has a valid point about Goku’s true nature–he really just wants a fair fight that can put his abilities to the test. While Goku does want to protect the Earth and his friends, and is sometimes willing to “gang up” on the enemy to do it, there’s a part of him that strongly resists that idea. He wants to show his opponents respect, and for Goku, the greatest way to do that is to face them one-on-one. After all, that’s the only real way to prove who’s the superior fighter, and it’s often in these moments that Goku grows the most. For both respecting his foes and increasing his own power, a fair fight is the way to go.
Goku’s “Mercy” Is a Character Flaw, Not a Writing Flaw
Goku’s Desire for a Fair Fight is Both His Greatest Virtue and Biggest Flaw
While many fans have long derided this aspect of Goku’s character as a flaw in the writing ofDragon Ball, it’s clear from Akira Toriyama’s comments in the interview that this was a very deliberate decision about Goku. Something likegiving Cell that Senzu Beanmay look colossally stupid on Goku’s part, given the risk that Cell poses, but it’s simply not in Goku’s nature to take advantage of a situation to benefit himself. He doesn’t want to defeat Cell because he was already weakened; he wants to see Cell’s very best, and still come out on top. Foolish, perhaps, but consistent with Goku’s character.
There is another aspect of this to consider, though; Goku showing his foes mercy is also how he made most of his friends. Goku gave Piccolo a Senzu Bean when he defeated him at the World Martial Arts Tournament, despite the threat that Piccolo posed, and Piccolo went on to become one of Goku’s staunchest allies. Goku also stops Krillin from killing Vegeta, and it turns out that sparing Vegeta was one of the most brilliant moves that Goku ever made, given the level of power he would go on to develop and his reliability as a partner in battle. An enemy who’s dead can never become a friend, after all.
While Goku’s mercy is often wasted onfigures like Frieza and Cell, it’s worked enough times that it’s understandable why Goku would be willing to try it with bigger villains. Goku’s kindness is both a fantastic trait of his, turning dangerous foes into powerful allies, and one of his most frustrating when applied to villains who seemingly don’t deserve it. But for Goku, there’s no difference between these two scenarios–only an opponent who could grow stronger and offer a more interesting match in the future. In the end, it’s one of the things that makesDragon Ballwhat it is, and it’s impossible to imagine Goku without it.
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
