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

[Amiable-Akuma]

*Warning - Spoilers for the original DB series/the Pilaf Saga follow*






Right, so don't you guys think it's sad/tragic that Goku is the one who killed his beloved Grandfather who raised him? I think it's one of the most poignant plot points that is introduced in the entire series.

And it's quite ironic that it's the most truly violent thing that Goku ever ends up doing in his life, something that occurs when he was also so young and and the most innocent (since after being dropped on his head - he was like a "normal," sweet human child).

Also ironic and touching that (to some extent) the whole series, for Goku, is about preserving the memory, honor, and love that he felt for his Grandpa by searching for the Dragon Balls (they and especially the 4 star representing his Grandpa's spirit) and continuing to further his martial arts skills which Grandpa helped teach him the value of in the first place.

By the way, I know Bulma and crew lie to Goku at the end of the Pilaf saga, not letting him know that he killed his Grandfather - but it slips my mind as to whether Goku ever acknowledges in any of the series' that he knows the truth. I assume he finds out or realizes it - but does the series ever acknowledge this?

And whether it's acknowledged or not - if he does find out as he grows up - that's even more interesting. Perhaps then his entire motivation for always being so self-sacrificing of his life and so forgiving of even his most evil opponents - is partially because - deep down, the burden of his having actually killed (one of the only people who he ever really loved) haunts him to his very soul...

[MultilangDBZ]

Right, so don't you guys think it's sad/tragic that Goku is the one who killed his beloved Grandfather who raised him? I think it's one of the most poignant plot points that is introduced in the entire series ...

Yeah, it is rather sad. I found it really poignant during the part in DB when he realizes that the fifth fighter in the Fortuneteller Baba Saga is actually his grandpa from afterlife after he unmasks himself. That whole scene with Grandpa Gohan reminding Goku of his tail weakness and that he had never remembered was particularly moving. (The part where Grandpa Gohan tells Muten Roshi that there are many pichi-pichi gals in afterlife, however, was not. )

By the way, I know Bulma and crew lie to Goku at the end of the Pilaf saga, not letting him know that he killed his Grandfather - but it slips my mind as to whether Goku ever acknowledges in any of the series' that he knows the truth. I assume he finds out or realizes it - but does the series ever acknowledge this?

Yes, Goku does finally realize that, but in DBZ during the Saiyajin Saga when Vegeta turns Oozaru. He actually acknowledges out loud his realization that the 'monster' who killed his grandpa was actually himself all along in dialogue.

EDIT: Highlighting the names of the sagas due to spoilers.

[Kula]

SPOILERS (Saiyan Saga)....






During his first fight with Vegeta, Goku realises it after Vegeta turns into an Oozaru. However, in the dub he says 'He's the one who stepped on my Grampa'. As for Goku forgiving his enemies, I always assumed it was due to his kind/innocent nature, but that's an original view point on it that you've got!

[MultilangDBZ]

And whether it's acknowledged or not - if he does find out as he grows up - that's even more interesting. Perhaps then his entire motivation for always being so self-sacrificing of his life and so forgiving of even his most evil opponents - is partially because - deep down, the burden of his having actually killed (one of the only people who he ever really loved) haunts him to his very soul...

His dislike of taking the lives of his foes and his tendency to be lenient on forgiveness (which Vegeta describes as 'naive', and Kuririn describes as 'benevolent') is due solely to his playful, energetic character I would say - and due to his head injury entirely. So, I don't think it's really to do with any 'haunting mistake' of killing his grandpa - after all, seeing that Grandpa Gohan was quite happy in afterlife and not wanting to be resurrected has probably eased the pain a little.

Towards the end of DBZ during the Kid Boo Saga, Vegeta acknowledges that this trait of Goku's character was probably why he is always second to Goku in terms of power and ability - during the part when he sits out in defeat watching Super Saiyajin 3 Goku battle Kid Boo. Goku's forgiveness and non-killing trait has allowed him to improve on himself substantially, such that he is able to surpass his foes because their existence gives him a challenge. (This, by the way, is a great theme in Dragon Ball.) But whether Goku does this deliberately or not (i.e. intentional or just personality), it is not known - though it is likely that it's just a personal trait.

[Super Sonic]

SPOILERS (Saiyan Saga)....






During his first fight with Vegeta, Goku realises it after Vegeta turns into an Oozaru. However, in the dub he says 'He's the one who stepped on my Grampa'. As for Goku forgiving his enemies, I always assumed it was due to his kind/innocent nature, but that's an original view point on it that you've got!

It was fixed in the redub. He realizes it, but he doesn't exactly have time to beat himself up over it. Though from the Baba saga it's shown that Granpa Gohan has no bad thoughts over it knowing that it was an accident. He even went to say not to worry about him or wish him back to life.

[The S]

Isn't there a statute of limitations of 10 years on spoilers?

[Dayspring]

Isn't there a statute of limitations of 10 years on spoilers?

I was so trying to figure out a way to ask that without sounding like a dick.

[Duo]

"W-wait a minute...is that what you're telling me...? That the monster who appeared at the Tenka'ichi Budokai and smashed the buildings...and the one who killed Grandpa..were all me?!!

Oh, Grandpa...I'm sorry...I'm sorry I can't beat this monster...I'm sorry I can't save the Earth...for you......I'll ask your forgiveness Grandpa...when I see you in Heaven...!

For a parting gift - one last Energy Sphere!"

[Akira]

It is indeed a poignant point in the story. Even sadder still is the fact that Goku doesn't figure it out until he is fighting Vegeta and sees another Saiyan transform before his eyes. His friends kept it from him to protect his innocence and keep him focused when he was younger. It is understandable why they would not mention it to him, but to figure it out in the heat of battle and not be able to deal with it then, would be a hard thing to do.

[Chaos Saiyajin]

Isn't there a statute of limitations of 10 years on spoilers?

Seriously. The All Seeing Crone Saga's been out for around 20 years now...Spoilers maybe for 1989...

[Panda]

And whether it's acknowledged or not - if he does find out as he grows up - that's even more interesting. Perhaps then his entire motivation for always being so self-sacrificing of his life and so forgiving of even his most evil opponents - is partially because - deep down, the burden of his having actually killed (one of the only people who he ever really loved) haunts him to his very soul...

His dislike of taking the lives of his foes and his tendency to be lenient on forgiveness (which Vegeta describes as 'naive', and Kuririn describes as 'benevolent') is due solely to his playful, energetic character I would say - and due to his head injury entirely. So, I don't think it's really to do with any 'haunting mistake' of killing his grandpa - after all, seeing that Grandpa Gohan was quite happy in afterlife and not wanting to be resurrected has probably eased the pain a little.

Towards the end of DBZ during the Kid Boo Saga, Vegeta acknowledges that this trait of Goku's character was probably why he is always second to Goku in terms of power and ability - during the part when he sits out in defeat watching Super Saiyajin 3 Goku battle Kid Boo. Goku's forgiveness and non-killing trait has allowed him to improve on himself substantially, such that he is able to surpass his foes because their existence gives him a challenge. (This, by the way, is a great theme in Dragon Ball.) But whether Goku does this deliberately or not (i.e. intentional or just personality), it is not known - though it is likely that it's just a personal trait.

Your statement is viable but I believe that the differences between Adult Goku and Child Goku should have a closer look before making a final statement.

Child Goku killed, a lot. Not to be harmful but not to protect a lot of the time either. Several events come to mind of him killing animals and people insted of finding a way to spare them. This leads me to believe that perhaps Goku's new found knowledge of his Oozaru capabilities and his part in his Grandfathers death may have led him to be more oepn minded to others side of the story, allowing him to grow as a person and fighter.

It's all in perspective I guess but in my mind Goku's perosnality (as a whole) wasn't just set from birth but was formed soon after and grown upon.

[MultilangDBZ]

His dislike of taking the lives of his foes ... is due solely to his playful, energetic character I would say

Child Goku killed, a lot. ... to protect ... [and] killing animals and people insted of finding a way to spare them.

Ah, but there's a world of difference between disliking killing (what I mentioned) and the act of killing (what you mentioned)...

Plus, it's not that much of a difference between kid and adult Goku personality-wise in general and I think this was the original intention of the manga - he is still playful, energetic and has a 'pure heart' (and for the very reason that Goku in DBZ still has a relatively child-like voice). He still kills enemies, but like I said, he only does it as a last resort as he dislikes it: he intended to kill Freeza and perhaps thought he did while on Namek (and he did in Mirai Trunks' timeline when Freeza came to Earth) and he vanquished Kid Boo as well. And he still kills fish to eat. Are you suggesting that he should've turned into a Buddhist monk and a vegetarian because of those reasons you say?

This leads me to believe that perhaps Goku's new found knowledge of his Oozaru capabilities and his part in his Grandfathers death may have led him to be more oepn minded ...

I don't disagree with that - and these are very valid, possible reasons. I suggested that his character was the main reason. And it could be a combination of these reasons. However, what I suggest seems to be better grounded as his personality is painted very consistently whereas those other reasons are conjecture.

It's all in perspective I guess but in my mind Goku's perosnality (as a whole) wasn't just set from birth but was formed soon after and grown upon.

This draws upon the major 'born vs made' theories that I won't go into.

Note that I didn't say his personality was set from birth, I said that it was due,

to [Goku's] head injury entirely

so actually I'm saying it was rather as a result of events after.

We see that Goku had a bad temper and was violent before his head got injured in the first episode of DBZ. And it's unlikely that he could have been anywhere near like he is now without the head injury, personality-wise, even through Grandpa Gohan's care (probably because Saiyajins are born like that). So, I still say that his personality, after the fall, is a major bearing on his dislike of killing and so forth.

[Xyex]

Plus, it's not that much of a difference between kid and adult Goku personality-wise

His personality changes slightly between when he was a kid and an adult. Kid Goku set out to kill King Piccolo. Adult Goku didn't want to kill Piccolo. Sure, there was the whole thing with him being tied to Kami and the DBs, but it's still there. Plus he let's Raditz go, something he wouldn't have done ten years earlier.

[Saiyan]

His change in personality can be due to the maturity factor (hmm...), or because he trained under Kami-sama and Mr. Popo. Perhaps his training during those years gave him that little forgiving personality trait.

[Panda]

It looks on bad on my part of this arguement (and I'm really ejoying it by the way, thank you MultilangDBZ) but I haven't seen about 70% of the orignal Dragonball so I can't accuratly describe my opinions without sounding like a total fool.
Most of my knowledge is realting back to early Dragonball up into the part that he meet Uppa.

I belive that because of Goku's oringal Saiya-jin personality it may have been his root for his general mind-set early on (in my theory of his chaning personality from Child to Adult) and that once he has seen Vegeta and the Oozaru he learns why his heritage is wrong (for that particular time) in the things it does and perhaps steps up to reform it.

I think the best (not the only) example of this is Vegeta himself. Had Vegeta not transfromed into an Oozaru state Goku could have never found out about this past and I believe it could have had an effect on later parts in the series. For example, he may have decided to kill Vegeta insted of benefiting him with a second chance.

Again, it's all speculation and this is a very vibrant argument so your opinions are yearning to be heard.

[Mr. Announcer]

Well I like to give Gokuh a little more credit than that. Sure, the head injury made him more docile and less inclined to do...evil things, but that's not what makes him dislike killing or want to protect others. This is a result of his upbringing and life experiences. Most people will say Gokuh doesn't develop much as a character but if you think of Gokuh when we first meet him: a supersticious, mischievious and utterly naive child, vs his adult self you see that somewhere along the line he has actually developed a sense of right and wrong as well as a sense of mercy. I don't think realizing he had killed his grandfather really contributed to his attitude of mercy since he was willing to spare Radditz and Piccolo. I guess as previously stated it was more the maturity factor, and going into Z Gokuh had lived a peaceful life for 5 years and had become a parent so that might have made him more gentle and forgiving.　=shrugg=

[Panda]

I agree with you Mr. Announcer. I don't belive anyone's personal judgement over their own life (in this case, Goku's judgement over his own life) can be set by a wack to the head.

I personally don't much like the young Goku (mainly the early Dragonball one) because of his naivety. Even though Goku is still a bit naive as an adult he has grown and people respect him differently as an adult than they did as a child.

I believe that, once Goku did find out about his Oozaru capabilities it may have causes a small shift in his realtionships with people. He realized his tre potential as a warrior upon his knowledge of being a Saiya-jin and finding out about his Oozaru ability may have triggered within him a feeling to protect more.

I know Goku did protect his loved ones early on but at that time their was more than one person/creature able to stand up to these beings and as the antagonists became stronger each time Goku was the one to keep up with them and the others, while still feeling the need to be there for Goku, quickly feel behind to be protected by his power.

[Akira]

Hitting on some good points in this topic. Many that I had not considered before. Goku's saiyan nature is always present. He is what he is, a battle loving creature. His experiences and environment are what molded him without a doubt. His being preprogramed (Basically brainwashed) and hitting his head only did one thing. That was a mission to kill everyone on earth, and the blow to the head rid him of that brainwashing. It had nothing to do with the fact that his basic instinct was to fight and that he would love fighting regardless, nor did it make him a nice person. All it did was clear the slate and allow him to develop of his own will without someone planning it for him.

Goku's personality for kindness and justice was formed by his environment (earth) and his experiences (those he became friends with and the things that they did together and those he fought against.) Battle and kill he did, because of his saiyan nature and because of what he felt was the necessity at the time. He also was indeed naive and not fully comprehending everything he did or just how much stronger he was over the average people around him.

The Red Ribbon brought it out of him early on. He killed a bunch of those people. His reasoning was that they hurt others and tried to stop him from helping his friends. Tao Pai Pai being hired to kill him was the first time he was in a life or death situation with someone who could match him toe to toe.

(His battle with Jackie Chan (Roshi) was a for fun tournament match to him. Although they were on fairly equal terms, we all know Roshi -barely- won that thing. Roshi did so with good cause too, that Goku would not suspect that he was fast becoming the strongest person on earth.)

Goku killed Tao Pai Pai in the heat of battle. After Tao "begged forgiveness" and Goku agreed to spare him, he pulled a cheap move and a hyper grenade. Goku was left with little choice in the matter. His instinct was to survive and win so he put an end to the deadly assasin.

The battle with Piccolo Daimao was one of revenge. Krillin, Roshi, Choutzu and Shenron were all casualties that Son felt he was avenging. He fought Piccolo Daimao and killed him outright. He felt the taste of nearly losing there and it brought out his inner rage and bloodlust for battle, even if he didnt realize it or understand it.

The rematch at the 23rd World Tournament was one where Goku went to win the title. If he killed his oponent he'd be disqualified. That coupled with learning of the Daimao Piccolo Junior/Kami Piccolo/Shenron connection led him to spare his opponent. At least I always imagined that was his justification to himself. The truth of the matter is though that Son Goku was only then realizing that he was strongest on earth and that he loved battle.

Subconsciously the thought of being on top with no one to fight in life or death struggles with scared him to death. THAT is the real reason he spared Piccolo Junior. He lived for those moments now, when everything he had and was could be put on the line and put to the test. With Piccolo still roaming the earth, the potential for a rematch excited him and would spur him on further. He had not the slightest comprehension of what he was getting into with marrying Chi-chi at the time, nor any inclination that having a child would change anything.

Raditz duped Son Goku, pure and simple. After he realized there were no second chances with this guy he held him and let Piccolo deliver the final blow. This satisfied Piccolo's thirst for revenge and the spilling of Goku's blood, but did not have the benefit that Piccolo thought it would. Piccolo felt guilty and upset, and wouldn't realize it nor admit to it until sometime later.

Goku learned of the saiyans and thier bloody past from North Kaio while under his tutelage. I believe it was then he resolved to be something different from them. Goku completed his training with renewed vigor and went headlong into battle with Nappa and Vegeta. When learning of his role in Grandpa Gohan's death, I believe Son did feel extreme guilt and remorse. However, He had a rampaging Oozaru on his tail (pun intended) and he had to put his feelings aside for the moment.

When that battle was said and done it was Oozaru Gohan falling on Vegeta that incapacitated the saiyan prince. Son Goku could not stand the thought of winning like that, because by all intents and purposes, Vegeta DID win the battle between the two of them. Goku was laying there with broken bones and scarcely a chance of doing much of anything had Krillin, Gohan and Yajerobi not come to help.

Goku, in a life or death struggle felt his primal urge as a saiyan to win the battle and overcome all opposition. His personality as an earthling coupled with that urge led him to stop Krillin from impaling Vegeta with the katana. He said it was because Vegeta was the only other saiyan left alive and he wanted to prove his worth and fight him again if it came to that. Nice explanation, but that subconcious fear of being the best without an equal opponent kicked in. Could Goku live with himself if Vegeta died and he [Goku] never got to see if he could really ever win? Not a chance, and so his deadliest foe at that point was spared (I believe) for this reason.

(Vegeta even refers to this later as he confronts Goku at the 25th World Tournament Arena. Supreme Kaioshin asks Vegeta what Goku could have possibly done to make him want to fight so bad that he'd kill innocents as to goad Son into battle. Vegeta says that Goku always surpassed him (True by that point) and that Goku had even saved his life once. I used to wonder what he was referring to, thinking back only as far as Cell saga and assuming Vegeta meant Goku sacrificing himself to save everyone on earth, including Vegeta. It seemed though to conflict with how Vegeta said such nice things about Goku then and that he'd robbed him of thier rematch. It is clear to me now that he is reffering to when Krillin had him at the katana's edge of life or death and Goku saved him back then. THAT is what pissed him off to such an extent.)

Son Goku did indeed finish off Majin Buu and had no qualms about it either, as he was directly killing him with the Spirit Bomb. His fear of not having equal opposition was still in the back of his mind, but he knew what he had to do. There was no sparing such a deadly foe. King Yemma heard his plea for Buu to come back as a better person.

As such, Goku was excited beyond belief to fight Uub at the end of the series. Piccolo comments to Dende that he has not seen Goku truly happy for years. He mentions that this, extreme battle, was what Goku lived for. it is the very thing that drives him and is what he craved the most. Goku loved his family and friends and was a product of thier combined friendship and upbringing and care, but his saiyan nature was for battle. Thier influence was truly ever only over what side he was on.

[MultilangDBZ]

Re: Panda

... I'm really ejoying [the discussion] by the way, thank you MultilangDBZ) but I haven't seen about 70% of the orignal Dragonball so I can't accuratly describe my opinions ... Most of my knowledge is realting back to early Dragonball up into the part that he meet Uppa.

Sure, glad you're enjoying it.

I now know where you're coming from and why you mostly atomize the fight between Goku and Vegeta in the Saiyajin Saga. You ought to see the rest of the series though, it's great.

Had Vegeta not transfromed into an Oozaru state Goku could have never found out about this past and I believe it could have had an effect on later parts in the series. For example, he may have decided to kill Vegeta insted of benefiting him with a second chance.

Actually Goku finds out about the bulk his past long before his first encounter with Vegeta - through Radditz (episode 1 in DBZ) and through Kaio (episode 22). Radditz talks about Goku's origin, the nature of Saiyajins, Planet Vegeta's destruction, the number of remaining Saiyajins, and Saiyajin's ability to 'exploit their potential when there is a full moon'. Kaio talks about the origins of Planet Vegeta (previously 'Planet Plant') and how the Tsufurujins lost to the Saiyajins due to the latter's ability to turn Oozaru. So basically, Goku was already pretty clear on his background and the fight between him and Vegeta only confirmed what it's like to turn Oozaru by witnessing it for the first time.

Re: Mr. Announcer

Sure, the head injury made him more docile and less inclined to do...evil things, but that's not what makes him dislike killing or want to protect others. This is a result of his upbringing and life experiences . [kid Goku was]: a supersticious, mischievious and utterly naive child, vs his adult self you see that somewhere along the line he has actually developed a sense of right and wrong as well as a sense of mercy.

To put it directly, Goku was never at all inclined to do evil things, ever.

Kid Goku wasn't 'superstitious' at all - it was only that he missed his grandpa so much that he treated the only remaining memento, the Si Xing Qiu (four-star Dragon Ball), as his grandpa - we see him talking to it like he would to his grandpa at the very start of DB. Other than that occasion, which isn't actually superstition at all but rather his unawareness of what Dragon Balls are before Bulma came along, there weren't any other 'superstitious-looking' acts.

How is kid Goku 'mischievous' in any way? If you simply mean 'playful' in that sense of that word, then yes; though, like I've mentioned it's the nature of his personality.

About Goku being naive, I still think that there isn't much of a difference between kid and adult Goku. Sure, his conscience is perhaps a little more refined when he was an adult, but it's only natural because of going through many other experiences in his life - though the impact upon his disliking of killing is rather insubstantial I would say. Plus, conscience and naivety aren't really related and are often independent qualities - i.e. you could have a strong conscience and act like a child at the same time.

I don't think realizing he had killed his grandfather really contributed to his attitude of mercy since he was willing to spare Radditz and Piccolo. I guess as previously stated it was more the maturity factor, and going into Z Gokuh had lived a peaceful life for 5 years and had become a parent so that might have made him more gentle and forgiving.

Like I mentioned, that's what I think too about his 'mistake' of killing his grandpa - you're agreeing with me here.

Interesting point on Goku becoming a parent that caused him to become even more gentle and forgiving. This is a highly possible surmise.

Re: Panda

I don't belive anyone's personal judgement over their own life (in this case, Goku's judgement over his own life) can be set by a wack to the head.

I won't go into the science and psychology and whatnot, but I think you greatly underestimate the magnitude of changes to one's personality through head injuries. A lot of people have had their personalities turned upside down as a result of a serious head injury in a car crash or developed clinical, psychological disorders because of it.

So, it's absolutely possible that Goku had a complete and permanent change to his personality, or 'personal judgment over their own life'.

I personally don't much like the young Goku (mainly the early Dragonball one) because of his naivety. Even though Goku is still a bit naive as an adult he has grown and people respect him differently as an adult than they did as a child.

Personally, I think Goku hasn't really changed a lot in respect to his naive side of his personality for reasons mentioned before.

And about growth and respect, yes, but like it's only human psychology that you get more a lot more respect in society when you're an adult than when a child.

... once Goku did find out about his Oozaru capabilities it may have causes a small shift in his realtionships with people. He realized his tre potential as a warrior upon his knowledge of being a Saiya-jin and finding out about his Oozaru ability may have triggered within him a feeling to protect more.

Interesting view on the need to protect more because of his understanding of his Saiyajin background and Oozaru capabilities - this is a very plausible possibility. But, again this just adds to his personality as I argued, of which is already benevolent.

I know Goku did protect his loved ones early on but at that time their was more than one person/creature able to stand up to these beings and as the antagonists became stronger each time Goku was the one to keep up with them and the others, while still feeling the need to be there for Goku, quickly feel behind to be protected by his power.

How does this relate to why Goku dislikes killing?

Re: Akira

Goku's saiyan nature is always present. He is what he is, a battle loving creature. His experiences and environment are what molded him without a doubt. His being preprogramed (Basically brainwashed) and hitting his head only did one thing. That was a mission to kill everyone on earth, and the blow to the head rid him of that brainwashing. It had nothing to do with the fact that his basic instinct was to fight and that he would love fighting regardless, nor did it make him a nice person.

Very interesting - now this is truly developing into a 'Naturalist vs. Evolutionist' debate.

True, I don't dispute Goku's battle-loving Saiyajin nature, because after all he is a Saiyajin. And that his experiences have molded him.

However, I disagree that his head injury only removed from his memory the mission to kill everyone on Earth. As I mentioned before, in episode 1 of DBZ, Kame Sennin described how Goku was violent, unyielding and bad tempered in general before his fall. Reversing all these qualities and turning him into a benevolent, naive and caring person would equate with turning him 'into a nice person' in every sense of that phrase.

Goku's personality for kindness and justice was formed by his environment (earth) and his experiences (those he became friends with and the things that they did together and those he fought against.) Battle and kill he did, because of his saiyan nature and because of what he felt was the necessity at the time. He also was indeed naive and not fully comprehending everything he did or just how much stronger he was over the average people around him.

This is very debatable. I would say that his personality because of the fall is still the reason why he's kind and just, because we see him turn into that kind of a person immediately after his injury.

Battle, yes; kill, no. Even in the earliest part of DB, in the Goku Saga, we see him battle foes but not killing them - like when Bulma was abducted by a Giran-like creature and when this tiger-like creature wanted to eat Kame.

At this point I could already conclude that it's totally 'Naturalist' because of what we see at the very beginning of Dragon Ball without going into further 'molding' through experiences which only add to his personality.

What you go through below could be said that it should cause him to kill even more because of revenge due to deaths and deceit etc. rather than making him a better person. Although, I do see the relevance in that because of these crises in life that he has gotten to become even kinder line of argument, though I would say that Goku's like that all along and that his experiences simply mean that he had had to deal with them.

The Red Ribbon brought it out of him early on. He killed a bunch of those people. His reasoning was that they hurt others and tried to stop him from helping his friends. Tao Pai Pai being hired to kill him was the first time he was in a life or death situation with someone who could match him toe to toe.

Well, you could say that it was inevitable in such situations to avoid death. And we don't really know whether he intended to kill them or not. Goku also never wiped out or intended to wipe out every single person in the Red Ribbon Army - e.g. the remaining deserters in the Commander Red Saga are let off, after dealing with General Black in his armor. And it was because of this that we see in DBZ that Doctor Gero still existed.

And with Tao Pai Pai, it's rather justified that he intended to kill him because of him killing Uupa's father as well as knowing that he was in some way related to the Red Ribbon Army.

The battle with Piccolo Daimao was one of revenge. Krillin, Roshi, Choutzu and Shenron were all casualties that Son felt he was avenging...

Again, the same theme of avenging except much greater than with Tao Pai Pai.

Raditz duped Son Goku, pure and simple.

His experience of getting deceived would actually make him less of a naive person...

Goku learned of the saiyans and thier bloody past from North Kaio while under his tutelage. I believe it was then he resolved to be something different from them.

Like Panda mentioned, which I agree with, this could a very valid reason.

He said it was because Vegeta was the only other saiyan left alive and he wanted to prove his worth and fight him again if it came to that. Nice explanation, but that subconcious fear of being the best without an equal opponent kicked in. Could Goku live with himself if Vegeta died and he [Goku] never got to see if he could really ever win? Not a chance, and so his deadliest foe at that point was spared (I believe) for this reason.

Nice twist of reasoning here that I like.

I would say without a doubt that Goku would live in the event that Vegeta died and never got to beat him all by himself - it would only be a major disappointment for him. He takes things lightly in general after all, due to his simple child-like personality. Just how he's like when he first met Mirai Trunks - Goku didn't even bother to question Trunks' Saiyajin claim after landing on Earth again and only said that he's so young to turn Super Saiyajin. So he would never be so serious as to commit hara-kiri or something because of disappointment, as he's always happy-go-lucky.

Goku didn't know that there were such powerful warriors before Vegeta (and Raditz and Nappa) came along, and with success by a very narrow margin in that battle, he wanted to preserve Vegeta's life to improve on his own ability by defeating him all by himself again in the future. (And a great excuse to introduce another main character in the series.)

And like I said before, this just serves as a reason as to why he doesn't like killing foes - in order to better himself and become stronger.

Son Goku did indeed finish off Majin Buu and had no qualms about it either, as he was directly killing him with the Spirit Bomb. His fear of not having equal opposition was still in the back of his mind, but he knew what he had to do. There was no sparing such a deadly foe. King Yemma heard his plea for Buu to come back as a better person.

Same theme as the above with Vegeta.

As such, Goku was excited beyond belief to fight Uub at the end of the series. Piccolo comments to Dende that he has not seen Goku truly happy for years. He mentions that this, extreme battle, was what Goku lived for. it is the very thing that drives him and is what he craved the most. Goku loved his family and friends and was a product of thier combined friendship and upbringing and care, but his saiyan nature was for battle. Thier influence was truly ever only over what side he was on.

Goku's Saiyajin love for battling can be separated from his kind character. Simply because all Saiyajins and notably Vegeta too enjoy battling; but those other Saiyajins who never got to have their personality changed with head injuries like Goku had were all cruel, violent and unruly in general, unlike Goku.

[Mr. Announcer]

Well I see why supersticious isn't exactly the best choice of word but what I meant was he had no knowledge of science or life outside his small sphere. Just plain ignorant I guess? Anyway I did get the impression he was rather mischievious because of the way he likes to play around with his enemies which shows an inclination to want to annoy people or cause trouble but that might just be me. In any case I wasn't disagreeing entirely, just on the count that Gokuh's kind nature was a result of his head injury. If it had that significant of an effect as to make him think of people in a good light, you'd think it would affect his ability to make decisions or function normally but he seems pretty capable mentally for the most part. A person's environment and social interactions are much more likely to shape that opinion or change it even after such an injury. Not that I've had a lot of experience with people with head injuries....