Uub - Wasted Potential or Uninteresting

[Regarder]

My answer is that he's wasted potential. A big waste. He isn't inherently uninteresting from the start because his character wasn't even defined that much in EoZ. Only GT made him uninteresting by wasting the wide open potential of his character.

I'm one of those few that would really like to see Uub live up to the role and arc Toriyama was hinting at, and then much more blatantly with the revised manga. I'm sure Toriyama could have done Uub great while including Goku still.

[fadeddreams5]

Why did the time skip make him uninteresting?

Because by that time, he's already gotten to know everyone behind-the-scenes. He's already become a martial arts master in his own right. We never got to see his trials and tribulations. We never found out anything about him, or saw his interactions with the people he just met and befriended. By the time GT starts, he's already as strong as every else, everyone knows him, and... he has no real role. It's terrible. Like, why should we care about him at this point? lol.

[Kakacarrottop]

He doesn't really have much of personality. I decry the use of the term "wasted potential" because he appears in the epilogue. At the time of his conception, he obviously had no potential because it was the ending. I suppose you could call it that in GT, however.

Someone said it best in that other thread about the ending; the most logical step in the ladder to extending Dragon Ball is to flesh out Uub and his role as Goku's successor, ]but that would never sell in a million years because he's brown and not a Saiyan.

...That is a VERY unfortunate combination of words. VERY VERY VERY unfortunate.

Saiyan supremacist much?

[Thanos]

I didn't care for Uub, EoZ or GT. I think they could've handled post-Z Uub as sure, he's the next big thing, but still not yet. Like, throughout the series of GT he could've still been unleashing his potential, but still not enough to be able to hold his own alongside Goku, Vegeta and the like. That way, his uninterestingness could've been faded into the background, while still being there.

Although I think as much as was explored with Buu, even that was a bit played out. I think Uub as a whole was just plain unnecessary.

[ABED]

Why did the time skip make him uninteresting?

Because by that time, he's already gotten to know everyone behind-the-scenes. He's already become a martial arts master in his own right. We never got to see his trials and tribulations. We never found out anything about him, or saw his interactions with the people he just met and befriended. By the time GT starts, he's already as strong as every else, everyone knows him, and... he has no real role. It's terrible. Like, why should we care about him at this point? lol.

The time skip doesn't preclude us getting to know him. As far as we know, he's only got to know Goku. Uub's trials and tribulations wouldn't be his training, it would be the battles he fights. Uub was always as strong as pretty much everyone else, he just needed to learn how to harness it.

[SSJ4_Zankuto]

I think Oob has the potential to give interesting fights like he did against Son Goku at end of Dragon Ball Z. Oob fusing with Majin Boo was fascinating to see in Dragon Ball GT to take on Baby-Vegeta. I'd say he had wasted potential in Dragon Ball GT in my books.

[ImmaDeker]

His skin color makes HIM interesting?

Yep, considering there are so many bland, uninteresting characters in the Dragon Ball world.

I feel like "reincarnation of a psycho hell demon" is a little more interesting, and less condescending, than "the brown one."

Like, really. Saying THE REINCARNATION OF A PSYCHO HELL DEMON FROM SPACE is only interesting because of his skin color is legitimately condescending. You introduce your reasons for his interest, and the basis of his entire appeal, on a different skin color with no regards for his character traits as a person. Your judgment of him as a person doesn't factor to you as much as his skin color does.

I feel like someone once made a giant speech about judging by content of personal character and actions and not by how someone appears, but for some reason I can't quite place it.

[Rocketman]

THE REINCARNATION OF A PSYCHO HELL DEMON FROM SPACE.

Piccolo?

[ImmaDeker]

Uub as Ma Junior by way of Gohan is actually kind of a neat idea.

I mean, how well it'd actually be executed is a whole 'nother debate, but there're worse ways to lift old ideas.

[dae428]

I thought EoZ Oob was fine. Not exceptional but fine. I thought he had potential for sure though. Until we got to GT... Then he just faded into the background, had his chance to shine a bit, then faded into the background again...

I think it does make sense to compare him to Gohan though. When we first see Gohan he's just this small shrimp who later on was expected to kind of become Goku's successor later on. When Gohan was first shown he was just this little four year old kid who we the readers knew nothing about. He came from an interesting lineage being the son of Goku and later on we see he's a half Saiyan, but that's really the extent. It wasn't really until we got to see Gohan train with Piccolo that we started to actually really care about the kid and when he became more than just some four year old kid. As time progressed and he became more involved with the story it came to the point where most people began to root for Gohan to become the main character and for Goku to just take a back seat.

Oob is in many ways just like Gohan. He has interesting origins and an untapped potential. The difference between these two is that Oob never really got the chance Gohan did to really cement himself into the main cast as an interesting character.

So I guess I can say, regarding bot EoZ and GT, that Oob is pretty much wasted potential and is even arguably uninteresting as well.

[fadeddreams5]

The time skip doesn't preclude us getting to know him. As far as we know, he's only got to know Goku. Uub's trials and tribulations wouldn't be his training, it would be the battles he fights. Uub was always as strong as pretty much everyone else, he just needed to learn how to harness it.

But in GT we know he knows everyone else.

Whether Uub was as strong as the others at the EoZ is really up for debate, especially now with BoG and what-not. Personally, I've always seen him as having the potential of being stronger than most of the others, but needing to train first. But what if this training wasn't as easy for him as one would expect? What if he had trouble with ki manipulation, for example? It's easy to assume no, but it could have easily been written in the gap between EoZ and GT that he's a piss poor student, for example, even with the extraordinary fighting IQ he showed in DBZ. Harnessing his powers might have been his trials and tribulations as well. Not just that, it could have been humorous seeing him attempt. We'll never know.

By GT, we already know he's a boring, powerful fighter like everyone else, but nothing out of the ordinary, as was previously implied. He already knows everyone, but doesn't even seem to have any strong connection or chemistry with any of the cast. Even if he did, nobody would give a crap because the relationship was never developed like, say, the one between Piccolo and Gohan. It's just a huge waste. He ended up being an undeveloped character that was just crammed into GT for the sake of consistency.

Case in point, we never got to know this character as we know the rest of the cast. Anybody claiming he's uninteresting (sans GT Uub), it's like...how? Cause he's just some pseudo-Namu clone with (potentially) Buu's powers who Goku left to train? Okay, that's his origin, but we know jack shit about him, as far as how he interacts with the world around him. In other words, they left a HUGE gap open that can be used to make him into an interesting character. GT really would need to be tossed to the side though.

[ABED]

He knows OF them, but he doesn't know them, and how does him already knowing them make his character less interesting?

But what if this training wasn't as easy for him as one would expect? What if he had trouble with ki manipulation, for example? It's easy to assume no, but it could have easily been written in the gap between EoZ and GT that he's a piss poor student, for example, even with the extraordinary fighting IQ he showed in DBZ. Harnessing his powers might have been his trials and tribulations as well. Not just that, it could have been humorous seeing him attempt. We'll never know.

That's worth what, an episode?

[fadeddreams5]

Serves as the basis of many episodes. The episodes wouldn't need to center around it, but it can be a part of his developing character for a while. I guess you can sort of compare it to Gohan during Saiyan arc.

As for already knowing other characters, it doesn't make him less interesting, but it's a bit of a wasted opportunity to develop a growing relationship while he's still a fresh character. I suppose one could have begun anyways if, say, he really didn't get to meet anyone during those years and only knew they existed. You got me there. Though that didn't happen either.

[ABED]

Serves as the basis of many episodes. The episodes wouldn't need to center around it, but it can be a part of his developing character for a while. I guess you can sort of compare it to Gohan during Saiyan arc.<br abp="685"><br abp="686">As for already knowing other characters, it doesn't make him less interesting, but it's a bit of a wasted opportunity to develop a growing relationship while he's still a fresh character. I suppose one could have begun anyways if, say, he really didn't get to meet anyone during those years and only knew they existed. You got me there. Though that didn't happen either.

Once again, he doesn't know them. He only trained with Goku. It was established the Goku hadn't seen his family in the interim period so we can still see him meeting them and establish relationships. Uub is still a fresh character when we meet him in GT. The only thing we know is that he's been training. What does your last sentence mean? What didn't happen either?

[fadeddreams5]

Once again, he doesn't know them. He only trained with Goku. It was established the Goku hadn't seen his family in the interim period so we can still see him meeting them and establish relationships. Uub is still a fresh character when we meet him in GT. The only thing we know is that he's been training. What does your last sentence mean? What didn't happen either?

So for 5 years, he didn't do anything but train and spend time with Goku? Yet we never even see that much. That's worse. lol.

I meant, he never developed a real meaningful relationship with anyone. There's no chemistry between him and any other character. Not even Goku.

[ulisa]

My main problem with Uub is that I really feel his 'purpose' with being Goku's successor should have gone to a character that we had already been familiar with. It's much more emotionally satisfying to see a character we already know and have grown with step into the shoes of the hero than an unknown that comes out of nowhere. Yes, I am mainly referring to Gohan and not just because he is my favorite character. It bugs me because starting with the Cell Games and then through the Buu saga, they just build Gohan up as Goku's potential heir. When he takes on Goku's colors prior to fighting Buu, that felt like a final "Okay, I'm taking my Dad's place now" moment to me. For a that build up to literally go nowhere was a huge letdown and to throw in this unknown at the last minute to be a "successor" just felt wrong.

That being said, I don't hate Uub. I think he had potential to be an interesting character...just not as Goku's successor.

[soulnova]

For the longest time I simply disregarded both Uub and Pan from GT. I thought Pan was a whiny little brat and Uub a disappointment.

I recall there was a Neko Majin issue showing Goku at his house after EoZ with an older Pan and Uub. This would have been the obvious outcome to me to start GT. Goku can teleport and they can find his ki, so he couldn't simply banish. After perhaps a couple of weeks of intensive training close to Uub's home, he would have moved back to Mount Paoz. I always assumed Uub and Pan would have become good friends... (and recently thinking they could have become even more).

With EoZ you get the clear idea that Uub is going to be the one to actually carry Goku's legacy along with Pan... only for that to be totally disregarded in GT.

If they could give me a new series I would vote for the new generation: Uub, Pan, Bra and a new cast.

[Saiga]

Frankly I feel Oob's a little of both - he was wasted, but he's also uninteresting.

I used to think that GT committed a huge sin in its treatment of Oob, the same with how the other media avoids his time period. I had believed Oob should have been utilised better as Goku's successor and be given a leading role.

However, as time goes on, I see more and more problems with that idea. Firstly, the idea of Goku having a successor has been tried before, with Gohan, and it didn't pan out. I am not fond of things going back to Goku, but I'm even less fond of trying to pull that again with a completely new character. Why would it work now? Even if the torch was successfully passed on, that'd leave a bad taste in my mouth. It's rehashing an old plot point and I think it just doesn't work as well with newcomer Oob as it would have with Gohan, who actually had two arcs to cement himself before taking a leading role, and a stronger connection to the main characters. So dropping the concept with Gohan and letting it work with Oob seems like a really bad idea.

I just don't know how I could be sold the idea of "Oob as Goku's successor" when that plan failed hard with a more developed and appropriate character. I don't know how anyone could be sold on that idea.

Maybe it could have worked better if Gohan had become Goku's successor, and Oob would be a poised to eventually succeed Gohan instead of Goku. Then it's not "hey that's attempt that thing that failed quite recently" and continuing a tradition. But I think in that case, Pan would make more sense as the next person to take the helm.

Oob himself isn't very interesting. He's just qualities of Gohan, Piccolo Junior, and Nam rolled into one character, and we only see him for two chapters. Sure, you can argue he has potential to be expanded on, but he's basically got the potential of a blank slate. You can achieve the same thing working with Oob as just creating a character from scratch, as there's nothing to him aside from traits seen in other characters well before his time.

He's the reincarnation of Pure Boo, but he loses all of the interesting Boo characteristics. The design and abilities of Majin Boo are far more interesting than his raw power, which seems to be all Oob gets. I'd rather see Fat Boo become more prominent than Oob, and think there is more potential in the idea of Fat Boo absorbing Pure Boo and joining the main fighters. Or perhaps Fat Boo absorbing/fusing with Oob, and because Oob was reincarnated into a good person, Fat Boo can access all the Majin Boo, Dai Kaioshin and South Kaioshin power without restrictions... that could be interesting to see! I think Oob being used to give Fat Boo a power up would be something fans could never accept, though.

I think GT's handling of him in the Baby arc is about the only thing you can do with Oob. He basically plays the same role as Piccolo in Z, getting a fusion power up only to be defeated by the main villain. However, he ends up helping out in Goku's battle with Baby which makes him much more relevant than Piccolo was in that role. I think this was a nice treatment of his character, the series just completely dropped the ball for its next two arcs. But, we lost a more interesting character (Fat Boo) for that to happen.

I think Oob presents a real problem for continuations of the series. I absolutely don't think he works well in the role of Goku's successor, but that's how the manga built him up, and for a continuation to do anything else for him is probably going to be met with heavy criticism. He was so underdeveloped in the manga that I wouldn't be surprised if other parties look at him and think "what the hell should we do with him?" There's pretty much no easy way to avoid writing him in a major role that I can think of that wouldn't look like he's being deliberately shafted, even if I'd prefer continuations to avoid putting him in one.

[ABED]

Once again, he doesn't know them. He only trained with Goku. It was established the Goku hadn't seen his family in the interim period so we can still see him meeting them and establish relationships. Uub is still a fresh character when we meet him in GT. The only thing we know is that he's been training. What does your last sentence mean? What didn't happen either?

So for 5 years, he didn't do anything but train and spend time with Goku? Yet we never even see that much. That's worse. lol.

I meant, he never developed a real meaningful relationship with anyone. There's no chemistry between him and any other character. Not even Goku.

Well, we'll just have to disagree about Goku and him not having chemistry. They were fine with what little we see of them together.

I believe it's 10 years that they trained together. I don't know how that's worse. You're entire point is that he's less interesting because we never see him meet other characters and establish relationships with them during the interim years. We now can since his training is over.

[gohann]

Didn't care much for the character. I didn't see anything special about him.