"Mischaracterizing Goku will never die" - Dragon Ball fans divided over "Canon" vs "Fanon" Goku debate

Modified Sep 29, 2024 08:30 GMT

Dragon Ball fans still fail to characterize Goku properly (Image via Toei Animation). — Dragon Ball fans still fail to characterize Goku properly (Image via Toei Animation)

Dragon Ball fans have strong opinions regarding certain characters and plot points but very few are as divisive as their perspective on Goku's character. This was recently visible on X when the fanbase started to debate the differences between how he is portrayed in canon and how he is perceived in the "fanon," with the latter being the fans' point of view.

While Goku has always been described as a rather simple and straightforward character, fans often undermine some of the nuances he has in the Dragon Ball canon. Certainly fighting and training is a major aspect of his life, but the general perception in recent years has been that it is all he cares about, consequences be damned, which is something that is not the case in the story.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and the individuals quoted and not Sportskeeda as a publication.

Dragon Ball fans discuss their different perspectives on Goku's character

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There has been a recent discussion on X regarding the contrasting differences between the canon material and the fandom of Goku's character, which was shown quite clearly through a tweet by @BasedPota18. It encapsulates how Goku is perceived by a lot of fans as a borderline sociopath who doesn't care about anything else but fighting and winning while his canon version has shown greater nuances than given credit for.

There is no denying that Goku has never been the most complex character in the series but he has never been malicious despite the mistakes he made throughout the story. Moreover, some people in the replies claimed that the fanon perception of the character would fit a lot better with Vegeta, who starts as a selfish and violent individual but manages to grow beyond that mentality.

Goku's relationship with Gohan is often used as a sticking point in these discussions as well, mentioning how the former has been an extremely poor father for prioritizing his training over his responsibilities. However, he died twice to protect his son and has cared for him at different times in the story, thus proving that he does think of others even if he has made mistakes along the way.

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There are a lot of misconceptions regarding Goku and even Dragon Ball across the anime community because people tend to not pay attention to the source material or even make assumptions based on some key moments. A good example of that is how he helped Cell recover before fighting Gohan, which is widely regarded as one of the lowest points for the character.

Furthermore, while Goku has shown a lot of passion and interest in fighting, this has often been portrayed in a positive light in the series, especially when it comes to his desire for learning and self-improvement. That is why the series has continued to be a major inspiration for people to get in shape and improve in general.

"'Hates the idea of being the best' is not correctly phrased. Goku would be fine with being the best fighter ever; what he WOULD hate is not having the chance to surpass himself, at any new level of strength/accomplishment he achieves," someone said.

"I'd like to think they confused the Goku on the right with Vegeta, because that's exactly who Vegeta is in DBZ," another person said.

"i meme about the Goku on the right sometimes, but we all know the Goku on the left is the real deal," someone else said.

Author Akira Toriyama crafted arguably the most iconic anime character of all time in Goku and is understandable to some degree that people have varying opinions on what makes the Dragon Ball protagonist tick.

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Edited by Yesha Srivastava