These Three Dragon Ball Super Episodes Prove Goku is the Worst Shonen Hero

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For over 40 years, Goku has been more than just a main character – he’s become a legendary hero who has greatly influenced the shonen genre. His impact is clear, and his surprisingly complex personality has inspired countless shonen heroes over the years.

Goku has faced some of his toughest battles and biggest challenges in Dragon Ball Super. But despite his strength, he’s made significant errors, especially in recent storylines. It’s nice to see a hero who isn’t flawless and feels relatable, but several episodes of Dragon Ball Super highlight how Goku doesn’t quite measure up to today’s standards for shonen heroes.

“You’re Our Tenth Warrior! Goku Approaches Frieza!!” Sees Goku Give A Tyrant A Second Chance

Goku is a brave and giving hero, but he often gives his enemies too many chances, preferring they change their ways instead of being punished. This makes some sense, as several of his closest friends used to be enemies who tried to kill him. However, this tendency becomes particularly problematic in Dragon Ball Super Episode 93, “You’re Our Tenth Warrior! Goku Approaches Frieza!!”

When a key member of Universe 7’s team, Buu, unexpectedly drops out of the Tournament of Power, Goku and his allies are in a tight spot. With just one hour until the competition starts, Goku makes a risky decision: he asks Frieza, a notorious villain, to join their side – but only if Frieza agrees to certain conditions.

Goku knows few villains are as untrustworthy as Frieza, who is completely and irredeemably evil. Having seen Frieza kill many of his close friends, Goku should probably be more upset with him. Surprisingly, Goku makes a deal with Frieza – even though Frieza was dead in the afterlife – to get his help in the Tournament of Power.

Everyone, even the gods like Shin, disagrees with Goku’s choice, but he believes he can control Frieza. While Frieza does help during the Tournament of Power, his involvement ultimately creates bigger issues. His cooperation leads to him being brought back to life, which has caused massive destruction that the heroes are still trying to fix, and he’s now plotting to take over the entire multiverse.

It seemed risky for Goku to team up with Frieza, and it hasn’t paid off. Frieza hasn’t changed at all, and now he understands Universe 7’s fighters even better – giving him a significant advantage. This is especially annoying because Goku had other potential allies he could have chosen, like Future Trunks, Goten and Trunks, or even Pikkon.

“A Chaotic Victory Party! Showdown At Last?! Monaka Vs. Goku!” Makes Goku Dumber Than Ever

In Dragon Ball Super, an amusing situation arises with Monaka, an ordinary deliveryman. Beerus, a powerful god, pretends Monaka is incredibly strong to push Goku and Vegeta to become even more powerful. While Monaka has no special fighting skills, Beerus’ trickery actually works! It’s almost believable that Goku would be fooled since he only sees Monaka from afar and never truly fights him. However, episode 42, “A Chaotic Victory Party! Showdown at Last?! Monaka vs. Goku!,” features a ridiculous competition that stretches believability too far.

This funny episode features Beerus disguised as Monaka, wearing a large costume, and battling Goku. While the fight is amusing, it also points out how surprisingly clueless Goku can be in certain fights. He’s fought Beerus before and trained with him extensively, so he really should be able to recognize Beerus’ unique energy and realize it isn’t really Monaka. This makes Goku look foolish, as he fails to notice obvious clues about who is a real danger and who is just pretending.

The episode ends with Goku spotting both Monaka and Beerus disguised as Monaka, revealing Beerus’ deception. Instead of realizing Beerus was pretending, Goku mistakenly believes Monaka has the ability to create a duplicate of himself. While this is intended to be humorous, it feels out of character for a typically reliable hero like Goku. He’s always been a bit clueless, but this moment makes him seem excessively silly and less believable.

“Goku’s Energy Is Out Of Control?! The Struggle To Look After Pan” Speaks To Goku’s Irresponsible Nature

During his first fight with Hit, Goku used a combination of his techniques to try and overcome Hit’s Time-Skip Attack. While he initially gained an advantage, Goku ultimately lost the battle. Using the Blue Kaio-Ken pushed his body to its limit, resulting in a severe condition called Delayed Onset Ki Disorder. This disorder became central to Dragon Ball Super Episode 43, “Goku’s Energy is Out of Control?! The Struggle to Look After Pan,” as Goku found himself unable to use his ki powers.

The episode, “Goku’s Energy Is Out Of Control?! The Struggle To Look After Pan,” centers around Goku’s unpredictable behavior caused by a condition that affects his energy control. It showcases Goku’s everyday flaws, though they’re mostly harmless. For example, he can’t even manage a simple grocery trip, struggling to read the list and failing to buy anything. His lack of control even leads to him accidentally destroying the house, which understandably worries Chi-Chi. She explains they’ll have to use Goten’s college fund to cover the damages, highlighting how Goku’s carelessness threatens his family’s future.

The episode culminates in a surprise attack by the Pilaf Gang, who try to exploit Goku while he’s weakened. Surprisingly, it’s baby Pan who ends up defeating them and rescuing Goku. This scene hints at Pan’s future strength, but it also shows Goku putting his family at risk, potentially exposing his granddaughter to harm. This incident, along with Goku’s disregard for Beerus’s power and his questionable decision to team up with Frieza for the Tournament of Power, reveals a significant flaw in Goku’s character as a typical hero in Dragon Ball Super.

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Goku’s Greatest Blunders: How Well Do You Know His Mistakes?
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2026-05-03 03:20