A common theme in the Dragon Ball fandom that is often the subject of both complaints and jokes is the perception of Goku's parenting style. By and large, it would seem that based on the events of Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super for that matter, that Goku is a terrible father.
This deadbeat dad persona is easy to look past given the number of times he has saved the world, but regardless of whether or not it is the truth, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot aims to fix this and refutes the claim that Goku is a bad dad. The bond between Goku and Gohan feels much more real and takes a central place in the first saga of Bandai Namco's new single player Dragon Ball game.
For those that don't know, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot retells the story of Dragon Ball Z with precision and accuracy as important components. Developers have claimed that the game will be the most faithful retelling of the anime to date, but that does not mean they haven't added in some original content. Although a lot of the story happens off screen (like the Earthlings training with Kami or Goku running Snake's Way), there is a lot of new material as well, like some touching moments between Goku and his son.
The opening moments of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot kick off with Goku and Gohan spending some quality time together. After a quick image training tutorial, Gohan finds his father and reminds him that Chi-Chi wanted them to get some food. What follows is a short but sweet portion of the game in which Gohan runs around collecting apples and marveling at dinosaurs while Goku follows behind him making remarks like any proud father would. The two even go fishing together and ride back home on the flying nimbus.
Once they return home, Chi-Chi reminds Goku that he was supposed to introduce Gohan to the other Z Warriors, picking up about where the anime began. This beginning sequence helps to show that Goku is a good dad and that, just because his activity with Gohan wasn't shown on screen, doesn't mean it didn't happen. It also tells that introducing Gohan to the others was actually Goku's idea, which is a neat detail that further proves the care Goku feels for his son. Unfortunately, this introduction doesn't go as planned, and Raditz soon arrives, stealing Gohan away by the end of the encounter.
Goku wastes no time in chasing after this foe that is much more powerful than he, and it is clear he is very upset by the abduction of his son. Although Goku does a few bad things in the Dragon Ball Z anime, like giving Cell a senzu bean and making Gohan fight him, most of these things aren't done from a place of parenthood, but rather are reflections on the simple way Goku thinks. Part of the reason why people think Goku is a bad parent is because it's really not part of his character.
By contrast, many people view Vegeta as the better father figure than Goku, but Vegeta was also, arguably, a terrible father. It is stated that he had never held Trunks before their embrace during Vegeta's fight with Majin Buu, and that was one of the first times Vegeta showed he cared for his family at all. These facts all point towards Vegeta being a bad father but are painted in a better light because a major character arc for Vegeta is his transition from a heartless enemy to loving father and protector of Earth.
Vegeta gets more attention paid to his fathering because it is important to his character, whereas viewers were probably meant to assume that Goku was a good dad without needing to see it. Overall, it's a good picture and really shows how much time and thought when it to recreating the story in Dragon Ball: Z Kakarot.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
