Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

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Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by nickzambuto » Fri Nov 13, 2020 4:22 pm

I have seen a lot of theories that Goku is secretly smarter than he lets on. Does Goku downplay himself and act silly on purpose, because he likes to keep his full abilities a secret? Or is he genuinely unaware of the stupid things he says/does?

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Trek405 » Fri Nov 13, 2020 5:34 pm

I don't think so. I always felt this theory is just people trying to reconcile gokus "stupid" behavior and the fact that he's a grown man. Unless I'm missing something I can't remember a time where this was hinted at either.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Matches Malone » Sat Nov 14, 2020 12:26 am

No, it's just bad writing, there's no hidden secret being kept from us.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Lionel » Sat Nov 14, 2020 4:02 am

I doubt it. Goku is a man who genuinely believes in the naive shenanigans that he flaunts around other people. Such is a man who isn't inclined to being a deep thinker or reflective on his actions such as Piccolo, Tenshinhan or Vegeta.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Psajdak » Sat Nov 14, 2020 8:52 pm

IMO, the reason for that is because one of "Goku's things" is often to be underestimated, only for him to at some point reveal what he is actually capable of.

Think Goku vs Vegeta, Goku demonstrating his PL in front of Ginyu Force, Trunks witnessing Super Saiyan 3 after not believing him to be all that special, Beerus noticing that Goku isn't all talk when he met him for the first time, etc...

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by PerhapsTheOtherOne » Thu Nov 19, 2020 1:07 pm

Almost certainly not. Goku can be very smart and even manipulative at times (see his interactions with Freeza during the ToP Arc in the anime to see just how well he's learned things), but overall he's very straightforward and blunt.

He doesn't see much nuance or complexity, which can lead to some very irrational and stupid decisions that he simply doesn't understand the greater ramifications of.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by SupremeKai25 » Fri Nov 20, 2020 6:11 am

Oh it's not an act, he is genuinely retarded. Refer to episode 53 "Uncover Black's Identity! Off to the 10th Universe's World of the Kai's!" of Dragon Ball Super if you don't believe me.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by theherodjl » Fri Nov 20, 2020 7:45 am

The fact that Goku had trouble with an elementary-level test of intelligence speaks for itself. He might be quick-witted in a battle but when it comes to general intellect and functioning within a society, Goku is below average...and that's being favorable.
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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Aim » Sat Nov 21, 2020 4:36 am

Maybe some of it may be an act. He can be mischievous, as seen in DB when he lies on the ground when knocked down for longer than usual, then suddenly springs back up.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Slangh » Thu Nov 26, 2020 3:39 pm

I don't think Goku in the original manga was stupid to begin with. He was raised by a genuine old man in the wild, far away from dishonest people. Him interacting with a city girl like Bulma and exploring the civilized world showed his ignorance, which was part of the humor. But was he stupid? No, he had a clear mind without an ego blocking the way, so he was able to pick up on things rather quick. He always had sharp senses. During the Buu saga he struck me like a wise mentor kind of character. Completely calm, especially when he tought the fusion technique to the kids and his SSJ3 form was a stoic force of nature, without rage fueling it. His intention was never to fight Buu; he wanted the next generation to take care of it instead.

DBS Goku is so immensely stupid that I don't even consider him to be the same Goku I know from the original manga. He's a complete degradation from Buu saga Goku and even less mature than his kid self. The worst episode is where he is fooled into thinking Beerus in a Monaka costume really IS Monaka... The real Goku would have SMELLED it was Beerus. DBS Goku is dumb as bricks.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by emperior » Mon Dec 07, 2020 11:03 am

Manga DBS Goku is actually not stupid. He immediately understood how Merus was holding back, for example, but he also immediately thought about Mafuba once he met an immortal opponent.

In the anime he’s only absurdly stupid in the Future Trunks arc and in filler stuff. Universal Survival Arc Goku was perfectly written in the anime, in my opinion.

As for the thread, I believe that some people often mix Goku’s naivety with his stupidity. Yes he’s done some dumb thing at times, but most of the times it was due to his naive nature. That’s why he is pure hearted.
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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Lord Frieza » Wed Dec 23, 2020 5:25 pm

He's not an idiot but he's not all that bright when it comes to social norms or the finer points human interactions and heavier. He's also absent minded, pure/naïve and lacks a lot of basic general knowledge. This combined with his horribly stilted intreast and education result in him appearing dumber then he actually is.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Anonymous Friend » Thu Dec 24, 2020 3:31 pm

The only time he might be actively acting stupid is if he thinks it might get him out of trouble with Chichi and get him in to some trianing.
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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by blacksymbiote » Mon Feb 01, 2021 3:23 am

Goku doesn't act stupid, he's just very limited in his interests. If it's not fighting or food, he's not very knowledgeable of it.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Tabidachi » Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:13 am

To be fair Goku doesn't come across as stupid to me... he's just... very naive. Genuine and immaculate. He sees people as they portray themselves because he has no cynicism in him, in his perpetually innocent mind people are naturally good and truthful, very much like he is. So he doesn't doubt others unless they give him an "in-your-face" reason to and because of that he's also unable to detect sarcasm.

He is the archetypal simple man, living for the simple things. Brought up wild with nature, detests the city, has a traditional wife and family with whom he lives in the mountains. If I take a 1h drive to the countryside the chances of me meeting someone similar to Goku increase. Of course, his case is a bit extreme, but I wouldn't go as far as calling him stupid. Especially because there's virtuousness in his personality, his "stupidity" is the symptom of him being a morally pure person. The fact that he never went to school or did any studying/learned to read also plays a part. It doesn't bother me at all, quite the opposite. :D

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by kemuri07 » Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:05 pm

I've said this before, but something that I think DB largely forgot as it became more focused on large-scaled battles and power ups is that Goku's big thing is that he's a genius battle strategist and can quickly come up with tactics at a moment's notice. This is something that is really stressed in original DB, especially during Ma Junior arc where a lot of the confidence that Goku has comes from him basically playing three dimensional chess and outthinking his opponents.

Goku is "simple." But only because of his upbringing. A lot of it is "enhanced," due to the parodic tone of early DB, but I think as he got older and more experienced with other people, he's able to adjust a lot more in DB's society. So I never took Goku to be stupid. Remember, Goku's simplicity was always meant to contrast with the duplicitous nature of the other characters. Whereas people like Krillin, Bulma, Oolong, and Roshi represent the selfish nature of people, Goku's simplicity cuts through the bullshit because he's never dishonest about who he is. It's a big reason why a lot of Goku's friends were originally his enemies.

Super is a problematic case because I think, for the sake of comedy and bad writing, the show absolutely flanderizes (and yes I'm using that work to piss off certain people, deal with it) Goku's manchild tendencies to the point that it becomes a far more significant part of his character than it was in Z. That's the reason why people dislike Super(anime) interpretation of the character.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by PerhapsTheOtherOne » Wed Feb 17, 2021 2:23 pm

kemuri07 wrote: Wed Feb 17, 2021 12:05 pm I've said this before, but something that I think DB largely forgot as it became more focused on large-scaled battles and power ups is that Goku's big thing is that he's a genius battle strategist and can quickly come up with tactics at a moment's notice. This is something that is really stressed in original DB, especially during Ma Junior arc where a lot of the confidence that Goku has comes from him basically playing three dimensional chess and outthinking his opponents.

Goku is "simple." But only because of his upbringing. A lot of it is "enhanced," due to the parodic tone of early DB, but I think as he got older and more experienced with other people, he's able to adjust a lot more in DB's society. So I never took Goku to be stupid. Remember, Goku's simplicity was always meant to contrast with the duplicitous nature of the other characters. Whereas people like Krillin, Bulma, Oolong, and Roshi represent the selfish nature of people, Goku's simplicity cuts through the bullshit because he's never dishonest about who he is. It's a big reason why a lot of Goku's friends were originally his enemies.

Super is a problematic case because I think, for the sake of comedy and bad writing, the show absolutely flanderizes (and yes I'm using that work to piss off certain people, deal with it) Goku's manchild tendencies to the point that it becomes a far more significant part of his character than it was in Z. That's the reason why people dislike Super(anime) interpretation of the character.
That last bit is a little bit off, as while the anime DBS Goku is certainly a lot more bone-headed, he's also shown more of the emotional simplicity and purity that you speak of compared to the manga.

He can actually read the situation and shows empathy for suffering and those around him; he shows a lot more of his caring side in the anime, demonstrated in how he's proud of Gohan still trying to train despite his son's commitment to his career and family.

And with Freeza, we see how his past experiences have allowed him to actually trade wits with Freeza.

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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by Hulk10 » Tue Jul 05, 2022 4:31 pm

No.... He is NOT STUPID. That is the biggest misconception of all about his character. He is simply uneducated and has a simple practical view of the world. He is naive because he spent much of his life in wild and living with an old man away from dishonest people. He is uneducated and not very interested in anything other than fighting or eating. He is ignorant, not stupid. He can learn if he tries but he isn't interested in learning a lot about anything that isn't fighting.

Whis, Beerus and Bulma all mention that Kakarot isn't stupid they just say that he could stand to use his brain for more than just a headbutt.
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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by DBZAOTA482 » Tue Jul 05, 2022 5:23 pm

Goku's not stupid. He's just uncultured and single-mindedly devoted to fighting.

DBS does play up his "stupidity" especially with the anime, however.
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Re: Is Goku's stupidity at least partially an act?

Post by GreatSaiyaman123 » Wed Jul 06, 2022 10:16 am

If he isn’t then Beerus probably hit him in the head too hard in their first fight.
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