One of the oldest criticisms of Dragon BallThe main character's problem is his incompetence as a father. From the moment he is introduced into the series, Gohan was kidnapped right under Goku's nose.and was then forced to live in harsh conditions while training under Piccolo. Goku then spent most of his time dead in the afterlife, after refusing to be revived with the Dragon Balls.
However, despite his past sins, Most of the criticism aimed at Goku is misdirected.. He may not be a conventional parent, but nothing in the world of Dragon Ball is conventional.
Goku is also the protector of Earth, and that role is incorporated into many of his actions or decisions throughout the series. Given the circumstances, Goku is actually capable of being the best father he could be.
Raising Different Children in the Strongest Family on Earth
Raising the next generation of heroes comes with a different parenting strategy.
While some may point to Goku's failure to protect Gohan in the introduction of Dragon Ball Z as the first example of him being a bad father, His actions after kidnapping Gohan prove otherwise.. Speeding up the journey to and from King Kai's planet, Goku arrived in time to save his son from the invading Saiyans, before restoring him to full health with a senzu bean. A similar event occurred on Namek, when Goku arrived during the fight against the Ginyu Force. Completely ignoring his enemy, he first takes care of Gohan, reviving him with a senzu bean and making sure he is okay..
There is also a war with Cell, Goku realizes that he was at fault in the brawl and cleans up his mess by sacrificing himself to save his son and the Earth.. It's easy to point to these situations and ask why Gohan was put in danger in the first place. But the truth of the matter is, Parenting is a little different for Goku, as he and his family have the constant responsibility of saving humanity.. That was the point of the Cell Saga after all; that even though Gohan didn't want to fight, there was still a certain responsibility to shoulder when only he had the ability to win.
Piccolo is probably worse for Gohan than Goku
Gohan and Piccolo are considered the best teacher-student pair of Dragon Balland because of the large role Piccolo continues to play in Gohan's life, many fans believe that he is a better father than Goku. After his encounter with Raditz, while Goku spends time with King Kai in the afterlife, Piccolo trains Gohan to toughen him up for the upcoming Saiyan invasion.
However, it seems that many people forget about this part of the series, is how brutal Piccolo was to Gohan when he was only four years old.. His method may have worked in the end, but Piccolo abandoned the young child in the middle of a wasteland, forcing him to fend for himself in a world filled with ferocious animals and dinosaurs. Regardless of Gohan's ability to survive in those conditions, Piccolo's training was worse than anything Goku did to him..
Unfortunately, much of Goten's childhood took place off-screen, as Goku's second son never got to enjoy the focus that Dragon Ball gave Gohan. But if the ending of Dragon Ball Z is anything to go by, it can be inferred that Goten spent most of his childhood in peace with his family. While his parenting methods may not have been entirely normal, Goku gets a lot of criticism for raising two of the strongest warriors on Earth.
