Goku=Superman?

[Sun_Wukong]

Think about it:

-Both fathers warned the people of their planet's destruction
-Sent to destroy planet, but raised by caring humans
-Both have birth names, Kakkarott/Kal-El
-Both have on and off allies/ bitter rivals, Vejiita/Lex Luthor
-Both, in my opinion, incredibly stupid

You think Toriyama got inspiration for Goku from Superman? Just a theory.

[MajinVejitaXV]

Uhh...Kal-El wasn't sent to destroy earth. He was sent by his father as a final last resort when the planet was close to it's end.

Other than that, it's entirely possible. Toriyama did derive a lot from American pop culture, hence the muliple Disney references.

-Corey

[Super Sonic]

Stupid? Although Goku is kind of dumb as brick, Superman isn't. You can't be an accomplished journalist like Clark is if you didn't have any smarts.

[Sun_Wukong]

Compared to Batman (not the Adam West version), face it, Superman is an idiot. Sure he's not as stupid as Goku, but for superhero standards, he's pretty dumb. I dont know how true to the comic roots Smallville is, but it was said in one episode he was sent to destroy the planet.

[Xyex]

Piccolo came to Earth, orginally, for the same reason as Superman did. So there's another tie in for a different character...

[Jerseymilk]

Actually, I always heard that he did take some of his influence from Superman. At least for the origins of Goku. A super-strong baby being sent to Earth, while his homeworld is destroyed.

[Deus ex Machina]

I dont know how true to the comic roots Smallville is, but it was said in one episode he was sent to destroy the planet.

Well, quite obviously the TV series isn't anything like the original story. As Corey said, Kale-el was sent to Earth because his planet was about to explode

[SaiyaJedi]

You think Toriyama got inspiration for Goku from Superman? Just a theory.

But Toriyama already had a character inspired by Superman!

Alias: "Kenta Kuraaku" (that's "Kuraaku Kenta" in Japanese order)
True Identity: Suppaman
Occupation: Superhero / Laughingstock of Penguin Village

Since he appears during DB's Dr. Slump crossover, can we really say that Goku has a monopoly on Superman inspiration?

[SDHero]

Yay! Dr. Slump!

*growls at Viz to get off their lazy bums and pick it up and translate it already*

But, yeah, the highly amuzing "Suppaman" means Toriyama was certainly not unaware of Superman. Also, don't forget that Toriyama didn't start Dragonball knowing he'd turn Goku into an alien, he didn't decide on that until nearly 5 years later ^^

[Super Sonic]

I forgot about him. It was funny seeing him in the Penguin Village crossover in both the manga and the anime.

[SpaceKappa]

The best part was the Hiragana "su" on his chest. Brilliant!

[Jerseymilk]

I honestly don't think we'll ever see either the Dr. Slump manga or anime over here. There's is just no way the North American publc is going to get a character that plays with poo all the time.

[SpaceKappa]

Er, Kyle Broflovski and his friend Mr. Hankey the Christmas Poo?

[Son ChiChi]

I have to disagree on a few peoploe thoughts here on Goku being stupid or as Super Sonic put it as dumb as a brick, which is very far from the truth. Goku can’t be dumb as a brick since he’s such a master in martial arts. It takes physical discipline as well as mental knowledge to be that good. In fact, Goku always came off as naïve. Look it up in the dictionary and you’ll see that naïve and stupid mean two different things. The dubbed has to take blame for making Goku look stupid with the many dumb lines Goku says. Goku has a lot more sense in the manga and subbed. We also have to realize that Goku wasn’t brought up in normal surroundings. Gohan Sr. was able to teach Goku how to read, some basic math and strong morals (unfortunately he couldn’t fit daily baths in there, too) before he died, and at the time of Gohan Sr.’s death, Goku had to be a little kid, probably four or five. Goku even knew how to read when Master Roshi was training him and Krillin and Goku learned more from Roshi. Goku managed to live on his own for years before he met Bulma. So, he had some brains to keep himself alive all that time. Goku’s friends and foes saw Goku as an idiot at times but nobody was there to teach him things a parent teaches a child. I’m sure if anyone of us were found in the woods as a baby, weren’t taught manners, proper hygiene and lived alone in the woods for years, we would be in the same boat as Goku--naive. Maybe not me. I probably would’ve gotten eaten by wolves in a hour being a little child alone in the woods.

When someone actually teaches Goku something, he learns and uses it such as Goku’s training under Roshi, Korin and Mr. Popo. Goku used his brains to defeat the Jiggler at Muscle Tower. Goku remembered Suno explaining to him what frozen was and he knocked down a wall so the cold air could freeze Jiggler and Goku could shatter Jiggler into pieces. Goku was also smart enough to figure out that he and Gohan would have to redo their training as Super Saiyans to get stronger when they trained in the Time Chamber. Even Vegeta, who reached that large bulky state before Goku, hadn’t thought of doing that and he was in the room longer than Goku and Gohan. A stupid person wouldn’t have thought to do those things.

The only person who never saw Goku as stupid besides Gohan Sr. and taught Goku anything besides fighting was his wife, ChiChi. Yes, I know she called Goku stupid when they met as teenagers but she was upset Goku forgot about her and was naïve to his naiveté when they were kids. It wasn’t until they fought did she learn the truth. Anyway, it’s very clear that Goku picked up some things from his wife when we see Goku in Dragonball Z. He shed a lot of his naiveté, learned personal hygiene, gained more common sense, was even a little persuasive. Remember how he got Vegeta to train with Trunks in the Time Chamber, Old Kai to train Gohan and Uub to fight him?

Sun Wukong, if you’re basing Superman’s origins by watching Smallville, then you are greatly mistaken. There are a lot of errors in Smallville to Superman’s origin I wouldn’t know where to begin. Superman isn’t stupid either. For crying out loud, his alter ego is a journalist. That requires some brains. Batman and Superman are two different people with two different origins. You can‘t compare the two and expect them to be the same.

[VegettoEX]

Goku has a lot more sense in the manga and subbed

Eeeeehhhh.... not particularly ^^;;

While I agree that "dumb" and "naive" are two different things... if you take a step back and really look at him... man, he's retarded quite a bit .

[Son ChiChi]

Okay, I agree he can be a bit slow on some things but he's not stupid as people make him out to be.

[Sun_Wukong]

Sun Wukong, if you’re basing Superman’s origins by watching Smallville, then you are greatly mistaken. There are a lot of errors in Smallville to Superman’s origin I wouldn’t know where to begin.

I never said I was flat out basing his origins on Smallville, I was just making a reference to it. Any way you look at it, Smallville is "Ultimate Superman". For god sakes, planning on introducing Lois Lane when Clark's still in Highschool? Big no no. They dont meet untill he moves to Metropolis, wich the creators flat out said they wouldnt be showing.

Anyway, Son Chi Chi, you bring up some valid points. Sadly you have to face the facts, Goku is the fighter with the least ammount of tactical skill in db. And thats saying something, because most of the fighters, dont even bother with tactics when they fight.

[Son ChiChi]

I agree that Goku doesn't always have the best tactics. I can't say he has the least amount of tactical skills because I can't recall plans conjured up by Krillin, Yamcha or Tien. It's not sad Goku doesn't have the best tactics. It's just true about him. For instance, Goku having his nine year old son defeat Cell. Sure, Goku knew Gohan could do it as long as he got angry but that was a huge risk on Goku's part, putting the fate of the world on a boy. Sometimes his plans for battle are rational and sometimes it can be out there and risky but it doesn't make him stupid.

I was hoping that rumor I heard about Lois Lane meeting Clark in high school was just rumor, but it's true? I thought it was bad enough Chloe and Lana were related but now this.

[Dayspring]

Compared to Batman (not the Adam West version), face it, Superman is an idiot. Sure he's not as stupid as Goku, but for superhero standards, he's pretty dumb. I dont know how true to the comic roots Smallville is, but it was said in one episode he was sent to destroy the planet.

Where'd that come from? EVERYBODY on DC Earth except for Luthor is stupid when compared to Bruce Wayne/Batman. He's a genious. And Superman isn't a total moron, he's highly above-average in intelligence.

[PsyLiam]

I was hoping that rumor I heard about Lois Lane meeting Clark in high school was just rumor, but it's true? I thought it was bad enough Chloe and Lana were related but now this.

If you're watching Smallville with the aim of seeing an accurate retelling of his comic-book teenage years, then you are missing the point.