It is fair to say that a large number Dragon ball fans are first introduced to goku through the classic animated series that ran from the late 80s to the 90s and early 2000s. However, the version of Goku that most fans grew up with is not the same version of the character that the author of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, was first featured in the original manga. In fact, an interview exposed the hard truth that Toriyama actually had a big problem with the anime’s version of Goku from day one.
Goku belongs to an alien race known as the Saiyans, who were sent to Earth as a baby with a mission to destroy the planet and get ready for Lord Frieza’s claim to be part of his Empire. However, after being raised by his kind grandfather Gohan (not to mention a severe head injury), Goku’s inherent Saiyan aggression has diminished and he no longer has the urge to destroy the world. Not only does Goku not destroy the world, but he actively saves it and the universe from those trying to destroy it. In that attempt, Goku killed King Piccolo, apparently killing Frieza, who was integral to defeating Cell and dealing the final blow to Majin Buu. Every time he fought someone stronger than him, Goku exceeded his personal power limit. Goku will save the day, and in the process, he’s gotten stronger as a result – and it’s been established in the anime that Toriyama has a reported candid issue.
Dragon Ball Creator Never thought Goku was a hero
In a 1997 interview with WIRED Japan (translated by Kanzenshuu), Akira Toriyama was asked about the motives behind his characters, the interviewer asked, “Is it really the ‘poison’ inside” ?” relating to a character perhaps not as pure and heroic as they seem. To that, Akira Toriyama replied as follows:
“Right. Basically, Son Goku in Dragon Ball is not fighting for the sake of others, but because he wants to fight against the strong. So once Dragon Ball was animated, anyway, I was always dissatisfied with the “righteous hero” type role they gave him.”
In the anime (especially during Goku’s iconic fight against Frieza), Goku is clearly portrayed as a selfless hero who is willing to risk his life to save others, and he just became stronger thanks to his unyielding heroism. However, according to Akira Toriyama, the opposite is reserved for Goku’s character. Goku is said to be a hero just for fighting the strongest warrior, all of these people are evil. While he clearly has compassion for those close to him (as it’s also an integral aspect of his personality in the manga), Goku isn’t overly concerned with being a type. the character ‘Superman’ saves people and defeats evil because it’s the right thing to do. He only does it because the villain in question is usually quite strong and Goku wants to see if he can match (and surpass) their strength.
While it’s a bit shocking to imagine that Goku, one of the greatest childhood heroes of every ’90s kid, was never supposed to be a hero, it’s important to remember that – regardless of the dynamics What’s his real strength – he still defeats some of the biggest evils in the Dragon Ball universe. The only difference between what anime fans saw and what the creator of Dragon Ball wanted to show was why Goku defeated all those villains. That is not goku Is this a “righteous hero”, he just wants to fight the strongest warrior he can, and since the anime portrayed him as that kind of hero from the start, Akira Toriyama met Problem with Dragon ball cartoons from day one.
Source: Kanzenshuu
