Dragon Ball Super, the continuation of Akira Toriyama‘s original anime, doesn’t have as many fans as its predecessor. Many complained back in the day that it didn’t live up to expectations, although over the years, opinions have mellowed, and some believe that it actually features some of the best story arcs in the series’ history.
However, if there’s one thing Dragon Ball Super has done well, it’s addressing a problem that the protagonist, Son Goku, had since his character development in Dragon Ball Z: his personality. While he started off in the series as a carefree and innocent character, in Dragon Ball Z, he evolved into a more prototypical hero, and this didn’t sit well with Toriyama.
A real hero?
In a 1997 interview with Wired Japan, Akira Toriyama admitted that he was displeased with Goku’s portrayal in the Dragon Ball Z anime. Toriyama always envisioned Goku as someone who simply wanted to fight against the strongest warriors in the universe, but according to his words, the anime turned him into a typical “righteous hero” who always fights for the greater good.
While Toriyama acknowledges that Goku is a good person who cares about his loved ones, he doesn’t believe that his mission is to protect the innocent and save the universe. Toriyama believes that in the original manga, it’s merely a consequence of Goku’s encounters with the strongest beings in the galaxy. However, he feels that in the second phase, particularly in the anime, his attitude was changed quite a bit.
However, this is something that has changed in Dragon Ball Super: we see a Goku who is much less concerned about others and more selfish, with the single-minded goal of being the strongest and facing the most powerful opponents. This is evident in the Tournament of Power, where the future of his universe is at stake, yet all he cares about is being the strongest.
Undoubtedly, Dragon Ball Super has better captured the essence of the Goku that Toriyama envisioned, and while he remains a hero, other characters are given more logical reasoning. In fact, Vegeta often appears to be much more rational than his rival in most instances.
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