Why do people get outraged if their favorite character isn't relevant?

[Doctor.]

Legitimate question. Like, why does it matter? If the character is done, then he's done. Does the fact that they'll no longer fight bad guys somehow eliminate EVERYTHING else they've done throughout the entire series? What they've done in the previous arcs is still there.

Of course I'm talking about Gohan because the hate towards Super has escalated to new levels once again thanks to the new episode and I don't understand why. The character achieved his dream, he's happy and the writers OBVIOUSLY don't want to write him in a fighting role again, so why be outraged about it when if they relunctacly wrote Gohan into a more central role, they'd probably humiliate him? This way they're even giving new characters like Zamasu and old characters like Future Trunks, Mai and kid Trunks more focus. Of course Goku and Vegeta are still gonna be the main stars, but did anyone else really expect anything different?

Is this just a case of feeling entitled? I don't see Kuririn fans acting this way even though the character is arguably as important.

My favorite character is Goku and I'd love to see him out of the spotlight for once and in a more mentor-esque role. Hell, maybe even kill him off for good, that'd be great if executed correctly.

[TheGreatness25]

I think that a lot of people had hopes for certain characters and when those hopes don't come into fruition, those fans get upset. It's a psychological thing. Like Batman v Superman, right? The movie had its flaws, but nowhere near worthy of the monstrous hate that it got. Same with X-Men Apocalypse. My theory is that fans have an idea in their head of how they'd make the characters act and how they'd do the story and how they want to see something played out. Then when their vision isn't remotely realized, they get all sour and claim that it's a bad movie because it didn't cater to their version of what the story could've been.

It's a human trait. That's why elwe have favorites in movies, shows, etc. -- not because we're merely reacting to what we've seen, but because we establish a connection with characters and want to see them accomplish great heights. We need to always feel that our favorite characters will go on to achieve what we want for them. That's why cliff hangers exist -- so we can put our own finality to the characters. Look at DB. Yeah, we can say, "Well, sure, GT was bad, but you can remember all of the good things from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z!" We all know that didn't sit well with fans because the show didn't get a "proper" send-off in their opinion to the point where now we have what we have. It's the same thing with Gohan. People really connected with him and want him to be this great fighter and such a noteworthy figure in DB lore and yet, boss portrayal in Super isn't living up to that. So fans get mad and sour. It's just a natural emotion, really.

[precita]

Because DBZ never focused on one particular character and people expected Super to be the same.

Goku actually barely does anything in DBZ.

[ekrolo2]

Gohan doesn't need to actively seek out fighting, if they just wrote him as training in case Goku & Vegeta died and he had to quickly step up I think people would be much less bothered by it. That's my issue with Gohan really, let the guy enjoy his scholarly life, but don't make him an irresponsible dick because of it. He should know better by now. He doesn't even have to fight anyone: just have him stay strong in case he ever needs to become the main defender for a fine balance.

[TheGreatness25]

I mean to be fair, the world has plenty of capable defenders: Goku, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks, Gotenks if need be. Any of them could always justifiably exceed Gohan by leaps and bounds and the chances of all of them dying are pretty low. That's like saying that Yamucha should constantly train because everyone more powerful than him could get killed one day and it'll be up to him to stand as the lone protector of the Earth. By that logic, everyone should train in case that day comes.

Gohan never ever wanted to fight. It's been expressed time and time again. He found his happiness finally. He had to fight and now he doesn't. So why should he? Why shouldn't he do what makes him happy?

[Boo Machine]

Well, I mean, if you have a favorite character and that character isn't written to do anything anymore, you're probably going to be a little upset. It's cool if a character achieves their goals at some point and no longer wish to explore or fight, but when it comes to the Dragon Ball series, some people may feel like certain characters got rushed out the door and had the door locked behind them, rather than being guided out and told to come back anytime.

[nite_jay]

I also really don't get the outrage either. Dragonball was on the path of Goku being ridiculously overpowed since EOZ. Not to mention, Kuririn and Yamcha were already retiring because "Goku's too far too catch up now, I'd be useless", and people like Ten and Piccolo were basically lost causes by the Boo arc.

The only reason I could sort of understand the the rage is over Gohan because he has the most potential; but in almost every continuation of the series he ends up becoming a scholar anyway.

[In Brightest Day]

I mean to be fair, the world has plenty of capable defenders: Goku, Vegeta, Goten, Trunks, Gotenks if need be. Any of them could always justifiably exceed Gohan by leaps and bounds and the chances of all of them dying are pretty low. That's like saying that Yamucha should constantly train because everyone more powerful than him could get killed one day and it'll be up to him to stand as the lone protector of the Earth. By that logic, everyone should train in case that day comes.

Gohan never ever wanted to fight. It's been expressed time and time again. He found his happiness finally. He had to fight and now he doesn't. So why should he? Why shouldn't he do what makes him happy?

But Tenshinhan does still train with that exact mindset, inspite of the fact that even Krillin is stronger than him. He continues to train well after the Boo arc even though he'd be just helpless as either Krillin or Yamcha in that situation, which I think is pretty admirable actually.

And I have to agree with the OP. Gohan being the the reluctant hero who has the role thrust on him by proxy of being by far the strongest Z-Fighter post-Boo arc (even when he would rather be doing something else) would be far more interesting than the Goku/Vegeta show, IMO.

[Rip the Jacker]

Fans have a right to be outraged over gohan.

If they took goku and wrote it so that he was a farmer now and didn't fight anymore, wouldn't you be just as pissed? They're just sitting all over these characters that we have waited years to see again.

[omaro34]

Because nobody outside Goku and Vegeta from the main cast of Z fighters get to do anything important. They just stand in the background and watch the same 2 guys save the day over and over again.

Having others characters a chance gives the show more excitement, and it draws more people in.

You mentioned your favorite character is Goku, which is cool. The way Super has been going, it's only 2 guys from the main original cast that matter. And for a show that once had a large diverse cast contributing to the story in many different ways instead of decoration in the background, fans have every right to be upset. Your favorite is Goku, so you obviously don't know what it's like to be a fan of Buu, Gohan, Gotenks, Piccolo, etc, and have those guys completely be irrelevant to the story.

Character utilization is my biggest issue with Super, and although I don't like to give out criticism, this constructive criticism I'm giving is valid.

[Zephyr]

My favorite character hasn't been relevant since DB's third arc, and a lot of my other favorite characters ended their relevancy long before the manga ended. A lot of people could stand to chill the hell out.

[Doctor.]

You mentioned your favorite character is Goku, which is cool. The way Super has been going, it's only 2 guys from the main original cast that matter. And for a show that once had a large diverse cast contributing to the story in many different ways instead of decoration in the background, fans have every right to be upset. Your favorite is Goku, so you obviously don't know what it's like to be a fan of Buu, Gohan, Gotenks, Piccolo, etc, and have those guys completely be irrelevant to the story.

Actually, I do. Just because my favorite is Goku, it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate other characters too. My second favorite is Vegeta, and he's being relevant, so let's ignore him, but after that there's Kuririn, Trunks and Boo. And Kuririn and Boo haven't been relevant at all. I don't care. I was a bit disappointed that Boo didn't fight in the tournament, but that's about it.

Now admittedly I do dislike Gohan and think he's a bad character, so maybe I'm just interpreting this as people just going overboard and expecting way too much, but I don't see why people can't just think "oh well, he's not relevant anymore, whatever". I mean, 99% of the cast isn't relevant anymore. Dragon Ball CONSTANTLY introduces new characters and has the old ones take a back seat. The same thing happened, with the characters who are getting focus now being Beerus and Whis.

And like I said, I'd like to see Goku being killed off for good.

Fans have a right to be outraged over gohan.

If they took goku and wrote it so that he was a farmer now and didn't fight anymore, wouldn't you be just as pissed? They're just sitting all over these characters that we have waited years to see again.

This doesn't make sense. Gohan ALWAYS wanted to be a scholar, Goku never once said he wanted to quit fighting. And even then, if they somehow found a good, reasonable way of having Goku quit martial arts, yes, I'd welcome it. I wouldn't be pissed, it'd probably even give some additional depth to the character. Like I said in my original post, I want Goku in a more mentor-esque role or maybe even being killed off. I don't care if he never shows up in Super after this arc (as long as he gets a proper goodbye), what he did throughout the ENTIRE series still exists.

[omaro34]

My favorite character hasn't been relevant since DB's third arc, and a lot of my other favorite characters ended their relevancy long before the manga ended. A lot of people could stand to chill the hell out.

Mercenary Tao is one of my all time favorites too.

[omaro34]

You mentioned your favorite character is Goku, which is cool. The way Super has been going, it's only 2 guys from the main original cast that matter. And for a show that once had a large diverse cast contributing to the story in many different ways instead of decoration in the background, fans have every right to be upset. Your favorite is Goku, so you obviously don't know what it's like to be a fan of Buu, Gohan, Gotenks, Piccolo, etc, and have those guys completely be irrelevant to the story.

Actually, I do. Just because my favorite is Goku, it doesn't mean that I don't appreciate other characters too. My second favorite is Vegeta, and he's being relevant, so let's ignore him, but after that there's Kuririn, Trunks and Boo. And Kuririn and Boo haven't been relevant at all. I don't care. I was a bit disappointed that Boo didn't fight in the tournament, but that's about it.

Now admittedly I do dislike Gohan and think he's a bad character, so maybe I'm just interpreting this as people just going overboard and expecting way too much, but I don't see why people can't just think "oh well, he's not relevant anymore, whatever". I mean, 99% of the cast isn't relevant anymore. Dragon Ball CONSTANTLY introduces new characters and has the old ones take a back seat. The same thing happened, with the characters who are getting focus now being Beerus and Whis.

And like I said, I'd like to see Goku being killed off for good.

I understand what you're saying, I shouldn't have assumed you don't have appreciation for other characters as well. I'm not a Gohan fan myself, but I do have respect for the character. I do understand their frustrations. This is because after the ROF Arc, Gohan clearly stated he WANTED to train to stay strong because he felt he had to protect the ones he cares deeply about. He felt he didn't do enough to protect his loved ones when he saw Piccolo die in front of him. Then after we see Gohan training with Piccolo, and this was a sign of good things to come surely.....then Gohan decides to go back to his normal lifestyle of being a scholar, completely going back from his statement in the ROF Arc, that is where the frustration comes from mainly.

[MozillaVulpix]

Because this is a new continuation of the story of Dragon Ball, and fans of the characters want to see those characters show up and develop and get cool new moments they can appreciate in the same way Goku, Vegeta and now Future Trunks.

Some people here would rather have a character remain off-screen than show up to be outclassed, but I disagree. Even if a character isn't the most relevant strength-wise, they can still have cool moments in the plot. A lot of people hate Piccolo vs Frost, but in the anime, it was a really nice moment for the character. Even if it didn't end up meaning anything, the fact that he had a pretty good showing in the fight itself, almost beating Frost through strategy, was really cool. And I personally really enjoyed the additions they gave to Gohan in Super's version of Resurrection 'F'. Him calling for help after Piccolo died is now one of my favourite moments for his character, regardless of how little it meant in the long run.

By having a character be off-screen or too weak to even bother showing up, they get denied even stuff like that. There's literally nothing to talk about in terms of that character, because they're not even there.

[Doctor.]

I understand what you're saying, I shouldn't have assumed you don't have appreciation for other characters as well. I'm not a Gohan fan myself, but I do have respect for the character. I do understand their frustrations. This is because after the ROF Arc, Gohan clearly stated he WANTED to train to stay strong because he felt he had to protect the ones he cares deeply about. He felt he didn't do enough to protect his loved ones when he saw Piccolo die in front of him. Then after we see Gohan training with Piccolo, and this was a sign of good things to come surely.....then Gohan decides to go back to his normal lifestyle of being a scholar, completely going back from his statement in the ROF Arc, that is where the frustration comes from mainly.

But Gohan can be a scholar AND still train ocasionally, from time to time. The two things aren't mutually exclusive. I'm sure Gohan learned his lesson and trains every so often so that his body doesn't get rusty. He just puts his family and job ahead of training. He isn't interested in training 24/7 like Goku and Vegeta, nor is he interested in getting as powerful as those two. And that's fine, this episode was to reassert that his story and the character himself is done.

[omaro34]

I understand what you're saying, I shouldn't have assumed you don't have appreciation for other characters as well. I'm not a Gohan fan myself, but I do have respect for the character. I do understand their frustrations. This is because after the ROF Arc, Gohan clearly stated he WANTED to train to stay strong because he felt he had to protect the ones he cares deeply about. He felt he didn't do enough to protect his loved ones when he saw Piccolo die in front of him. Then after we see Gohan training with Piccolo, and this was a sign of good things to come surely.....then Gohan decides to go back to his normal lifestyle of being a scholar, completely going back from his statement in the ROF Arc, that is where the frustration comes from mainly.

But Gohan can be a scholar AND still train ocasionally, from time to time. The two things aren't mutually exclusive. I'm sure Gohan learned his lesson and trains every so often so that his body doesn't get rusty. He just puts his family and job ahead of training. He isn't interested in training 24/7 like Goku and Vegeta, nor is he interested in getting as powerful as those two. And that's fine, this episode was to reassert that his story and the character himself is done.

Exactly, I agree. And when it comes to this episode, I think Future Trunks represented the Gohan fans that wanted him relevant again. Then when Trunks saw how Gohan changed through those flashbacks against Cell, he realized how happy Gohan was. This episode was development for Trunks, and it was more motivation to beat Black for him. As for Gohan, it was a happy ending for him really.

People get outraged because of what the character once was. They remember the fight against Cell, and they remember the fight against Super Buu and wonder.

[Lord Beerus]

Because fans of Dragon Ball often grow a bit too attached to certain characters, and when what their vision of the path for how the character should develop or stay relevant to the plot isn't exactly brought to fruition exactly as how they imagined it, they become very disgruntled and angry.

Because DBZ never focused on one particular character and people expected Super to be the same.

Goku actually barely does anything in DBZ.

What? Goku may not have had as much screen-time in the second half of the story than he did in the first, but to say he does barely anything is a unbelievable low-balling of Goku's character. He is still a vital character in DBZ and his actions are what keep the plot moving.

[Lord Beerus]

I understand what you're saying, I shouldn't have assumed you don't have appreciation for other characters as well. I'm not a Gohan fan myself, but I do have respect for the character. I do understand their frustrations. This is because after the ROF Arc, Gohan clearly stated he WANTED to train to stay strong because he felt he had to protect the ones he cares deeply about. He felt he didn't do enough to protect his loved ones when he saw Piccolo die in front of him. Then after we see Gohan training with Piccolo, and this was a sign of good things to come surely.....then Gohan decides to go back to his normal lifestyle of being a scholar, completely going back from his statement in the ROF Arc, that is where the frustration comes from mainly.

But Gohan can be a scholar AND still train ocasionally, from time to time. The two things aren't mutually exclusive. I'm sure Gohan learned his lesson and trains every so often so that his body doesn't get rusty. He just puts his family and job ahead of training. He isn't interested in training 24/7 like Goku and Vegeta, nor is he interested in getting as powerful as those two. And that's fine, this episode was to reassert that his story and the character himself is done.

Exactly, I agree. And when it comes to this episode, I think Future Trunks represented the Gohan fans that wanted him relevant again. Then when Trunks saw how Gohan changed through those flashbacks against Cell, he realized how happy Gohan was. This episode was development for Trunks, and it was more motivation to beat Black for him. As for Gohan, it was a happy ending for him really.

People get outraged because of what the character once was. They remember the fight against Cell, and they remember the fight against Super Buu and wonder.

But the funny thing about that is that the scenario where Gohan is a scholar and still trains happened technically happened in GT. And Gohan still wasn't a majorly relevant character in that show. He basically just becomes a punching bag for the villains. Granted the power creep had grown way out of hand in GT and Goku and Vegeta had both become a SSJ4, but still, we saw a good idea of how the plot of Dragon Ball would unfold if the ideal scenario for some fans had happened and Gohan balanced supporting his family and still getting stronger through training. Nothing changed. He was still lost in the shuffle.

[kinisking]

But Gohan can be a scholar AND still train ocasionally, from time to time. The two things aren't mutually exclusive. I'm sure Gohan learned his lesson and trains every so often so that his body doesn't get rusty. He just puts his family and job ahead of training. He isn't interested in training 24/7 like Goku and Vegeta, nor is he interested in getting as powerful as those two. And that's fine, this episode was to reassert that his story and the character himself is done.

Exactly, I agree. And when it comes to this episode, I think Future Trunks represented the Gohan fans that wanted him relevant again. Then when Trunks saw how Gohan changed through those flashbacks against Cell, he realized how happy Gohan was. This episode was development for Trunks, and it was more motivation to beat Black for him. As for Gohan, it was a happy ending for him really.

People get outraged because of what the character once was. They remember the fight against Cell, and they remember the fight against Super Buu and wonder.

But the funny thing about that is that the scenario where Gohan is a scholar and still trains happened technically happened in GT. And Gohan still wasn't a majorly relevant character in that show. He basically just becomes a punching bag for the villains. Granted the power creep had grown way out of hand in GT and Goku and Vegeta had both become a SSJ4, but still, we saw a good idea of how the plot of Dragon Ball would unfold if the ideal scenario for some fans had happened and Gohan balanced supporting his family and still getting stronger through training. Nothing changed. He was still lost in the shuffle.

That isn't true at all. Just because GT did it a certain way doesn't mean it has to be the exact same in Super. GT also had vegeta getting pushed away from relevance until the last arc. Has the same happened in super? No. Things could be very different.

Also directly on topic : we haven't had actual dragonBall in decades. The fans have had decades to form their ideas on what dragonBall as a franchise meant to them. And to many, Gohan became an important part of that franchise because the series ended with him playing a large part.