Is Broli on the autism spectrum?

[Ringworm128]

Ok first off no, this is not a joke topic. I understand ASD is a bit of a touchy subject for some and I don't wish to offend anyone.

So lately I've been heavily into researching autism/aspergers and I noticed something. Broli seems to share some traits commonly associated with autism.

1: Held back communication. When he is first shown he is very withheld and not very verbal. Of course it could be argued that this is due to the control his father had on him, however it didn't seem like his father was forcing any control in those particular scenes; so it's possible that this is how Broli acts when he is calm. In his second coming he pretty much says nothing.

2: Sensitivity to certain sounds, textures etc. This could easily explain his complete overreaction to Goku's crying.

3: Repeating a certain word or phrase over and over.

4: Obsessive interests. In this case Goku himself.

5: Due to a lot of people on the spectrum having difficulty controlling their emotions many of them can go into a sort of berserk mode if triggered or overwhelmed. This could easily fit with Broli's intense personality when he finally snaps.

Of course it is very unlikely the development team behind Movie 8 had autism in mind when creating Broli; I do think however it's an interesting comparison.

Thoughts?

[KBABZ]

As someone on the spectrum, I think as this thread proves it is comparable, but IMO Broli is not on the Autism spectrum. I'll try and break it down:

1) Communication. Just because an Aspie can find it hard to communicate doesn't mean we are incapable of it. I'm much more vocal and talkative, so to speak, on a keyboard rather than in real life. As well, if you get me on a topic I'm interested in (like Dragon Ball or Ratchet & Clank) I'll talk your ear off about it if I'm not careful.

2) Sensitivity. From my perspective it comes off as more of a genetic plot trope to justify Broly's rivalry with Goku than it is an actual character and mental trait. I'm sure there are many other situations that Broly finds himself in over the films that would also trigger the hypersensitivity if he was autistic, such as the sheer light and noise given off by the ki attacks of his opponents.

3) Repeating phrases. This is sometimes a "thing" we do, but I personally don't so I find it difficult to see how this can be used to say that Broly is autistic. I say Makangasappo like Piccolo does but that's because it's such a friggin' cool word to say! It's sort of a "vocal stim", where I get positive stimulation just from saying it, in the same way I get a positive "stim" from the audio of the 23rd WMAT title card, or the texture of a lenticular picture when I scratch my fingernail over it.

4) Obsessive interests. IMO this is the strongest connection, but there's one key difference that I feel debunks this particular aspect: Broli, as far as I'm aware, is not actively interested in Goku, he just hates him to the extreme. With my obsessions, one of the key facets that makes me interested is that I feel self-positive learning about it. I haven't watched any of the Broly movies, but from what I understand Broli has an obsessive hatred of Goku, not an obsessive interest; he doesn't want to learn anything and everything about him. Frieza has more interest in Goku as a whole than Broli, and I think that Goku's obsessive interest and dedication to fighting is more Aspie-like than both of those guys.

5) Emotions. I have gone a bit loco in the past, mainly due to The Lab in Crash Bandicoot, but I don't feel that it's an exclusive trait aside from those on the higher end of the spectrum (and if that were the case, Broly would be much more obviously Austistc). It isn't restrained to just anger though; other emotions like sadness or happiness are also exemplified for many (or at least me), and I don't relate either of those emotions to Broly really. It would be... closer(?) to say that Broli might have Tourettes, IMO.

So there we go! Personally I think it's more likely that Goku might be on the spectrum due to the interest in fighting, social bumble-ness, but there are in-universe explanations for those things (Saiyan mentality, living in the wilds with and without Grandpa Gohan).

[Freeza Heika]

Broli is a Saiyan, so no, he doesn't have a human condition.

[Kamiccolo9]

Broli is a Saiyan, so no, he doesn't have a human condition.

I don't follow. Explain.

[KBABZ]

Broli is a Saiyan, so no, he doesn't have a human condition.

I don't follow. Explain.

He's saying that since Broli is a Saiyan, aka an alien life form, he cannot have a mental disorder observed in humans.

(personally I think that idea is invalid because Saiyans are basically Space Humans)

[Kamiccolo9]

Broli is a Saiyan, so no, he doesn't have a human condition.

I don't follow. Explain.

He's saying that since Broli is a Saiyan, aka an alien life form, he cannot have a mental disorder observed in humans.

(personally I think that idea is invalid because Saiyans are basically Space Humans)

Yes, I get that. I'm wanting him to elaborate.

And of course the idea is invalid. Vegeta is, or at least was, a clear narcissist. Most Saiyans we've seen have, to put it lightly, "anger issues."

If someone makes a point, they need to explain it. That's why I asked for more.

[KBABZ]

And of course the idea is invalid. Vegeta is, or at least was, a clear narcissist. Most Saiyans we've seen have, to put it lightly, "anger issues."

One of the more interesting aspects of Saiyans I found was how deeply their love of fighting and challenging themselves is a part of their mental being. While the bone-headed decisions made by Vegeta in the Android arc were frustrating, from letting Dr. Gero complete them in the first place after Trunks warned Goku about them, to letting Cell attain perfection, I felt that they were at least justified by the fact that Saiyans love to fight as a base fact. Goku says as much in Z Kai after Trunks tells him about the Androids; it catches Trunks off-guard that Goku is most upset that he won't get the chance to see what he's made of against them.

The dichotomy between Trunks/Gohan and Goku/Vegeta also exemplifies Saiyan mentality. Trunks can't understand why Vegeta would ever want to face the Androids despite his warnings, and in the Buu arc Vegeta calls Gohan out for not training. To me it shows that while Gohan and Trunks are Saiyans, they're of a different breed compared to their pure-blooded fathers. And that behaviour bites them in the ass many times; Goku went through hell and got his best friend killed when he challenged Frieza against Kaio's warnings, and Vegeta got his own handed to him by letting Cell attain perfection, including his own pride.

[Polyphase Avatron]

And of course the idea is invalid. Vegeta is, or at least was, a clear narcissist. Most Saiyans we've seen have, to put it lightly, "anger issues."

One of the more interesting aspects of Saiyans I found was how deeply their love of fighting and challenging themselves is a part of their mental being. While the bone-headed decisions made by Vegeta in the Android arc were frustrating, from letting Dr. Gero complete them in the first place after Trunks warned Goku about them, to letting Cell attain perfection, I felt that they were at least justified by the fact that Saiyans love to fight as a base fact. Goku says as much in Z Kai after Trunks tells him about the Androids; it catches Trunks off-guard that Goku is most upset that he won't get the chance to see what he's made of against them.

It's even possible that a lack of interest in fighting might be considered a mental disorder among Saiyans. Perhaps that's why Tarble was sent away.

[KBABZ]

And of course the idea is invalid. Vegeta is, or at least was, a clear narcissist. Most Saiyans we've seen have, to put it lightly, "anger issues."

One of the more interesting aspects of Saiyans I found was how deeply their love of fighting and challenging themselves is a part of their mental being. While the bone-headed decisions made by Vegeta in the Android arc were frustrating, from letting Dr. Gero complete them in the first place after Trunks warned Goku about them, to letting Cell attain perfection, I felt that they were at least justified by the fact that Saiyans love to fight as a base fact. Goku says as much in Z Kai after Trunks tells him about the Androids; it catches Trunks off-guard that Goku is most upset that he won't get the chance to see what he's made of against them.

It's even possible that a lack of interest in fighting might be considered a mental disorder among Saiyans. Perhaps that's why Tarble was sent away.

Maybe! It's also undoubtedly the culture that is behind Vegeta looking down on Goku for being "low-class trash". Same thing for Tarble for sure, that makes total sense for Saiyans to do that sort of thing, make the Vegeta family line seem stronger. And it's why Vegeta gets so infuriated at Goku beating him in their first fight, as two of the big Saiyan cultural viewpoints are being challenged: that low-class Saiyans are weaklings and pushovers compared to Warrior Elites such as himself, and that the later is leaving his pride and honour in absolute tatters.

[rereboy]

1: Held back communication. When he is first shown he is very withheld and not very verbal.

This isn't true. In his first movie, once he escapes the mind control, his speech is normal.

2: Sensitivity to certain sounds, textures etc. This could easily explain his complete overreaction to Goku's crying.

Broly only overreacted to crying in his second movie after Goku had already traumatized him severely by ripping an hole in his chest. In his first movie, there's not even an indication that Broly remembered Goku's crying. More information on that here: viewtopic.php?f=7&t=37309&p=1236096

3: Repeating a certain word or phrase over and over.

He only did that in his second movie, after Goku had traumatized him severely by ripping an hole in his chest. That's why he goes mental, not because he was autistic.

4: Obsessive interests. In this case Goku himself.

Once again, that was only in his second movie. In his first movie, Broly has no signs of being obsessed with Goku.

5: Due to a lot of people on the spectrum having difficulty controlling their emotions many of them can go into a sort of berserk mode if triggered or overwhelmed. This could easily fit with Broli's intense personality when he finally snaps.

That was explained with his overwhelming power in his LSSJ state.

Of course it is very unlikely the development team behind Movie 8 had autism in mind when creating Broli; I do think however it's an interesting comparison.

Thoughts?

Not at all. You greatly confuse how Broly was in movie 8 with how he was in movie 10. There was a drastic difference in Broly between the two movies and all of that is justified by the trauma he suffered when he was defeated by Goku, not an underlying condition.

[Cipher]

He's on the BPD spectrum.

[BrolyKale]

Broly is just a violent/bloodthirsty warrior (you can see him as a God of Destruction too), nothing else. He doesn't even have PTSD or some BS like that, he is the very model of a Saiyan.

I suggest you to read this
http://dragonball.wikia.com/wiki/Thread:597722

he doesn't have any problem at all, he is just violent since his young age due to his overwhelming power.




He just got angrier and lost his mind in the second coming because he got defeated by Goku so the way he acts is pretty understandable.

poor Broly...

[Arugela]

Broli is a Saiyan, so no, he doesn't have a human condition.

Actually, given writing styles, and dragon balls writing styles, It's very likely something is being displayed here. Dragon ball uses aliens to represent things that aren't so otherworldly. So it could easily be the case. I doubt it's autism. It's probably something from classic greek/roman mythology like vanity or narcissism or some thing in an older story. It's probably symbolic and representative of some other story and much more intelligent than he's crying.

Autism wasn't a thing in that way when the story was written that I'm aware of.

[8000 Saiyan]

No. He's simply just a violent warrior.

[BrolyKale]

No. He's simply just a violent warrior.

Yeah, its that simple. Many people tend to confuse movie 8 Broly with movie 10 Broly. In the second coming he has a good reason to lose his mind, he was almost killed by Goku... he was already pretty violent to begin with and things have only got worse. He never confused Gohan with Goku in the first movie, but in the second movie he does confuse Gohan and Goten with Goku that just proves he lost his mind and is more focused and more angry with Goku.

[floofychan333]

As someone on the spectrum, I think as this thread proves it is comparable, but IMO Broli is not on the Autism spectrum. I'll try and break it down:

1) Communication. Just because an Aspie can find it hard to communicate doesn't mean we are incapable of it. I'm much more vocal and talkative, so to speak, on a keyboard rather than in real life. As well, if you get me on a topic I'm interested in (like Dragon Ball or Ratchet & Clank) I'll talk your ear off about it if I'm not careful.

2) Sensitivity. From my perspective it comes off as more of a genetic plot trope to justify Broly's rivalry with Goku than it is an actual character and mental trait. I'm sure there are many other situations that Broly finds himself in over the films that would also trigger the hypersensitivity if he was autistic, such as the sheer light and noise given off by the ki attacks of his opponents.

3) Repeating phrases. This is sometimes a "thing" we do, but I personally don't so I find it difficult to see how this can be used to say that Broly is autistic. I say Makangasappo like Piccolo does but that's because it's such a friggin' cool word to say! It's sort of a "vocal stim", where I get positive stimulation just from saying it, in the same way I get a positive "stim" from the audio of the 23rd WMAT title card, or the texture of a lenticular picture when I scratch my fingernail over it.

4) Obsessive interests. IMO this is the strongest connection, but there's one key difference that I feel debunks this particular aspect: Broli, as far as I'm aware, is not actively interested in Goku, he just hates him to the extreme. With my obsessions, one of the key facets that makes me interested is that I feel self-positive learning about it. I haven't watched any of the Broly movies, but from what I understand Broli has an obsessive hatred of Goku, not an obsessive interest; he doesn't want to learn anything and everything about him. Frieza has more interest in Goku as a whole than Broli, and I think that Goku's obsessive interest and dedication to fighting is more Aspie-like than both of those guys.

5) Emotions. I have gone a bit loco in the past, mainly due to The Lab in Crash Bandicoot, but I don't feel that it's an exclusive trait aside from those on the higher end of the spectrum (and if that were the case, Broly would be much more obviously Austistc). It isn't restrained to just anger though; other emotions like sadness or happiness are also exemplified for many (or at least me), and I don't relate either of those emotions to Broly really. It would be... closer(?) to say that Broli might have Tourettes, IMO.

So there we go! Personally I think it's more likely that Goku might be on the spectrum due to the interest in fighting, social bumble-ness, but there are in-universe explanations for those things (Saiyan mentality, living in the wilds with and without Grandpa Gohan).

I'm on the spectrum as well and I think that both you and the original poster make a good case. I personally don't think that Broly really has an obsession with Goku in the same way I have an obsession with hockey facts and statistics. I am generally emotionally stable (though I find it harder to understand my own emotions sometimes), but on occasion I will have an outburst though I think that doesn't necessarily apply to people on the spectrum. Broly's difficulty with communication seems a lot like that experienced by someone with low-functioning autism but people on the high functioning end of the spectrum such as myself are capable of communication though we sometimes mess up without realizing it. I've been very sensitive to things and I think Broly may be the same, but I think he's not sensitive to the bright flashes and destruction of fighting. Lastly, I've never met a person on the spectrum who repeats one word and only one word over and over again, though I have been known myself to repeat myself in a manner similar to what is perceived here.

[BrolyKale]

As someone on the spectrum, I think as this thread proves it is comparable, but IMO Broli is not on the Autism spectrum. I'll try and break it down:

1) Communication. Just because an Aspie can find it hard to communicate doesn't mean we are incapable of it. I'm much more vocal and talkative, so to speak, on a keyboard rather than in real life. As well, if you get me on a topic I'm interested in (like Dragon Ball or Ratchet & Clank) I'll talk your ear off about it if I'm not careful.

2) Sensitivity. From my perspective it comes off as more of a genetic plot trope to justify Broly's rivalry with Goku than it is an actual character and mental trait. I'm sure there are many other situations that Broly finds himself in over the films that would also trigger the hypersensitivity if he was autistic, such as the sheer light and noise given off by the ki attacks of his opponents.

3) Repeating phrases. This is sometimes a "thing" we do, but I personally don't so I find it difficult to see how this can be used to say that Broly is autistic. I say Makangasappo like Piccolo does but that's because it's such a friggin' cool word to say! It's sort of a "vocal stim", where I get positive stimulation just from saying it, in the same way I get a positive "stim" from the audio of the 23rd WMAT title card, or the texture of a lenticular picture when I scratch my fingernail over it.

4) Obsessive interests. IMO this is the strongest connection, but there's one key difference that I feel debunks this particular aspect: Broli, as far as I'm aware, is not actively interested in Goku, he just hates him to the extreme. With my obsessions, one of the key facets that makes me interested is that I feel self-positive learning about it. I haven't watched any of the Broly movies, but from what I understand Broli has an obsessive hatred of Goku, not an obsessive interest; he doesn't want to learn anything and everything about him. Frieza has more interest in Goku as a whole than Broli, and I think that Goku's obsessive interest and dedication to fighting is more Aspie-like than both of those guys.

5) Emotions. I have gone a bit loco in the past, mainly due to The Lab in Crash Bandicoot, but I don't feel that it's an exclusive trait aside from those on the higher end of the spectrum (and if that were the case, Broly would be much more obviously Austistc). It isn't restrained to just anger though; other emotions like sadness or happiness are also exemplified for many (or at least me), and I don't relate either of those emotions to Broly really. It would be... closer(?) to say that Broli might have Tourettes, IMO.

So there we go! Personally I think it's more likely that Goku might be on the spectrum due to the interest in fighting, social bumble-ness, but there are in-universe explanations for those things (Saiyan mentality, living in the wilds with and without Grandpa Gohan).

I'm on the spectrum as well and I think that both you and the original poster make a good case. I personally don't think that Broly really has an obsession with Goku in the same way I have an obsession with hockey facts and statistics. I am generally emotionally stable (though I find it harder to understand my own emotions sometimes), but on occasion I will have an outburst though I think that doesn't necessarily apply to people on the spectrum. Broly's difficulty with communication seems a lot like that experienced by someone with low-functioning autism but people on the high functioning end of the spectrum such as myself are capable of communication though we sometimes mess up without realizing it. I've been very sensitive to things and I think Broly may be the same, but I think he's not sensitive to the bright flashes and destruction of fighting. Lastly, I've never met a person on the spectrum who repeats one word and only one word over and over again, though I have been known myself to repeat myself in a manner similar to what is perceived here.

Broly doesn't have any problem with communication at all, he is not like Kale. Broly can speak without shaking or blushing, if you ask him something he will reply to you, he is just not a talkative person when he is "calm" (like Hit or Jiren).
[spoiler]

[/spoiler]

but once he escapes from his father's control he speaks more, that's all. He proved to us that he could talk if he wanted to.
[spoiler]









and there's more[/spoiler]

And in the second coming, like rereboy said the way he acts is justified by the trauma he suffered when Goku defeated him, he was already pretty violent so things didn't go well. Broly is only interested in battles, that's about it, he is just a bloodthirsty warrior. Its not hard to understand Broly's character. HE IS VIOLENT!

Here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sR1cp7UVZl0 this is Broly when he was a kid, he is just destroying stuff because he is violent.