'Dragon Ball Super' Reveals a Rare Tender Gohan and Goku Father-Son Moment

Dragon Ball Super Dub's latest episode was the rare gem that actually put a lot of focus on the [...]

Dragon Ball Super Dub's latest episode was the rare gem that actually put a lot of focus on the relationship between Goku and his son, Gohan. This time around, Goku and Gohan were both trying to push themselves and their team of fighters, in preparation for the dire challenges of the upcoming Tournament of Power. And so they fought, making "progress" in the only way Saiyans know how.

As intense as the battle between Goku and Gohan was, however, this episode wasn't all about them locking fists and testing power-ups - there was actually a tender moment between father and son, which you don't see very often (at all) in the Dragon Ball series.

The first round of the Universe 7 team's sparring match was a tag-team bout, with Goku and Gohan each teammed with a fellow Z-Fighter (Tien and Piccolo, respectively). When that destructive bout wasn't enough for Gohan, he and Goku traded blows in a one-on-one match.

As most fans would probably expect, Goku ultimately wipes the floor with Gohan. Despite Gohan unlocking a massive power boost, Goku's Super Saiyan Blue form with a Kaio-Ken boost left Gohan knocked unconscious and falling out of the sky. That's when we get a truly rare tender moment between Goku and Gohan, as father catches son just before he crashes into the ground, proudly looking down at him and proclaiming the following: "Let's keep pushing each other son. As far as we can."

At this point in the Dragon Ball series, the debate about Goku's qualifications as a father are debated so often it's become it's own series of memes! In truth, it's always been Piccolo (or others) who takes the time and care to truly train Gohan in ways that unlock his greatest powers - Goku is usually too busy training for some epic fight, fighting in some epic fight, or being dead after some kind of epic fight. This latest interaction between Goku and Gohan is one of the more significant ones we've seen in the series - even if it comes at such a mundane time. What makes this particular Goku/Gohan moment especially... well, special, is the fact that it was both a physical contest, and moment of emotional tenderness between the two. Getting both of things together is something we haven't really seen since the series-defining moment that young SSJ2 Gohan defeated Cell with Goku's ghost hanging over shoulder. It's definitely nice to see it again - and will be even nicer the day that Gohan finally leaves his old man laid out on the ground.

Dragon Ball Super: Broly officially releases in Japan this December. Funimation will be bringing the film to theaters in the United States on January 16th. Dragon Ball Super currently airs its English dub on Adult Swim during the Toonami programming block Saturday evenings at 9:30 p.m. It is also available to stream on Funimation and Amazon Video. The Japanese language release of the series is complete, and available to stream on FunimationNOW, VRV, and Crunchyroll.

0comments