Dragon Ball 10 Ways Goten Couldve Been A More Important Character

Despite being the second son of Goku, Goten wasn't as important to the story as many other Dragon Ball characters.

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball is one of the most popular anime series of all time, and it’s an impressive example of an evergreen property. There are dozens of exciting and innovative new anime that are introduced every year, yet Dragon Ball finds a way to remain relevant and stay in the conversation through the various ways that it’s shown growth and development since its debut in the 1980s.

Dragon Ball is a series that has no shortage of extremely powerful characters, which unfortunately means that some individuals don’t get the full attention they deserve. Goten is an important member of Goku’s family, but he’s also a character who remains caught in stasis and doesn’t get to properly develop. Some minor changes could seriously improve Goten’s character.

10 He Could Grow More As A Super Saiyan

The milestone of becoming a Super Saiyan has transformed into a benchmark that seems to be progressively easy to accomplish as the series goes on. Goten achieves this goal far earlier than Gohan or Goku do, which seems to imply that he’ll continue this trend and surpass them even further. Goten gets a healthy amount of focus upon his introduction, but this development quickly dies off. Goten’s progress as a Super Saiyan is effectively abandoned, whereas if it remained a priority, who knows what new transformations Goten would unlock early on.

9 He Should Be Able To Mature & Grow Over Time

Dragon Ball differentiates itself from many of its peer anime series because it actually allows its characters to grow older and turn the narrative into more of a generational saga. It’s a big surprise to watch Goku grow from a precocious child into an adult. This custom is extended to Goku’s first son, Gohan, who also grows older and starts his own family. This trend more or less ends with Goten, and because the character remains relatively the same age (excluding Dragon Ball GT), he’s not allowed the same level of growth as the rest of his family.

8 He Should Be Allowed To Fight In The Tournament Of Power

Tournaments are a regular tradition throughout the Dragon Ball franchise. Goten performs well in the Junior Division of the World Martial Arts Tournament, but his skills aren’t allowed to blossom when it comes to Dragon Ball Super’s multi-universe battle royale, the Tournament of Power.

Goku assembles the strongest warriors from the universe to represent Universe 7 in the competition, but both Goten and Trunks are forced to stay behind. Their safety is being looked after here, but it would make for the perfect environment for Goten to drastically improve as a fighter.

7 Gotenks Could Become The Dominant Fused Character

Fusion has become a tricky prospect for the Dragon Ball series. Fusion introduces an inventive means for characters to combine their strength and transform into a new fighter, but it’s a concept that’s been experimented with to exhaustion. One of Goten’s strongest applications is when he fuses with Trunks into Gotenks. Gotenks is the only other character besides Goku who can reach Super Saiyan 3. Dragon Ball could have embraced Gotenks as the series’ dominant fusion. Goten and Trunks’ could even use the Potara Earrings and form a new fusion like “Truten” and grow stronger.

6 He Could Develop More Original Techniques

Transformations are an important way to become stronger in Dragon Ball, but there are just as many instances where powerful, new techniques are the key to victory. Goten has some valuable tricks up his sleeve, but the majority of his abilities are moves that he’s inherited from Goku and Gohan, like the Kamehameha. It’s often not until characters develop their own fighting styles and techniques that they truly come into their own. Goten never gets this opportunity and suffers as a result. Even just a few unique attacks would give the character a greater significance.

5 He Could Train Seriously Under Gohan Or Goku

Dragon Ball is full of characters who literally have the strength of Gods. Some individuals are naturally powerful, but it's much more common to find fighters who must train extensively in order to become stronger. There’s initially some focus given to Gohan and Goku’s attempts to train Goten into a strong fighter, but they both seem to grow tired of it.

Goten regularly trains alongside Trunks, but this isn’t enough of a challenge. If Goten underwent vigorous training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Goku, Gohan, or even Vegeta, he’d be able to fulfill a greater purpose in the series.

4 He Could Die & Experience The Afterlife

This may seem like a grim proposition considering that Goten is only a child, but Dragon Ball frequently establishes that death is not forever in this universe and that the afterlife actually contains some unexpected perks. Goku grows in some significant ways due to the training he's experienced and the individuals he's met in the afterlife. It’d be a bold change of pace for Goten but also a shift that likely improves him for the better. Goten could grasp some fundamental skills and return to Earth more prepared than ever for battle.

3 He Could Team Up With Young Universe 6 Saiyans

One of the most exciting developments from Dragon Ball Super is the introduction of multiple universes, one of which actually contains several more Saiyans. Universe 6’s Saiyans, Cabba, Kale, and Caulifla are some of Dragon Ball Super’s most intriguing characters, and they’re fascinating counterpoints to Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan. Goten doesn’t really get to spend much time with these Universe 6 Saiyans, but it seems like he’d actually have the most in common with someone like Cabba. An extended arc that puts Goten together with these Saiyans could result in all of these characters becoming more important.

2 He Could Focus On His Ranger Efforts On Monster Island

A major obstacle in Goku’s quest to recruit Android 17 to participate in the Tournament of Power is that he needs someone to take care of his ranger duties on Monster Island. Goten and Trunks step in to help out Android 17, but it’s a period that’s essentially skipped over. One compelling chapter in Dragon Ball Super’s manga explains that some Cell Juniors actually survived and are terrorizing Monster Island, only for Goten and Trunks to intervene. This could be turned into a development arc, and there’s a lot that could be explored with Goten’s extended time on Monster Island.

1 Dragon Ball Super Or GT Could Focus On Him

Both Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super function as sequels to Dragon Ball Z’s story, but they are two anime that go in very different directions. Dragon Ball GT presents a teenage version of Goten, but the character basically amounts to a glorified cameo in GT’s earlier episodes as the series continues to focus on Goku. Dragon Ball GT had the perfect opportunity to make Goten a more important character, but it’s squandered. Dragon Ball Super also didn't allow Goten to grow and develop.