Goku is a disaster as a father, according to Akira Toriyama

[miguelnuva1]

In both Goku and Vegeta's defense there was nothing wrong with either in that scene. Vegeta is a great husband for wanting to stay close to home but Goku also had merit in that Bulma likely doesn't need Vegeta 24/7 while she was pregnant as I don't remember them saying it was a high risk.

All Trunks would have to do is raise his power when Bulma's water broke since Vegeta knows it will be soon and then have Goku IT him home.

Saying all that to say I'd pick Vegeta's side and agree with him, just saying Goku isn't as bad as that scene could paint him.

Also before Super its heavily implied he was home with Goten everyday for 10 years and we know he raised Gohan other than his Yardrat adventure.

Yeah, but was Vegeta being a "good" husband/father? Wasn't it just because he knew that Bulma wouldn't let him down? It's like the guy who takes the garbage out so his wife wouldn't nag him. Does that really count?

Considering how he was with Bra and how he compares it to Trunks, Vegeta himself is feeling bad that he didn't spend time with his first child and plans to do everything right with Bra from the start.

Bulma is usually much more relaxed as a wife then Chichi when it comes to Vegeta trainning.

[TheGreatness25]

In both Goku and Vegeta's defense there was nothing wrong with either in that scene. Vegeta is a great husband for wanting to stay close to home but Goku also had merit in that Bulma likely doesn't need Vegeta 24/7 while she was pregnant as I don't remember them saying it was a high risk.

All Trunks would have to do is raise his power when Bulma's water broke since Vegeta knows it will be soon and then have Goku IT him home.

Saying all that to say I'd pick Vegeta's side and agree with him, just saying Goku isn't as bad as that scene could paint him.

Also before Super its heavily implied he was home with Goten everyday for 10 years and we know he raised Gohan other than his Yardrat adventure.

Yeah, but was Vegeta being a "good" husband/father? Wasn't it just because he knew that Bulma wouldn't let him down? It's like the guy who takes the garbage out so his wife wouldn't nag him. Does that really count?

Considering how he was with Bra and how he compares it to Trunks, Vegeta himself is feeling bad that he didn't spend time with his first child and plans to do everything right with Bra from the start.

Bulma is usually much more relaxed as a wife then Chichi when it comes to Vegeta trainning.

Oh, Bulma is definitely much more relaxed about Vegeta's training, but I think I recall Vegeta saying something to the effect that Bulma would nag him or something like that.

Vegeta is a strange case in Super. He does the amusement park, but goes off by himself until he just leaves at one point. So, it's like he knows to spend time with his family, but then he purposely misses Bulma's birthday party in favor of training...

I don't know, I can't get a read on the guy. But in any event, yes, the series is aware that Goku is a bad family man. Whereas in Z, we could always poke fun at how Goku seems to be a bad family man, Super actually acknowledges it. So, I guess my point in all of this is basically to say that I'm not surprised at these comments from Toriyama, nor are they any big revalations.

It does bug me that Goku is as flawed as he is. I'm not saying that he should be Superman and tell kids to eat their vitamins, but to have such an iconic hero that kids all over the world look up to, be portrayed as so stupid and careless for the sake of a gag, is off-putting to me.

[MasenkoHA]

Bulma is usually much more relaxed as a wife then Chichi when it comes to Vegeta trainning.

Damn it’s almost like Bulma lives on a massive estate and as the richest woman in the world doesn’t have to worry about finances

[super michael]

I do believe Goku in DBZ to be a good father and good husband, he respect Chi Chi wishes for Gohan to study.
Chi Chi on the other hand doesn't respect Goku that he is the father and gives him no right to teach Gohan anything until Raditz kidnaps him.

Then after the Saiyan Saga Chi Chi gives Goku the right to have a say in taking care of Gohan and let's Gohan decide what he wants.

Buu Saga Chi Chi, Yo Son Goku and DBS Manga are the ultimate development for Chi Chi, allows Goku to do as he likes and allows their kids to do as they like.

Is Goku flawed? Yes
Is Chi Chi flawed? Yes until Buu Saga then no. Although DBS Chi Chi is heavily flawed to no end.

[TheGreatness25]

I do believe Goku in DBZ to be a good father and good husband, he respect Chi Chi wishes for Gohan to study.
Chi Chi on the other hand doesn't respect Goku that he is the father and gives him no right to teach Gohan anything until Raditz kidnaps him.

Then after the Saiyan Saga Chi Chi gives Goku the right to have a say in taking care of Gohan and let's Gohan decide what he wants.

Buu Saga Chi Chi, Yo Son Goku and DBS Manga are the ultimate development for Chi Chi, allows Goku to do as he likes and allows their kids to do as they like.

Is Goku flawed? Yes
Is Chi Chi flawed? Yes until Buu Saga then no. Although DBS Chi Chi is heavily flawed to no end.

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

[ZeroIsOurHero]

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

Yeah, Chi-Chi's underlying concerns are justified. But when she starts screaming like a moron and saying stuff like "SAVING THE WORLD IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN GOHAN'S STUDYING!" she goes way too far the other direction. She does loosen up during the Buu arc by helping train Goten, so I think it's fair to say that Chi-Chi was flawed until that point.

[super michael]

I do believe Goku in DBZ to be a good father and good husband, he respect Chi Chi wishes for Gohan to study.
Chi Chi on the other hand doesn't respect Goku that he is the father and gives him no right to teach Gohan anything until Raditz kidnaps him.

Then after the Saiyan Saga Chi Chi gives Goku the right to have a say in taking care of Gohan and let's Gohan decide what he wants.

Buu Saga Chi Chi, Yo Son Goku and DBS Manga are the ultimate development for Chi Chi, allows Goku to do as he likes and allows their kids to do as they like.

Is Goku flawed? Yes
Is Chi Chi flawed? Yes until Buu Saga then no. Although DBS Chi Chi is heavily flawed to no end.

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

How about doing both academia and martial arts? There is no need to give up one or the other. What is Gohan going to do study 24/7?

Fighting aliens or evil, that is understandable why Chi Chi would be against.

Goku wasn't given the opportunity to study in academic, maybe that applies to Goku friends.

[DBZAOTA482]

I do believe Goku in DBZ to be a good father and good husband, he respect Chi Chi wishes for Gohan to study.
Chi Chi on the other hand doesn't respect Goku that he is the father and gives him no right to teach Gohan anything until Raditz kidnaps him.

Then after the Saiyan Saga Chi Chi gives Goku the right to have a say in taking care of Gohan and let's Gohan decide what he wants.

Buu Saga Chi Chi, Yo Son Goku and DBS Manga are the ultimate development for Chi Chi, allows Goku to do as he likes and allows their kids to do as they like.

Is Goku flawed? Yes
Is Chi Chi flawed? Yes until Buu Saga then no. Although DBS Chi Chi is heavily flawed to no end.

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

How about doing both academia and martial arts? There is no need to give up one or the other. What is Gohan going to do study 24/7?

Fighting aliens or evil, that is understandable why Chi Chi would be against.

Goku wasn't given the opportunity to study in academic, maybe that applies to Goku friends.

According to Chi-Chi, the world was peaceful so there was no need for Gohan to learn martial arts. Though Piccolo was still around and she thought he was evil at the time so idk about that.

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

Yeah, Chi-Chi's underlying concerns are justified. But when she starts screaming like a moron and saying stuff like "SAVING THE WORLD IS LESS IMPORTANT THAN GOHAN'S STUDYING!" she goes way too far the other direction. She does loosen up during the Buu arc by helping train Goten, so I think it's fair to say that Chi-Chi was flawed until that point.

That wasn’t a great moment for her but I don't see how it makes her a particularly flawed parent.

[super michael]

According to Chi-Chi, the world was peaceful so there was no need for Gohan to learn martial arts. Though Piccolo was still around and she thought he was evil at the time so idk about that.

The world was at peace in Future Trunks time line, until the Android appeared and they were defenseless.

In the Buu Saga the world was at peace, until Babidi and his minions came. They were lucky that Goku was around, otherwise there would be no defense to beat Dabura and Buu.

The world was at peace in the time line Zamasu stole Goku body, which then they were killed. Zamasu wasn't even used to Goku body, like how Ginyu wasn't used to Goku body.

I know those examples happens after the Saiyan Saga, however danger can always happen. Heck Gohan gets lecture even at time of peace he should train in the Buu Saga.

Still if there are no danger and no threat, there is no harm in learning and doing martial arts. Goku is a parent, so he should have the right in what he wants to teach. It isn't like Goku is saying "No chi chi Gohan isn't allowed to study, he should learn martial art and train". Then that would make Goku a awful father.

[miguelnuva1]

Bulma is usually much more relaxed as a wife then Chichi when it comes to Vegeta trainning.

Damn it’s almost like Bulma lives on a massive estate and as the richest woman in the world doesn’t have to worry about finances

Chichi should have picked a better husband then.

[Anonymous Friend]

Bulma is usually much more relaxed as a wife then Chichi when it comes to Vegeta trainning.

Damn it’s almost like Bulma lives on a massive estate and as the richest woman in the world doesn’t have to worry about finances

That's not the actual issue here. Chi-chi also come from money. In both cases they rely on their father's built wealth. In Bulma's case, she's probably also doing things to increase it on her own, though we really don't see that.

Both women complain about their deadbeat husbands doing nothing but train all day. They want them to be respectable, productive members of society. Niether seem to really have friends outside of the group, so I'm not sure who they would show this off to. I totally understand Bulma being the less uptight one. She's super rich, why should she care so much about that.

[ABED]

Except that's not the case here. Goku isn't doing nothing. They live in the mountains and he can get them the essentials. How much money are they blowing through that Gyumao ran out?

[Anonymous Friend]

Except that's not the case here. Goku isn't doing nothing. They live in the mountains and he can get them the essentials. How much money are they blowing through that Gyumao ran out?

Not sure if you're responding directly me or someone higher that I'm not seeing. I don't think the Son family uses that much money at all. They have a smallish house. Not many luxuries. The anime had them get a car, but that's really about it. I'm sure they do go out and buy groceries and such from time to time. Chi-chi probably makes all her and the boy's clothes.

[ABED]

I was, and I doubt they go grocery shopping much, at least not for stuff that doesn't last a while. They live secluded in the mountains. A parent's job is to keep kids alive and teach them so they are able take care of themselves. Goku does that with Gohan.

[Nagyzöld]

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

But she makes her four-year-old study for college.

Let's be real here, which one of us had their parents force them to study to become a doctor, at 4? Wouldn't you want to have the chance to enjoy childhood a bit and decide for yourself what you want to do with your life later on, when you're like, I don't know, older than freaking 4? That woman needs to chill. She's abusive as hell, too. He's not going to become a heathen if he doesn't start his academic path right after he learned how to wipe his own ass.

Not implying that Goku is the better parent, though. He's always been immature and more like an older brother to his sons than a father. That goes without saying. But Dragon Ball has never tried to be a lesson about parenting or focus on normal domestic life, I believe it's been inserted just to fill in the gaps between two consecutive adventures. Maybe, I don't know, it's Tori projecting a bit as well.

[PurestEvil]

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

But she makes her four-year-old study for college.

Has the level of education Gohan was studying ever been disclosed? Is there proof [from the manga] that Chi Chi is making Gohan do college level calculus problems or the like?

[ABED]

Any parent should want the best for their child but that doesn't mean status. They shouldn't be determining what career path their kids take. As for having or not having a job, Goku and the others don't need a career to survive.

[Nagyzöld]

I mean, Chichi doesn't want her four-year-old to end up like her unemployed husband and his buddies (Kurilin, Yajirobe, Roshi, Oolong, etc., etc.). I think it's quite reasonable that a normal parent would choose to have their young child to go into academia than running off into the woods to chase bears with his dad. But that might be just me.

But she makes her four-year-old study for college.

Has the level of education Gohan was studying ever been disclosed? Is there proof [from the manga] that Chi Chi is making Gohan do college level calculus problems or the like?

I didn't say he studied college materials, I said he was studying for college. It's inconsistently explained but if we go as far as cite the manga:

1. When Goku didn't bring Gohan back because Raditz attacked them, Chichi stormed in with her dad in her flying car and explained "Our son has school!" to which her father said "he can miss a day of preschool and it won't make any-" after which he was cut off.

2. In the hospital afterwards a 5yo Gohan admitted he wanted to go to Namek to which Chichi said "What about cram school? Your lessons? You're way behind all the other kids already!! "

So no one can tell for sure what kind of studying he started at that age but there's no reason for Chichi to get her panties in a twist if Gohan was behind with coloring books and learning seasons or how to count 1 to 10. It's like ABED mentioned before me. In a standalone drawing in the manga a 4yo Gohan was saying "I want to be a scholar". How does he even know that so early except if Chichi didn't impose it on him? Do we remember how it was like at 4 years old, we probably wanted to become wizards or dinosaur trainers.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Yeah, it does seem like Chi-Chi went a little too over the top at times in that regard especially when Gohan was that young. For instance, when they're in the Capsule Corp ship in ep 139 transporting the unconscious Goku away and she's out of the blue nowhere like "Oh no!!!! Gohan time to study study study." then continuously keeps jerking his face back to the textbook every time he turns his head away to speak or do anything at all. I mean, it seems like even in a crisis she couldn't let it wait until later. He even asks "At a time like this?" and i get her intentions but there are times in the series where it feels a little too excessive on her part. Seriously, not even letting five seconds pass there without having his nose in a book? She's the definition of a tiger mother, one who aggressively wants their child to pursue something of their own wishes to the point where it's almost borderline nuts. I wouldn't be surprised if the scholar thing was an idea or aspiration that Chi-Chi forced upon him, because really what child especially at 4 years of age is already thinking of something like that? I do get this is a fictional world which is different from ours and while there are those in real life who take education as seriously to nearly the same extent Chi-Chi does (to the point where making anything less than an A in subjects is bad, and boy i'm sure glad my parents weren't that obsessive over it though naturally they still wanted me to do as best as i could) it just appears so forced and really makes me feel for Gohan.

One the one hand i can understand where she's coming from, but the way she goes about it at times just feels so overbearing and irrational.

[DBZAOTA482]

Yeah, it does seem like Chi-Chi went a little too over the top at times in that regard especially when Gohan was that young. For instance, when they're in the Capsule Corp ship in ep 139 transporting the unconscious Goku away and she's out of the blue nowhere like "Oh yeah Gohan time to study study study." then continuously keeps jerking his face back to the textbook every time he turns his head away to speak or do anything at all. I mean, it seems like even in a crisis she couldn't let it wait. He even asks "At a time like this?" and i get her intentions but there are times in the series where it feels a little too excessive on her part. Seriously, not even letting five seconds pass there without having his nose in a book? She's the definition of a tiger mother, one who aggressively wants their child to pursue something of their own wishes to the point where it's almost borderline nuts. I wouldn't be surprised if the scholar thing was an idea or aspiration that Chi-Chi forced upon him, because really what child especially at 4 years of age is already thinking of something like that? I do get this is a fictional world which is different from ours and while there are those in real life who take education as seriously to nearly the same extent Chi-Chi does (to the point where making anything less than an A in subjects is bad, and boy i'm sure glad my parents weren't that obsessive over it though naturally they still wanted me to do as best as i could) it just feels so forced and really makes me feel for Gohan at times.

That stuff with the airship is filler.

Also to be fair, there are kids that want to be teachers when they grow up.