Unpopular DB opinions

[ABED]

People can have inconsistent actions for a number of reasons, even if their psychology is consistent. Goku has a goal that he never waivers from - to be the best and have the most interesting fights.

[nickzambuto]

I think he might be reffering to Goku showing to care about Vegeta when they fought in the Boo arc instead of finishing the whole thing as a SSJ3, which I disagree.

Back when I was a dubbie I thought that whole bit was nonsense, but now that I understand Goku is really a manchild and his mind is completely innocent and pure, often to the point of naivety, it makes complete sense to me that he would be sensitive to such a thing and genuinely care that much about Vegeta's feelings.

[nickzambuto]

People can have inconsistent actions for a number of reasons, even if their psychology is consistent. Goku has a goal that he never waivers from - to be the best and have the most interesting fights.

I think his obsession with battles is overblown. Doing what he feels is moral and protecting his friends have been shown many times to supersede his battle lust.

This was first shown right in the beginning of the series, when Goku stopped fighting and allowed the Rabbit Gang to beat him up, in order to save Bulma.

And he definitely wasn't having any fun during the whole Daimao hassle. Avenging Kuririn was the only thing on his mind at all, whatever means necessary, that includes drinking a magic potion and cheating. A good fight is not anything he was looking for.

His decisions when facing Ma Junior were not just a desire for battle, Goku was genuinely doing what he thought was the moral thing. Ganging up on Ma Junior during a tournament was breaking the rules, breaking the rules is wrong. The question is if they weren't at a tournament, would he have allowed the others to help him? I think the answer is yes because he accepted Tenshinhan's help when facing the elder Piccolo, and accepted help from Piccolo himself against Raditz. It's just that, within the context of them both agreeing to a tournament, the right thing to do was honor his word. He also prioritized Kami's rescue and survival over the good fight. Kami stated this, Piccolo alluded to it, and Kami's survival was the reason Goku gave Piccolo a Senzu. He stated SECONDLY that he wants a rival, Kami's survival was the MAIN thing.

And like I mentioned, he did not hesitate to cheat and fight dirty and team up when Raditz kidnapped Gohan. Rescuing his son was the whole motivation, an exciting fight wasn't even anywhere near Goku's mind.

Same with the Vegeta fight... although Goku did choose to spare Vegeta, purely for the intent to fight him again, and that is one instance where battle overcame responsibility.

But when he landed on Namek, he said two things: 1) he said that he feels several high battle powers, and 2) he said he feels Gohan dying. When he landed, again, he wasn't even thinking about battle, he shouted "Just hold on son, daddy's on his way, more powerful than ever!" and he delivered Senzu to his friends, before even looking at the Ginyu Force.

Letting Freeza power up was a risky move, but that's because of the Super Saiyan rage overcoming him. Goku conquered that before the battle ended.

Letting Gero build the androids is something that gets brought up a lot, but the reason Goku did this is because he said Gero technically hadn't done anything yet. He told Bulma that it didn't feel right to punish somebody for something they hadn't even done yet. THEN he added in that he also wants to fight the androids, but that was an afterthought, and the way he hesitated and delivered it so sheepishly, I really doubt he couldn't have been talked out of that part. No, the moral aspect of punishing Gero for something he hadn't done was the main contributor to Goku's decision.

Even very recently with BoG, we saw Goku prioritizing the protection of his friends by accepting the God ritual, even though he detested having to cheat in such a way. When he realized he was weaker than Beerus and was about to give up the fight, it was the thought of Chi Chi dying that motivated him to keep trying.

[ekrolo2]

I think he might be reffering to Goku showing to care about Vegeta when they fought in the Boo arc instead of finishing the whole thing as a SSJ3, which I disagree.

Back when I was a dubbie I thought that whole bit was nonsense, but now that I understand Goku is really a manchild and his mind is completely innocent and pure, often to the point of naivety, it makes complete sense to me that he would be sensitive to such a thing and genuinely care that much about Vegeta's feelings.

Goku doesn't care about Vegeta's feelings, he powers up to his (then) max power with SS2 so he can end the fight quickly which he blatantly says and when Vegeta reveals he has SS2 as well, Goku's like "Well shit, I guess I can't end this fast....".

This whole thing makes no sense once it's revealed Goku had a REAL maximum power that would let him smash Vegeta easily later and Toriyama has no answer besides "...... He needed to save it for later?"

[nickzambuto]

I think he might be reffering to Goku showing to care about Vegeta when they fought in the Boo arc instead of finishing the whole thing as a SSJ3, which I disagree.

Back when I was a dubbie I thought that whole bit was nonsense, but now that I understand Goku is really a manchild and his mind is completely innocent and pure, often to the point of naivety, it makes complete sense to me that he would be sensitive to such a thing and genuinely care that much about Vegeta's feelings.

Goku doesn't care about Vegeta's feelings, he powers up to his (then) max power with SS2 so he can end the fight quickly which he blatantly says and when Vegeta reveals he has SS2 as well, Goku's like "Well shit, I guess I can't end this fast....".

This whole thing makes no sense once it's revealed Goku had a REAL maximum power that would let him smash Vegeta easily later and Toriyama has no answer besides "...... He needed to save it for later?"

Evidently, even if Goku was acting like SSJ2 was his max power, that was a lie. He states this. Yes it is a retcon, but it does not create any plothole, nor is it inconsistent for Goku's attitude. And also evidently, he DOES care about Vegeta's feelings (just as he cares about almost EVERY person's feelings), because he states this.

[ekrolo2]

Back when I was a dubbie I thought that whole bit was nonsense, but now that I understand Goku is really a manchild and his mind is completely innocent and pure, often to the point of naivety, it makes complete sense to me that he would be sensitive to such a thing and genuinely care that much about Vegeta's feelings.

Goku doesn't care about Vegeta's feelings, he powers up to his (then) max power with SS2 so he can end the fight quickly which he blatantly says and when Vegeta reveals he has SS2 as well, Goku's like "Well shit, I guess I can't end this fast....".

This whole thing makes no sense once it's revealed Goku had a REAL maximum power that would let him smash Vegeta easily later and Toriyama has no answer besides "...... He needed to save it for later?"

Evidently, even if Goku was acting like SSJ2 was his max power, that was a lie. He states this. Yes it is a retcon, but it does not create any plothole, nor is it inconsistent for Goku's attitude.

It's incosistent at the time because Goku WANTS to end the fight quickly with his max power (which is 2 at the time the scene happens) but then later on it's revealed he always had 3 in the cards so Goku just holds back for no reason even if he says he's gonna go all out to rip Vegeta a new asshole quickly.

[ABED]

I think his obsession with battles is overblown. Doing what he feels is moral and protecting his friends have been shown many times to supersede his battle lust.

He's not going to abondon a friend or even an innocent person in need when they are right in front of him, but he has shown over and over again that his reason for being is to become as good a fighter as he can. I will grant you that he does plenty of heroic things, but he's no superhero. When he fights Piccolo one on one, he's not primarily driven to save the world. He doesn't want everyone to gang up on Piccolo because he will get disqualified. He has a code of honor, but it's a warrior's code.

Letting Gero build the androids is something that gets brought up a lot, but the reason Goku did this is because he said Gero technically hadn't done anything yet. He told Bulma that it didn't feel right to punish somebody for something they hadn't even done yet. THEN he added in that he also wants to fight the androids, but that was an afterthought, and the way he hesitated and delivered it so sheepishly, I really doubt he couldn't have been talked out of that part. No, the moral aspect of punishing Gero for something he hadn't done was the main contributor to Goku's decision.

You have this completely backwards. First, Dr. Gero had done something wrong. He willingly worked for the Red Ribbon Army. Even if he hadn't completed the cyborgs and didn't do "anything wrong", he was working towards that goal and could easily be stopped without even physically harming him. The aspect that was an afterthought is what we would consider the moral decision. That's the afterthought. He and the others are primarily out for a fight.

[nickzambuto]

Goku doesn't care about Vegeta's feelings, he powers up to his (then) max power with SS2 so he can end the fight quickly which he blatantly says and when Vegeta reveals he has SS2 as well, Goku's like "Well shit, I guess I can't end this fast....".

This whole thing makes no sense once it's revealed Goku had a REAL maximum power that would let him smash Vegeta easily later and Toriyama has no answer besides "...... He needed to save it for later?"

Evidently, even if Goku was acting like SSJ2 was his max power, that was a lie. He states this. Yes it is a retcon, but it does not create any plothole, nor is it inconsistent for Goku's attitude.

It's incosistent at the time because Goku WANTS to end the fight quickly with his max power (which is 2 at the time the scene happens) but then later on it's revealed he always had 3 in the cards so Goku just holds back for no reason even if he says he's gonna go all out to rip Vegeta a new asshole quickly.

Evidently, Goku did not want to end the fight as quickly as possible, because he explains as much later on. What you are saying is not supported by the material, it is headcanon. It doesn't matter what Goku initially alluded to, because he states later on that it was all a lie and really the whole time, he wanted to have a fair fight with Vegeta.

[nickzambuto]

I think his obsession with battles is overblown. Doing what he feels is moral and protecting his friends have been shown many times to supersede his battle lust.

He's not going to abondon a friend or even an innocent person in need when they are right in front of him, but he has shown over and over again that his reason for being is to become as good a fighter as he can. I will grant you that he does plenty of heroic things, but he's no superhero. When he fights Piccolo one on one, he's not primarily driven to save the world. He doesn't want everyone to gang up on Piccolo because he will get disqualified. He has a code of honor, but it's a warrior's code.

I don't think we really disagree on anything. You're right, Goku primarily thinks about growing stronger. He definitely does not actively seek out injustice to correct. Does he still qualify as a superhero? I don't know, that depends on your definition of superhero, nerdsync has more than a couple video essays which showed me that the term superhero is very unclear. But what matters is this, would you agree that Goku is not nearly as selfish as some fans make him out to be? I can agree if we describe him as reckless, but that's just a symptom of his purity. He definitely isn't selfish, Goku rarely prioritizes himself, as my examples showed. Goku is an individual who is EXTREMELY run by his moral compass.

[ekrolo2]

Evidently, even if Goku was acting like SSJ2 was his max power, that was a lie. He states this. Yes it is a retcon, but it does not create any plothole, nor is it inconsistent for Goku's attitude.

It's incosistent at the time because Goku WANTS to end the fight quickly with his max power (which is 2 at the time the scene happens) but then later on it's revealed he always had 3 in the cards so Goku just holds back for no reason even if he says he's gonna go all out to rip Vegeta a new asshole quickly.

Evidently, Goku did not want to end the fight as quickly as possible, because he explains as much later on. What you are saying is not supported by the material, it is headcanon. It doesn't matter what Goku initially alluded to, because he states later on that it was all a lie and really the whole time, he wanted to have a fair fight with Vegeta.

No, Goku says in the scene he intends to end the fight quickly which is why he uses SS2 so Vegeta can't hurt him and revive Boo. He also refers to SS2 as his full power. Later on when Vegeta chews him out, Goku gives a half-hearted "Well I could only hold SS3 for a short bit!" right before he and Vegeta fuse into Vegetto, that's not head cannon, that's the material.

Here's my proof:




There's no mention of having a fair fight with Vegeta and certainly none that he gave a fuck about Vegeta's feelings, Goku just decides he'll be pragmatic for once then decides not to be because.... reasons.

[ABED]

Goku does prioritize himself. He lets bad guys go because he wants a fight.

The term superhero can encompass a lot of things, but they are primarily out to stop bad guys, so it's not nearly as vague as you or that video claims. Goku's goal is to have a good fight. He doesn't seek out villains to stop, he seeks a fight.

Goku truly cares about the fate of the universe once its very existence is put in jeopardy.

I wouldn't say Goku is morally pure. He's pure in his motives. He doesn't fight because he wants others to see how good he is or because others being stronger than him is a threat to his self-image. He fights for the enjoyment of it.

[Doctor.]

He's very inconsistently written. I'd say the character with the best developed arc in the series is actually Mr. Satan.

How is he inconsistently written?

I want to hear as well. Most of the commonly proposed inconsistencies, like his floating moral scale between prioritizing fights and prioritizing protection, I would call complexities.

They're not complexities because they're not well-developed enough to be described as such. They just come across as arbitrary decisions and changes in his personality. His insistence on sparing, say, Freeza (purely out of kindness and not a desire to fight him again) over someone like Raditz or Cell is completely arbitrary and even nonsensical. Or the fact that he becomes preoccupied with saving his opponents as an adult, while he didn't care about that as a kid, only to go back to killing them with no remorse straight (he kills Yakon and straight-up says they should kill Dabura and Cell) after the Namek arc. His 'Saiyan traits' were never very prominent before the Saiyan arc either. He expressed a desire to fight Piccolo again, but right in the fight with Raditz, he says he's terrified and it's Piccolo, of all people, who's excited for the fight. His enthusiasm for fighting strong opponents was definitely scaled up to 11 in part 2, go back to the first arcs of the series and he's someone much less interested in dragging out fights for his enjoyment. You'll probably say, as I also did once, that these changes are all due to Kami and Kaio's influence, his growth into an adult, coming into contact with other Saiyans reignited his Saiyan instincts and he probably figured he should stop sparring people after Freeza betrayed his trust, but those are all rationalizations, headcanon, to explain arbitrary changes and decisions that the story doesn't care enough to provide an explanation for. You shouldn't be developing the character in place of the author.

You can call this all development if you want, but Goku has almost no arcs, outside of his acceptance of his Saiyan heritage in the Saiyan and Namek arcs (which is also somewhat poorly done, considering he acknowledges himself as a Saiyan the moment he meets Kaio); he's a relatively static character. He changes throughout the series, but probably not intentionally (the countless references both from characters in-universe and the author in interviews that he's "still the same old Goku" prove this). Dragon Ball was published for a decade, Toriyama's perception of Goku changed as he went along and he had to adapt his personality to the story arcs he was writing. But the end-result is a character who's inconsistently written, whose growth doesn't feel too natural.

Make no mistake, he's my favorite character in the series, and he's still better than characters like Vegeta who repeat the same arc over and over again (though that's not much of a compliment), but it doesn't hurt to acknowledge Toriyama's shortcomings when it comes to writing.

People can have inconsistent actions for a number of reasons, even if their psychology is consistent. Goku has a goal that he never waivers from - to be the best and have the most interesting fights.

And even that goal is one that he only gains after the first arc of the series and his training with Roshi, with seemingly no reason for the change (besides the out-of-universe decision on Toriyama's part to turn the series into a tournament-based battle manga by that point, which is obviously why Goku's personality changed somewhat drastically from one arc to the other). He really didn't seem all that interested in becoming the best, or even fighting in general, in the first arc.

[nickzambuto]

It's incosistent at the time because Goku WANTS to end the fight quickly with his max power (which is 2 at the time the scene happens) but then later on it's revealed he always had 3 in the cards so Goku just holds back for no reason even if he says he's gonna go all out to rip Vegeta a new asshole quickly.

Evidently, Goku did not want to end the fight as quickly as possible, because he explains as much later on. What you are saying is not supported by the material, it is headcanon. It doesn't matter what Goku initially alluded to, because he states later on that it was all a lie and really the whole time, he wanted to have a fair fight with Vegeta.

No, Goku says in the scene he intends to end the fight quickly which is why he uses SS2 so Vegeta can't hurt him and revive Boo. He also refers to SS2 as his full power. Later on when Vegeta chews him out, Goku gives a half-hearted "Well I could only hold SS3 for a short bit!" right before he and Vegeta fuse into Vegetto, that's not head cannon, that's the material.

Here's my proof:

There's no mention of having a fair fight with Vegeta and certainly none that he gave a fuck about Vegeta's feelings, Goku just decides he'll be pragmatic for once then decides not to be because.... reasons.

I don't really know how else to explain this to you. I've said it already and I will say it again; whatever Goku stated his aims were initially, that was a lie. It's as simple as that, and the explanation he gives on why he lied, is that he did not want to destroy Vegeta's will by surpassing him utterly. This makes sense for Goku, given his pure and naive disposition.

[ekrolo2]

I don't really know how else to explain this to you. I've said it already and I will say it again; whatever Goku stated his aims were initially, that was a lie. It's as simple as that, and the explanation he gives on why he lied, is that he did not want to destroy Vegeta's will by surpassing him utterly. This makes sense for Goku, given his pure and naive disposition.

And I don't know how else to explain it to you, I show you the material and the material does not imply that Goku lies for Vegeta's sake at any point at all. The material says this: Goku was fine with powering up to SS2, his "full power" to beat the shit out of Vegeta then when Vegeta matches him, Goku just decides to NOT actually use his full power when that's his intent.

If anything, I find it way more believable Goku saw Vegeta's SS2 and decided he wanted to have some fun because he's a selfish prick who does that kind of stuff.

[ABED]

He really didn't seem all that interested in fighting or becoming the best, or even fighting in general, in the first arc.

He joins Bulma because he wants adventure, so that's not inconsistent. Plus - HE'S TWELVE at the start of the story. You act like this is some terrible bit of inconsistent characterization. It's not. He might not have said it out loud, but it's clear that he loves battle from the very beginning.

I don't think his battle hungry traits go to 11 in Z, it's simply the scale and the stakes that are increased, which makes his decisions much more visible. And I never once said Kami or Kaio's training changed him. I don't think he changed. Again, I think his actions might be inconsistent, but his motives and psychology are consistent.

who repeat the same arc over and over again

How does Vegeta repeat the same arc? Disregard Super.

Goku always seemed to give more leeway to stronger characters. He often killed lackies, but spared the big guys or tried to. Only when it was proven that they wouldn't change or attacked him again, did he kill them.

[nickzambuto]

Goku does prioritize himself. He lets bad guys go because he wants a fight.

The term superhero can encompass a lot of things, but they are primarily out to stop bad guys, so it's not nearly as vague as you or that video claims. Goku's goal is to have a good fight. He doesn't seek out villains to stop, he seeks a fight.

Goku truly cares about the fate of the universe once its very existence is put in jeopardy.

I wouldn't say Goku is morally pure. He's pure in his motives. He doesn't fight because he wants others to see how good he is or because others being stronger than him is a threat to his self-image. He fights for the enjoyment of it.

Vegeta is the one instance of Goku doing what you are describing. Every other time he's faced a villain (and there are definitely enough instances to make Vegeta an outlier) he's either destroyed them utterly (Tao, the whole RRA, Daimao) or he let's them go, because it's the right thing to do, and occasionally (not always) having a good fight is mentioned as a bonus (Ma Junior, Freeza, Gero).

Personally I think the definition of a superhero can potentially be widened to include all those who DO stop bad guys, not just those who actively seek it out. If you have a different definition that is fine, but the fact is that these are both just our personal definitions. There is no authoritative definition of superhero that either includes or excludes Goku. And Goku isn't the only character who falls into this debate. There are dozens of characters who get brought into this question; Batman, The Punisher, Wolverine, Hulk, just off the top of my head. I think we can call Goku a superhero, and still acknowledge that he doesn't actively seek out injustice, because we agree that if he ever stumbles across injustice, he will do something about it no matter what.

And the idea that Goku will only start to care once the entire universe's very existence is in jeopardy is an exaggeration of galactic proportions. I can name instances where Goku cared very much, just because complete strangers were being victimized. His attitude in Jingle Village was very superheroic - literally just one guy who he doesn't even know was being wrongly detained, so he became convicted to helping. Goku absolutely cares an immense, immense amount. He's actually one of the most compassionate characters I can think of. Refusing to punish Gero for things he hadn't done yet, and going out of his way to spare Vegeta's pride, are both two very strong examples of Goku being incredibly empathetic, but ironically, they are the ones that get brought up, out of context, as examples of the opposite, with people saying that he spared Gero just to fight the androids and went easy on Vegeta just for the challenge. NO, that is UNTRUE! Look at the manga!!! Goku spared Gero because he said it was the morally right thing, and he spared Vegeta because he was empathetic to his feelings.

I agree with what you said about Goku fighting for pure reasons, but that does not disqualify him from also being morally pure.

[Doctor.]

He joins Bulma because he wants adventure, so that's not inconsistent. Plus - HE'S TWELVE at the start of the story. You act like this is some terrible bit of inconsistent characterization. It's not. He might not have said it out loud, but it's clear that he loves battle from the very beginning.

I don't think his battle hungry traits go to 11 in Z, it's simply the scale and the stakes that are increased, which makes his decisions much more visible.

Yes, he wants adventure, not fighting. They may overlap, but they're different things. He wants to try something new because he's been in the woods for 12 years of his life, but it's clear he's not overly invested in fighting, he doesn't drag them out, he doesn't say they're exciting, etc. See, him wanting to try something new because of his life in the woods would have actually been a good excuse for Toriyama to make Goku like fighting, but he just changed his personality without an explanation. I'm not acting like this is 'terrible', I'm saying it's inconsistent characterization because it is. We're used to Goku liking fighting, it's been a main part of his personality since we can remember, but if you take a deeper look, you can see he wasn't always like this and it's mostly the change in the focus of the series from adventure to battle that prompted this change.

How does Vegeta repeat the same arc? Disregard Super.

They're done differently, but they always revolve around his pride being torn to pieces, having one or two humble moments, only to go back to being a prideful scumbag right at the start of the next arc.

He often killed lackies,

But he spared the Ginyus. And I'm pretty sure he told Vegeta to grab Nappa and get out of the planet, too. This is completely inconsistent when compared to the ruthless way he treated the RRA soldiers or Piccolo's minions.

but spared the big guys or tried to.

Yes, usually to fight them again. Except that wasn't the case with Freeza, he spared them because he felt sorry for him, which comes out of left-field (well, it begun with the Ginyus and Nappa already) and no real explanation is provided as to why he feels the need to spare Freeza, of all people, and doesn't even grant someone like Cell a chance later on in the series. Or why he felt such emotion after Freeza's 'death' but didn't even give Raditz a second thought. His decisions are all very arbitrary.

[ABED]

Daimao was a revenge story.
The RRA because they kept coming after him and Tao Pai Pai was hired to kill him, so naturally he's going to go after them. Plus, he wanted their DB's.
Goku not being a superhero doesn't mean he's not heroic or that he's a villain, it just means that his fundamental goal is to have the best fights. He has momentary goals that often have him saving people, but that doesn't make him a superhero.

I wouldn't include Goku in a list of superheroes because any conception of that term wouldn't include characters that actively let bad guys go for the sake of a fight.

And the idea that Goku will only start to care once the entire universe's very existence is in jeopardy is an exaggeration of galactic proportions.

And that's a strawman argument. It's not what I wrote. He clearly cares about his world, but he won't actively stop threats before they occur. Once the stakes are right in front of him, then he will protect the people he loves and the world he cares about. Goku's very concrete bound.

Refusing to punish Gero for things he hadn't done yet, and going out of his way to spare Vegeta's pride, are both two very strong examples of Goku being incredibly empathetic

Neither are true. The latter is a plot hole and the former isn't empathetic at all. It was a flaccid excuse to let him create a strong opponent. I will give you that the definition of a superhero is broad and up for debate, but you are incorrect about this issue. The text proves you wrong. Saying Dr. Gero wasn't guilty of anything yet is not the driving reason.

I would say it is in fact immoral to let a bad guy go when you can stop them with minimal effort or when you have the bad guy dead to rights and you let them leave because you want to fight them later.

he doesn't say they're exciting, etc

He doesn't need to say. We see it on his face that action and adventure excite him.

They're done differently, but they always revolve around his pride being torn to pieces, having one or two humble moments, only to go back to being a prideful scumbag right at the start of the next arc.

This is a complete misreading of his arc. He doesn't go back to being the same exact guy each time. And the reason he doesn't stop being a "prideful" scumbag is because his arc isn't complete until the Buu arc. He's not in the same place, literally or emotionally, at the beginning of each arc.

Yes, usually to fight them again.

Usually, as in, not all the time. Goku tried to let Raditz and Tao Pai Pai go as well.

Goku is a whim worshipper. He's not driven to be consistent and principled. He's pragmatic and goes with what his gut tells him in the moment. Those types of people do exist.

[Doctor.]

He doesn't need to say. We see it on his face that action and adventure excite him.

Again, that's not quite the same as "fighting strong guys." Adventure is fundamentally different from fighting.

They were stronger and not your typical lackies. Piccolo's lackies murdered Kuririn. He wanted revenge.

Nappa murdered all his friends, what's his excuse?

This is a complete misreading of his arc. He doesn't go back to being the same exact guy each time. And the reason he doesn't stop being a "prideful" scumbag is because his arc isn't complete until the Buu arc. He's not in the same place, literally or emotionally, at the beginning of each arc.

It's not complete because Toriyama keeps backtracking on his arc every time a new story arc pops up. His conflicts always feel forced.

Goku is a whim worshipper. He's not driven to be consistent and principled. He's pragmatic and goes with what his gut tells him in the moment. Those types of people do exist.

Then you're just agreeing with me that his decisions are arbitrary and inconsistent.

[ABED]

He doesn't need to say. We see it on his face that action and adventure excite him.

Again, that's not quite the same as "fighting strong guys." Adventure is fundamentally different from fighting.

They were stronger and not your typical lackies. Piccolo's lackies murdered Kuririn. He wanted revenge.

Nappa murdered all his friends, what's his excuse?

This is a complete misreading of his arc. He doesn't go back to being the same exact guy each time. And the reason he doesn't stop being a "prideful" scumbag is because his arc isn't complete until the Buu arc. He's not in the same place, literally or emotionally, at the beginning of each arc.

It's not complete because Toriyama keeps backtracking on his arc every time a new story arc pops up. His conflicts always feel forced.

But it's also not inconsistent. We are just meeting him and he's young. That drive isn't antithetical to his character, he (and the audience) are still figuring things out.

He doesn't backtrack his arc to the extent you make it out to be. He never fully changed in the Freeza arc. He teamed up with our heroes because he needed to for survival. He stayed on Earth because of Goku and he wanted a good fight, but he still wasn't a good guy. He back tracks once in the Buu arc but that's understandable as it was the last step he needed to take before coming to the realization that he wasn't the same guy he was at the start of the story. It's like if you tell the story of an alcoholic who decides to get sober. Having him fall off the wagon is technically a step back but can still further the story and the arc. This was Vegeta hitting rock bottom.

Then you're just agreeing with me that his decisions are arbitrary and inconsistent.

But not neccessarily with the implication that it's bad writing. I wrote that consistent psychology can result in inconsistent actions.