Dragon Ball 10 Times Goku Was A Jerk

Goku is the ultimate hero of the Dragon Ball universe, but he can be a real jerk at times.

Many anime series are able to capture the public’s attention and grow into evergreen successes, but Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball remains one of the most influential anime of its generation. Dragon Ball faithfully leans into standard shonen genre tropes as it explores the efforts of Goku and Earth’s strongest warriors to defend their planet against malevolent forces.

Dragon Ball is very interested in the eternal conflict between good and evil, but the anime establishes that the lines are blurred. Dragon Ball allows villains to redeem themselves as well as present its heroes in negative lights. The audience knows that they can trust Goku and that he’ll likely save the day, but he’s far from perfect and has his share of darker moments.

10 He Blows Up King Kai’s Planet & Fails To Revive Him

In many anime series, it can be argued that the ends can sometimes justify the means. The final moments of the battle against Cell involve some quick thinking on Goku’s part when he uses his Instant Transmission to transport himself and a self-destructing Cell away to King Kai’s Planet. In doing so, Goku saves the Earth, but he turns King Kai and his residents into innocent casualties. To make matters worse, King Kai seems to actively want to be wished back to life, but Goku always finds excuses to apply wishes in other ways.

9 His Abrupt Goodbye To His Family & Friends

Goku is an incredibly strong individual, but the character repeatedly demonstrates that nothing is more important to him than the safety of his family and friends. Goku’s improved strength is often in service of taking out a new threat who endangers the safety of his loved ones. Goku’s dedication to his family makes it come across as incredibly callous when he decides to abruptly leave and focus his efforts on training Uub at the end of Dragon Ball Z. To make matters worse, Dragon Ball GT concludes in a very similar manner where Goku abandons everyone he cares about.

8 His Cavalier Attitude Toward Zeno Causes The Tournament Of Power

Dragon Ball never leaves Goku’s strength in question, but his level of judgment and common sense seems like it can often completely abandon him. Goku’s carefree demeanor can result in him failing to understand the gravity of the situation at hand. This is especially true when he encounters the Omni-King, Zeno.

Everyone walks on eggshells around Zeno, but Goku is cavalier and affable. It’s a volatile relationship that ultimately results in the construction of the Tournament of Power, which makes Goku and Universe 7 targets to everyone else. He almost completely changes the makeup of the multiverse.

7 He Uses Bulma As Collateral For Old Kai

The events of the Buu Saga throw many of Dragon Ball’s strongest fighters into panic mode and multiple strategies are attempted. A lot of time is spent training on the Sacred World of Kais, where Old Kai becomes a very valuable mentor. Old Kai possesses extreme power, but he’s not willing to just dispense it for free. In one of Goku’s more regrettable moments, he promises Old Kai pictures of Bulma in exchange for what they need. It’s a terrible gesture that causes Vegeta to flip out and reveals that Goku considers Bulma to be more attractive than Chi-Chi.

6 He Initially Wants To Fuse With Gohan

Fusion is a concept that gets introduced toward the end of Dragon Ball Z, but it’s something that the series has truly embraced, and there are even Dragon Ball video games that revolve around the transformative process. Fusion with the Potara Earrings is treated as a permanent process, which turns out to not be exactly true. This results in the birth of Vegito, but Goku’s initial plan is to fuse together with Gohan, not Vegeta. This is actually quite selfish on Goku’s part since a permanently fused version of Goku and Gohan would put Chi-Chi in a very complicated situation.

5 He Chooses To Stay In The Afterlife

Death is unfortunately a common event in Dragon Ball, but these tragic circumstances can be alleviated through the restorative powers of the Dragon Balls. Goku meets his end on more than one occasion, but during one instance where the Dragon Balls are used to revive him, Goku instead refuses and wishes to remain dead.

This is technically an honorable act on Goku’s part since the reasoning for his decision is that he considers himself to be a beacon for evil forces on Earth. At the same time, Goku has a family who needs him, and he ignores their feelings here.

4 His Lack Of Affection Toward Chi-Chi

The original Dragon Ball concludes with Goku’s whirlwind marriage to Chi-Chi, which immediately seems to be something that flummoxes Goku. Goku goes on to start a family with Chi-Chi and they have two children, but Goku’s understanding of romance and relationships never seems to evolve. Goku makes a shocking admission to Vegeta that he doesn’t know what kissing is and that he’s never done such a thing with Chi-Chi. Goku’s obliviousness in this regard, as well as how he’s constantly lying to Chi-Chi and sneaking around her all speak toward the negligent treatment that Goku gives his life partner.

3 He Forces Gohan To Shoulder The Burden Of Defeating Cell

There’s an enlightening period of transition that occurs during the height of Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Saga. Goku continues to witness huge improvements in his son’s power, and he becomes convinced that Gohan is the one who is destined to defeat Cell. This confidence in his son causes Goku to curb his own strength and exhibit both restraint and compassion toward Cell, neither of which he deserves. Gohan does ultimately turn out to be strong enough to conquer Cell, but it’s a cruel move that Gohan seems to be terrified to entertain.

2 His Colic Triggers Broly's Undying Rage

The Dragon Ball Z movies highlight some very entertaining villains, but Broly is by far the most popular, and he gets featured in three separate films. Broly is introduced as the Legendary Super Saiyan and his vicious anger turns out to be fueled by infant Goku’s incessant crying. Baby Goku can’t control his actions, but they still function as Broly’s motivation. Admittedly, the circumstances around Broly’s origins and his relationship toward Goku have been changed after Dragon Ball Super: Broly, but it doesn’t excuse the fact that Goku’s actions are what initially inspire Broly’s rage in the original movies.

1 He Allows Frieza To Destroy Planet Namek

One of the most iconic battles to take place in Dragon Ball Z is the showdown between Super Saiyan Goku and Frieza on Planet Namek. This battle was at one point considered to be a satisfying endpoint for the series, and it doesn’t hold back when it comes to the level of destruction. Frieza’s final gambit is to trigger Planet Namek’s destruction, making Goku’s survival considerably more difficult. Goku bides his time against Frieza, and he doesn’t listen to King Kai’s initial pleas to finish him off. Quicker actions would have prevented Namek’s destruction.