Dragon Ball Creator On Whether Goku Or Vegeta Is The Better Family Man

The past couple of weeks have been busy ones for the Dragon Ball franchise. After a lull of filler [...]

By Megan Peters - February 13, 2017 11:23 pm EST

The past couple of weeks have been busy ones for the Dragon Ball franchise. After a lull of filler episodes, Dragon Ball Super got its footing once again when a brand-new arc kicked off. The 'Universal Survival' saga made its debut once Goku finally approached the Omni-Kings to hold a multiverse martial arts tournament, but the rest of the hero's comrades weren't thrilled with the event. Not only was Beerus livid about the decision, fans feared Vegeta's reaction as the Saiyan was about to welcome a new child with Bulma.

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Of course, anyone would be stressed out if their wife had a baby on the way, and Vegeta's pacing made it clear as to how he was feeling. On the other hand, Goku seemed nonchalant about the whole ordeal and even commented that he was dead when his wife Chichi gave birth to Goten. When it comes down to it, Goku isn't much of a doting father - and that is exactly how the character was meant to be.

The creator of Dragon Ball has spoken at some length about the Saiyan race and its concept for family ties. In the past, Akira Toriyama has been asked to compare how Goku and Vegeta view family rearing, and their approached could not be more different.

"Vegeta, whose pride had been deeply wounded, sought help from Bulma, and little by little, his ruthless personality changed. Nowadays, you certainly might be able to say that," the creator told Shonen Jump during an interview about Bardock.

"On the other hand, Goku might not have a sense of family members like Gohan and Chi-Chi except as one of his companions."

The creator even went on to hint that Goku's lack of familial bonds stems from his own displaced brood. "The quartet of Bardock, Gine, Raditz, and Kakarrot make up Bardock's family, such as it is, but all four of them were never together," Toriyama said, nodding to Goku's late parents.

"Saiyans don't have much of a concept of 'family.'"

When it's put that way, fans can understand why Goku is less hands-on with his children than Vegeta. In the anime, fans can see the two Saiyans have distinctly different ways of raising their kids. While Chichi and Bulma do the bulk of parenting, training exercises and such are overseen by the warriors. While Goku is more free with Gohan and Goten, Vegeta watches over Trunks carefully when the boy trains to ensure he does everything right. And, when the children finally reach their Super Saiyan states, it is Vegeta who is most gob-smacked by his son's transformation.