Was Goku at his best or at his worst during the Cell and Boo arcs?

[Totamo]

A lot of people say that Goku was his most mature during these arcs while others say he was an asshole.

What do you think?

[sintzu]

I think he was at his best. I just like how he acted and delt with everything. he felt like a true adult but he still kept what made us like him in the 1st place.

[DBZ Macky]

Giving Cell the Senzu bean, not showing SS3 against Vegeta and not destroying Majin Buu when he had the chance. He definitely wasn't "at his best".

[Desassina]

He wasn't at his best from the Cell Games up to the Fusion saga. Once Kid Boo showed up, he took on an enemy with all that he got, and fought like it was the Saiyan saga. Those were, in my opinion, his best moments.

[SaiyanZ]

I think he was at his best. I just like how he acted and delt with everything. he felt like a true adult but he still kept what made us like him in the 1st place.

This x100.

[LowRyder2005]

Definitely my favorite characterization as well.
I always found Cell Game/ Buu saga Goku an organic evolution, something coherent with Goku's overarching development as a real adult (which basically had started with the drama of the Saiyan arc); I'd say his character had - at that point - the necessary maturity and level-headedness of a grown-up, made use of Goku's experiences as a fighter and managed to keep most of the things that had made Goku a likeable protagonist.

It's something, to me, outshined only by the masterfully executed character arc of Vegeta.

[coola]

He was my least favorite in Buu Saga, it was his fault to decide to play with Vegeta game and didn't knock him out quickly to stop Buu from resurrection, and then he had audacity, the nerve to say "Nah, i could handle Buu, but i decided to let kids handle it" umm, hello? It was YOURfault Buu is free, take responibility! It made me really hate him, and he didn't deserved Elder Kai life.

[Lord Beerus]

Goku was at his absolute worst in the Cell arc. Full blown blood knight. And if it wasn't for Piccolo calling him out on his bullshit in Cell Games, I don't think he would have realised how much shit hit the fan when Cell was practically beating Gohan to death after Goku healed Cell by giving him a senzu. But to fair, practically the whole cast was written poorly in that arc.

His characterisation in the Majin Boo arc is kind weird. He certainly has good intentions, but they way he expresses them is so unorthodox.

He could have stopped Majin Boo from being resurrected, but he doesn't because... reasons. Then he could have killed Majin Boo, and he doesn't because at this stage Goku realised how much of a crutch character he, and thought, "If these guys can handle Majin Boo, then I don't need worry and be constantly looking over my from shoulder from the afterlife to make sure things are okay on Earth." It was a huge gamble for Goku to put as much faith as he did in the like of Gohan, Trunks and Goten to defeat Majin Boo and protect the planet, but for what it's worth, those guys showed the strength to do so. It was just at the critical moments that luck struck against them or the villains just out-though them.

But then when it comes to taking on Kid Boo, who by that point had destroyed the Earth, he rejects the concept of fusing again, which could have end the fight instantly and saved the universe, because he wants to fight Kid Boo with his own strength. And Kid Boo nearly won because of that. Like, he's only willing to go all out once he know that billions of people are dead. Plus, him not wanting to fuse with Vegeta was stupid. It's even more dumb considering that it's shown the Potara fusion isn't actually permanent, and Old Kaioshin was full of shit. And we later find out you can wish to separate a Potara fused being. So they could have easily fused to become Vegetto, literally finger-flick Kid Boo and then wished to separate. Job done in less than five minutes. But no. Goku wanted to fight on his own and challenge himself. Oh, come on, Goku. Are you serious?

[90sDBZ]

He wasn't at his best from the Cell Games up to the Fusion saga. Once Kid Boo showed up, he took on an enemy with all that he got, and fought like it was the Saiyan saga. Those were, in my opinion, his best moments.

I can kind of agree with this. It was great to finally see Goku going all out on his own again instead of running off with Instant Transmission and trying to get others to finish the job. It was basically him saying "So I taught the kids fusion, and tried passing the torch to Gohan again. And all for nothing. Fuck it. I'm going in!".

[OhHiRenan]

I think Cell and Boo arc Goku is him at his absolute best character wise. He's flawed but still consistent, he makes legitimate mistakes that are acknowledged in-universe and he just this sincere aura of maturity to him. In the Boo arc, especially, he comes off very wise without compromising his selfishness.

[floofychan333]

Goku was pretty immature during Cell because he brought Cell in his fat form to Kaio's planet. He gets better during Boo and starts to fight smarter, though.
Strength-wise, Goku's quite weak during the Cell arc because he needed Gohan to bail him out. In Buu he was at his usual level but he would have been even stronger if he'd learned how to maintain SSJ3.

[DBZAOTA482]

Goku was pretty immature during Cell because he brought Cell in his fat form to Kaio's planet. He gets better during Boo and starts to fight smarter, though.
Strength-wise, Goku's quite weak during the Cell arc because he needed Gohan to bail him out. In Buu he was at his usual level but he would have been even stronger if he'd learned how to maintain SSJ3.

How is that immature?

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

I say that was where he at his best. He was laid-back and naive but he still had self-awareness (what he lacks so heavily now). Those arcs where Goku had shown the most maturity that was more paternal. He accepted himself having Saiyan "pride" in his shared relatability to Vegeta's own, which he never considered until the potara fusion.

The Cell arc helped him bond with Gohan (though still selfishly but in a paternalistic way) and he accepted he didn't have time for Buu. Goku there to me felt like he was trying to step back and lead by example somewhat. (Though that was more emphasized in the Dub) where his only real selfishness was that he just planned everything to himself and didn't think everything through because of it. Goku was not "stupid" in those arcs to me for being irrational because he had well intended plans, they just didn't work out the way he always assumes they will.

[floofychan333]

Goku was pretty immature during Cell because he brought Cell in his fat form to Kaio's planet. He gets better during Boo and starts to fight smarter, though.
Strength-wise, Goku's quite weak during the Cell arc because he needed Gohan to bail him out. In Buu he was at his usual level but he would have been even stronger if he'd learned how to maintain SSJ3.

How is that immature?

It's more stupid than immature but it's immature because it's literally the first thing he thought of and he really didn't think it through.

[Cipher]

I think the real point is that if we can't handle Goku at his worst, we sure as hell don't deserve him at his best.

[Tectorman]

Goku was pretty immature during Cell because he brought Cell in his fat form to Kaio's planet. He gets better during Boo and starts to fight smarter, though.
Strength-wise, Goku's quite weak during the Cell arc because he needed Gohan to bail him out. In Buu he was at his usual level but he would have been even stronger if he'd learned how to maintain SSJ3.

How is that immature?

It's more stupid than immature but it's immature because it's literally the first thing he thought of and he really didn't think it through.

How so? 'Cause he did think it through and it was the best choice he could have made. Cell was seconds away from blowing up. He could only get Cell away in time by teleporting and hus method of teleporting requires someone to be at his destination. I.e., no matter what he does, he and at least one other person are going to die. So he needs to go somewhere where the number of people dying along with him and Cell is at its lowest. And only King Kai and Bubbles (and Gregory in the anime) were at King Kai's place.

What better option did he have?

[TheUltimateNinja]

How is that immature?

It's more stupid than immature but it's immature because it's literally the first thing he thought of and he really didn't think it through.

How so? 'Cause he did think it through and it was the best choice he could have made. Cell was seconds away from blowing up. He could only get Cell away in time by teleporting and hus method of teleporting requires someone to be at his destination. I.e., no matter what he does, he and at least one other person are going to die. So he needs to go somewhere where the number of people dying along with him and Cell is at its lowest. And only King Kai and Bubbles (and Gregory in the anime) were at King Kai's place.

What better option did he have?

Also, being dead has literally zero effect on King Kai.

[TheGodfather93]

He certainly wasn't at his best in the Android arc.

Remember when Goku, Vegeta and pals chose to ignore Bulma's suggestion to use the Dragon Balls to find Gero and stop him before the androids could be built, just because they wanted to fight them? You know, the same androids who killed Goku's friends and family in another timeline and terrorised the Earth for decades. Boy, that sure was smart of Goku and his buddies. It came back to bite him in the ass later because he ended up dying against Cell, who wouldn't have gotten anywhere near as powerful without the androids there to absorb.

Then again, as has already been stated, most of the main characters were dumbasses back in the Android arc. I get that the story wouldn't have been able to progress without these things happening, but still, it really made the Z Warriors come across as stupid.

To me, kid Goku is still the best Goku.

[Asura]

Goku was definitely at his best during the Buu arc in my opinion. He felt like a very natural evolution of the character, and really felt like a mature adult (For Goku standards, anyway). I highly disagree with people saying his character during the Buu arc was "badly written" due to him doing things like not killing Buu when he had the chance, not going SSJ3 against Vegeta and ending things quickly, etc. but I don't see how any of that was out of character, and Goku had his reasons for doing these things, even if his plans didn't work out like he had wanted them to. (But again, things not happening exactly the way Goku thought they would has been a theme for awhile now, and we've always seen how his intentions don't always go smoothly).

Buu arc Goku/EoZ Goku was really the peak of Goku's character to me. It logically feels like where he should end up, as he goes from child to man (I mean, more of a manchild, but still more man than child). Sadly though, Super Goku has been nothing but a regression in that aspect, and if Super goes up to EoZ, I highly doubt the Goku we saw in EoZ will act like the same one we would see in Super's "EoZ".

[TheMikado]

I fail to see how Goku is at his worse. Both were an incredible evolution of the character.

In the Cell arc we see Goku recovering from illness and spending his time with his family and treasuring that time with them.
He mentors and literally places faith in his son.

Goku even steps aside and cancels his fight with Cell early to let Gohan fight.
His like the overzealous sports dad who is convinced his son is a pro athlete level.
Is it silly to give Cell a sensu bean and then throw his son in the ring?
Absolutely, but Goku was still a relatively young dad who discovers his son has natural talent in something he loves.
It would be no different than Michael Jordan trying to get his son in the NBA or George Foreman trying to get his sons into a boxing ring. Still a poor decision, but from a place of maturing into a young dad.
Further his sacrifice and realization that he attracts trouble to Earth shows he's matured to a certain extent.

As for Goku in Buu, I don't see anything wrong with him at all. He matured even more in that mentor role, but realized you can't just send a kid into the ring without a trump card and adequate training.
EoZ sees Goku fully embrace the mentor role, but I'm not sure how I feel about the ending.