Goku's death in the Cell Arc: Manga Vs Anime

[matt0044]

One thing about Goku's death in the Cell Arc that most Anime viewers point out is how Goku goes to Kaio's place to let Cell explode there yet doesn't take the time to grab to Kaio and Bubbles (and Gregory) to get out of there to avoid death.

But when reading Volume 19, you'll notice this scene is done differently. Goku uses IT to appear before Cell and Gohan and tells his son basically, "You did well, Gohan. I'm proud of you. Tell Mom, I'm sorry" before taking Cell to Kaio's place with only one or two seconds to go. Unlike the Anime, it doesn't slow things down for the sake of drama and you could interpret it as Goku making it very brief like one or two seconds before taking Cell away rather than taking his sweet time. Then when he appears at Kaio's place, he apologizes when Cell instantly goes boom taking them all with him in three quick panels in the Manga. The Anime adds a few more shots that show Goku NOT using IT to escape with Kaio when he could unlike in the Manga where he clearly had no time at all (the "Tell Mom, I'm sorry" line was likely just in case he never made it back which he didn't). Not that the Anime version was bad but... it kinda made the scene look really dumb for Goku.

What do you think?

[shonenhikada]

So why waste time apologizing when he could of just grabbed them and head back home ? My interpretation of this is goku willing committed suicide knowing that by dying he would keep the earth safe, as in his words "Evil always seems to keep finding him, and maybe it would be best if i stay dead", which was one of the reasons he didn't want to be wished back.

[matt0044]

So why waste time apologizing when he could of just grabbed them and head back home?

I guess he couldn't help it but apologize (probably as fast as he could). Plus, I get the sense that Kaio can't leave Other World or something. I mean, he would've if he could yet unless his house is blown to smithereens, he never does.

[Bussani]

Goku has to lock onto a ki in order to teleport, so it's quite possible that he didn't have enough time to grab Kaio and escape. In the Buu arc, when Kid Buu blows up the planet, he doesn't have time to grab everyone and escape either; he seems to think he might have time to teleport once, but I'm not even sure he would have made it, since it's Kibitoshin who appears and saves them at the last moment.

[Dorexx]

He wanted to die, for the reasons he said later. There were more pros overall in doing this. The Earth is saved, no more crazy bad guys going after him and killing the Earth in the process, and maybe somewhere in his thoughts he also did it for the thrill of how many warriors he could meet and fight in the afterlife. I don't like thinking of Goku leaving his family for fighting but unfortunately he probably did. Not because he's a bad guy though. He's just too innocent and naive too realize some things, including family responsibilities.

So how the anime made this scene isn't a problem.

[biohazard]

Goku needed a few seconds to find someone's energy at great distances. He had time to search for Kaioh's ki before Cell exploded while saying goodbye to Gohan but once he arrive to Kaioh's planet there was no time to go back the same way. Just a theory...

[Gonstead]

Goku needed a few seconds to find someone's energy at great distances. He had time to search for Kaioh's ki before Cell exploded while saying goodbye to Gohan but once he arrive to Kaioh's planet there was no time to go back the same way. Just a theory...

Or he could of simply grabbed Kaio and Bubbles and Super Kaioken jump off the planet and land of Snake Way.

[matt0044]

Or he could of simply grabbed Kaio and Bubbles and Super Kaioken jump off the planet and land of Snake Way.

Yet he never seems to use the Kaio-Ken at all since he became a Super Saiyan.

[Gonstead]

Or he could of simply grabbed Kaio and Bubbles and Super Kaioken jump off the planet and land of Snake Way.

Yet he never seems to use the Kaio-Ken at all since he became a Super Saiyan.

Only because Super Saiyan provided better stats than Kaioken did.

It's still a technique that's prime for use in a situation like this though, especially when combined with Super Saiyan.

It may leave him out of breath or immobile for a while because of the strain but it's a whole lot better than dieing.

[shonenhikada]

Or he could of simply grabbed Kaio and Bubbles and Super Kaioken jump off the planet and land of Snake Way.

Yet he never seems to use the Kaio-Ken at all since he became a Super Saiyan.

Only because Super Saiyan provided better stats than Kaioken did.

It's still a technique that's prime for use in a situation like this though, especially when combined with Super Saiyan.

It may leave him out of breath or immobile for a while because of the strain but it's a whole lot better than dieing.

Wouldn't he explode if he combines the kai-o-ken with super saiyan due to his ki being to large for him to control/manage. That's why he only does this in other world for a brief moment against Pikkon.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Guys, it's just dramatic licence. Essentially, in works of fiction, time slows down when a character wants to make a heroic speech or something, or kisses the girl he just saved, even when there's a time bomb ticking down. It's the same reason so many characters just stand there and gawp while a character's transforming or charging an attack, with only a few exceptions where anyone actually says anything about it or tries to stop them before they can pull it off.

I think this trope has a name, but I can't remember it.

[Saiga]

Guys, it's just dramatic licence. Essentially, in works of fiction, time slows down when a character wants to make a heroic speech or something, or kisses the girl he just saved, even when there's a time bomb ticking down. It's the same reason so many characters just stand there and gawp while a character's transforming or charging an attack, with only a few exceptions where anyone actually says anything about it or tries to stop them before they can pull it off.

I think this trope has a name, but I can't remember it.

I think you're talking about Magic Countdown.

[matt0044]

Guys, it's just dramatic licence. Essentially, in works of fiction, time slows down when a character wants to make a heroic speech or something, or kisses the girl he just saved, even when there's a time bomb ticking down. It's the same reason so many characters just stand there and gawp while a character's transforming or charging an attack, with only a few exceptions where anyone actually says anything about it or tries to stop them before they can pull it off.

I think this trope has a name, but I can't remember it.

Doesn't mean we can't interpret it in other ways.

[Piccolo Daimao]

Guys, it's just dramatic licence. Essentially, in works of fiction, time slows down when a character wants to make a heroic speech or something, or kisses the girl he just saved, even when there's a time bomb ticking down. It's the same reason so many characters just stand there and gawp while a character's transforming or charging an attack, with only a few exceptions where anyone actually says anything about it or tries to stop them before they can pull it off.

I think this trope has a name, but I can't remember it.

I think you're talking about Magic Countdown.

Yep, that's it. This is where the whole "5 minutes for a bunch of episodes" fiasco comes from. Again, it's much better in the manga, but the anime stretched it out so long where I couldn't blame anyone for thinking, "Wait a sec, shouldn't Namek have exploded by now?"

But as for an in-universe explanation, I could say that Gokuu fully intended to die with Cell, so he'd get to explore new challenges in the afterlife and Gohan would take over for him as protector of Earth. I suppose he just didn't care about Kaiou and Bubbles dying, since both of them could be revived with the DBs anyway and, dead or alive, nothing would change except halos emerging over their heads (although Kaiou could've lost his job, since he didn't seem to get a new planet and hung around in Heaven with Gokuu and some other dead guys we see. But it's not as if Gokuu knew about that, and he's a naive and selfish bastard anyway).

[InfernalVegito]

You can then also ask, why he didn't use IT to fight Mecha Freezer instead of flying endless eons with the space pod.

[Piccolo Daimao]

You can then also ask, why he didn't use IT to fight Mecha Freezer instead of flying endless eons with the space pod.

Because Trunks intervened and defeated Freeza before he could? It's explained right there in the manga.

[InfernalVegito]

How does that explain that he didn't just use IT?

[Piccolo Daimao]

How does that explain that he didn't just use IT?

Gokuu said that he was going to until Trunks stepped in, so he just left it. His space pod was going to reach Earth anyway, so I guess he figured that there was no worry. Gokuu's a pretty laidback guy who probably didn't know or care that his son was missing him so much that he began thinking that he didn't want to come home.

[InfernalVegito]

How does that explain that he didn't just use IT?

Gokuu said that he was going to do until Trunks stepped in, so he just left it.

Ah okay. That's basically all I wanted to know, that there was a moment where he at least pondered on using it or not. That doesn't make him that dumb then.

[matt0044]

But as for an in-universe explanation, I could say that Gokuu fully intended to die with Cell, so he'd get to explore new challenges in the afterlife and Gohan would take over for him as protector of Earth. I suppose he just didn't care about Kaiou and Bubbles dying, since both of them could be revived with the DBs anyway and, dead or alive, nothing would change except halos emerging over their heads (although Kaiou could've lost his job, since he didn't seem to get a new planet and hung around in Heaven with Gokuu and some other dead guys we see. But it's not as if Gokuu knew about that, and he's a naive and selfish bastard anyway).

That's not exactly what the Manga insinuates to me. I guess Goku was thinking semi-hastily not about whether Earth would be safer with or without but whether or not there'd be an Earth to begin with. Plus, when he appears on Kaio's planet with Cell and apologizes (stupid but in-character if you ask me), the next panel has Cell saying his big NO as he blows up in an instant. No earthquakes or those energy sparks to draw out the scene just one big boom.

Of course, that's MY interpretation of the Manga version. The Anime did the dramatic license thing, of course, but the Manga doesn't have to be seen the same way as that.