Why Goku is often accused of being a bad dad in Dragon Ball

Considering the subject matter, Dragon Ball tends to deal with across its various incarnations. There’s little surprise the normalities of life are constantly pushed aside. In everything from schooling to finances, the pursuit of power for Goku and friends seems to trump all other wants and needs.

It’s no surprise, as such, that Dragon Ball’s Saiyan protagonist often finds himself under fire for being called a bad father. Considering Goku is never outwardly abusive, some Dragon Ball fans may be curious why Goku is a bad father.

This article explores some of the main plot points that highlight why Goku is a bad father.

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Lack of education prioritization and more explain why Goku is a bad father in Dragon Ball

Throughout the Dragon Ball series, fans see plenty of examples that highlight precisely why Goku is a bad father. From the very first episodes of Dragon Ball Z, the crack’s in Goku’s fatherly facade are not only evident but concerning.

Upon returning from his initial death, Goku never addresses Piccolo’s kidnapping of Gohan from Chichi. While Goku would agree to his son being trained to prepare for the Saiyan’s arrival, it’s unlikely Gohan’s separation from his mother would’ve been allowed.

Despite Goku’s inability to change the situation as it was happening, nothing prevented him from saying something to Piccolo after the fact. Whether this is a lack of caring or an approval of Piccolo’s actions, this is Goku’s first misstep as a father.

In the Namek saga, Goku genuinely shows some rational and fatherly thought when commanding Gohan to grab Piccolo and leave Namek. However, his refusal to come back for a year after the battle against Frieza ends is incredibly irresponsible as a father.

Goku’s refusal to return home essentially results in two years where Gohan is entirely separated and incredibly rarely sees his father. Upon returning home, Goku throws himself and Gohan into yet another training regiment to prepare for the coming android threat. Despite Goku’s presence this time, his shortcomings as a father are still highlighted.

Later on in Dragon Ball Z, during the Cell Games saga, Goku puts the fate of the entire planet on Gohan’s shoulders. It’s evident to Goku by now that fighting is not Gohan’s inherent nature; however, he still pushes his son to get in the ring with Cell as a demonstration of faith in Gohan’s strength. Further demonstrating this faith, Goku gives Cell a Senzu Bean so the two can fight at full strength.

Ignoring the potential sealing of Earth’s fate Goku narrowly avoids, it is incredibly irresponsible to force your son to fight a more difficult battle. While something can be said of making sure a child does something the right way, this was hardly the time or place to enact such a principle. Thankfully, this is one of the last moments where Goku truly is a bad father to Gohan.

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Overarching errors

To build on fighting not being part of Gohan’s nature, he constantly desires to read and learn instead of fighting like Goku. This is proved when Gohan forgoes his training to prioritize schooling after Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Games saga.

Despite Gohan’s constant pleas to this end as a child, Goku ignores him and continuously trains his son or finds a way to force him to fight. Even though Gohan eventually becomes fully and adequately educated, Goku’s blatant ignoring of his son’s expressed desires is incredibly poor parenting.

It either shows Goku doesn’t listen to what his children want or ignores it in favour of what he thinks is best. Either way, it’s one of the most egregious and overarching mistakes Goku makes as a father.

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In summation

Whether in specific instances or overarching errors, there are plenty of examples through Dragon Ball that highlight why Goku is a bad father. From blatant ignorance of Gohan’s desires to put his son in, quite literally, deadly situations, there is plenty of evidence to support this claim against Goku.

While this isn’t exactly surprising given the subject matter of the Dragon Ball franchise, it is interesting that far more examples exist of negative parenting skills than positive ones. Goku and Gohan maintain a somewhat close relationship throughout the franchise. Goku does some right things offscreen, or at least in Gohan’s eyes.

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