Goku is anime’s most iconic hero. Throughout Dragon Ball‘s 40 years, the goofy and kind-hearted fighter has inspired and entertained generations of anime fans, and will undoubtedly continue to do so with each new installment in the series. From Weekly Shōnen Jump mascot to holiday parade balloon float, Goku is recognized around the world as one of anime’s greatest heroes.
However, there have always been differing opinions in the Dragon Ball community about whether the series’ anime adaptations truly captured what makes Goku the character he is. Dragon Ball Super is often criticized for that very reason, though it’s fair to say the series understood Goku better than any other Dragon Ball anime.
Dragon Ball Super Features Anime’s Most Accurate Portrayal of Goku
Most die-hard Dragon Ball fans grew up with Goku in Dragon Ball Z, the 1989 anime which remains the series’ most popular adaptation ever. It may surprise some fans, however, that a large portion of the series’ following considers Dragon Ball Z to feature the least accurate portrayal of Goku. Even series creator Akira Toriyama wasn’t totally satisfied with the anime’s version of the character.
In a 1997 interview with WIRED Japan, Toriyama referred to a “poison” which is integral to Goku’s character, and expressed how he felt the anime portrayed the Saiyan as more of a traditional hero than he was. In reality, Goku is a bit more selfish than the righteous superhero he became in Dragon Ball Z.
The Funimation dub, which aired in the early 2000s in the U.S., only further continued that characterization, including dialogue like the speech on Namek that painted Goku as a Superman-esque presence rather than a fighting-crazed Saiyan warrior. Dragon Ball Super better captured his personality, making sure to remind viewers of the poison that lingers under Goku’s actions and decisions.
While his obsession with fighting undoubtedly made Goku stronger and allowed him to rise to the challenge against the series’ toughest opponents, it also led to him placing a questionable bounty on his own head, as well as the eventual creation of the Tournament of Power.
More often than not throughout Dragon Ball Super, Goku fought for his own sake rather than the sake of others, a trait more consistent with his characterization in Akira Toriyama’s original Dragon Ball manga. Though there are also aspects of Goku Dragon Ball Super didn’t handle too well.
Dragon Ball Super Made Goku too Goofy
When Making Goku More Accurate, Dragon Ball Super Also Made Him too Unserious
Goku’s light-hearted nature is one of his defining traits. If he didn’t have his goofy side, he might resemble more of a villain than a hero. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Super keyed in on this aspect of Goku so heavily, they often made him entirely unserious. He might be a selfish, fighting-obsessed character, but there’s no reason he shouldn’t know what a kiss is, considering he has two children.
Nevertheless, Dragon Ball Super‘s Goku is more accurate to Akira Toriyama’s vision of the Saiyan. He isn’t a righteous hero, but that’s exactly what makes him so compelling, and previous anime adaptations struggled to capture that quality.
- Release Date
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2015 – 2018
- Network
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Fuji TV
- Directors
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Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
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Masakazu Morita
Whis (voice)
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku/Goku Black/Son Gohan/Son Goten (voices)
