The White Washing Of Goku
I read Dragon Ball for the first time about 4 years ago, through a week or two of my last summer break in school. While I was drawn through the entire experience I distinctly remember feeling frustrated with Goku’s character, his subtle arrogance and short sighted view of the world, never truly understanding the consequences of his actions or the evils of his foe. Still, deep down I understood there was something good about Dragon ball I couldn’t quite account for that drew people to the work, and I accepted for all of my problems with it, dragon ball as a series was ‘good’.
Since then I’ve matured both in mind and understanding, and I’ve come to view entertainment in gradients.Works like the Marvel Blockbusters didn’t warrant the same level of criticism as more complex art like Apocalypse Now, and they shouldn’t. Something like Captain America wasn’t going for the same heavy hits Blade Runner was, and it’s misguided to expect it. These works operated on completely seperate levels and should be judged as such in the same way you don’t criticize Rap for not having the same heavy guitar riffs as rock music. I figured my problem with Dragon ball was that it was the latter, a simple story I was digging far too deep into, past the foundation and into the water table. Goku didn’t warrant the level of critique I was giving him. The draw I had to Dragon ball was the reptile side of my brain being stimulated, which was exactly what it was going for. Art should be judged by what it attempts to do and how successful it is, and by that virtue Dragon Ball was a success. Case closed.
Then around June of last year an interview with Toriyama was making the rounds about how he was upset by the portrayal of Goku in the anime as a ‘hero of justice.’
http://www.kanzenshuu.com/translations/wired-japan-1997-akira-toriyama-interview/
“Right. There’s how, basically, Son Goku from Dragon Ball doesn’t fight for the sake of others, but because he wants to fight against strong guys. So once Dragon Ball got animated, at any rate, I’ve always been dissatisfied with the “righteous hero”-type portrayal they gave him. I guess I couldn’t quite get them to grasp the elements of “poison” that slip in and out of sight among the shadows.”
The article was actually written in 1997 in WIRED Japan, only resurfacing as a criticism of the then airing Dragon ball Super, though I didn’t read it until much more recently. It was a very surreal experience, I was under the impression I had become quite the little critic in my own right, only for a few lines to strip that away and reveal my original interpretation was closer to the truth. My folly was in assuming Goku’s sadism was a mistake by Toriyama, a difference in culture. In truth it was completely intentional. I had written off dragon ball for years as “not that deep” and here I was confronted with the evidence it was far more than I had ever given it credit for.
What happened? Why had I been led so far astray? Had everyone else known and in my pretension I assumed I knew better? The answer wasn’t so clear, it appeared many people had came to the same conclusions I had but were more firm in their position. The status of goku’s heroism had been hotly debated for as long as Dragon ball had existed, without a clear consensus. The revival of the interview was just ammunition, evidence for one side to fling at the other.
The same interview offered another tidbit that helped me find my grounding:
“I myself an extremely twisted person. So if, on a reader’s postcard, it was written “That’s this, and this’ll happen like this”, then I’d deliberately go with a development where that didn’t happen, and if a certain character got fairly popular, I’d deliberately kill him. (laughs) Since I did it half-cocked without deciding [what would happen] up ahead, it was easy enough to change up that sort of thing as the circumstances warranted.”
Once again i found myself sideswiped. I had always assumed Toriyama was a simple man who fumbled into success, who had a weak grasp of the writing process itself and created a flimsy, but genuine work of fiction. This paragraph striped that away, revealing Toriyama as a profoundly malicious man. This was a man who played fast and loose with his livelihood, willing to sink his owns hip again and again who just so happened to be lucky and good enough to get away with it. The same way Oda wrote himself into luffy and Kishimoto into Naruto, I could see the seeds of Goku in Toriyama, and found myself not only entertained but inspired. In truth I’ve always had a deep fascination with creators who hate their audience and have the stones to spit in their face. I find the act of creative self destruction alluring, especially since art is often seen as pouring one’s soul into something. The act of desecrating one’s soul for no reason other than a reaction scratches the small kernel of malice deep in my brain, and maybe on some level that was always what Dragon Ball was itching. My anger and exasperation wasn’t a failing of Toriyama’s, it was intended.
Even so the consensus of Goku is generally nice. Goku is not merely a hero he is THE hero, held up as a paragon matched only by Superman. As a result a lot of those in the ‘goku is evil’ camp felt more contrarian than legitimate, even by myself. It wasn’t that long ago I was arguing over the merits of Goku’s fatherhood with a guy who otherwise just posts porn of cartoon characters an exercise that feels silly in retrospect.
Even so, while Toriyama’s words may have sparked my reconsideration, it’s not the be all end all. I’m a big believer in “death of The Author” the idea that an Author’s input has no more merit than anyone else and a work should be judged solely by the reader. But, by what standard do you gauge a hero? Initially I thought of tallying up ‘good’ acts and ‘bad’ acts like in a video game, but that kind of hard logic tends to fall apart when applied broadly. So instead, I believe there’s a single phrase we can use to gauge Goku’s heroism:
With Great Power, Comes Great Responsibility
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The words etched at the end of Spider-Man’s origin story have defined not just the character but the modern idea of a hero in its entirety. Few people would argue the phrase rings hollow and as far as creeds go, it’s one of the more universally heroic ones. But what I anticipated as being a easier metric turned out to be harder, since like most things Goku approached from the opposite angle: With great responsibility must come great power.
Whenever pressed on why he needs to get stronger, Goku’s answer is simple, he needs to be strong to protect the earth. By the start of Z Goku has been established as the unofficial champion of earth, Had Raditz not sought him out, it’s just as likely Goku would have sought him instead once he started clearing the planet of people to be sold off. In their first fight Goku’s weakness is singled out as he can’t beat Raditz alone and has to sacrifice himself to take him down, leaving the Earth defenseless against the remaining Saiyans on their way to the planet. Goku is able to quadruple his strength before their arrival but can’t beat Vegeta on his own, having to rely on his substantially weaker friends and son to finish the job, which they only barely do. To know the Saiyans are fairly low on the galactic food chain (and the fact this is fairly early in the series) reinforces this need pretty well.
Yet it’s only an arc later Goku takes the title of Galactic Powerhouse from Frieza, and only a few foes are able to tussle with him afterward, none to the same degree as Vegeta did. Because of this the drive to grow stronger to defend earth can feel more like an excuse rather than a motivation, especially as Goku seems to habitually hold back against his foes. From this perspective we can start to see fighting the way Goku does, not as a necessary act or work, but as a vice.
About midway through Z Goku begins to view fighting differently. While once Goku pushed his boundaries to test his own strength, he now seems to enjoy the base action of fighting more than the results. While Goku can recognize power of his opponents and the threat they pose to his home and friends, this doesn’t stop him from throwing fights, holding back, or buffing his opponents for the sake of fairness. Goku isn’t a character shackled by honor or some sort of code, nor are this actions necessarily portrayed as foolish or dangerous. While his foil Vegeta allows his opponents to strengthen themselves to reinforce his superiority, for Goku it’s a far simpler purpose: entertainment. To Goku fighting is the same as reading or watching TV, the act is relaxing, fulfilling, and he’s completely blocked out that which lies beyond the limits of battle.
It’s hard to say where this change took place but I’d wager it began right after the Frieza saga. It’s canon that the Super Saiyan form accentuates the primal aspects of Saiyans, the brutality and sadism inherent to combat. It’s generally accepted that these traits disappear with time but maybe it’s the opposite. The same way Goku absorbed god power into his base form, the process of becoming Super Saiyan may have left Goku fundamentally altered, a kind of Saiyan ego death. When faced with the unstoppable power of Cell, Goku can only laugh, because even if defeat is certain there has to be a fight before hand.
This is in many ways the beauty of Goku, because he’s us. Much like Goku the reason we are here is to fight, or rather to see one. That which lies around the fights is all secondary, the consequences only notable in how they can affect future fights and the lead up only noteworthy as it fuels the fight itself. Whether intentionally or not Goku becomes one of manga’s original meta characters, a character built as a reflection of the reader and their desires.
Beyond this, if you replace ‘fighting’ with whatever hobby or vice you yourself have, Goku becomes more than a reflection of wants from Dragon Ball the manga, but a surprisingly relatable hero. I too have forgone my responsibilities in favor of focusing on a game I just bought that I probably couldn’t afford, or calling in sick to work to go to a movie or to visit friends. Maybe the stakes aren’t quite as high, but I’m willing to bet you’ve made the same mistake,
Still that difference in stakes is key for most. Goku isn’t a broke 20 something forfeiting rent in favor of an xbox, he’s a father using food stamps for another bottle of gin. Maybe as a young man these acts are forgivable as only you yourself reap the consequences, but if Goku falters the world pays the price. TO shuck such responsibility is really nothing short of villainous. Or is it?
While Goku may take this responsibility on himself, it’s important to remember he’s not under any obligation to do so. There’s no official title for Goku nor compensation for his work, he is under no more obligation than anyone else on earth. The only rules by which Goku can truly be judged as responsible is the heroic one: With great power comes great responsibility. If you have the ability to help someone you have the obligation to do so. By this I think it’s fair to say Goku’s status as hero is at least partially justified.
But even if you disagree and believe Goku is beholden to more than I believe he is, this interpretation opens Goku up to a lot more discourse than he’s gotten before. One of the more common criticisms of Goku is his simplicity but Goku has far more going on beneath the surface than he’s given credit for. So why does Toei try so hard to erase these traits? Once again the answer can be found in Spider-man.
While now considered one of the greatest heroes in western comics Spider-Man began his superhero career as an arrogant bully. Years of abuse at the hands of his own bully were internalized in a sea of rage that he used to extract selfish vengeance once he gain his powers. Peter Parker learned the hard way how one’s actions have long standing consequences, and how inaction can be as destructive as outright malice. Thus when Peter’s story ends and Spider-Man’s begins, it’s with the conceit that by stopping crimes he makes the world a safer place for those close to him, and lowers the chances of a random robber striking them down like his dear uncle Ben.
However, as Spider-Man increased in popularity his character began to change. He became less arrogant, less cocky, and more virtuous. Much of this was character development but just as much was marketing. If Spider-Man was to sell as many comics as Superman and Batman, He would have to be equally as virtuous as them. In the process Spider-Man became willing to sacrifice those close to him for the greater good, becoming the complete opposite of what he began as, and losing the arrogance of youth that made him so interesting.
For Goku the stakes are even higher. Goku became not just the face of manga but the face of anime everywhere, maybe even of Japan. An arrogant and selfish warrior doesn’t make for much of an ambassador, and thus Toei took the liberty of accentuating Goku’s heroism. When Goku does something short sighted, the other characters will stand around and reminisce on his previous deeds, softening the blow to our perception.
It’s clear that Toriyama’s intention with Goku wasn’t lost on his audience, as can be seen in his successors. The “Big 3” (One Piece, Naruto, Bleach) who formed the top ranks of Shonen Jump in Dragon Ball’s absence all followed this formula of flawed but ultimately heroic characters. As an adult I can recognize how My Hero Academia is a better written story than Naruto and why Izuku is a better protagonist, but as a kid Naruto was more than just a character, he was someone I can relate to. I was a shitty kid failing my tests left and right, who was falling behind the other students, and seeing that in a story about overcoming those insecurities did a lot to boost my confidence. With Izuku the few negative traits he has can still be considered virtuous to some extent, and I can’t see it having the same effect. I don’t think it’s coincidence that of the Big 3 the longest lasting and fan favorite is the one whose hero never lost his flaws.
The whitewashing of Goku is Toei’s insistence on filing down the rough edges that made Goku such a great hero to the original audience, making him into an asian superman when he’s so much more distinct and interesting than that. Ultimately, while Toei’s control of the brand and character has only increased and those edges have been more deeply filed off than ever before, Toriyama’s influence can still be felt. In the Tournament of Power Goku is presented as outright villainous to the other universes and his battle high is palpable, showing that as long as Toriyama is involved he’ll keep dyeing Goku in shades of arrogant heroism. And hopefully that will continue to bleed through to inspired more writers to create flawed heroes, and not be overlooked by those who believe the story is too simple to warrant such analysis. Like me.
