Read this Gohan arc take on reddit. Whats your take on this?

[ABED]

People aren't inconsistent. The writing is inconsistent.

Goku killed Yakon because apparently his morals just didn't happen to matter there because Yakon was a minor character. He killed Yakon because he didn't want to risk reviving Buu but didn't mind the risk of letting Vegeta live so he could come back and blow up the planet.

People are very inconsistent.

Goku is a mixed bag. Letting a bad guy go for the sake of a fight is absolutely something he would do. Again, and I can't stress this enough, he's not a superhero.

[Xeno Goku Black]

I know it's something he would do. As he did with Piccolo and Vegeta. It's not why he didn't want to kill Frieza. He sparred it because he didn't want to take his life. Something that didn't seem to bother him when it came to a regular human like Assistant Black or Drum.

[ABED]

Freeza is the biggest instance of him letting someone go out of mercy. In this case though, he was in full control of the situation and Freeza was subdued.

[XanatosVanBadass]

1) Of course people are inconsistent. Otherwise hypocrisy and double standards wouldn’t be things.

2) You both are comparing Goku brutally killing the RRA as a little kid vs his actions as an adult. I mean, Super aside, Goku HAS changed as a character albeit in small ways.

[ABED]

I don't think he kills those soldiers in brutal ways. He hits them hard and leaves. He's a man on a mission and he's not doing it to be masochistic.

[Aim]

What's with some of these brain dead responses? First of all, Son was a naïve kid when he killed the Red Ribbon soldiers, second, notice how Goku tends to spare people who are more humanoid. Let's not forget Goku's selfishness allowing strong opponents to live so he can fight them again.

It's simply simple writing, I think people tend to slap bad writing on anything to do with DB these days.

EDIT: Forgot to bring up how visibly mad Son Goku was in DBS that Moro was giving too much energy to one of his lacky's resulting in a fatal end.

[goku the krump dancer]

Folks are referring to Goku’s beat down on the RRA as if he sliced through them all with kienzan.. He cracked them in the head with a stick along with his fist and feet, that hardly constitutes as killing. Also let’s not forget this same Army was barraging him with air craft missiles, tank cannons and assault rifles, so did they not deserve to die if they did? Let’s not get crazy her folks.

One more point, Goku doesn’t enjoy torturing people.. Killing Yakon was a mercy killing if anything.. had he just beat him into submission, going by what they saw with Spopovich and Yamu, I think it’s clear that Goku knew that Bobidi was gonna tear him (Yakon) inside out (literally). Goku did him a favor.

[ArmenianPepsi]

Folks are referring to Goku’s beat down on the RRA as if he sliced through them all with kienzan.. He cracked them in the head with a stick along with his fist and feet, that hardly constitutes as killing. Also let’s not forget this same Army was barraging him with air craft missiles, tank cannons and assault rifles, so did they not deserve to die if they did? Let’s not get crazy her folks.

That's what I'm thinking too. Like, fine Goku is the one coming to their turf and bringing the fight to them, but the only soldiers he attacked were the ones determined to fight back. I dont recall Goku mindlessly hurting soldiers who were not even attacking him just because they had the Red Ribbon uniform. He only beat up those who were actively in his way.

[jjgp1112]

What's with some of these brain dead responses? First of all, Son was a naïve kid when he killed the Red Ribbon soldiers, second, notice how Goku tends to spare people who are more humanoid. Let's not forget Goku's selfishness allowing strong opponents to live so he can fight them again.

It's simply simple writing, I think people tend to slap bad writing on anything to do with DB these days.

EDIT: Forgot to bring up how visibly mad Son Goku was in DBS that Moro was giving too much energy to one of his lacky's resulting in a fatal end.

"Bad writing," like most phrases in fandom discourse, has just become one of a million labels lazily slapped onto rants as if it adequately justifies any and all opinions.

[CashmanX]

I wonder if potentially going completely ape-shit as a Super Saiyan might have had a hand in his hesitation this time around. Not that Movie 8 Broly was ever canon, but I could see him worrying he could become something like that. (Then again they mastered Super Saiyan in the Rosat before this too, so maybe not...)