Goku is a Jerk

Last night I watched the finale of the Dragon Ball Z television series. If you haven't seen it (or the rest of the Dragon Ball Z series) and are planning to there are spoilers ahead, but the show has been over for a few years now so I think we should be safe.

I believe near the end of the Dragon Ball series was when Goku and his now-wife Chi-Chi got married. I haven't seen most of Dragon Ball yet, I'm working my way back to it. Anyway, for the purposes of Dragon Ball Z, they are married at the start of the series and have a young son, Gohan.

Chi-Chi comes off as very over-bearing, forbiding Gohan from learning to fight like his dad and admonishing Goku for his lack of ambition, employment, and so forth. It's meant to be played up for comedy, as Chi-Chi comes across as a very high-strung control freak. The world is going to end and Chi-Chi is more concerned with Gohan's grades than existence as we know it ceasing.

However, while watching the finale last night, it really hit me how selfish Goku really is and how Chi-Chi really doesn't deserve the reputation she has.

Goku has been blowing his friends off for years, continuing to train relentlessly with no menace in sight. When he finally does show his face, it's to enter the World Martial Arts tournament. Long story short, after his match in the Finals Goku tells his family that he is going to be leaving them for a few years to train a new fighter.

Goku mentoring a new fighter isn't the problem, it makes sense. However, while his oldest son Gohan is grown up and presumably living on his own, his younger son Goten is still a teenager. He doesn't discuss any of this with his wife, nor does he even tell her in private; she has to find out when he drops the bomb on everybody.

Goku did not enter into this mentoring agreement spontaneously, he had it all planned out and never even mentioned it to his wife, who he has just made a single parent, again, so that he can train a new fighter. And not even so that fighter can protect the Earth, no, it's because Goku can't find anybody powerful enough to give him a good scrap anymore.

What I find really troubling is that distance is nothing to Goku. With his instant transmission ability he could be home for dinner with a snap of his fingers. But no, instead he chooses to abandon his family to fulfil his own dreams and desires.

Throughout the series I'd have to say Goku is a pretty poor father. There is no doubt that he loves his sons, but I think I can say pretty safely that Piccolo has been more of a father-figure to Goku's boys, especially Gohan, than Goku has ever been.

So really, who can blame Chi-Chi for getting bent out of shape when Goku says he has to go save the world again? He is constantly, even when the world is not in danger, leaving her behind to look after their home and family. She hardly ever knows if she is a single parent or not, and even when Goku is around you could argue he's just a third child to look after.

While it may have been funny once upon a time to play up Chi-Chi as the overbearing spouse, in reality she is a pretty strong woman dealing with a very irresponsible husband, if you can even call him that.