Goku is one of anime’s most powerful martial artists, and that strength often puts the villains of the Dragon Ball universe at his mercy. As every true DBZ fan knows, one of Goku’s most fatal flaws is his tendency to often give the absolute worst villains a second chance, despite the obvious inherent risk associated with his decision. In some cases, Goku showing the villains mercy led to the greatest villain redemption arcs in history, as was the case with Piccolo and Vegeta. In other cases, though, Goku’s merciful nature caused things to go horribly wrong.
Despite how the English Dub of Dragon Ball Z might’ve made him appear, Goku is actually not someone who is merciful and forgiving out of a strong sense of justice. Instead, Akira Toriyama’s ideal version of Goku in the manga was an individual who valued fighting powerful opponents who could push him to his limits above all else. This admiration for strength, combined with an innocent gullibility, very frequently resulted in Goku’s having given the wrong person a second chance.
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Raditz Appealed to Goku’s Brotherly Love to Trick His Opponent
As Seen in Dragon Ball Z Episode 4, “Piccolo’s Plan”
Half-way through the fight with Raditz in early Dragon Ball Z, Goku had the perfect opportunity to defeat his villainous brother for good. While Goku and Piccolo were no match for Raditz as individual fighters, their combat IQs and team work gave them the upperhand. Goku used his knowledge of Saiyan physiology to recognize Raditz’s weakness, his tail, and took advantage of this to keep his brother from moving for long enough to allow Piccolo to charge his Special Beam Cannon technique. Unfortunately, Goku’s trusting nature was a poor match against Raditz’s serpent tongue.
I was never going to kill you or the boy. Once I was sure that I couldn’t persuade you to join us, I was going to leave this planet, for good!
It’s understandable why Goku would show mercy to Raditz, of all people. Unlike any other villain in Dragon Ball, Raditz is literal family to Goku. Sadly, Raditz knew exactly how to use his familial relationship with Goku to manipulate his opponent’s kind-hearted nature in his greatest moment of weakness. Still, Goku truly shows his gullible side in just accepting what a person who is only moments away from death on the receiving end of Piccolo’s Special Beam Cannon tells him.
The most unfortunate thing about Goku sparing Raditz is that it didn’t even bear fruit in the same way some of Goku’s other shows of mercy did. Sparing Vegeta and Piccolo led to Goku receiving some of his closest allies and friends, and it would’ve made perfect sense for that to happen with Goku’s own brother too. Instead, Raditz was only ever seen in anime-only filler scenes after that, and Goku pretty much never even thought about his older brother again. It took until Dragon Ball Super for Raditz to get even a passing hint of added character development.
Frieza Was Way Too Far Gone For Redemption on Namek
As Seen in Dragon Ball Z Episode 105, “Mighty Blast of Revenge”
In the aftermath of Goku’s fight with Frieza on Namek, Frieza was left cut in half by his own Destructo Disk whilke Goku was left with mere moments to spare to escape the dying planet. For any other fighter, being chopped in half would have meant certain death, but Frieza’s unique genetic makeup would allow him to live through even worse circumstances than these. This being the case, Goku probably should have destroyed Frieza down to the molecule when he had the chance.
It’s done. Your energy is decreasing with every blow. You’re not even a challenge to me anymore… It would be meaningless to fight you now, you’re too scared and ashamed.
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Instead, Goku chose to let Frieza live, perceiving him as no longer being a threat. Goku even went so far as to tell Frieza to use his remaining energy to live after the planet is destroyed and “think about [his] defeat”. Of course, Frieza isn’t one to deal well with having his pride broken by a mere monkey. As Goku turned to leave in pursuit of a means of escaping Planet Namek before it was too late, Frieza ministered up the last of his energy for a final sneak attack on the Super Saiyan.
While the attack itself did little to Goku, as he was able to easily overpower it, the intent behind the blast is where its true power lied. Even after the destruction of Namek, Frieza lived on, and his hatred for Goku & the Saiyans was far from dead. While he could do little of consequence against Future Trunks after he arrived on Earth, Frieza’s quest for revenge could’ve easily led to casualties had Trunks not arrived when he did. Goku sparing Frieza was the ultimate shot to the villain’s pride that sent him down a years-long spiral on an endless quest for revenge.
Perfect Cell Would’ve Had a More Difficult Time Against Gohan Without a Senzu Bean
As Seen in Dragon Ball Z Episode 191, “Faith in a Boy”
Perfect Cell was the perfect warrior in a way not even Goku could hope to challenge. In their one-on-one fight, Goku showed promise, but Cell’s infinite storage of Ki as an Android meant Goku would lose the long game every time. However, Goku wasn’t worried because he had a secret weapon: Gohan. Goku was more than aware that Gohan had the inner power to defeat Cell – he just needed to figure out how to tap into it.
Fans still debate about Goku’s decision to give Perfect Cell a Senzu bean during the Cell Games, and for good reason. There are multiple factors at play which ultimately led to Gohan turning Super Saiyan 2 with the power to beat Cell, and at least one of those factors was Goku giving Cell the Senzu. In that sense, Goku showing mercy to Cell might’ve actually been a major catalyst for the Z Fighters’ success, even if it didn’t go anything like Goku expected. On the other hand, Goku’s simple explanation for why he gave Cell the Senzu certainly doesn’t do him any favors. As Goku put it, he just wanted Cell to be at his best so to make it a “fair” fight.
Look, Cell’s kind of worn out right now. It just wouldn’t be fair if Gohan beats him when he isn’t at his best, you know. – Goku
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While Goku’s sense of sportsmanship is admirable, the Cell Games are different than any other martial arts tournament Goku had been a part of at that point in that it determined the fate of the entire universe. Cell was definitely stronger than Goku, but it wouldn’t have been impossible to beat Cell if every Saiyan teamed up. Trunks was actually comparable to Perfect Cell in raw power using his Super Saiyan Third Grade form, he was just too slow. Trunks tapping into that power while the other Z Fighters kept Cell occupied might’ve been a solid strategy to overcome their opponent, even without Gohan’s untapped potential.
Goku giving Cell a Senzu was his way of acknowledging his confidence in his son, but it had the unforeseen result of nearly causing all the Z Fighters’ deaths. The severe beating the Z Fighters took at the hands of the Cell Jrs played a major role in Gohan’s transformation, which might not have been possible without the Senzu debacle. Still, it’s arguable that Gohan still could’ve turned SSJ2 had Cell not gotten a Senzu bean anyway, which would’ve given him an even greater advantage in the long haul. It’s tough to say how differently things could’ve gone if even a single detail about the lead-up to Super Saiyan 2 Gohan were changed, but it’s undeniable that Cell was not the kind of person for Goku to show mercy to.
Majin Buu Should’ve Been Destroyed When Super Saiyan 3 Goku Had The Chance
As Seen in Dragon Ball Z Episode 245, “Super Saiyan 3?!”
Goku didn’t show mercy to Majin Buu in DBZ for the same reason as he did other villains like Piccolo or Vegeta. While Goku spared many villains because he wanted them as his rivals, Goku allowed Majin Buu to live in order to leave the fate of the Earth in the hands of the next generation of fighters like Gohan and Gotenks. In a way, Goku had the right intention at heart, as he only sought to teach his sons a lesson and leave them the tools they needed to fend for themselves in an inevitable future without him. However, he was misguided in underestimating Majin Buu’s abilities and intelligence.
Based on Majin Buu’s battle power alone, Goku was right in expecting that Ultimate Gohan or SSJ3 Gotenks would’ve been strong enough to beat Buu (even if he wasn’t aware of either Gohan nor Gotenks’ strongest forms at the time). The Majin Buu Goku fought as a Super Saiyan 3 was not only far weaker than the Super Buu that fought Gotenks and Gohan, but Goku didn’t account for the immaturity of his and Vegeta’s sons. Both Gotenks and Gohan were more than strong enough to beat Buu quickly, but their overconfidence kept Buu around long enough to give him an opportunity to exploit their weaknesses.
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In a way, Gohan and Gotenks both fell victim to the same fatal flaw both Goku and Vegeta were known for. Namely, an overconfidence that gives their enemies a chance to find a way to win. Super Vegeta was more than strong enough to kill Imperfect Cell, but his pride caused him to let Cell power up to a level that made him nigh-unbeatable. Similarly, Goku could’ve easily killed Majin Buu as a Super Saiyan 3, but he let his opponent live due to his overconfidence in his sons’ maturity and combat IQs. In the end, Gotenks didn’t finish Buu off when he had the chance, and neither did Gohan, proving that the apple doesn’t fall from the tree.
Moro Took Goku’s Kindness For Weakness – And He Was Right
As Seen in Dragon Ball Super Chapter 65, “Son Goku, Earthling”
Moro was always one of the worst criminals in the entire galaxy, so Goku should’ve expected as much from the start. By the time he fought Moro in Dragon Ball Super, Goku seemed to have forgotten the many lessons he learned from giving villains like Cell and Frieza a second chance in DBZ. In almost an exact mirror of how he spared Frieza in DBZ, Goku told Moro that he would spare him if he voluntarily went back to prison. Then, as if forgetting how Cell nearly destroyed his entire planet years prior, Goku goes on to even give Moro a Senzu Bean to recover his strength.
Goku’s overconfidence after mastering Ultra Instinct got the better of him, as he underestimated Moro’s cunning. Goku’s dillydallying gave Moro plenty of time to recover the hand he used to touch Merus with, granting him the divine technique of Ultra Instinct. What’s arguably even worse about Goku showing mercy to Moro than any other villain is the fact that all his friends pleaded with him continually to finish what he started, and they were all right.
That’s a real shame, cuz I never came across anyone as tough as you. If you were a decent guy, I’d love to fight again after you’d gone through some training.
Unlike during the Cell Games, when Piccolo yelled at Goku for dooming his son to death against Cell, Goku did not have some deeper plan or knowledge of a greater power no one else was aware of. Goku’s motivation for letting Moro live came off much more like what it was for Vegeta in the manga: a selfish excuse to fight a strong opponent in the future. However, unlike Vegeta, who truly was the toughest opponent Goku could’ve faced at that time, Moro was actually not the strongest opponent Goku had to aspire to defeat. At this point in Dragon Ball Super, Goku had opponents like Beerus, Whis, and even Vegeta himself, whose Ultra Ego power-up in the very next arc would immediately make him competitive with Ultra Instinct.
Sparing Moro was the ultimate failure for Goku as it literally mirrored almost every other instance of mistaken mercy he had shown in the past, proving that Goku is incapable of learning from his DBZ mistakes in Dragon Ball Super. Goku foolishly listened to Moro’s lies like he did with Raditz, he was convinced Moro could change as with Frieza, and he even gave Moro as Senzu Bean like he did with Cell. As admirable as Goku’s propensity to show forgiveness is, maybe next time instead of sparing the villian, he should just spare his friends the headache and end the fight before it’s too late.
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Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies
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Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
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Summary
Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.
