Goku is iconic and beloved because of his design, his attacks, and his fights, but more than any of that, Goku's attitude and personality have resonated with fans of all ages for generations. The characterization of Goku throughout Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z is strong and consistent, and viewers truly get to know him as he goes from a young boy to a grandfather.
In Dragon Ball Super, Goku acts differently than he has previously, and reactions to these changes to his personality have not been well received by fans. Dragon Ball Super made controversial choices with Goku's character, but Dragon Ball Daima has the potential to get everyone's favorite Super Saiyan back on track.
The Core Elements of Goku's Character Have Made Him an Icon
When first introduced during the Pilaf Arc as an eleven-year-old boy living alone in the woods, Goku is defined by his supernatural strength, his pure heart and altruism, his independence, his lack of intelligence and awareness of civilization, and his love for food. These traits are demonstrated through acts like defeating dinosaurs and the desert bandit Yamcha in combat, helping Sea Turtle out of a jam and saving a city from the terror of Monster Carrot, and agreeing to marry Chi-Chi because he thinks "marriage" is a type of food; all of these behaviors are highlighted by being contrasted against Bulma, who's everything Goku isn't.
The 21st World Martial Arts Tournament Arc introduces two of Goku's most defining traits: his love of fighting and his passion for breaking his limits and growing stronger. These new traits blend seamlessly with his previous ones, turning Goku into a capable and inspirational action hero who loves a good fight but doesn't hesitate to kill the truly villainous. His ignorance towards most subjects continues to provide a comedic balance to his character while also contrasting his keen intelligence in combat. In the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament Arc, Goku enters adulthood, and gains a new sense of maturity and leadership, while still maintaining all of his older traits. However, at the end of this arc, Goku picks up one of his worst habits: he allows Piccolo Jr. to live after defeating him so they can fight again one day.
In Dragon Ball Z, Goku becomes a father, but this doesn't significantly change him. He's loving and protective toward Gohan and wants to see his son grow stronger, but he's largely the same man he was during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. He continues to spare villains such as Vegeta and Frieza so he can fight them again; he gives Cell a Senzu Bean after their fight so he can show off Gohan's strength against him; but he also soars to greater heights as a hero. Goku pushes his limits further than ever before, becomes the strongest man in the universe, and uses his awesome power time and time again to protect his friends, family, and the Earth. As much as he loves growing stronger, he always puts protecting the real important things first, even choosing to stay dead at the end of the Cell Saga so he no longer attracts villains who endanger them.
Dragon Ball Super Changed Goku for the Worse
When Dragon Ball Super began, there were few complaints about Goku's character. With the first two arcs being adaptations of the films Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection 'F', any discrepancies in Goku's behavior could easily be chalked up to the new writers. It was only during the Universe 6 Arc that the cracks began to show, allowing fans to see that this was not the Goku they knew.
In the Universe 6 Arc, and the subsequent Future Trunks Arc, Goku's simple-mindedness becomes his most defining trait. Goku has never been a genius and his lack of intelligence has always been a source of comedy, but this comedy has typically come from his ignorance toward anything not taught to him by Grandpa Gohan since he was raised alone in the woods. He's repeatedly shown to be generally perceptive when he has full context of a situation, and a genius when it comes to martial arts. In the Universe 6 and Future Trunks Arcs, Goku is just an idiot. He forgets to bring Senzu Beans, he forgets to bring the materials necessary to use the Mafuba on Zamasu, he can't keep secrets, he can't realize when Chiaotzu is using his psychic powers on him and, most infamously, he doesn't know what kissing is.
Even worse, Goku in Dragon Ball Super isn't a good person, let alone a hero like he once was. He's careless when handling villains, which peaks when he seemingly doesn't care that Frieza tortured his son. He's callous about killing King Kai. He incites the Tournament of Power. All these actions give the impression that Goku has endangered the entire multiverse through his selfish desire to fight strong opponents. His forgetfulness in the Future Trunks Arc also leads to Future Trunks' timeline being erased, and he never apologizes for anything.
Dragon Ball Daiima Can Restore What Makes Goku Great
Set to premiere in 2024, Dragon Ball Daima is the fifth anime TV series in the Dragon Ball franchise. With heavy involvement from Akira Toriyama, the series will follow Goku and his friends all being turned small by an unknown evil, requiring the characters to find new ways to fight back, including Goku picking back up his Power Pole. While little else is known about the series at this time, it holds the potential to fix the damage done to Goku's character by Dragon Ball Super.
By its very nature, it's easy to assume that Daima will harken back to the days of the original Dragon Ball, where comedy was the primary focus of the series. Goku's "small" design makes him resemble his child-self, the entire premise of the series is inherently silly, and Goku is even welding his old signature weapon. By stripping away Goku's divine power level and putting him in situations where the fate of the universe isn't at stake, the series can get back to the core of Goku's character and show why people loved him when he was just a young monkey boy, with any negative traits he displays easier to forgive in the face of the lower stakes and more humorous tone. Goku's pure heart, naivety, and goofy nature can be what define him, without having to fit within the confines of a more dramatic narrative.
Fans have seen Goku return to being a child before, in the non-canonical Dragon Ball GT. For the first portion of this series, it too was a return to a more comedic take on the series, and Goku retained his older, more mature personality, despite the change to his body. Even more so than Super, GT is incredibly controversial and is the most widely disliked installment in the anime franchise. However, what most fans will agree on when it comes to Dragon Ball GT is that while its execution is poor, its concepts are brilliant. It's doubtful that Dragon Ball Daima will diverge from its initial lighthearted premise like GT did, giving it the capability to succeed where the 1996 installment failed.
Regardless of the unfortunate changes made to Goku in Dragon Ball Super, he remains one of the most popular fictional characters of all time, and his fanbase retains an endless appetite for his adventures. While Dragon Ball Daima may not be up the alley of every fan, especially those who primarily come to Dragon Ball for intense action and explosive battles, it can do what Super couldn't, and make Goku feel like Goku.
