Why didn't they just wish Goku back?

[Zephyr]

In Future Trunks' timeline, after Goku died from his heart virus, why didn't they just gather the Dragon Balls and wish him back? It was before the Androids appeared, so it would have been prior to Piccolo's death.

Would it possibly have anything to do with him having died of natural causes?

[DBZGTKOSDH]

Would it possibly have anything to do with him having died of natural causes?

That's the answer.

[The Monkey King]

The real question is why didn't they get the dragon balls while Goku was sick?

[Zephyr]

Is that really in Shenlong's established rules though, or is that just the general fan assumption made to prevent such a headache?

I mean, I know that the "dying by natural causes" would've rendered him without a body in the afterlife. Then again, is it his lack of a body what prevents Shenlong from being able to revive him?

The real question is why didn't they get the dragon balls while Goku was sick?

"Oh, good ol' Goku'll pull through! He always does!"

"Oh he's dead."

[DBZGTKOSDH]

Is that really in Shenlong's established rules though, or is that just the general fan assumption made to prevent such a headache?

Kami said to Kaio during the Namek incident that Shenlong can bring back to life anyone, except if someone has died from natural causes. (And then there is the question if the Saichouro will be brought back to life & all that)

[Zephyr]

Ah, I see. Thanks!

[Gyt Kaliba]

The real question is why didn't they get the dragon balls while Goku was sick?

I would assume that wishing away a natural cause that's killing someone would fall under the same 'can't do it' guidelines as wishing them back from a death of natural causes. That's my guess anyway.

I mean, I guess they could have wished him into immortality or something too, but Goku probably wouldn't have wanted that, and for all we know it could have left him as an immortal with a heart disease...which doesn't sound fun by any means.

"Oh, good ol' Goku'll pull through! He always does!"

"Oh he's dead."

This too. Oh, that's morbidly hilarious.

[Legendary Saiya-Jin]

I'm pretty sure it was stated at some point in the manga; I think it was retconned into when King Kaiou was trying to ask Kami to revive everyone killed on Namek by Furiza in an attempt to resurrect Sai chourou.

[matt0044]

Well, with the Earth Dragon Balls, he was wished back once before to face off with Vegeta. For the Namek Dragon Balls, I guess it was too late to even try getting to the planet in time.

I mean, doy!

[Gyt Kaliba]

Well, with the Earth Dragon Balls, he was wished back once before to face off with Vegeta. For the Namek Dragon Balls, I guess it was too late to even try getting to the planet in time.

I mean, doy!

Oh yeah, I forgot about that too. They would have had to get the Namekian Dragon Balls, which wouldn't have been too easy probably, given how hard of a time Goku had finding where the planet was later on in the story, and that was with him in peak condition. With the heart virus ravaging him, I doubt he'd have had the required focus to figure out where New Namek was.

[Zephyr]

Regarding the Namekian Dragon Balls, the general consensus for those not being used is that they didn't know how to get to New Namek, and Kaio wouldn't have helped them out, him only having helped out in the past before because Goku had been his student.

But then, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu were also his students, so wouldn't they logically be granted the same kind of special treatment?

[Legendary Saiya-Jin]

I don't think the Namekian balls would have worked on Gokuu or anyone else if they died of natural causes. No real particular reason.

[Gyt Kaliba]

But then, Piccolo, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, and Chaozu were also his students, so wouldn't they logically be granted the same kind of special treatment?

Maybe, but not necessarily. Goku is definitely his 'favorite' student.

And if we go by the filler (I think...I can't remember if this specific part is in the manga or not), when Goku first walks up to Kaio to get him to look for Namek, he's completely unaware of what's going on down on Earth. So he may not have even known what was going on, and it's not like they can contact him directly for the help.

[Bussani]

I question whether viruses/diseases count as "natural causes" when it comes to wishing someone back. The idea seemed to be that you could wish someone back so long as they still had some lifespan left to live out, but dying from a disease doesn't have anything to do with lifespan. It's something that's killed you before your time. What if someone purposely infected you? Would that be dying of natural causes or murder? What if it was a sentient virus?

I suppose it's possible that a person who was wished back would still have the virus and die again immediately, but other than that possibility, I'm not sure applying the real life medical definition of "natural causes" is the right way to go. Personally, I've never seen how being killed by an infectious disease is any more "natural" than being eaten by a lion.

I mean, I know that the "dying by natural causes" would've rendered him without a body in the afterlife.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that was ever stated anywhere. It's possible, though. Or it could just be because he didn't save the Earth from Cell (although he had saved the Earth other times, so that would be a bit of a rip off).

[Saiga]

I question whether viruses/diseases count as "natural causes" when it comes to wishing someone back. The idea seemed to be that you could wish someone back so long as they still had some lifespan left to live out, but dying from a disease doesn't have anything to do with lifespan. It's something that's killed you before your time. What if someone purposely infected you? Would that be dying of natural causes or murder? What if it was a sentient virus?

Isn't it always a virus that kills people who die of "old age", though? I thought dying of old age was just having your immune system weaken so much a minor virus killed you.

[Gaffer Tape]

You seem to not consider things like heart failure, liver failure, *insert organ here* failure. Those kinds of things are "natural causes." The body stops working and shuts down. I agree with Bussani. I don't see how disease necessarily counts as a natural cause, unless your definition of natural cause is simply any death achieved through natural means, which can effectively be anything from murder to being crushed by a falling rock.

Also, just to play semantics, bacteria and other microorganisms can cause infirmity, not *just* viruses.

[Saiga]

Oh, yeah, hadn't thought of those. I was just repeating something I'd been told before xD

[Dark Red Z]

I understand natural causes basically as dying on your bed. Like Goku here, or Namekusei's Patriatch.

[Gyt Kaliba]

Hmm...you may have a point there Bussani. Maybe 'natural causes' would only apply to diseases if, say, it was something Goku had been born with. But it wasn't, it was something he'd contracted (though, him getting it from his time on Yardrat was dub only, right?), so maybe it really could have been wished away, or himself wished back without the virus.

Either way though, they still would have had to go with the Namekian Dragon Balls rather than the Earth ones, since Goku had already been wished back once before. So they'd still have to find some way to contact them, and if King Kai wasn't there to kind of help out, then...they'd really be stuck either way.

[Puto]

And if we go by the filler (I think...I can't remember if this specific part is in the manga or not)

It's in the manga.