Why did Son Gohan keep his body?

[Dorexx]

So, what do you think is the deal with Goku's gramps having his body while being dead, and how was he permitted to come back for a day? Do you think Baba asked for permission in his case or she did it "illegally"? Dai Kaio wasn't so pleased with letting Goku go. It seemed like an extremely rare or a one-time only thing. Also, could it be that Baba arranged for his body to be given back for this event?

This topic is for fan-theories and discussion. Feel free to make up stuff about how stuff works in the DB afterlife, and Universe.

[Fox666]

I think it was mentioned that those who wish to train in the afterlife keep their bodies.

[Herms]

Do you think Baba asked for permission in his case or she did it "illegally"? Dai Kaio wasn't so pleased with letting Goku go. It seemed like an extremely rare or a one-time only thing.

I think this is another manga/anime difference. In the manga Goku coming back for a day is just treated as a standard thing Uranai Baba could do for any dead person, which fits into what Grampa Gohan says about her frequently scouting dead martial arts masters to fight for her. There's no scene where the Dai-Kaio or anyone has reservations about him returning.

As for him keeping his body, we're never really given clear criteria for who qualifies to keep theirs in the afterlife. We just know (per Goku's post-Cell Games explanation) that regular people and really evil guys like Cell don't get them and are just spirits in the afterlife, while Goku gets special treatment for saving the Earth. What else you could do to get special treatment isn't specified, but Goku also says there's lot of martial arts masters in the afterlife for him to pal around with, and presumably those guys have bodies. Which also ties back into Gohan's statement about Uranai Baba recruiting masters from the afterlife to fight for her. Overall it seems to be comparitively common for martial arts masters to keep their bodies in the afterlife, and Gohan fits into that category.

[Mr. Piccolo]

Interesting topic. Besides the things mentioned in the excellent responses so far, I would just add that perhaps Son Gohan’s personal goodness may also come into play here. I always assumed that Son Gohan had a major influence on Goku’s development as a kind person. Being a martial arts master coupled with some good deeds or a good heart seems to be the criterion for getting to keep one's body in the Afterlife.

In fact, I always thought it was odd for Toei to focus so much on Bardock, whom Goku never knew and who was arguably not a good person (killing all kinds of people to sell their planets to Freeza), while leaving Grandpa Gohan without any movies or TV specials of his own!

[Gyt Kaliba]

There was also something (but only in the dub maybe, since I'm having trouble recalling hearing it in the Japanese version) about Goku getting to keep his body due to all of the good he did in life, so I always just assumed that Grandpa Gohan did something similar. It wouldn't have been on near the same scale as what Goku did later obviously, but for all we know he saved the world once back in the day too.

[Rocketman]

In fact, I always thought it was odd for Toei to focus so much on Bardock, whom Goku never knew and who was arguably not a good person (killing all kinds of people to sell their planets to Freeza), while leaving Grandpa Gohan without any movies or TV specials of his own!

Arguably?

Also Bardock looks like Goku, so Toei can squint and keep fapping.

[Mr. Piccolo]

In fact, I always thought it was odd for Toei to focus so much on Bardock, whom Goku never knew and who was arguably not a good person (killing all kinds of people to sell their planets to Freeza), while leaving Grandpa Gohan without any movies or TV specials of his own!

Arguably?

Also Bardock looks like Goku, so Toei can squint and keep fapping.

Yeah, you are right. I also assume people like the Bardock character because his story is dramatic, at least for Dragon Ball. Still, I would love a movie or TV special about Son Gohan and the Ox King. That would be pretty interesting.

[Ketchup_Revenge]

Just a theory, but it could've been that he was given his body back so he could return to Earth and fight, not that he'd kept it when he died in the first place.

[Herms]

Just a theory, but it could've been that he was given his body back so he could return to Earth and fight, not that he'd kept it when he died in the first place.

It's possible. Nothing in the series suggests that, but nothing flat out contradicts it either. Though I suppose Gohan's interest in the pretty gals in the afterlife implies he had a body there. There's also the filler at the end of the DB anime where we see Gohan with his body working with Annin at the boarder between the living world and afterlife, although you could say he was also especially given a body to fulfill those duties.

[Fox666]

In fact, I always thought it was odd for Toei to focus so much on Bardock, whom Goku never knew and who was arguably not a good person (killing all kinds of people to sell their planets to Freeza), while leaving Grandpa Gohan without any movies or TV specials of his own!

Arguably?

Yeah, terms like good or bad are subjective. Is the presidents of the United States good?

[penguintruth]

Bardock was basically Vegeta's personality in Goku's body. He was a violent sociopath.

[Rocketman]

In fact, I always thought it was odd for Toei to focus so much on Bardock, whom Goku never knew and who was arguably not a good person (killing all kinds of people to sell their planets to Freeza), while leaving Grandpa Gohan without any movies or TV specials of his own!

Arguably?

Yeah, terms like good or bad are subjective. Is the presidents of the United States good?

No US President has personally killed a billion people, oddly enough.

[penguintruth]

Teddy Roosevelt came close.

[Insertclevername]

Bardock was basically Vegeta's personality in Goku's body. He was a violent sociopath.

Well, Bardock does have some compassion, like for his teammates. Vegeta on the other hand....

[Deep Thought]

Yeah, to add to that, Bardock did seem to have at least a small amount of fondness for his people, as illustrated by him trying to save them, rather than saving himself, which would have been rather easy to do. Vegeta, at least at first, is just a total sociopathic degenerate who cares for no one but himself, hence him belittling his own deceased father.

Bardock is still evil and was sent straight to hell, though. No question about that.

[Makaioshin]

Don't forget that Bardock went back in time, saved the Plant people from space thugs, and then walked off heroically into the sunset in Bardock 2. Or when he broke free from being mind controlled in the future and sacrificed himself to save the son he never met in the World of Dragon Quest. He is a good guy.

[Insertclevername]

Oh yeah, total prick, definitely burning in hell! Just slightly less douchy than Vegeta.

[Rocketman]

Raditz and Nappa had some compassion for their fellows too, and they went straight to hell. Vegeta was an asshole even by Saiyan standards.

[penguintruth]

Nappa actually didn't go to Hell, because he accepted Kami-sama (despite killing him) as his personal Savior just as he was dying.

Now he writes columns for World Net Daily.

[Ringworm128]

Bardok never really came off as "evil" to me. He seemed more like someone with a rough personality who was just doing his job. We see that Nappa liked to taunt his opponents, Raditz was a coward and was very proud and that Vegeta made them look like the nicest people in the world yet we see none of that with Bardok. All we know is that he blew up planets for a living which is bad yes, but it's all we ever see him do. There's nothing to suggest he would kill any non Saiyan creature he came into contact with (off duty) or if he would torture them while laughing until they died.