Is Goku a static character?

[MyVisionity]

Hence why Goku killing was never mentioned as a character flaw he needed to change.

Exactly. It wasn't an issue back then, which is why it doesn't conflict with Goku's character in the future. It all lines up with adult Goku through Namek and Goku through Majin Boo. He was never a true murderer, and that doesn't change. He wasn't like Vegeta or Piccolo.

Those Red Ribbon Army soldiers died as a result of their crafts exploding in battle. Goku was only trying to stop them in the heat of battle, not necessarily kill them.

[Demon Prince Piccolo]

Hence why Goku killing was never mentioned as a character flaw he needed to change.

Exactly. It wasn't an issue back then, which is why it doesn't conflict with Goku's character in the future. It all lines up with adult Goku through Namek and Goku through Majin Boo. He was never a true murderer, and that doesn't change. He wasn't like Vegeta or Piccolo.

Those Red Ribbon Army soldiers died as a result of their crafts exploding in battle. Goku was only trying to stop them in the heat of battle, not necessarily kill them.

He also wasn't trying to not kill them, and certainly didn't seem to care that he did. I agree with you in that Goku wasn't written to be a murderer; that much is obvious when you consider the tone of Dragon Ball (the entire series, not just the early stuff). Maybe it can be chalked up more to Goku learning better control of his power the stronger he got as well (both as a skill and as a conscious choice), but the fact remains that I just don't see 23rd Budokai Goku with even close to the same body count in the same situation.

Ultimately the "Kami teaching Goku to value life" is headcanon that I don't buy into particularly. I just feel that Goku's training had a significant impact on his mind, body, and spirit, so much so that it affected how he dealt with certain situations moving forward. Again, I don't think it was necessarily that he suddenly learned mercy, I think it just reflected where his mindset was in comparison to the beginning of the series, that he was more in control and in-tune with his surroundings than ever before. He possessed much of the same spirit, but had gained much in the way of zen. And it was through this that Goku was able to complete the journey Roshi had set him on 6 years prior. He was largely still the same Goku, but he had evolved into a pure martial artist. Furthermore, he's become someone more capable of making judgement calls. So I think when it comes to killing, from the 23rd-the whole of Z, the difference is not that he suddenly has mercy, but that he makes active judgement calls on what should be done with certain villains.

[nhienphan2808]

Goku is able to adapt and change himself according to the battle and the comrades surrounding him, but i wouldnt say it's a skill. It's something he just do without thinking or practicing. Ultimately he needs a sense of heroic purpose for him to be the reluctant hero, and make a story, and his comrade provide him that. Without them, he's technically boringly simple, and the "idiot" you see in a large part of Super. He's not a guy that change like Vegeta or Piccolo, he change depending on what the story had to offer him.

In DB as a kid, it's Grandpa Gohan and his memories, so kid Goku was more grounded, more brutal, and arguably more mature, with a sense of friendship and connection. In Z it's mainly Vegeta and his obsession with power and also the same race as him , so Goku's true nature of battle loving was brought out more. To be clear, he was always battle loving, it's Grandpa Gohan that grounded ithis nature, tamed it and enriched it as the same time. With Vegeta, someone like him, he's ALL battle. In the Cell Saga there was Trunks and his sense of duty and danger, so Goku became this serious, calculating hero because of that. He's not that, it's budding hero Gohan and too serious Trunks and the stakes in Cell Saga. He still messed that up big time with the senzu thing and reason for staying dead.

The later part of Buu Saga after Vegeta's death was lackluster is simply that, there's no Vegeta. Goku tries to solve problems but he had never been an effective leader, he simply needs Vegeta to wrap the arc up. Similarly The problem with Super anime is not Goku himself, it's that it failed to find Goku a driving force in Vegeta or a new character, except Frieza in the very last episodes. Goku in Super is plain simple bare bone battle obsessed Goku, who means well but can escalate problems to disasterous areas, and without conflicts or tension or purpose.

[Dr. Casey]

I'll just quote something I wrote in 2009:

During the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, whenever they air that silly movie about Mr. Satan defeating Cell... after it concludes, Goku laughs and gives a bemused, "It's amazing what happens when you let a fib go on this long, huh?" Picture 12 year old Goku saying that. Wouldn't it seem strangely sophisticated and even out of character coming from him? He'd probably just stare blankly and make a curious little sound, or at best give a completely earnest "That's not what happened..." I can't picture him giving the aforementioned quote as a child because it's too insightful, well-reasoned, and aware.

Goku doesn't feel static to me simply because he develops so much intellectually - at least to the extent where he feels like a child when he is one, and like an adult when he's an adult. He maintains the same basic personality traits his entire life along with the same values, hobbies, goals, and general approach to life, but as an adult he's capable of being wise, insightful, and holding long and mature conversations with others. 11-12 year old Goku is just a braindead feral child. It's growth limited to one single dimension/axis, but it's enough to make him feel as though he isn't static to me.

[Anonymous Friend]

Funny how everyone wants to always reference Goku not being able to determine gender as "growth for him". Do you also consider him learning how to use a phone or drive a car as growth for him as well?

I would say Goku's first liitle bit of actual growth come from his training with Roshi and incorporating everything into his life. Had he not gotten Roshi as a mentor his life would definitely been different.

I'm assuming he handled his Grandpa's death much different than he handled Bura's and Krill's first (second) death. As well as everyone else's from that arch.

You can also see bits of maturity around his arrival at the 23rd Tourney. He's that way leading up to his death with Raditz. To me, when he arrives at the battlefield for the saiyans he feels ... a bit more something. Now it could just be the events itself.

His arrival on Namek until his death by Cell also feels different. I was going to type "til the end of Buu" there, but I feel that the Buu stuff shifted his roll around for a brief moment and Goku was do more. Or it could be that for the most part Goku's dynamic in the story was changed, where he would spend a majority of the story sidelined with not being involved almost at all, to at least being there for a side plan.

In the end, I can definitely say that Goku from the first two-thirds of ogDB is somewhat different from from, say ... Andoid saga Goku.

[DragonBallFoodie]

Somewhat, I think.

His evolution is mostly in power and intellect, but he still remains the cheerful adventurous spirit who doesn't get social norms.

Of course, he comes from a show from an era where characters were more or less static. Master Roshi the kung-fu pervert, Vegeta the arrogant rival, Bulma the vain rich girl, and other character archetypes.