The manga's ending vs GT's ending

[Basaku]

I also remember his arguing with Kuririn to let Vegeta live when it put all their loved ones at risk. I remember him telling Kaio he would never forgive him if he could stay to finish his fight with Freeza. I remember him electing to stay dead after the Cell Games in part because of the promise of fighting strong guys in the afterlife when he'd been through and done everything on Earth (voluntary abandonment #1!). I remember him electing not to stop Boo because of boredom/curiosity in the younger generation. I also remember, for years before Super was a twinkle in anyone's eye, thinking it felt like a perfectly fitting ending to see all of that wrapped up in an ending that used a good version of that last villain (especially with the next generation of his family wanting to do their own things). That also works especially well after an implied ten years of ennui, Bulma saying she hasn't seen Goku in five years, etc.

The point is - Uub is a proxy for that side of Goku only. The fighting competetive fan.

If Pan doesn't address broad enough spectrum of Goku's characteristics, personality & conflicts, Uub does it at least 10 times worse by default.

The final moment of the main protagonist's joruney should reflect as much of their full persona as possible, not just 1 side. That's why the Uub ending will always be a failed one that in final swift stroke erases large aspect of the main protag's personality in favour of other propping other trait as the sole defining one at worst and at best swifts focus to a character introduced 5 seconds earlier and expecting anyone to care about him.

[Cipher]

The point is - Uub is a proxy for that side of Goku only. The fighting competetive fan.

If Pan doesn't address broad enough spectrum of Goku's characteristics, personality & conflicts, Uub does it at least 10 times worse by default.

The final moment of the main protagonist's joruney should reflect as much of their full persona as possible, not just 1 side. That's why the Uub ending will always be a failed one that in final swift stroke erases large aspect of the main protag's personality in favour of other propping other trait as the sole defining one at worst and at best swifts focus to a character introduced 5 seconds earlier and expecting anyone to care about him.

To clarify, my issue with a hypothetical Pan ending is that it would leave that entire side of his personality -- the conflict that has driven his character and to some extent the series since around the halfway mark -- unresolved.

An ending doesn't need to be completely holistic, but you do want it to provide closure to highlighted arcs.

That's why I've been saying if Goku's relationship with his family had been the thrust of his conflict instead, Pan as an ending would work. As it stands, she'd sort of be a solution to a problem the series doesn't highlight, ignoring the one it does.

Also, again, no one is supposed to care about Oob as a character (as if we haven't also just been introduced to Pan??). We're just to care about how he helps close Goku's arc.

[Basaku]

Also, again, no one is supposed to care about Oob as a character (as if we haven't also just been introduced to Pan??). We're just to care about how he helps close Goku's arc.

But he fails to do that because he's only useful to 'close' 1 subthread of Goku's joruney so yeah. In the absence of much to care about Goku in that final moment, naturally the attention shifts to next thing present in that final moment and since that thing is a brand-new character we've never met before in the end the ending leave us with next to nothing to care for

[ABED]

Cipher, I don't see this great conflict you're referring to or this grand arc. Goku is very nonchalant throughout the story and simply wants to be the best. Uub being a better outlet for his love of battle comes off as more accidental than an intentional conclusion of some grand arc that Toriyama had envisioned for the character.

Pan has the benefit of being Goku's grandchild.