Most Fitting End

[TheUltimateVegito]

EoZ was perfect

Tenkaichi Budoukai was where it all started...

It ended the way how it started...

Not to mention how Goku's cycle was complete, from being a student to Teacher.

His objectives were clear. Despite touching his absolute peak & potential by unlocking Super Saiyan 3 (via extensive OtherWorld training), he wanted to fight a worthy opponent. Yet, Kid Buu proved to be too much of universal threat & wished to be reborn.

Ironically, he recruited da re-incarnated kid to be his successor & future world savior

The whole student to teacher angle was done a lot better in the Cell arc imo.

[ekrolo2]

I'm fine with GT or with Goku biting the dust on Namek. The "headcannon" version of the Cell Games everyone likes to call the best ending sounds good in theory but the actual story isn't like it at aaaaallllll.

[TheUltimateVegito]

I'm fine with GT or with Goku biting the dust on Namek. The "headcannon" version of the Cell Games everyone likes to call the best ending sounds good in theory but the actual story isn't like it at aaaaallllll.

How so?

[jollyroger]

Cell arc is the perfect ending.

Goku thinking the earth is safter without him, which was the perfect culmination of Goku's adventures up to that point, and passing down the torch to his son who has developed into a better protector both physically and mentally than Goku can ever be (Or as it seemed at the time), with Goku himself even admitting that Gohan is a better person than him, showing how wise Goku has become while still retaining, no, utilizing those core elements of his character in the perfect way, with the knowledge of his Saiyan heritage being part of the reason why he concluding that the earth isn't meant for him. How the Cell Games utilized the way Goku's character was built throughout the world tournaments and turned it on his head, with Goku realizing the mistake he made by placing too much faith in his son, willingly giving up which was a huge deal for his character, as shown in the 21st Tournament which was metaphoric for Goku's relationship with his son Gohan. Goku's dislike for unfairness in fighting was turned in his head with Piccolo questioning whether he values a fair fight more than the life of his son, freakin' powerful stuff right there.

Piccolo reuniting with Kami was the natural conclusion to his arc, with the build up and suspense that led to it being fantastic writing. Him being the one to tell Goku the mistake he made was perfect, and showed how much Piccolo bonding with Gohan in a more emotional level than Goku did, which further added to Goku's shock when he realized the mistake he made.

Vegeta giving up fighting was fantastic because at the point in his life Goku practically held what remained of his pride, and with Goku gone those remains are shattered. Vegeta had no choice but to care for his family otherwise he'd have lost the will to live. Bulma being surprised when Trunks told him that Vegeta changed like that added to the impact of the scene, because it furthered the idea that Vegeta can only change if the source of his pride, Son Goku, doesn't come back, which further added to Goku's reasoning for staying dead! Not only was Vegeta an example of someone Goku prevented from doing evil by leaving, but he also served as a symbol. If someone like Vegeta can change because of Goku leaving, then it's highly likely that someone else out there in the Universe i.e in Freeza's army can change, one person can make all the difference as Dr. Gero showcased.

Dr. Gero/Cell being the perfect endgame villain, due to Gero's duality with Goku and Cell further reflecting on the very side of Goku that Goku himself fears, which further adds to the impact!

Gohan's character arc coming full circle, yes he didn't do a bunch of things before the Cell Games but he didn't need to, the Cell Games which so great for his character that it more than made up for it, plus it really gave the sense of saving the best for last. Cell being a foil for Gohan's character was perfect, it furthered the idea of why Gohan is a better protector than Goku, because Gohan ideals and morals are his motivation for fighting rather than his desire to become a fighter.

Goku mastering the SSJ which was the only way Gohan could hope to realize his full potential (At the time) was the perfect use of their characters and the SSJ form. The MSSJ form was perfect for Goku, it was perfect for the character because it reflects on his mindset when it comes to fighting in a way that no other saga in the series has done, and Vegeta not being able to achieve it despite working harder due to not sharing that mindset was the icing on the cake. The form literally played with the idea of how to fully realize the form because they had to achieve practically the opposite of anger to do it, which was genius writing.

The way Bulma was part of the reason why Goku thought about his decision was fantastic in all its irony, with her having faith in Goku and believing he's needed for the planet's future whereas Goku himself believed the planet's future would be better without him thanks to the future Bulma herself made Goku know about by creating the time machine. Also, Bulma being the one to make Goku think about his past is genius since she's the main reason he had all the adventures. Bulma influenced Goku to start and finish his adventures.

I can literally go on and on about the supreme greatness that is the Android saga, but I fear I may go off topic lol.

thats an amazing analysis and i agree it was a great ending. the android saga has always been my favorite and i like when people get real into it and you can actually see the art and almost poetry behind the series

[Vijay]

EoZ was perfect

Tenkaichi Budoukai was where it all started...

It ended the way how it started...

Not to mention how Goku's cycle was complete, from being a student to Teacher.

His objectives were clear. Despite touching his absolute peak & potential by unlocking Super Saiyan 3 (via extensive OtherWorld training), he wanted to fight a worthy opponent. Yet, Kid Buu proved to be too much of universal threat & wished to be reborn.

Ironically, he recruited da re-incarnated kid to be his successor & future world savior

The whole student to teacher angle was done a lot better in the Cell arc imo.

With due respect, I never liked Gohan to start with

Besides, its Dad-son angle. I dont see where student-teacher angle came from.

Cell Arc's ending was depressin as fuck

Goku dead. Veggie quits fighting. Future Trunks returns to his time-line. Piccolo semi-retires as his pupil surpassed him. Dafuq?

All fan-favourites are pushed to background just to elevate a SINGLE, cliched & ineffective potential-abuser.

Sorry, but it didnt sit well with me. Perhaps shows like DN, FMAB or even Hunter Hunter could employ the "uncomfortable endings" aspect, but not DBZ.

I hate Gohan anyway. So, yeah. Uub's great candidate to be Goku's successor anyday

[TheUltimateVegito]

EoZ was perfect

Tenkaichi Budoukai was where it all started...

It ended the way how it started...

Not to mention how Goku's cycle was complete, from being a student to Teacher.

His objectives were clear. Despite touching his absolute peak & potential by unlocking Super Saiyan 3 (via extensive OtherWorld training), he wanted to fight a worthy opponent. Yet, Kid Buu proved to be too much of universal threat & wished to be reborn.

Ironically, he recruited da re-incarnated kid to be his successor & future world savior

The whole student to teacher angle was done a lot better in the Cell arc imo.

With due respect, I never liked Gohan to start with

Besides, its Dad-son angle. I dont see where student-teacher angle came from.

Cell Arc's ending was depressin as fuck

Goku dead. Veggie quits fighting. Future Trunks returns to his time-line. Piccolo semi-retires as his pupil surpassed him. Dafuq?

All fan-favourites are pushed to background just to elevate a SINGLE, cliched & ineffective potential-abuser.

Sorry, but it didnt sit well with me. Perhaps shows like DN, FMAB or even Hunter Hunter could employ the "uncomfortable endings" aspect, but not DBZ.

I hate Gohan anyway. So, yeah. Uub's great candidate to be Goku's successor anyday

It's both a Dad-son/student-teacher angle, which made the student-teacher angle all the more better for me.

I wouldn't say it's depressing, the only depressing part is Vegeta giving up fighting. Goku dying was more bittersweat than sad. 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. Although Gohan was greatly upset for being responsible for his father's death, he was able to atone for it which further added to his development in the Cell Gamees.

Yes, it's sad that Trunks' world remains the same, but he did kill the Androids and Cell which was an immensely satisfying conclusion for his character. Not to mention how his future world is rebuilding on its own. Piccolo doesn't retire at all, he's still a fighter and chose to live in Kamis Lookout to aid Dende alongside Mr. Popo. Kami being assimilated by Piccolo was rather sad though.

[ekrolo2]

I'm fine with GT or with Goku biting the dust on Namek. The "headcannon" version of the Cell Games everyone likes to call the best ending sounds good in theory but the actual story isn't like it at aaaaallllll.

How so?

Goku and Gohan don't do anything in the arc with them only becoming at all relevant when the Cell Games are going on. Goku choosing Gohan to fight Cell isn't him passing the torch or something (Goku gives not one iota of a damn about a concept like that) and more to do with the fact he's throwing Gohan against a shark from his own warped idea of who his son is, which is far from reality as evidenced from the actual series.

Even him saying goodbye has less to do with "I trust my son to protect the world!" and more of him misinterpreting coincidences and choosing to stay dead. The only thing he states before giving everyone the middle finger as he rides off into the sunset with King Kai and Bubbles is that Gohan was always more dependable than him.

The story in no way builds to this whole idea of Gohan taking over for Goku and the only thing even remotely close to it as a vague handwave at best. It doesn't even make sense for him to trust Gohan since he failed to kill Cell and was about ready to throw in the towel forcing Goku to come in and help him win, exactly what happens in the Boo Saga with Gohan (again) and Gotenks.

[KentalSSJ6]

Cell Games, followed by an epilogue showing excerpts from the Otherworld Tournament. Gohan is now protector of Earth or whatever, and Goku gets to go on having adventures in Otherworld. Happy endings all around.

Well Vegeta ain't happy. He said he'd never fight again. That said I still think this would be the most fitting end to the series.

Vegeta was complete and utter bastard in the arc who along with Krillin, made the situation a thousand times worse than it had to be. By letting Cell absorb 18 he allowed hundreds if not thousands to die before the Cell Games even started when he was more than capable of killing Cell before he got his hands on 18. Not to mention his stupidity almost let Cell destroy the planet. So the question is does Vegeta even DESERVE to get a happy ending after causing so much trouble?

[B]

Literally every time I give it any thought, Toriyama's ending(s) is(are) the only thing(s) that makes any sense to me. Goku's entire story is about self-improvement. He has no real character arc, so there's not much that can "happen" to him that feels final. I always had a bad aftertaste in my mouth whenever people complained that Goku "abandoned his family to hang out with a brown kid" and then I, and like-minded others, would knee-jerkingly respond "there's nothing stopping Goku from visiting his family now and again or taking Uub with him, such as in Neko Majin." But, then you start thinking about the purpose of endings: Things are supposed to end. If there's no hard change, or at least the allusion of it, then things didn't really end, so in that regard, Goku never seeing his family again, or at least not for a long while, gives the manga's end(s) more credence.

Dragon Ball Online's "endings" are an extension of that, so I love them as well. It actually creates an "end" for the major characters and stays true to their personality traits and arcs. Everyone's mentioned Goku and Vegeta final fight, but I also really like Kuririn's decision to dedicate his time to teaching future warriors the importance and skill behind support. It almost feels like a gag at the expense of the humans' waning relevance in the series proper, but hey, kudos to the Online team for taking a fandom joke and tying it into something halfway poignant. I have similar feelings for Tenshinhan and Gohan as well.

I feel like I should mention Dragon Ball GT(and I guess the TV Special...?). It's a nice ending, but decidedly un-Toriyama-like. So, I guess in a way, it was the best ending for how the anime evolved, given Toei's penchant of placing Goku on a pedestal in movies and throughout GT. Another thing I enjoy about it, but cannot help but notice how it's something that Toriyama would never dream of doing, is its taking of Goku's and Shenlong's relationship from tenuous to literal. The Dragon Balls are plot devices, and Goku and Shenlong don't speak to each other more than twice, maybe three times. But, of course, they are drawn together in splash images a lot, most notably the covers of the first and final volumes of the manga, and many anime OPs and EDs("Cha-La Head-Cha-La", "Orange Hero", in "Blue Velvet" there's that shot of Goku and all of the Ultimate DBs...). In a weird way, Shenlong is the deuteragonist of the series. Those final images of the DBs fading away into Goku's body as he falls asleep into Shenlong's warmth... I'll give Toei one thing, it's not expected and it of course leads to many questions, which the fandom still has arguments about.

The GT TV Special sort of builds on that, despite airing during the middle of GT. That's probably intentional that it isn't obvious whether or not Goku is dead. It's kind of not an important question, anyway. His legacy and spirit remain apparent.

[FortuneSSJ]

GT ending by far. And A Hero's Legacy Movie is just the perfect bonus.
These ending is the reason why I never cared if the series ever come back. Dragon Ball had the ending that deserved, a perfect ending.

[Cipher]

Honestly, I think both the manga's ending and GT's are fine, with slight preference toward GT, as un-Toriyama-like as it is (but that's part of its charm as an epilogue chapter).

I don't feel the connection between the manga's ending and the new material at this point, though. I really like the ending, but I think it requires a near decade of boredom for Goku and co. to work. The 2008 Jump Special complemented it greatly. I'm interested to see where Super leaves us in terms of endings, as I think it calls for something else thematically.

[Basaku]

Definitely not EOZ. It just doesn't work with a new character popping out of nowhere and instantly being granted the status of the new main protagonist, supplanting everyone else figuratevily and literally as the one in the last panel with Goku. Sorry but that was always a bad idea for an ending. Buu ending itself is fine with the whole Earth chippin in to defeat the monster and all, Vegeta-Goku rivalry resolved and other stuff that got concluded. Most of EOZ stuff is good too, back to the tournament, new generation (Pan/Bra) is growing up, everyone gets together again. But the Uub part is just too random and forced.

Freeza, Cell and Shadow Dragon endings are fine. Although I'm not the biggest fan of the Messaiah-Dragon-Balls-absorbing Goku at the end of GT.

[Doctor.]

Goku gives not one iota of a damn about a concept like that

He does in the Boo arc, though.

[Cipher]

Goku gives not one iota of a damn about a concept like that

He does in the Boo arc, though.

Eh. Kind of. I read that with an air of hyper-bored Goku wanting to be excited by new fighters again. He definitely wants to see the children surpass him, but I think the altruistic "Someone must protect Earth angle" is a bit of a put-on, even if it's true in part.

Goku's whole shtick in the Boo arc and epilogue is that he's bored as fuck.

[Basaku]

He abandons Goten and Chichi second time as soon as strong Uub appears becuase he can't train him at home for no reason, so yeah.

#VegetaAndPiccoloBetterFathers

[TheUltimateVegito]

I'm fine with GT or with Goku biting the dust on Namek. The "headcannon" version of the Cell Games everyone likes to call the best ending sounds good in theory but the actual story isn't like it at aaaaallllll.

How so?

Goku and Gohan don't do anything in the arc with them only becoming at all relevant when the Cell Games are going on. Goku choosing Gohan to fight Cell isn't him passing the torch or something (Goku gives not one iota of a damn about a concept like that) and more to do with the fact he's throwing Gohan against a shark from his own warped idea of who his son is, which is far from reality as evidenced from the actual series.

Even him saying goodbye has less to do with "I trust my son to protect the world!" and more of him misinterpreting coincidences and choosing to stay dead. The only thing he states before giving everyone the middle finger as he rides off into the sunset with King Kai and Bubbles is that Gohan was always more dependable than him.

The story in no way builds to this whole idea of Gohan taking over for Goku and the only thing even remotely close to it as a vague handwave at best. It doesn't even make sense for him to trust Gohan since he failed to kill Cell and was about ready to throw in the towel forcing Goku to come in and help him win, exactly what happens in the Boo Saga with Gohan (again) and Gotenks.

Goku was the reason the arc even happened. Everything that happened in that arc was because of his actions when he was a kid and a portion of the arc was spent trying to protect Goku from those who were only really enemies due to their mission to kill Goku. The idea of misjudging Gohan was one of the reasons why he chose to stay dead because it furthered the idea that his own actions can spell doom for his loved ones. Goku had no idea Gohan would act the way he did in the Cell Games which was justified, Goku only thought that Gohan needed to get angry and he'd get an instant rage boost and kill Cell but the situation proved to be more complicated than Goku could have imagined. 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.

It's nothing like misinterpreting coincidences. It's literally Goku evaluating his past and deciding what's best for the earth. Gohan being more dependable definitely wasn't the only thing he stated. Let's not forget his main reason for staying dead, which was him attracting danger.

The story definitely builds to it, the whole idea behind Gohan's potential was that he'd one day surpass everyone including his father once his fully taps into it. Gohan's mentality being better than Goku was reflected in Gohan's reason for not being able to tap into it. Gohan failing to kill Cell was a part of him transforming into a better protector, which Goku himself took into account. Gohan was about to throw in the towel because of the unbearable guilt he felt but Goku talked him into not letting that guilt consume him. Again, it was part of Gohan's development into the better protector.

[Tzigi]

For me it's a fan made one, The ending chapter of Toyotaro's AF. It's a proper send off to the franchise and very emotional if you ask me.
Toyotaro never finished AF, but he did have a special "100 years later" episode, which I thought was pretty damn cool.

This. So much so. If there is anything in this franchise that I'd love to make it from fan-made to official, then this little gem would take the cake. It's perfect, it catches the mood just as it should and it is the best tribute to the story that was (imho) ever made.

[ekrolo2]

How so?

Goku and Gohan don't do anything in the arc with them only becoming at all relevant when the Cell Games are going on. Goku choosing Gohan to fight Cell isn't him passing the torch or something (Goku gives not one iota of a damn about a concept like that) and more to do with the fact he's throwing Gohan against a shark from his own warped idea of who his son is, which is far from reality as evidenced from the actual series.

Even him saying goodbye has less to do with "I trust my son to protect the world!" and more of him misinterpreting coincidences and choosing to stay dead. The only thing he states before giving everyone the middle finger as he rides off into the sunset with King Kai and Bubbles is that Gohan was always more dependable than him.

The story in no way builds to this whole idea of Gohan taking over for Goku and the only thing even remotely close to it as a vague handwave at best. It doesn't even make sense for him to trust Gohan since he failed to kill Cell and was about ready to throw in the towel forcing Goku to come in and help him win, exactly what happens in the Boo Saga with Gohan (again) and Gotenks.

Goku was the reason the arc even happened. Seriously, everything that happened in that arc was because of his actions when he was a kid and a portion of the arc was spent trying to protect Goku from those who were only really enemies due to their mission to kill Goku. The idea of misjudging Gohan was one of the reasons why he chose to stay dead because it furthered the idea that his own actions can spell doom for his loved ones. Goku had no idea Gohan would act the way he did in the Cell Games which was justified, Goku only thought that Gohan needed to get angry and he'd get an instant rage boost and kill Cell but the situation proved to be more complicated than Goku could have imagined. 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.

It's nothing like misinterpreting coincidences. It's literally Goku evaluating his past and deciding what's best for the earth. Gohan being more dependable definitely wasn't the only thing he stated. Let's not forget his main reason for staying dead, which was him attracting danger.

The story definitely builds to it, the whole idea behind Gohan's potential was that he'd one day surpass everyone including his father once his fully taps into it. Gohan's mentality being better than Goku was reflected in Gohan's reason for not being able to tap into it. Gohan failing to kill Cell was a part of him transforming into a better protector, which Goku himself took into account. Gohan was about to throw in the towel because of the unbearable guilt he felt but Goku talked him into not letting that guilt consume him. Again, it was part of Gohan's development into the better protector.

The Android arcs connection with the RRA is completely forced by virtue of the RRA being completely incompetent jokes for the most part as we see them in the RRA arc. Nor do they have any real importance to Goku as a character in the arc he dismantles them in. For most of it, they're just jackasses who happen to get in his way until he decides to take them out just for the sake of resurrecting Bora.

It's a forced, totally unbelievable connection that does nothing for Goku as a character besides being a callback to the past. It's like if they did a sequel to Whacky Races where Dick Dasterdly's apprentice or whatever acted and did Hannibal Lecter-ish things without any censoring. I can't buy that the same organization that hired a dumbass like Murasaki can produce something like Cell without anything to show a transition.

Neither he nor Gohan do anything of value in the actual Android arc either. Goku's out of it completely until the Cell Games and Gohan is little more than another source of background noise during conversations. Nothing that happens to either of them until the very end even remotely hints at "This is Goku passing his job to Gohan". I'm not saying it doesn't exist at all but the way fans overblow it as something that's deeply planned out and woven into everything just boggles my mind, especially considering how much of a badly written mess the Android arc is.

As for my coincidences line, Goku says he attracts danger but really, most of the shit that happens to Earth would've happened regardless of if he was there. The RRA still would've existed and likely have succeeded in taking over the Earth. Piccolo would've come about regardless, Freeza and the Saiyan's already know about Earth so it would get attacked by one or the other or both eventually. Goku just happens to get involved in all this stuff, wrongly thinking it's his fault when it's not, he just gets caught up in it, the universe doesn't just magically fart out villains to attack him and the Earth just because there must exist some cosmic counter-balance to Goku's pure-heartedness.

[TheUltimateVegito]

The Android arcs connection with the RRA is completely forced by virtue of the RRA being completely incompetent jokes for the most part as we see them in the RRA arc. Nor do they have any real importance to Goku as a character in the arc he dismantles them in. For most of it, they're just jackasses who happen to get in his way until he decides to take them out just for the sake of resurrecting Bora.

It's a forced, totally unbelievable connection that does nothing for Goku as a character besides being a callback to the past. It's like if they did a sequel to Whacky Races where Dick Dasterdly's apprentice or whatever acted and did Hannibal Lecter-ish things without any censoring. I can't buy that the same organization that hired a dumbass like Murasaki can produce something like Cell without anything to show a transition.

Neither he nor Gohan do anything of value in the actual Android arc either. Goku's out of it completely until the Cell Games and Gohan is little more than another source of background noise during conversations. Nothing that happens to either of them until the very end even remotely hints at "This is Goku passing his job to Gohan". I'm not saying it doesn't exist at all but the way fans overblow it as something that's deeply planned out and woven into everything just boggles my mind, especially considering how much of a badly written mess the Android arc is.

As for my coincidences line, Goku says he attracts danger but really, most of the shit that happens to Earth would've happened regardless of if he was there. The RRA still would've existed and likely have succeeded in taking over the Earth. Piccolo would've come about regardless, Freeza and the Saiyan's already know about Earth so it would get attacked by one or the other or both eventually. Goku just happens to get involved in all this stuff, wrongly thinking it's his fault when it's not, he just gets caught up in it, the universe doesn't just magically fart out villains to attack him and the Earth just because there must exist some cosmic counter-balance to Goku's pure-heartedness.

RRA was the most feared army in the globe. Their comedic elements didn't really dampened but only made them more interesting. Murasaki only looked like a chump because of how stronger Goku is. They're suppose to be dismantled like that by Goku hence why Dr.Gero was determined to have revenge on Goku alone. It was completely believable and was a testament for Goku and the series' growth to that point and emphasized the idea of the story coming full circle.

Goku lack of involvement in the arc was also a testament of the idea that Goku is no longer needed on earth. Imagine if Goku defeated everyone all fine and dandy on his own then ended up saying the earth doesn't need him? The fact that he didn't even win a match in the arc emphasizes the idea that Goku's time on earth is up. And like I said before, it gave the feeling of saving the best for last with Gohan. Gohan did show greater composure and maturity than the previous arcs which showed how he developed from the previous arcs i.e able to sense and save Piccolo before Gero killed him.

When Goku and Gohan entered the Time Chamber Goku said it himself that he plans on making Gohan stronger than himself, from then on build up for the torch being passed intensified but was more subtle than say the Super Saiyan build up in the Namek arc. There were also multiple hints at Goku making his decision at the end. i.e Goku appearing to be contemplating after waking up from the heart virus. Not to mention the build up during the ten days of the Cell Games and how History of Trunks chapter added to the build up.

Whether or not the earth would've been better if he wasn't there since he was a baby isn't the idea, the idea is that Goku calculated that the future of earth would be better without him by the time of the Cell arc. But to go deeper into Goku attracting bad guys:

The fact is these bad guys came from a variety of different sources which Goku could not have predicted:

Master Shen came from the Crane Hermit school, who wanted revenge on Goku for killing Tao. Goku could not have predicted this.

King Piccolo was freed by Emperor Pilaf, who Goku defeated in the RRA arc, which Goku could not have predicted. Meaning, it's likely that King Piccolo possibly wouldn't have been freed if Goku didn't encounter pilaf.

Goku predicted Piccolo Jr, but only because Kami told him about it. His main objective was still to get revenge on Goku.

The Saiyans are aliens. Goku could not have predicted them coming and they sorely came to earth because of Goku. Goku himself attracted the Saiyans who are completely different from the other bad guys Goku was attracting and came only to recruit Goku because they needed to take over another planet, not because they were planning on retrieving Goku or cared much about taking over earth.

Frieza and King Cold came to earth to get revenge on Goku. Goku might have predicted Frieza but he couldn't have predicted King Cold (Who was more powerful than Frieza, btw)

And yeah, it does seem deeply planned out and woven into everything when you think about it:

By this point, not only all the main casts character arcs were concluded, but he was actually no longer needed on earth. Gohan was now far better than him (And Goku was responsible for him unleashing his full potential) and was the key reason why the Z-Fighters are now more in sync.

Vegeta developed to give up fighting because of Goku's death. Vegeta giving up could have been viewed as him becoming good, since Goku died his pride died with him at that moment. He's a literal example of someone who Goku staying dead stopped from being a threat.

Goku's decision reflects on all aspect of his character, as well as his life journey up to this point. Now, some may argue that something like that is unlikely to happen again and that the bad guys weren't only after Goku, but that's missing the point. This is suppose to be how it affected Goku, and seeing things from his perspective. The bad guys were still attracted to Goku and by the Android saga there was a whole universe of possibilities. Keep in mind that Goku could not have predicted the Saiyans and King Cold coming to earth because of him as well as the Androids, who were very illusive (couldn't be sensed, came from secret lab, spied on Goku for years). The Androids were key because they were the biggest threat and were created solely to kill Goku (And did in alternate timelines), which impacted his decision the most. It was like everything before that was leading up and connected to this. It also satisfied Goku's love for fighting, as the otherworld is full of powerful opponents who should be around Goku's strength (If we go by the manga) as they must've trained for millenniums. This is where the genius goes even further, when you think about it, satisfying Goku's love for battle like this could further protect the earth, as he tends to let opponents arrive at their best whether or not it's the right thing to do, due to his Saiyan blood. Him no longer being alive eliminates the chance of this happening. This wouldn't have been possible if King Kai and the Saiyans weren't introduced in the Saiyan arc, as well as Goku learning instant Transmissions which furthered how planned out this all seems.

Krillin believed they should let a common enemy strengthen the alliances between the Z-fighters because of Vegeta being around, but now Vegeta's pride is shattered there'll be no need for that. This was a result of the majority of the Z-Fighters once being enemies of Goku, which furthered the idea that everything up to that point was deeply connected. Because with Goku's death there's no one among the Z-Fighters who would willingly put the earth in danger, which is freakin' genius.

[ekrolo2]

The Android arcs connection with the RRA is completely forced by virtue of the RRA being completely incompetent jokes for the most part as we see them in the RRA arc. Nor do they have any real importance to Goku as a character in the arc he dismantles them in. For most of it, they're just jackasses who happen to get in his way until he decides to take them out just for the sake of resurrecting Bora.

It's a forced, totally unbelievable connection that does nothing for Goku as a character besides being a callback to the past. It's like if they did a sequel to Whacky Races where Dick Dasterdly's apprentice or whatever acted and did Hannibal Lecter-ish things without any censoring. I can't buy that the same organization that hired a dumbass like Murasaki can produce something like Cell without anything to show a transition.

Neither he nor Gohan do anything of value in the actual Android arc either. Goku's out of it completely until the Cell Games and Gohan is little more than another source of background noise during conversations. Nothing that happens to either of them until the very end even remotely hints at "This is Goku passing his job to Gohan". I'm not saying it doesn't exist at all but the way fans overblow it as something that's deeply planned out and woven into everything just boggles my mind, especially considering how much of a badly written mess the Android arc is.

As for my coincidences line, Goku says he attracts danger but really, most of the shit that happens to Earth would've happened regardless of if he was there. The RRA still would've existed and likely have succeeded in taking over the Earth. Piccolo would've come about regardless, Freeza and the Saiyan's already know about Earth so it would get attacked by one or the other or both eventually. Goku just happens to get involved in all this stuff, wrongly thinking it's his fault when it's not, he just gets caught up in it, the universe doesn't just magically fart out villains to attack him and the Earth just because there must exist some cosmic counter-balance to Goku's pure-heartedness.

RRA was the most feared army in the globe. Their comedic elements didn't really dampened but only made them more interesting. Murasaki only looked like a chump because of how stronger Goku is. They're suppose to be dismantled like that by Goku hence why Dr.Gero was determined to have revenge on Goku alone. It was completely believable and was a testament for Goku and the series' growth to that point and emphasized the idea of the story coming full circle.

Goku lack of involvement in the arc was also a testament of the idea that Goku is no longer needed on earth. Imagine if Goku defeated everyone all fine and dandy on his own then ended up saying the earth doesn't need him? The fact that he didn't even win a match in the arc emphasizes the idea that Goku's time on earth is up. And like I said before, it gave the feeling of saving the best for last with Gohan. Gohan did show greater composure and maturity than the previous arcs which showed how he developed from the previous arcs i.e able to sense and save Piccolo before Gero killed him.

When Goku and Gohan entered the Time Chamber Goku said it himself that he plans on making Gohan stronger than himself, from then on build up for the torch being passed intensified but was more subtle than say the Super Saiyan build up in the Namek arc. There were also multiple hints at Goku making his decision at the end. i.e Goku appearing to be contemplating after waking up from the heart virus. Not to mention the build up during the ten days of the Cell Games and how History of Trunks chapter added to the build up.

Whether or not the earth would've been better if he wasn't there since he was a baby isn't the idea, the idea is that Goku calculated that the future of earth would be better without him by the time of the Cell arc. But to go deeper into Goku attracting bad guys:

The fact is these bad guys came from a variety of different sources which Goku could not have predicted:

Master Shen came from the Crane Hermit school, who wanted revenge on Goku for killing Tao. Goku could not have predicted this.

King Piccolo was freed by Emperor Pilaf, who Goku defeated in the RRA arc, which Goku could not have predicted. Meaning, it's likely that King Piccolo possibly wouldn't have been freed if Goku didn't encounter pilaf.

Goku predicted Piccolo Jr, but only because Kami told him about it. His main objective was still to get revenge on Goku.

The Saiyans are aliens. Goku could not have predicted them coming and they sorely came to earth because of Goku. Goku himself attracted the Saiyans who are completely different from the other bad guys Goku was attracting and came only to recruit Goku because they needed to take over another planet, not because they were planning on retrieving Goku or cared much about taking over earth.

Freeza and King Cold came to earth to get revenge on Goku. Goku might have predicted Freeza but he couldn't have predicted King Cold (Who was more powerful than Freeza, btw)

And yeah, it does seem deeply planned out and woven into everything when you think about it:

By this point, not only all the main casts character arcs were concluded, but he was actually no longer needed on earth. Gohan was now far better than him (And Goku was responsible for him unleashing his full potential) and was the key reason why the Z-Fighters are now more in sync.

Vegeta developed to give up fighting because of Goku's death. Vegeta giving up could have been viewed as him becoming good, since Goku died his pride died with him at that moment. He's a literal example of someone who Goku staying dead stopped from being a threat.

Goku's decision reflects on all aspect of his character, as well as his life journey up to this point. Now, some may argue that something like that is unlikely to happen again and that the bad guys weren't only after Goku, but that's missing the point. This is suppose to be how it affected Goku, and seeing things from his perspective. The bad guys were still attracted to Goku and by the Android saga there was a whole universe of possibilities. Keep in mind that Goku could not have predicted the Saiyans and King Cold coming to earth because of him as well as the Androids, who were very illusive (couldn't be sensed, came from secret lab, spied on Goku for years). The Androids were key because they were the biggest threat and were created solely to kill Goku (And did in alternate timelines), which impacted his decision the most. It was like everything before that was leading up and connected to this. It also satisfied Goku's love for fighting, as the otherworld is full of powerful opponents who should be around Goku's strength (If we go by the manga) as they must've trained for millenniums. This is where the genius goes even further, when you think about it, satisfying Goku's love for battle like this could further protect the earth, as he tends to let opponents arrive at their best whether or not it's the right thing to do, due to his Saiyan blood. Him no longer being alive eliminates the chance of this happening. This wouldn't have been possible if King Kai and the Saiyans weren't introduced in the Saiyan arc, as well as Goku learning instant Transmissions which furthered how planned out this all seems.

Krillin believed they should let a common enemy strengthen the alliances between the Z-fighters because of Vegeta being around, but now Vegeta's pride is shattered there'll be no need for that. This was a result of the majority of the Z-Fighters once being enemies of Goku, which furthered the idea that everything up to that point was deeply connected. Because with Goku's death there's no one among the Z-Fighters who would willingly put the earth in danger, which is freakin' genius.

The comedic elements of the RRA make the connection forced, not believable or interesting. I cannot buy that an organization which is almost exclusively made up of incompetent chumps comes back on the form of a mad scientist who kidnaps and performs forced cyber augmentation on people or creates murder bots. It doesn't work because, unlike with the rest of the series where we see how things evolve, the RRA go from being cartoon villains into something else entirely with no transition.

Goku not winning any battle means nothing in the arc except a contrivance for Toriyama to take Goku out of the story which is trite and cliche by this point as he's already ran it into the ground by doing it several times in just two arcs beforehand. I also wouldn't look too closely at Goku's inability to win as indication of anything, Toriyama's a lot more okay with having Goku lose than most other writers, its just another one of the beats he's just repeating because he's running on fumes by this point in the process. Also, Gohan saved Piccolo before and wasn't crying or running away like when he fought Nappa.

Goku wasn't contemplating how Gohan will take over, he's contemplating about what it'll take to take out the Androids. Goku is repeatedly shown to be a very short sighted moron who doesn't really grasp the greater depth behind anything he does or thinks about. When he woke up and stood there, he decided to use the ROSAT, not think about the future.

As for the villains: Either Pilaf or Piccolo take over the world either of which would've happened regardless if Goku was there. The RRA was also already hunting for the DBs so they would have also taken over and been a threat regardless of Goku, Freeza's Empire already knows about Earth so they would've come there eventually regardless of Goku existed. Its coincidences that Goku is taking as his own fault because he's a moron who's mentally incapable of thinking anything through right.

The Androids do little to reflect anything in Goku as a character, his development ended on Namek where he accepted he's a Saiyan, everything he's done afterward is little more than the selfish pursuit of appeasing his fighting boner everything else be damned. The things you list like how the Androids were elusive exist only as more devices so a plot that's already gone on way past the logical point of "use DBs, kill Gero immediately" can just keep going and going and going with more OOC moments and contrivances.

And Krillin's whole comment about letting a common threat emerge just to hopefully convert Vegeta is, once again, Toriyama looking for an excuse to justify Goku & Vegeta's horrible decision to advance the plot and make Bulma's (logical) advice seem dumb. They shouldn't need or care about Vegeta, Goku's a Super Saiyan who can take out Vegeta at a moments notice. And if they did battle and if Vegeta somehow won, the Namekian Dragon Balls and a little Other World training would instantly bring Goku back. They have no reason to want the goddamn apocalypse to almost happen just to hopefully convert Vegeta.