As the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise, Goku was always bound to be special. He was a mysterious boy with a tail who grew up in the mountains, and who had supernatural strength the likes of which was rarely seen in his world. Those traits made following his journey exciting, but DBZ introduced an interesting new formula that made Goku even more heroic. By the time Dragon Ball Z began, Goku was already named the World's Strongest as the champion of the Tenkaichi Budokai tournament.
He also had saved the world several times, and befriended most of the strongest fighters on the planet over the course of his travels. All these feats added up to make Goku the hero fans always knew would save the day. However, Akira Toriyama had an interesting trick up his sleeve which he used to continue to make Dragon Ball Z's greatest fights so enthralling to watch, even when fans knew Goku would always save the day in the end.
Goku's Role in OG Dragon Ball Was Very Different From DBZ
Goku's Early Years Were Marked By His Constant Journey to Become the Hero
Goku's Journey in early Dragon Ball was all about his growth into becoming a hero. He started out as a naive, ignorant young boy, unaware of what the world was like outside the forest where he lived. Through his training with Master Roshi and his battles against deadly foes like the Red Ribbon Army, Goku learns what it takes to be a hero. After his final fight against King Piccolo, Goku was firmly established as the world's savior. Later, his winning the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai proved he was the Earth’s strongest martial artist. That set the stage for his new role in DBZ, which would be notably different from who he was in Dragon Ball's narrative.
Goku was no longer trying to become the hero in Dragon Ball Z, because he was long-established to be just that. That gave DBZ the opportunity to focus on other battles featuring the other Z Fighters in order to show each villain's power – only for Goku to later swoop in and save the day at the last moment. DBZ was no longer about Goku's journey to find the Dragon Balls or become a master fighter, since he had already accomplished both those things multiple times over. Instead, DBZ put focus on other characters like Gohan, Vegeta, Krillin, and Piccolo in order to make Goku more special when he did finally did show up at the last moment to play the hero.
Goku Fading Into the Background Made Him More Heroic
Giving the Other Fighters Time to Shine Showed Just How Powerful Goku Had Become
The first instance of Goku stepping into the background and giving the other characters their chance to shine in Dragon Ball Z was in the Saiyan Saga. Following his death during the fight with Raditz, Goku was sent to the Other World where he underwent training with King Kai. During that time, Gohan became the main focus along with Piccolo, which was largely by design. Gohan was meant to take up the mantle of the hero in Goku’s stead, and his training under Piccolo set that up well. When the Saiyans finally did show up on Earth as Raditz said they would, Goku was nowhere to be found, and the only ones who could stand up and fight them were the remaining Z Fighters, including Gohan.
The ensuing battle left several of Goku's friends dead; namely Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, and Piccolo. The the strongest warriors on Earth being killed with relative ease by Nappa and Vegeta made the need for a hero all the more clear. It also showed how incredibly powerful the Saiyans were, making Goku's defeat of Nappa even more amazing to witness. Had Goku been part of the fight from the beginning, the most shocking parts of the Saiyan Saga would never have happened, such as Piccolo's sacrifice to save Gohan's life, Yamcha's death to the Saibamen, and Chiatozu's self-destruction on Nappa. After how poorly the rest of the Z Fighers faired against Nappa and Vegeta, it would be impossible for audiences not to cheer when Goku finally arrived, stronger than ever.
Up to that point in Dragon Ball, Goku had firmly established himself as the hero who always saves the day, so his absence only added to the tension. It wasn't just about whether Goku could beat the bad guy anymore: it was about whether he would even show up in time to rescue his friends before it was too late. Unlike in early Dragon Ball, when Goku was still trying to learn the skills necessary to become the hero, Goku in DBZ is well-known to be the strongest. As long as Goku was involved in the fight, the Z Fighters always had a chance to win, but he was often kept away from the battlefield in a myriad of ways.
How Dragon Ball Z Kept Goku Out of the Action
Goku Was Always the Last to Show Up in Any Serious Battle Due to Him Constantly Recovering From Injuries or Being Killed
As the Saiyan Saga showed, the best way to keep Goku away from the fighting in DBZ was through death. Death infamously became far less important in DBZ as the heroes could always wish everyone back in the end. With Goku dying, however, there was an added dynamic to death because Goku's demise meant he couldn't fight alongside the Z Fighters on Earth. It wasn't just through a literal death that Goku was prevented from fighting, though.
Often, Goku would simply take a vast amount of damage from a fight, resulting in a more symbolic defeat that would keep him away from the fighting while he recovered. This was the case after the fight with Vegeta and later Captain Ginyu. In both cases, Goku was beaten to a near-death state, only to come back even stronger when the heroes needed him most. When Goku finally showed up on Namek, easily dispatched of the Ginyu Force and even read Krillin's mind, it became apparent that he had become an almost divine savior whose mere presence turned any fight in the Z Fighters' favor.
After Goku was nearly killed in the fight against Ginyu, it left Gohan, Krillin, Piccolo, and Vegeta to fight Frieza on their own: a battle which they never had a chance of winning. When Goku finally arrived, not only did he have a massive Zenkai Boost, he later became a Super Saiyan, making him the legendary hero that had been hinted at ever since Nappa's offhand comment during the Saiyan Saga. As fans could expect at this point, the result of the fight against Frieza left Goku behind to seemingly die on Namek. With Goku missing, this left room for Future Trunks to appear against Mecha Frieza.
When Goku did make it to Earth, he was once again an even more god-like, heroic character, able to block Trunks' sword with a single finger and even teleport using his new Instant Transmission technique. Every time Goku is kept away from the action in DBZ, it not only gives the other characters their moment in the sun, it grants Goku a chance to get a new – usually off-screen power-up – that makes him the strongest once again. Interestingly, Goku's absence from the fighting was set up particularly early during the Android Saga.
As soon as Goku met Future Trunks for the first time, he was warned of the Heart Virus which took his life in Trunks' own timeline. This premonition inevitably came true during the fight with Androids 19 and 20, when Goku succumbed to the Heart Disease and was out of the action until the Cell Games. As always, Goku came back from his absence even stronger, with both him and Gohan being able to retain their Super Saiyan forms for days on end with little effort. Even though Gohan was the hero of the Cell Saga, Goku's emergence from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber while still in his Super Saiyan form gave him an almost angelic quality that made him seem larger-than-life, just as he had during his first appearance on Namek several arcs earlier.
Goku Being Brought Back To Life May Not Have Been Intentional
Keeping Goku Out of the Action Takes On New Meaning When Considering How Gohan Was Supposed to be the Hero
During the early Buu Saga, Gohan was supposed to be the hero, having defeated Cell and even becoming a literal superhero during the Great Saiyaman arc. Goku refusing to be revived after dying against Cell was the perfect way to keep him away from the action and give Gohan time to shine, but it didn't quite go that way.
During his time in the Other World after dying, Goku trained with the Other World’s Heroes like Pikkon and Olibu, eventually reaching his Super Saiyan 3 form. However, Goku getting a new power-up and becoming a hero once again wasn't in the cards at first. It may have very well been that case that only after Gohan proved to be less interesting as a main character Toriyama decided to bring back Goku again. If Gohan were as beloved as Goku at the time, Gohan's Ultimate form would likely have been more than enough to defeat Buu in Goku’s absence.
Instead, Goku came back into the fight one last time, and even Vegeta was forced to admit that Goku was the only one who could beat Kid Buu. Whether it was always intended to be that way, or happened inadvertently due to Akira Toriyama's struggle with making Gohan the hero, fans may never know for sure. Whatever the case, Dragon Ball Z developed an interesting rhythm with Goku. Goku would show up at the last minute, defeat the villain while sustaining major damage or even dying, and be forced out of the fight while he recovered. Then, Goku would show up once again at the last moment and the cycle would repeat.
As a result of this formula, Goku was the last one to show up in nearly every major battle, making it all the more special when he finally did. Goku became a true superhero in DBZ, even if he didn't wear a cape and a mask like the Great Saiyaman. Goku's new role in Dragon Ball Z made him into something of a messianic, savior figure. Early Dragon Ball turned Goku into the perfect hero who always found a way to save the day, and DBZ leaned into the aspect of his character more than ever. By allowing him to play the background in every fight and show up to save the day at just the last minute, Goku's appearances became far more special.
