I think you are taking those quotes too literally. I see this across lots of fantasy and sci-fi media - fans assume a character saying something is speaking For The Plot, rather then being a person in that plot who is saying things. Not to say all those teachers didn’t mean it, but I think it was more about Goku graduating from whatever his current training arc was, then about a teacher with nothing else to teach. Goku’s exhausted the lesson plan but he still turns to Kami, Popo, and Roshi for information and advice, even long after he’s a grown man who has vastly surpassed them in power.
I think it’s redundant to treat them as disposable just because they told the main character he’d graduated and would have to keep learning elsewhere, if he wanted to. Which he does. He finds other masters, and learns new techniques, because that’s what he loves.
Cuz Tien doesn’t train to “get stronger.” Tien trains to improve himself. He’s not competitive like Goku is. He doesn’t feel a fire in his heart when there’s a strong guy around to be defeated. In his mind, he proved himself during the Tenkaiichi, and although he will fight to protect his friends, taking down the Big Bad isn’t something he’s even going to attempt, unless he absolutely has to. Like he had to with Cell. And that was because everyone stronger than he was spent that whole arc fumbling around and making everything worse.super michael wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 6:36 pm Tenshinhan only trains with Chiaotzu, who is a weakling.
It also depends on what you want to get from your training, and what your attitude towards it is. Future Gohan, I think, never really believed he could someday kill the androids and save the world. I think he accepted his own death long ago. He was just hoping to last long enough for Trunks to grow up. He’s a Gohan who never got over his confidence issues, and had even fewer positive memories of training then his current self has. He spent over a decade barely surviving the androids hunting him for sport,super michael wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 6:36 pm Future Gohan trained, but he never learned how to train from Goku. He never trained in the ROSAT, that is why he was inferior compared to Present Gohan who was young. Training longer doesn't mean anything if they don't train hard and efficient.
There’s training and then there’s training. I don’t think Krillin has it in him to give martial arts up completely. He was still strong, even as a police officer. Hell, even Yamcha is still strong for a human.super michael wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 6:36 pm Kuririn quit training and fighting after Gohan defeated Cell, that is why Kuririn stopped shaving his head. Decades of training and experience means nothing when he doesn't train hard. He is also one of the fighters that refused to train with Goku and Piccolo.
I’d like to see more stories about the humans dealing with things at their own level rather then yet another story about another big bad who is even stronger and scarier then the last one. More different kinds of stories please.
They are also children, who think and act like children. Goku somehow never anticipates that, which is why both they and Gohan fumble his big attempts to make THEM the new gardians of the earth. Goku is basically a big kid himself and he means well, but the idea that kids might be immature and not take life or death situations seriously enough always takes him by surprise.super michael wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 6:36 pm Goten and Trunks were training when there was peace, they trained with the adults and together.
But hey, I’m sure he’s learned his lesson and Uub will be fine! Right?? What are the odds Goku screws up training a child to succeed him for the THIRD time??
Toriyama didn’t like to repeat himself, so when he reused an idea, like the water, he tried to do it differently.super michael wrote: Tue Oct 27, 2026 6:36 pm
Climbing Karin tower is training, then chasing Karin is another form of training. That water was just regular water, nothing magical there. It was later on with Piccolo Daimao that Karin gave Goku the magical water with the potential to kill the user.


