Goku's character arc in the Android Arc is DEEP

[TheUltimateVegito]

This post is also about why DBZ should’ve ended at the Android Arc.

During the Android arc, Goku learned a single scientist from the RRA army Dr. Gero survived his one man assault on them and created super powered Androids to kill him. When Bulma brought up the idea of stopping the Androids before they're activated, they each gave their reasons for letting them activate. Goku expressed his desire to fight the Androids only after Bulma asked if he agrees with her. This was an important scene that further impacted his decision at the end of the arc, because Goku would allow the Z-Fighters to stop the threat from arriving due to his love for the planet but would not have any hand in doing so because of his pure desire to fight. This showed Goku that even his mere presence can instigate a battle against enemies, despite how passive he tries to be but his Saiyan nature stops him from being.

From the moment Goku woke up from the heart virus, was the moment he started to think more about the future and calculated whether or not Gohan can go Super Saiyan during their time in the ROSAT. Meaning he decided to focus more on unleashing Gohan's potential so that if he can't do it, Gohan can.

The scene when Goku looked out the window was an important scene, it showed that he was contemplating a multitude of things about his life up to this point and how deeply concerned he was about them, giving even more depth to his character. Things such as Gohan's potential, his Saiyan nature, the Z-Fighter's leniency and his main reason for his decision at the end of the arc. Goku also decided to find a way to push past the Super Saiyan barrier after realising that it's the only way to defeat the Androids, despite not being sure if it exists. The fact that powerful Androids on earth were able to surpass Super Saiyan made Goku relieved, as well as worried. Relieved that the Suepr Saiyan really isn't all powerful, meaning there's a chance to break the Super Saiyan wall, but still worried because of the Android threat itself. Hence his response to Krillin asking if he's scared or excited with "Both."

During his time in the ROSAT Goku came up with the perfect solution to the Super Saiyan barrier by inventing the Mastered Super Saiyan form. This form is the defining form of Goku's character because it reflected on his mentality on his work as well as his personality. Focusing mainly on his limitations rather than focusing only on besting others. The MSSJ reflects this better than anything else in the series, especially when compared to Vegeta's inability to fully master the form at the time. Goku doesn't allow any angry thoughts to drive him like Vegeta who doesn't care if he has limits as long as he's the best, which is why Goku's mind is clear enough that he can train in the most efficient way possible. Because the form required practically the opposite of anger to achieve it by becoming accustomed to the regular Super Saiyan form, which Goku was able to achieve during his time in the ROSAT due to his mindset and his personality. Goku, also unlike Vegeta, passes down the form to his son, allowing Gohan to fully realize his potential, because of Goku's desire to secure the planet's future.

During the Cell Games, Goku gave up against Cell and called out Gohan to take his place. The Cell Games utilized the way Goku's character was built throughout his adventures and turned it on his head. Although Goku was right about Gohan's power he didn't took into account their differing mindsets, a critical error that almost cost him his son's and the planet's life. Gohan's reluctance to fight prevented him from bringing out his potential against Cell, who is a reflection of Goku himself, a reflection of Goku's Saiyan nature. Goku's dislike for unfairness in fighting was turned on his head with Piccolo questioning whether he values a fair fight more than the life of his son Gohan, since Goku gave Cell a senzu bean and watch without showing any concern as his son was getting beaten to death. It showed Goku how bad of a father he was being for misunderstanding the nature of his son, a nature that Piccolo was able to understand better because Gohan had more on his mind than anger, which Goku didn't take into account. Goku was frozen when Piccolo had a go at him for this and not informing Gohan of the situation beforehand because of how certain he was that Gohan would beat Cell and how he thought he was doing the best he can for him psychologically by not telling him. Further emphasizing how much a mistake can ruin everything for Goku in ways he cannot predict which impacted his decision at the end.

This was a fantastic showcase of how although Goku is pure of heart, he evolved from a warrior race that didn't evolve to feel compassion but to care more for the fighting aspect of things which drastically altered his way of viewing situations such as these. He thought since Gohan would know that he needed to use his anger then he wouldn't allow any form of human nature to cloud him from doing what he has to do. But then Piccolo, who is from a more compassionate race, made Goku realize that his son's human nature indeed clouded him. It's why Goku wasn't as compassionate as expected for someone pure of heart, despite comprehending human morals. Because the Saiyans aren't bred for that compassion and his purity mainly derives from his nature as a Saiyan. This furthers the idea of how earth isn't made for Goku.

When Gohan unleashed his potential and was toying around with Cell, Goku was yelling out Gohan to take him out, showing how he's grown more cautious due to his past experience (i.e sparing Frieza made him try to kill Goku and the earth). But Gohan didn't which led to Cell threatening to self destruct and blow up the earth. Goku then looked at his friends and smiled, knowing that he has great friends who'll protect the earth he loves for years to come and who'll be more united because of his passing. From that moment he made up his mind about his place on earth, that he wasn't meant to live there, and so gave up his life for the sake of the planet by using instant transmission to take himself and the danger he brought away from the planet.

After Cell came back Goku gave Gohan, who giving up his will to fight because of feeling responsible for Goku's death, words of encouragement to revive his fighting spirit, which Gohan takes to heart and gets back in the fight. This, as well as the mistakes Goku himself made, showed Goku what truly makes Gohan a better protector/person than himself, which Goku himself admitted when he announced his decision to stay dead at the of the arc by saying Gohan is more reliable them him. Gohan was more reliable than Goku because, unlike Goku, He won't spare villains or give them time to be at their fullest for the sake of having a challenge. Also, Gohan did learn from toying around with Cell to never give evils such as Cell the chance to cause a major disaster, something Goku cannot do due to his pure Saiyan desires. In short, Gohan not being a fighter at heart was made him a better protector than Goku, who was a fighter at heart.

Goku thinking the earth is safer without him, which was the perfect culmination of Goku's adventures up to that point, and passing down the torch to his son who developed into a better protector both physically and mentally than Goku can ever be (Or as it seemed at the time), showed how wise Goku has become. His main reason for staying dead was because how much bad guy's he attracted that put danger to others. From Tao Pai Pai in the RRA arc, Tienshinhan/Shen, Piccolo, Saiyans, Frieza and finally to the Androids with the majority of them being global threats progressing to the Android and by Android saga there was a whole universe of possibilities due to the Saiyans and Frieza. The Androids were key and had the biggest impact on Goku because they were created solely to kill Goku (And did in alternate timelines), they couldn't be sensed, came from a secret lab on earth and spied on Goku for years. Goku's decision also satisfied his love for fighting, as the otherworld is full of powerful opponents who should be around Goku's strength. Although Goku won't see his friends and families grow and live out their lives, and will never return to the planet he loves, he was able to come up with an equilibrium between his desire to fight and his desire to protect the earth which showed a great deal of wisdom.

Another big contribution to Goku's decision to stay dead was the Z-Fighter's leniency, with Vegeta being the biggest contribution. Not only was Vegeta an example of someone Goku prevented from doing evil by staying dead, but he also served as a symbol. If someone like Vegeta can change because of Goku's death, then it's highly likely that someone else out there in the Universe i.e in Frieza's army can change. One person can make all the difference as Dr. Gero showcased. His pure Saiyan nature also held him back from telling his friends to stop him from allowing threats to pass, which was shown to deeply affect him when he began to contemplate on his life. You could say he was trapped by his nature until he found his equilibrium.

The main theme of Dragon Ball which is "There's always someone stronger" relates to Goku's decision to stay dead, because he believes that he could potentially attract a stronger villain. This is genius writing that turns what defines Goku's character on its head.

Goku's decision to stay dead corresponds perfectly with the theme of taking responsibility of one's actions and the rewards that come with that was present in Goku's development during the RRA arc. He was rewarded a body in other world so he can train and fight for eternity for saving the earth numerous times. This also marked the growth and development of Goku coming full circle because the scale of the responsibility he took increased - from reviving a single man to defending the planet, with the rewards he received corresponding with his growth - From meeting his grandpa to spending eternity doing the thing he love with his mind at peace. It showed how selfless he's grown to be despite being unable to eliminate his selfish tendencies, as by him focusing entirely on the planet's future without expecting to die like he did, much like how he focused on reviving Bora without expecting to meet Grandpa Gohan. There's a great message there about putting your heart into the work or goodwill more than the expected rewards which corresponds with the themes surrounding Goku's mindset in his training.

[Vijay]

We need people like ya & posts like this to spread Goku's greatness

He had fantastic development in Android Arc.

Tbh, every arc was developing his character..

The very minute details you explained is what makes Goku more than featherweight chracter...

[jjgp1112]

I agree with a lot of this, which is why I wish Toriyama came up with a stronger explanation for Goku choosing to stay dead...rather than a blanket, "I attract villains because I'm an alien and I'm strong!" Have him actually reflect on his choices and realize his irresponsibility played a role in the Android stuff falling off the rails. He does this somewhat when he says Gohan is a better hero than he ever was but I wish they expounded on it

(I actually think this may have been Toriyama's original reason, but his editor told him to soften so as not to paint Goku in too negative of a light. Stuff like that happens frequently especially in children's media)

The Buu saga continues Gokus more mature outlook but is bungled up by messy writing.