Are Goku or Chi-Chi bad parents?

[DBZAOTA482]

After yet again another debate on Goku's parenting skills, I felt like making this thread.

Chi-Chi is commonly to task for bad parenting, usually by young boys who don't even grasp the hardships of parenting and see her as nothing more than a reactionary b**** who won't let the heroes have fun or do as they need to. Some even going as far as to make her out to be someone who cares only are her selfish desires. It also doesn't help with TOEI's lust for amping up these seemingly negative qualities (which seems to have become full-force with Super).

The people do react to the overreaction of Chi-Chi's bad parenting/dirty soul/whatever, by throwing Goku under a bus. As for Goku... we'be already discussed his flaws as a parent in great length repeatedly.

Is it true? Are they really the bad parents fans claim they are.. or do they just project too much of their own feelings onto Goham and Goten?

[Kamiccolo9]

Define "Good Parent."

[Sayo-chan]

Goku's a deadbeat dad and Chi-Chi's a helicopter mom. Yes they're bad parents. Bulma and Vegeta are superior.

[ekrolo2]

They're both extremes of not giving a damn when it doesn't coincide with their own needs (Goku) and being too overbearing (Chi-Chi). I'll give Chi-Chi the edge though as her nagging actually gave Gohan skills & learning that he'll actually need to make a good, normal living for himself and his family.

[Avery]

They balance each other, that's all that matters. Vegeta and Bulma are far worse parents.

[Lord Beerus]

I don't think they are bad parents. I mean, their negative traits pretty much cancel each other, and it lead to Gohan becoming a scholar and Goten goes to school like any normal child.

[DBZAOTA482]

They balance each other, that's all that matters. Vegeta and Bulma are far worse parents.

Wow... I actually agree (with Bulma at least).

[irreality]

I think Goku and Chichi are great parents. Goku could be around more, but I think in general they provide a good moral grounding for their kids. They both can ride the nimbus and their kids can ride the nimbus -- that counts for something. "World ending traumatic events" events aside, they do a good job at raising kids. Goku provides fun and grounding for the kids -- takes them fishing, goes out in the woods, brings kids to work. Chichi makes sure they get an education and instills discpline in them -- both in the education sense, but she also trained Goten in basic martial arts. Despite being "not the brightes bulbs in the box", either of them (i.e. dumb hicks, to say the least), Gohan turned out really smart, and Goten will probably do fine, too. Gohan is following his dreams, found a nice girl, and has a great moral compass. All in all, good job parents. Goten is a happy and good child which gets into some mischief, but is nice overall -- he thinks of others and is in general kind, unspoiled, and polite.

In general, I think Goku and Chichi are better parents than Vegeta and Bulma (way to set the bar low!). Although Vegeta loves Trunks, he clearly has severe unresolved personal issues that he is working through that makes him emotionally unavailable but maybe he will get there in time. And Bulma is plain irresponsible and absentminded as a parent (not surprising given her own parental role models). So no contest there . Goku and Chichi are probably not better parents than #18 and Krillin -- but we haven't seen enough of them yet.

[SSJsambosoldier]

Father is carefree and influences his kid to ditch school work for camping training and living the life


Mother is overbearing and overprotective

It balances pretty well. They both love their sons so that's all that matters. Gohan becomes a scholar who later in dragon ball online shows the world ki manipulation and married one of the wealthiest and successful men in the world Hercules daughter.... They did pretty well

[Eradicatethesaiyans]

I never thought that Goku and Chi Chi were the best parents, but they're certainly not the worst.

Keep in mind that Goku has no concept of family. No saiyan does. If anything, Goku views Chi Chi, Gohan, and Goten as companions, same for Videl, Pan, and the Ox King. He doesn't know how to be a father figure, but he tries, he really does. Goku is shown caring a lot for Gohan in the anime. When Gohan wanted to go to Namek with Bulma and Krillin, Goku was shown with a angry face. He didn't want Gohan to go on such a risky trip. When we first saw Gohan, he was looking for his father in the woods. He soon ends up falling down a waterfall. Goku was trying his best to look for his son. He seemed pretty worried for him. In the Android saga, Goku punched Gohan to show that he wanted Gohan to stay where he was. Sure, it was a bad way of showing affection, but its Goku. He has no clear concept of being a good father.

Chi Chi has a different way of parenting.

Chi Chi is not a Saiyan. We know that. So, she has a good idea of what family is and how to be a good mother. But she may be a bit controlling. Or a lot. She's incredibly hotheaded, and even decides to not speak to her husband just for something so insignificant. But besides all of that, she deeply cares for her family. She cares for Goten, Gohan, and, Goku. She's just incredibly worrisome. The only reason why she gets so angry about her children and her husband fighting is because she scared that someone in her family will die. Chi Chi doesn't want to witness Goku die again, or even one of her kids. It's extremely stressing to watch your children do something life-risking. But even Chi Chi understands what is needed to be done so the world would be at peace. She allowed Goku and Gohan to freely train and she even tried her best to train Goten while Gohan was at school. Chi Chi is just like any mother, constantly thinking of her family.

Besides both Goku and Chi Chi's differences, they both have one thing in common. They both believe in Gohan and Goten.

Goku thinks that Gohan is much stronger than him, which he has shown multiple times in the anime and the manga. Pretty much the only reason why he let Gohan go to Namek is because he knew of what Gohan would achieve whilst being there. He stopped fighting Cell to show his son that he is strong and that he could achieve greatness, just like he had. In the Kai realm, Goku was baffled and amazed that the insane power that his son possess. He is constantly shown encouraging Gohan throughout the series. After Gohan defeated Cell, Chi Chi was enraged by Satan receiving the spotlight. She knows just how strong the men in her family and is astonished by it.

They both are great parents, just in their own way.

[RedSwissKnife]

Goku is a terrible father and a lousy husband too. Don't forget that Goku abandoned his pregnant wife right after the Cell Games for completely selfish reason.

[RandomGuy96]

Goku's a deadbeat dad and Chi-Chi's a helicopter mom. Yes they're bad parents. Bulma and Vegeta are superior.

Vegeta hits his kid when he gets annoyed (e.g. Trunks trying to stop him from helping Cell, Trunks trying to stop him from letting the androids go, Trunks giving him too much trouble in sparring) and almost killed his wife several times. He also almost blew up his baby (after abandoning it for several years) and never even hugged his son until he was eight.

[Lord Beerus]

Goku is a terrible father and a lousy husband too. Don't forget that Goku abandoned his pregnant wife right after the Cell Games for completely selfish reason.

I don't think Goku had any knowledge that Chi Chi was pregnant. And kinda had a good reason for wanting to stay dead, too.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

Is it true? Are they really the bad parents fans claim they are.. or do they just project too much of their own feelings onto Gohan and Goten?

People say Goku is a bad parent for the sake of a meme to presumptuously compare hm to Vegeta really. (while giving Vegeta way too much credit). Goku never rejected his sons or Pan (even in GT he treated pan like his own daughter), he just avoids chores and thinks academic education is pointless to him. The only time he was really selfish was, when he wanted Gohan to unlock his ki to beat Cell, but even then after that point he was willing to step in when Piccolo briefly convinced him too. Goku has always been a well-intentioned for Gohan, just not a traditionally cultured parent.

Despite the exaggerations and hatred she gets from the western fanbase for "ruining" Gohan, she was never actually abusive. She always wanted Gohan to have an education that she and Goku formally lack. While this flies over people's heads, Chi-Chi is overbearing out of a necessity that Goku is ignorantly oblivious to, but people seem to blame her for actually calling Goku out. Even calling her selfish as I've seen some people put it, is also wrong because nothing she demanded from Goku or Gohan was selfish, she wanted things for their well-being but for whatever reason, the intended humor of her wanting a normal life in a world like DB is heavily condemned among the fanbase. Then the extension of this, people hate Chi-Chi in Super because she doesn't want Pan to grow up like the way Gohan did (being kidnapped, rarely home, nearly killed multiple times, etc.) because, yet again. People with the carried over Scholar-Gohan resentment, just carry it over.

[DBZAOTA482]

Then the extension of this, people hate Chi-Chi in Super because she doesn't want Pan to grow up like the way Gohan did (being kidnapped, rarely home, nearly killed multiple times, etc.) because, yet again. People with the carried over Scholar-Gohan resentment, just carry it over.

While the bitching from those self-inserting Gohan "fans" is hella annoying, this is actually legit complaint. Pan's not even her kid yet she's trying to dictate how Gohan and Videl should raise their baby-girl even going as far as to kidnap both mother and daughter in their own house. If my mom tried that shit with me I'd cut off all communication with her.

Besides, Gohan turned out to be a well-rounded and respectful individual who's actually there for his family despite everything... and strong too.

That Yoshifumi Fukushima writer should apologize. He basically stepped on any hope for Super doing Chi-Chi's character any justice and spat in the faces of people who like her.

[ryou766]

Goku died twice for the sake of not only the planet, but for his son. He's a Saiyan - therefore, it's safe to assume he favors fighting over his family and friends. Nevertheless, that doesn't necessarily mean he doesn't care about them; the same can be said for Vegeta. They aren't particularly suited to be family men.

Though Chi-Chi constantly nagged Gohan to focus on his studies and all that shit, that doesn't change that fact that she was (and still is) a supportive and loving mother and wife to her sons and husband. All she wanted was a normal family, but that couldn't be helped considering who her husband was and how their child fortunately inherited his alien genes.

So, no, they're not bad parents in my book.

[Scarlet Spider]

Doesn't Chi-Chi force Goten to study too? In Super she uses the money to get Goten tutors. And he has exams, as seen in the latest episode. She's a bit more lenient now, letting him have weekends to play, but still. She just wants her sons educated.

[Draconic]

Gohan ended up as a respected, smart and strong man, while Goten is a humble and loving child. Compare that to Trunks who is a spoiled brat who usually drags Goten into mischief. The results of their parenting have proven better than those of Vegeta and Trunks. I mean, by real world standards they might not really be classified as anything great, but since kids in Dragon Ball can fly and shoot lasers out of their hands, the fact that they aren't abusing said powers must account for something.

[SingleFringe&Sparks]

Then the extension of this, people hate Chi-Chi in Super because she doesn't want Pan to grow up like the way Gohan did (being kidnapped, rarely home, nearly killed multiple times, etc.) because, yet again. People with the carried over Scholar-Gohan resentment, just carry it over.

While the bitching from those self-inserting Gohan "fans" is hella annoying, this is actually legit complaint. Pan's not even her kid yet she's trying to dictate how Gohan and Videl should raise their baby-girl even going as far as to kidnap both mother and daughter in their own house. If my mom tried that shit with me I'd cut off all communication with her.

Besides, Gohan turned out to be a well-rounded and respectful individual who's actually there for his family despite everything... and strong too.

That Yoshifumi Fukushima writer should apologize. He basically stepped on any hope for Super doing Chi-Chi's character any justice and spat in the faces of people who like her.

It is legitimate, but its often lost in the context given through their projection and biases for "Teen" Gohan. The problem with Chi Chi is her flanderization, not her attitude - which I have acknowledged before, but very few people outside this site actually pinpoint that fault. Shes only ever on screen just to nag, and people are ignoring this skewed characterization being the cause of her unsuitability. However she still was never the abusive parent people claim her to be, but always ran to Goku/Gohan's aid when she saw them get hurt and people ignore that. People act like she took something away from Gohan, when he still ended up being what they want him to be, he is just never written back into that, from Toriyama's own perception of HIS character. I mean, she didn't pressure Goten to study at all prior to now, and hes still no less useless individually to the cast.

[Zephyr]

This is magical shonen land where things are always fine at the end of the day.

Of course they're not bad parents, going by Dragon Ball's logic.