Is the reasoning for the exclusion of Goten & Trunks still valid?

[TBMx]

The REAL reason they've fallen out of use is they're at an awkward stage where they aren't well defined. They're too old now for the childish shenanigans from the Buu Saga but too young for their adult or late teen characterizations. Rather then invent new characters for them to cover this transitional time, Super wisely decided to just drop them.

[Ilikepictures-meh]

Wasn't it Vegeta that didn't want the kid's to join?

[Lord Beerus]

Yeah, I still think so. If individually they weren't going to act too brash and overconfident, resulting in them letting their guard down and being possibly knocked out early on, then fused together as Gotenks (and trust me, it would have happened), their cockiness would have either lead to them being eliminated almost immediately or them accidentally killing someone. And then Universe 7 are down two fighters at once.

[precita]

I imagine Trunks/Goten or Gotenks would have at least taken out 2-3 or so opponents, more than Tien did and do better than Krillin.

Besides knowing Gotenks he probably would have tried to blow all the weaker opponents in the tournament off stage in one attack, rather than going one on one.

[TheShadowEmperor8055]

Yes because, although powerful, they are still kids that could easily be deceived by other opponents in spite of that power.

[lancerman]

They would be very out of place in this tournament imo. First off we already have 3 Saiyan characters on the team, taking 2 spots off wouldn't really help all that much imo, especially when their only real use is to fuse into Gotenks, thus reducing the team a spot and putting two fighters at risk in one body, and the only advantage to that is for them to access SSJ3, which is already well below the paygrade of the serious fighters in this tournament.

Secondly, this is a much more serious tournament and those aren't serious characters. They would feel out of place and be fodder imo. The stuff we got with Roshi, Piccolo, the Androids, Kuriren and Freeza more than justifies using them and not Gotenks. Tenshinhan was kind of a waste, but he's only one character and one of those two without the other doesn't work imo.

[JulieYBM]

If the staff aren't interesting I don't see why they should be told what to do. Using Tenshinhan and the Muten Roushi is merely a service to the fans of those characters and perhaps Toriyama. Until Toriyama really has something he wants to do with Trunks and Goten I don't see any reason to use them since they basically come as a package deal.

Personally, I wish Videl and Chi-Chi had been in Tenshinhan and Gohan's places. I think that would've added more variety, stayed to Gohan being retired and given Gokuu and Chi-Chi and interest storyline together for once.

[KingKaash]

People already complain that there is a lack of tension in the ToP. So having 2 children enter a brutal tournament that decides the fate of universes would seem illogical and therefore take away for tension for some folks

[Whatever]

Now that we've seen the tournament in its near entirety and what the competition was like, is Goku still justified in not letting the kids participate for the reasons he laid out?

Yes they are idiots and cocky,so they will propably have run firstmost on the strong fighters and gotten themselves eliminated right away,anything else would be out of character.
And no they would not listen to Gohan and stay with him when they see their fathers run off.

Don't misunderstand,we did not trade Tien/Krillin for them,we traded them for 17,that is the most usefull they have ever been.

[Michsi]

Humor via childish antics is one, if not the, main reason they exist as characters, and there are plenty of oddballs in this tournament that were put there for the sole purpose of providing humor. As much as I loved Gotenks' shenanigans in the Buu saga, it's the sort of humor one can get tired of very fast, and the TOP has not been lacking in that department.
Another reason would be perhaps an underlying reluctance to showcase children fighting. I feel like DBS has taken this approach too in addition to the more lighter tone of the series.

And I think there is one more reason we might be overlooking. Whereas Gohan is a full-grown adult that can handle himself, Goten is still portrayed as a child. Goku shooting off without so much as a backward glance once the tournament started and then mostly keeping to himself to look for stronger opponents would have looked way worse with Goten being also left behind like that. I think the main reason they didn't want to add the kids was to allow Vegeta and Goku to act like themselves unrestricted. Having their little sons there would've meant another complication in this already jumbled story arc.

[Jord]

It's the same nonsense as excluding Buu from the tournament. Actually Buu's exclusion was worse because it's the second time they do this. With existance at stake, there is no reason to include people like Roshi, Tenshinhan and Kuririn in your team, people who haven't been relevant against opponents since the fight with Nappa/Vegeta. And even THEN they were jobbers. I get why they did this production wise but story wise there are much more useful characters like Goten, Trunks, Buu and Future Trunks. Hell, they could even dig up Tarble from obscurity.

[TheZFighter]

Yeah - fused or not they aren't mature or experienced enough, and the stakes are just too high.

As a non-Trunks and Goten fan I'm happy they were left out.

[Timetraveller]

Yeah - fused or not they aren't mature or experienced enough, and the stakes are just too high.

As a non-Trunks and Goten fan I'm happy they were left out.

The stakes are too high so let's just bring back the humans who haven't fought since Dragonball and are thousands of times weaker than them. Clearly, maturity is needed since most of the fighters have the intelligence of a 5 year old. Apparently the stakes weren't high enough to have Roshi fight in the Cell tournament or Buu saga but when the universe is on the line?

[DragonBallFoodie]

The REAL reason they've fallen out of use is they're at an awkward stage where they aren't well defined. They're too old now for the childish shenanigans from the Buu Saga but too young for their adult or late teen characterizations. Rather then invent new characters for them to cover this transitional time, Super wisely decided to just drop them.

Or more accurately sideline them to an island where they can have adventures of their own.

I myself didn't see any other children fighters around the Tournament, so I think that's okay.

Plus, Gotenks hasn't yet reached Super Saiyan God/Blue/Rose/whichever.

[BWri]

The REAL reason they've fallen out of use is they're at an awkward stage where they aren't well defined. They're too old now for the childish shenanigans from the Buu Saga but too young for their adult or late teen characterizations. Rather then invent new characters for them to cover this transitional time, Super wisely decided to just drop them.

Or more accurately sideline them to an island where they can have adventures of their own.

I myself didn't see any other children fighters around the Tournament, so I think that's okay.

Plus, Gotenks hasn't yet reached Super Saiyan God/Blue/Rose/whichever.

Last time I was interested in Goten and Trunks was when they were in the junior division tournament. Now that I want to actually see their island adventures, Super seems poised to not show us anything. I hope we at least get something with them at the end of the arc and I hope its not a waste. Personally I'd like a sort of two episode Garlic Jr. esque mini arc where the two of them team with Maron and Yamcha to save the island from a big threat.

[TheZFighter]

Yeah - fused or not they aren't mature or experienced enough, and the stakes are just too high.

As a non-Trunks and Goten fan I'm happy they were left out.

The stakes are too high so let's just bring back the humans who haven't fought since Dragonball and are thousands of times weaker than them. Clearly, maturity is needed since most of the fighters have the intelligence of a 5 year old. Apparently the stakes weren't high enough to have Roshi fight in the Cell tournament or Buu saga but when the universe is on the line?

Trunks and Goten are more than likely to piss about and cause more harm than good. Roshi and co proved they're willing to do what it takes to win, no messing.

Of course, they were of no use against Cell and Buu, but in this tournament we have absolutely no idea how strong all of the competitors in this tournament are. Krillin, Tien and Roshi have all acquitted themselves well.