goku was and always will be the main character of Dragon ball series, and it looks like that’s never going to change, even in the franchise’s fairly distant future — just, not the way fans think.
In the first chapter of the Dragon Ball manga, Goku is introduced as the main character of the series, proven real by his incredible strength and literal call to adventure. When Bulma found the child alone in the forest while she was searching for the Dragon Balls, Goku immediately agreed to travel the world with her in search of the wish-granting orbs. During those travels, Bulma and Goku liberated small towns from violent gangs, giant monsters, and even a global fascist regime, and it was Goku’s unparalleled strength that brought them cross the threshold of victory. This is true in every subsequent era of the series, as it’s not usually Goku who stops the bad guys and saves the world. However, after the finale of Dragon Ball GT, fans were introduced to the franchise’s brand new child protagonist: Goku.
Future Goku of Dragon Ball GT is a descendant of classic Goku
In Dragon Ball GT episode 64 (written by Atsushi Maekawa, directed by Osamu Kasai, produced by Toei Animation), the series skips a hundred years into the future, showing what has become the descendant of the Z-Fighters initial. The oldest of the semi-original members is Pan, although it seems that no one else from the GT era is still alive at this point. Pan is shown while watching her great-grandson, Goku, fight in this year’s World Martial Arts Tournament against Vegeta’s descendant. Both of these young Saiyans are image identical to their ancestors, and their competitive nature is immediately apparent. In other words, the universe has been set up ready for a revival without the need for the original Goku or Vegeta, as their descendants are ready to take over on their own.
No longer focusing on Goku and Vegeta in the Dragon Ball series is really something that has recently achieved overwhelming success and fan admiration. In the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Goku and Vegeta mostly appeared as cameos before the entire A plot turned to Gohan and Piccolo fighting the Red Ribbon Army. The success of this movie proves that Goku and Vegeta aren’t necessary to make a good Dragon Ball story – so who better to replace them than his nearly identical progeny Surname? The new Goku (also known as Goku Jr.) not only looks like his widely known ancestor, but his name also sounds like it. This means that Goku’s brand recognition won’t be lost, even if the series decides to focus future storylines on this new character.
Goku’s new storyline has a perfect start, in tune with his great-grandfather’s story, and his relationship with Vegeta’s descendant will make for some incredible stories, with characters something new but familiar. Although the story of Goku Jr. was explored to a limited extent beyond GT in the Dragon Ball GT: A Hero’s Legacy movie, but that is hardly seen as “the future of the franchise”. In fact, if the events of Dragon Ball Super merge with the events of Dragon Ball GT, then this predestined future will become an inevitability and will finally have a chance to shine. In other words, goku is the future of Dragon ball franchise, not the version fans think.
