Why did Toriyama write Uub to be passive?

[90sDBZ]

He feels a bit like another Gohan, ie. someone who fights out of necessity rather than for intrinsic reasons.

It feels like a strange choice to make him passive when he's supposed to eventually succeed Goku. Especially after Toriyama ultimately decided against Gohan for that very reason.

Uub also seems like the type of guy who would eventually get tired of fighting and move on to other things if there was no threat.

Wouldn't it have made more sense to make him a confident battle hungry fighter? Especially as he was reincarnated from Kid Buu.

[MasenkoHA]

I think Toriyama just wanted to get across that Oob was pure and good unlike his previous incarnation.

Oob was never intended to be the main character so his personality being reminiscent of Gohan is a non-issue

We don’t know how Oob is going to be after the story ends (nor do we need to that wasn’t the point) but we can assume he does develop a love for fighting. He did leave with a 45 year old man to train him in martial arts after all.

[ABED]

Too much emphasis is put on Uub taking Goku's place but that's not what he means to the story. That's not his function in the story. If it were truly the case, he wouldn't have been introduced at the tail end of the story.

Also what MasenkoHa wrote.

[90sDBZ]

I just feel like, someone who we're supposed to believe will serve as a longtime rival to Goku should have a natural taste for battle from the get go.

Sure he does seem to enjoy fighting in GT, but if we take Toriyama's ending as is, we basically have this hesitant kid being strung along by Goku. Goku waited 10 years for him, and it's implied it will take several more years to train him into a worthy opponent. It makes me wonder why Goku didn't just challenge Gohan to fight every now and then.

And what would happen if Uub just got tired of martial arts? Goku couldn't force him to keep training, just like he couldn't force his own sons to keep training.

[MasenkoHA]

I just feel like, someone who we're supposed to believe will serve as a longtime rival to Goku should have a natural taste for battle from the get go.

If we want to directly compare him to Gohan, Gohan outright says from day one that he wants to be a scholar. Oob makes no claim of any other aspirations. I don’t know why we can’t go with Goku bringing out Oob’s natural fighting instinct.

. It makes me wonder why Goku didn't just challenge Gohan to fight every now and then.

Because Gohan doesn’t want to fight. Even if he spars with Goku to humor his dad what good is it going to do? Goku wants to test his strength not fight someone he will eventually surpass. (If he hadn’t already in the 10 year gap)

Granted, Dragon Ball Super making Gohan a fighter again along with providing all sorts of potential challenges for Goku kind of ruins that but that’s on Super not the original story.

And what would happen if Uub just got tired of martial arts? Goku couldn't force him to keep training, just like he couldn't force his own sons to keep training.

For the purpose of the narrative that’s clearly not the case.

[Dragon Ball Ireland]

Too much emphasis is put on Uub taking Goku's place but that's not what he means to the story. That's not his function in the story. If it were truly the case, he wouldn't have been introduced at the tail end of the story.

Also what MasenkoHa wrote.

Agreed, I don't think Uub was meant to be taken too seriously. We see older characters training younger characters like Master Roshi with Goku and Krillin, Piccolo with Gohan in the Saiyan arc, Goku and Gohan in the time chamber, and Goku and Piccolo with Goten and Trunks throughout the series.

Uub's purpose in the story is simply to say there's always more training to do and more to teach because Dragon Ball is at its heart a whimsical story about martial arts and improving yourself through persistence, so an open conclusion in light of that is thematically consistent with Toriyama's writing style.

[super michael]

Uub was written to be earth protector when Goku wasn’t around, therefore once Goku wasn’t around then Uub would be fighting those villains.

So it seems if there was a sequel then Uub would have been the main character. Although until Goku isn’t around then Goku adventure is with Uub, while Goku is the main character.

[Majin Buu]

Wouldn't it have made more sense to make him a confident battle hungry fighter? Especially as he was reincarnated from Kid Buu.

Well, his name is literally "Buu" spelled backwards. I think Toriyama was going for him being the exact reverse of everything Buu was, considering Goku's wish was for Buu to reborn as a good person (as in someone not out of control destructive).

Taking that into account, it makes sense that his core personality is the exact opposite of Buu's: Timid and docile where Buu was wild and uncontrollable. Even then, he does retain some subtle aspects of Buu's persona, like his ability to learn as he fights as Buu did.

[ABED]

Uub was written to be earth protector when Goku wasn’t around, therefore once Goku wasn’t around then Uub would be fighting those villains.

So it seems if there was a sequel then Uub would have been the main character. Although until Goku isn’t around then Goku adventure is with Uub, while Goku is the main character.

That was a side issue. Being "earth's protector" isn't the point of Uub. Hell, it's not the role Goku serves in the story. If he were, he wouldn't have been introduced at the very end of the story.

[MasenkoHA]

So it seems if there was a sequel then Uub would have been the main character. .

That wasn’t the intention. Uub wasn’t being set up as a lead for a potential sequel.

[Yuji]

We have no idea what Oob's personality is like. He is fighting for necessity but he could very well enjoy fighting as well but just have a timid disposition. They aren't mutually exclusive.

[MasenkoHA]

We have no idea what Oob's personality is like. He is fighting for necessity but he could very well enjoy fighting as well but just have a timid disposition. They aren't mutually exclusive.

Indeed. His only misgivings about Goku training him is his family is too poor for him to stay with them until Goku solves that issue with Mr.Satan’s money.

He’s also in a martial arts competition. For money in order to save his family from poverty but all the same he wouldn’t enter if he had no fighting experience

[Yuji]

We have no idea what Oob's personality is like. He is fighting for necessity but he could very well enjoy fighting as well but just have a timid disposition. They aren't mutually exclusive.

Indeed. His only misgivings about Goku training him is his family is too poor for him to stay with them until Goku solves that issue with Mr.Satan’s money.

He’s also in a martial arts competition. For money in order to save his family from poverty but all the same he wouldn’t enter if he had no fighting experience

Not to mention Goku asks him directly if he's excited about meeting strong people, and he answers with an enthusiastic yes, following it up with even more enthusiasm about the prospect of getting stronger:

Spoiler:

It's not like he was caught up in Goku's energy, he was apprehensive about everything else beforehand but he can still give a passionate answer regarding this one question.