Was grandpa Gohan meant to be perceived as a pedophile?

[Tavarano]

He's an old perv like Roshi that adopted a young boy with seemingly no ulterior motivation, and then made him sleep on his "testicle pillow", the first thing that Goku does when he recognizes him during Baba's tournament is that he jumps with his genitals straight onto Gohan's face, has Goku been conditioned to act that way as well?

[PacificOceanDub]

I’ve always been curious about this as well. I’ve always wondered if it was Gohan who suggested Goku use his crotch as a “pillow” or if that was something Goku just decided to do as a young child. Either way, that aspect of the Goku/Gohan relationship has always been weird as hell to me.

[KBABZ]

I felt the implication was that Grandpa Gohan (which you should clarify in your thread title, that it's Grandpa Gohan and not Son Gohan) didn't know about Goku's behaviour, or if he did found it quite irritating.

Also, him adopting Goku is meant to show how kind he is.

[SuperSaiyanPan]

What the fuck? I don't even..No

[Tavarano]

What the fuck? I don't even..No

This is not meant to be a joke thread, this is Toriyama we are talking about, one of pretty telling things he has said about DB was - "Also, this is often misunderstood, but I’m not good with wholesome content. It may seem wholesome at first glance, but there’s actually poison inside.".

[Gligarman]

I doubt he was a pedo but there's no doubt he was a pervert.

[WittyUsername]

As KBABZ pointed out, it might be a good idea to clarify that you’re talking about Grandpa Gohan in your title.

Anyway, I seriously doubt we’re supposed to assume that Grandpa Gohan is a child molester. He’s probably a dirty old man, but I really don’t think we’re supposed to view him as someone who desires being sexually involved with children. At the very least, if that were the case, Toriyama probably would’ve been a lot less subtle about it.

It should be noted that despite its raunchy and dark humor, the only characters in the DB franchise who can definitively be considered pedophiles (unless you count the Muten Roshi lusting after a 16 year old, thought that technically doesn’t meet the proper definition of the term) are Toei’s version of General Blue and Dolltaki, both of whom are bad guys.

[JohnnyCashKami]

I felt the implication was that Grandpa Gohan (which you should clarify in your thread title, that it's Grandpa Gohan and not Son Gohan) didn't know about Goku's behaviour, or if he did found it quite irritating.

Also, him adopting Goku is meant to show how kind he is.

Seriously! I thought he was talking about Gohan, Son Goku's son.

But no, I wouldn't say Grandpa Gohan was a pedo. Pervy? Yeah, I guess.

[MajinMan]

I was going to write a snarky response, but chose not to.

No, it’s completely ludicrous to assume that Gohan was a pedophile based off of one scene (which you’re assuming a lot about) and a throw away line. This is a guy who saved an orphaned baby and took care of him, teaching him manners and martial arts. It was even stated by Muten Roshi when he found out he had died that he was a “great guy.” Everything we’ve heard about him from othwr characters, especially Goku, was that he was a good person. There are no pedophillic undertones unless you really, really stretch to find them.

[Marco Polo]

The idea is disturbing.

But seriously how do you guys explain the "testicle pillow" thing?

[KBABZ]

But seriously how do you guys explain the "testicle pillow" thing?

The same way you explain why Goku has to feel people's crotches to tell their gender. He doesn't know any better and "LOL GENITALS".

[Marco Polo]

But seriously how do you guys explain the "testicle pillow" thing?

The same way you explain why Goku has to feel people's crotches to tell their gender. He doesn't know any better and "LOL GENITALS".

I thought the "testicle pillow" thing was that the manga implies that Goku slept with Grandpa Gohan with his head on his testicles. It's not really the same as patting people's genitals to tell whether they're men or women. I can see a (dumb) kid do the latter. I absolutely can't see a parent doing the former.

[KBABZ]

But seriously how do you guys explain the "testicle pillow" thing?

The same way you explain why Goku has to feel people's crotches to tell their gender. He doesn't know any better and "LOL GENITALS".

I thought the "testicle pillow" thing was that the manga implies that Goku slept with Grandpa Gohan with his head on his testicles. It's not really the same as patting people's genitals to tell whether they're men or women. I can see a (dumb) kid do the latter. I absolutely can't see a parent doing the former.

I assume G. Gohan didn't know about Goku doing that, considering the manner Goku does it with Bulma (which is moving from his sleeping spot to the adult's).

[Dr. Casey]

It would somewhat fit in with the humor of the Pilaf arc, but no, I don't think that was the intention at all. I doubt it really occurred to Grandpa Gohan that there was anything pervy about the situation. He probably just thought "aw, it's cute that baby/toddler Goku enjoys cuddling up to me when he's sleeping" and left it at that.

[MasenkoHA]

Wasn’t the implication when we saw Grandpa Gohan in the Baba arc that he liked the women like Roshi?

I don’t think Goku sleeping on his grandpa’s lap was intended to be sexual.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

I mean we know Gohan had once trained in the martial arts under Roshi alongside Ox King long ago, but really i don't think he ever appeared to me as a pedo in any way though it's clear that he has similar tendencies for lecherous antics much like his master.

While it might fit with some of the humor of the first arc, i really don't see anything that would give off the vibe of that actually being the case with his character as we know him.

[Dagon]

The real implication is that Toriyama slept on his own Grandpa's or father's "pillow."

[nickzambuto]

There's nothing sexual about sleeping on Gohan's lap. The fact that they called it a testicle pillow is very weird, but that's just Goku being his blunt self.

[gokaiblue]

Wait, where was it translated as testicle pillow? I mean, I'm not doubting that it's correct, but this is among the first time I'm hearing it referrred as such

[Saiga]

Wait, where was it translated as testicle pillow? I mean, I'm not doubting that it's correct, but this is among the first time I'm hearing it referrred as such

Same here. I'm guessing that must be the literal translation of what Goku calls it in Japanese, and if so, wow that is a weird expression.