What Have You Done, Goku?! Dragon Ball Super Impressions

Spoilerific bits follow, Do Not Proceed if you have not watched Dragon Ball Super in it’s entirety!

(Srsly, hit back now, you have been warned!)

Goku has been OP for a long time now, to the point that people like Krillin and Yamcha have given up on martial arts. What seems to be happening, is they are exploring that power and the responsibility it holds, also, responsibility in general.

In the current events leading up to the Tournament of Power, Vegeta is notably absent having set aside his long-standing rivalry with Kakarot in favour of … family responsibility. When Goku approaches him to go train with Whis, he is visibly agitated because his responsibilities prevent him from doing so on this particular occasion, and also at the fact that Goku was so carefree and lackadaisical about …serious matters.

It’s always been apparent that Goku was a childlike, simple fellow, and while this may have had it’s consequences, they were usually immediate – his tendency to draw out fights, incrementally powering up, giving an enemy time to bust out a hidden power or a new form, Sparing an enemy and letting them escape, only to come back and wreak havoc once again.

This innocence is part of what makes Goku a good guy – he just wants to be friends with everyone. He just wants to train and get stronger, fighting more challenging foes. These 2 facets of his character are now being explored.

At what point does his childlike innocence become ignorance? Innocence implies freedom from responsibility, which he most certainly does not have in this case. Goku reminded the Omni-King about the tournament despite dire warnings from Beerus, without truly considering who he was dealing with – someone who could erase or create entire universes on a whim. Beerus even goes so far as threatening to destroy Goku, in a bone-chillingly serious manner that sharply contrasts his usually silly yet regal demeanor, should he fail to heed his warning.At what point does his childlike innocence become ignorance?

He really isn’t my favourite character at this point – how could he be so selfish? He knows he isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, and no matter how many times Beerus warns him about it, visibly terrified, even threatening to destroy him, he proceeds.

Goku is starting to look more like an unwitting villain than a hero. His thirst for battle, impatience, naivety and huge power have combined to make him the most dangerous man in the multiverse. There doesn’t seem to be a way for him to save everyone this time, even if his team wins the tournament, they will be the solitary universe and he will be responsible for countless lives vanishing from existence.

Currently, while it is being made explicitly clear that Goku is responsible for the tournament, the only people who know about the fate of losing universes are Goku, Gohan, Beerus and the Supreme Kais of universe 7. Not even the other universe’s gods know about it, and are eager to show the power of their universe’s warriors.

How will Goku react when everyone finds out they will be fighting for their survival at the cost of countless lives, rather than some mysterious grand prize? Assuredly, the fingers will be pointed directly at him.

Will Goku be able to redeem himself? How will he take responsibility? Hopefully, it isn’t as simple as using the Super Dragon Balls just to wish everything back to normal. I would like to see some consequences for Goku, and see his character change in some way. He really is the worst thing about the anime right now, I hope I am not the only one who is finding him intolerable at this point. I suppose that is the intention.

Anyway, this whole scenario has opened the door for many of the supporting characters to receive some development – Gohan and Krillin, most prominently thus far, making Dragon Ball Super an incredibly exciting watch.

How do you think things are going to play out? Am I being too hard on Goku? Let me know what you think! Feel free to comment on any aspect of the anime that you feel is important, or tell me which characters you are most excited to see in action in the upcoming Tournament! I’m absolutely loving Super, and I hope you are too!