Don't you think it's kind of sad/tragic that...(DB spoiler)

[Panda]

I agree with Akira (I agree with some and few points of everyone but I'd like to exagerate this point)

I do believe that Goku may not have killed certain enemies because of the fear of having no rival to counter but I also think that he didn't kill them because without their motivation he would never have had the will to grow into as astrong a Saiya-jin as he did. Granted he more than likely would have continued training, but he wouldn't have achieved the high levels of power that he did.

It doesn't really touch up on a "fear" to kill in a moral sense but prehaps a protective sense. For his loved ones and possibly so those he spared.

[Akira]

Yes, the head injury very well could have also changed his personality. I had not considered this aspect and I find it intriguing. Goku allowing the remaining Red Ribbon members to flee was something I meant to touch on in my post, but forgot to. I agree with what was said regarding them.

I never meant by my statements that I imagined Goku would kill himself. I just meant to imply that it would be a major disappointment to him and he would regret it the rest of his days had Vegeta been killed at the end of thier first conflict with him.

Agree to the point of Goku needing his opponents for the motivation to become stronger I do. This was Roshi's reasoning for fighting to win the 21st Budokai no matter what. He wanted Goku to continue to grow as a warrior. I believe Goku DID think at the beginning of Z that he was the best, having won the 23rd Budokai. Piccolo had developed a new technique for destroying Son, but the saiyan had not created any new moves when they took on Raditz and admitted as much to Piccolo during said fight.

-----------

I will have to conclude that I stick to my original position on Goku only losing the saiyan brainwashing from the blow though. The idea that his personality changed as well is a good notion, but one I disagree with based on one poignant scene in the Freeza Saga.

That scene is Vegeta's first death. At the moment Vegeta called out to Son Goku with his final words he said something that bases my viewpoint. Vegeta states that Freeza had ruled over the saiyans and ordered them to kill violently. He says that he was taken from his father and forced to bend to Freeza's will. His last statement is what holds the most value in this debate [that I am enjoying so much]. "I never had a chance to become anythng else but what Freeza desired."

Vegeta, as we later see, takes enjoyment in having a family and living peacefully on earth. He denies as much, and claim that his saiyan battle nature still rules over all. When he allows Babidi to control him, he fools himself into believing that he wants to be a vicious killer again, but it is not the truth, nor the core of who he really is or wants to be. Vegeta was the victim of his environment and experiences. The opposite of how Vegeta's negative upbringing molded him, Goku's positive upbringing enhanced him.

The saiyans loved to battle and win. That is a part of who they are, but being evil is not inherant, I do not believe. Both Goku and Vegeta had the capacy for good or evil. Goku was surrounded by good, and became good earlier on. It took Vegeta time to change, but even he made the choice for it on his own eventually.

Based on this, I still hold that my statements on it are most likely correct. I do not deny that it is possible Son underwent a personality change from the blow to the head. It is entirely possible. However, Son was an infant and still under the influence of his brainwashing when he was rough and unruly towards Son Gohan, as Roshi mentioned in his flashback.

---------
Please continue with your thoughts on the matter. I am greatly enjoying this discussion on many levels.

[MultilangDBZ]

Yes, the head injury very well could have also changed his personality. I had not considered this aspect and I find it intriguing. ...

I never meant by my statements that I imagined Goku would kill himself. I just meant to imply that it would be a major disappointment to him and he would regret it the rest of his days had Vegeta been killed at the end of thier first conflict with him.

So I take it you mean that Goku's fear of major disappointment builds upon his personality trait of disliking killing?

It would be an interesting route to take, but I disagree because:

a) Goku's a happy-go-lucky person like I mentioned previously - he never was constantly remorseful after he found out that he killed his own grandfather when he turned Oozaru; Goku simply got over it like a true warrior. The rationale for a personality-changing fear is: you have to be constantly haunted or deeply affected by something in order to have a recurring fear large enough to have an impact upon your personality. Goku clearly doesn't have such haunting memories as we can see in the series, so he has no fear of major disappointment. Goku'll just keep on searching for stronger opponents. Yes, he'll have a major disappointment if Vegeta died early, but he won't allow it to cause such fear.

b) Goku doesn't see death as an end; rather he sees it as a means for training and an afterlife - which is also a theme in Dragon Ball. This immediately takes away any possible fear of disappointment - he knows that he will see them again and he also knows that there will be stronger opponents that he can challenge with.

I will have to conclude that I stick to my original position on Goku only losing the saiyan brainwashing from the blow though. The idea that his personality changed as well is a good notion, but one I disagree with based on one poignant scene in the Freeza Saga.

"I never had a chance to become anythng else but what Freeza desired." [- Vegeta]

Vegeta, as we later see, takes enjoyment in having a family and living peacefully on earth. ... The opposite of how Vegeta's negative upbringing molded him, Goku's positive upbringing enhanced him.

The saiyans loved to battle and win. That is a part of who they are, but being evil is not inherant, I do not believe. Both Goku and Vegeta had the capacy for good or evil. Goku was surrounded by good, and became good earlier on. It took Vegeta time to change, but even he made the choice for it on his own eventually.

Do you mean that Goku was moved into having a greater dislike of killing because of Vegeta's dying words before Freeza killed him? Sure, this is another very possible reason for having Goku's personality trait being further enhanced by events.

Regarding 'evil', it really depends on what standards you're applying. If, say, compared to people on Earth, the Saiyajins actually qualify to be 'inherently evil' because that's how they are since birth: generally cold-blooded, violent and non-compassionate - as you can see from Radditz's duping Goku, Vegeta killing Nappa (twice), Bardock not caring about Goku when he was born, and so on.

And still, you can compare the personalities of Goku and Vegeta - head injury and no head injury-wise - you can still see the apparent differences (and pretty large I might add). It would show that the head injury was likely the reason for Goku's benevolent personality. You can perhaps draw on the Tree of Might movie as well. Although not in the manga and not exactly canon, Tullece can represent Goku had he not received a head injury and not been raised on Earth. But like I keep referring to, Goku was quite like that right before he had his head injury.

Based on this, I still hold that my statements on it are most likely correct. I do not deny that it is possible Son underwent a personality change from the blow to the head. It is entirely possible. However, Son was an infant and still under the influence of his brainwashing when he was rough and unruly towards Son Gohan, as Roshi mentioned in his flashback.

But what you're saying here just confirms that his head injury was the reason why Goku turned benevolent which is what I'm arguing, and totally weakens what you're trying to put forward, that Goku's upbringing and experiences have molded him.

[Vhanos]

Goku didn't seem to care about his grandpa that much when he went to go get the banshee fan.