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guek · Feb 21, 2017

People who have been following DB Super have been reminded lately of how much of a prick Goku could be

when he turned out to directly be the reason everyone's life is at risk in this upcoming arc

. The point is, the japanese version of Goku was a decent enough guy but frequently did incredibly reckless stuff when he realistically should be prioritizing saving everyone. The funi dub in comparison had many more heroic lines for Goku, and is a much more noble character overall.

JaxBlade on youtube explains the difference pretty well. He has a preference too -

the Funi dub with Falconer music.

I personally had more exposure to the Toriyama version of the character having read Dragon Ball in its entirety (in Korean) before the Funimation run in the states finally concluded. I like the Funi dub too but when I think Goku, I usually think of the manga.

Zalman · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama (manga) Goku is the best and most likeable. He's silly, but not completely stupid. He's serious when he needs to be.

Magwik · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama Goku because that way Vegeta is actually the best character

sirap · Feb 21, 2017

Manga (Toriyama) Goku is the best.

EVOL 100% · Feb 21, 2017

They're taking it way too far in Super (maybe intentionally), but Goku in the original series is an innocent prick and I love it.

Dub Goku is boring

Toki767 · Feb 21, 2017

Funimation's Goku never really made much sense to me since it's kind of evident that Goku has never really developed mentally from Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Z to Dragon Ball Super.

Monocle · Feb 21, 2017

I like loveable goof Goku who gets serious when he fights. Whichever one that is.

Also, Falconer all the way.

dickroach · Feb 21, 2017

The Goku I'm seeing in Super is a little bit more interesting than the let's just wait till all these meaningless fights are over so he can come and save the day Goku from Z.
that Goku just wanted to be strong so he could save the world, this new Goku is some power hungry lunatic.

Rymuth · Feb 21, 2017

dickroach said:
The Goku I'm seeing in Super is a little bit more interesting than the let's just wait till all these meaningless fights are over so he can come and save the day Goku from Z.
that Goku just wanted to be strong so he could save the world, this new Goku is some power hungry lunatic.

D:

Sounds terrifying when you put it that away

Tookay · Feb 21, 2017

Funimation (Superman) Goku > DBZ Toriyama (likes fighting) Goku >>>>>>>>> DB Super (fucking moron) Goku

At least Vegeta is consistently the best character in all versions.

Breads · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama Goku makes way more sense than Superman Goku.

- J - D - · Feb 21, 2017

Superman Goku is better because he is the anti-thesis of the Saiyan personality type.

Anth0ny · Feb 21, 2017

toriyama because that's goku

clay_ghost · Feb 21, 2017

EVOL 100% said:
They're taking it way too far in Super (maybe intentionally), but Goku in the original series is an innocent prick and I love it.

Dub Goku is boring

Toriyama just wanted to see how the west adapt this Goku to be Superman.

Ambition · Feb 21, 2017

Funi + Bruce Falc OST is pretty untouchable imo

Sami+ · Feb 21, 2017

Manga Goku obviously. Though Super is kind of just dumb.

SolarPowered · Feb 21, 2017

Super Goku is a selfish maniac and it drives me nuts that people actually depend on this dude in an emergency. Bulma and Vegeta seem more rational than ever, though. I'd rather count on Vegeta in super.

Edit: Misread the OP and thought Toriyama Goku was referring to the one in Super. Manga Goku is still fine.

foxuzamaki · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama goku, he is more interesting as someone who is selfish and who only saves the world by accident purely cause he fought the dude

Arby 'n' the Chief · Feb 21, 2017

BurnMuhBread said:
Funi + Bruce Falc OST is pretty untouchable imo

This

best version of dbz

thepotatoman · Feb 21, 2017

Never saw the sub for Z, but I always thought the selfish side of Goku still showed up on the dub. I liked the subtlety.

Going from that to the Super sub is crazy. Makes me wonder how any of his friends can stand him.

I also like that in the Dub of Z, that if characters can get to the point where they feel they have to call him out for being selfish, there's a little character development through shame, unlike the sub where it's like talking to a brick wall, and they need to threaten all of reality for a really dumb Goku action to get him to maybe finally learn his lesson.

dickroach · Feb 21, 2017

thepotatoman said:
Never saw the sub for Z, but I always thought the selfish side of Goku still showed up on the dub. I liked the subtlety.

yeah iirc there were a few situations where he could've finished a fight in an instant but didn't because he wanted to let it drag out so the villain could get stronger or some stupid shit like that. mankind is threatened, but he gets to feel like extra strong if he wins!

Eidan · Feb 21, 2017

Goku is a prick who never faces any comeuppance for his selfishness and idiocy. So I guess I prefer the version that attempts to mitigate that problem.

Bishop89 · Feb 21, 2017

the one with faulconer

Alienous · Feb 21, 2017

'Toriyama' Goku.

He's more interesting as an idiot who enjoys fighting.

RedAssedApe · Feb 21, 2017

McDonald's eye goku

eggandI · Feb 21, 2017

Dragon Ball isn't even remotely well written enough for this to matter to me at all. Both are whatever.

Sgt. Kabukiman · Feb 21, 2017

I've never seen the Funimation version but I always had an issue with the way Goku was written in DBZ. He was always an idiot who liked fighting over anything else but Toriyama eventually took it too far. In early DB it was revealed that Goku was completely pure of heart and had no character flaws. That's clearly not true considering how incredibly selfish and reckless he became. He's straight up unlikable, you can't root for a guy like that. Plus he's a shitty father.

Piccolo, Gohan and Krilin are the true heroes.

Tsunamo · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama Goku always. Going back to the Funimation Goku now is hard. (though nostalgia for the music and dialog makes it a bit easier)

Super Goku sadly is the worst of the lot for me as much as I love the show. They take his stupidness to a whole other level and I feel they rarely get a good balance of Gokus character traits right there.

Alienous · Feb 21, 2017

Sgt. Kabukiman said:
I've never seen the Funimation version but I always had an issue with the way Goku was written in DBZ. He was always an idiot who liked fighting over anything else but Toriyama eventually took it too far. In early DB it was revealed that Goku was completely pure of heart and had no character flaws. That's clearly not true considering how incredibly selfish and reckless he became. He became unlikable, you can't root for a guy like that. Plus he's a shitty father.

Piccolo, Gohan and Krilin are the true heroes.

Is the true? I thought the whole Nimbus situation was him carrying no ill will towards anyone. His intentions are never bad, basically.

Sandfox · Feb 21, 2017

I don't like Superman Goku because it feels random and unfitting based on how Funimation wrote Goku in Dragonball. It also goes against what Goku is actually supposed to be like.

munchie64 · Feb 21, 2017

It's a shame that there has to be a distinction tbh.

I prefer the Toriyama Goku since it adds complexity to the character which I feel both Toei and Funimation to varying degrees tried to take away.

The problem now is that Toei is overcompensating with Super in trying to write Toriyama's Goku and not doing the best job ever (though I respect the attempts). Funnily enough, the differences between the American and Japanese Goku (which is now very slight, though still easily apparent) may lessen this problem significantly.

Sgt. Kabukiman · Feb 21, 2017

Alienous said:
Is the true? I thought the whole Nimbus situation was him carrying no ill will towards anyone. His intentions are never bad, basically.

It was stated outright in the French manga during the tournament where Baba had him fight a devil / vampire if I remember correctly. But it might be a mistranslation for all I know.
Edit: I'm pretty sure Baba read his mind or something and said "he has no flaws", meaning he was neither selfish nor reckless, etc. Of course, Toriyama and his memory...

lvl99 Pixel · Feb 21, 2017

could tolerate gokus personality when he was a kid, but hes the same if not worse as an adult, and retconning him into an alien whose race enjoys fighting just seemed to push that shit.

Jindrax · Feb 21, 2017

BurnMuhBread said:
Funk + Bruce Falc OST is pretty untouchable imo

This. I miss DBZ Goku. Super just makes him legit seem like a retard

Teren_Kanan · Feb 21, 2017

DBZA Goku best Goku.

lvl99 Pixel · Feb 21, 2017

Teren_Kanan said:
DBZA Goku best Goku.

abridged? this is definitely the only correct answer

DigitalRicket · Feb 21, 2017

I actually like both takes on the character. I feel when Goku gets serious during some of the more pivotal fights his lines hold much more weight in English than in the Japanese version. I feel it holds true in reverse, since when he's being silly in the Funi dub it's almost like they're course correcting to be more like the Japanese version.

Really, I enjoy both for what they are and actually love that there is variety between the versions.

MKIL65 · Feb 21, 2017

Big Green Dub Goku, obviously.

In honesty, Funi Goku I like more

Sheroking · Feb 21, 2017

Probably Funi, but that has more to do with my legit hatred of Nozawa's voice than it does any character difference.

It's not as though we're going to get to the new arc in Super and Funi is going to completely change his fuck-up.

Alienous · Feb 21, 2017

Teren_Kanan said:
DBZA Goku best Goku.

Dragon Ball Z Abridged Goku is consistently the worst thing about that series. Every other character has one foot on ridiculousness, whereas Goku exists completely in that realm.

Eidan · Feb 21, 2017

Alienous said:
Dragon Ball Z Abridged Goku is consistently the worst thing about that series. Every other character has one foot on ridiculousness, whereas Goku exists completely in that realm.

After watching Super, I'd say Abridged's Goku is a pretty faithful adaptation of the character.

RedAssedApe · Feb 21, 2017

Sgt. Kabukiman said:
I've never seen the Funimation version but I always had an issue with the way Goku was written in DBZ. He was always an idiot who liked fighting over anything else but Toriyama eventually took it too far. In early DB it was revealed that Goku was completely pure of heart and had no character flaws. That's clearly not true considering how incredibly selfish and reckless he became. He's straight up unlikable, you can't root for a guy like that. Plus he's a shitty father.

Piccolo, Gohan and Krilin are the true heroes.

Being pure of heart doesn't mean that you're perfect. Just that your actions don't have any bad intentions behind them. Hes basically a man child.

CrimsonSquall · Feb 21, 2017

Some of u guys remind me of my manga obsessed friends. Saying u like something bc it's the way it was originally intended is lame. That makes it sound like it's impossible to be better in different hands. Also, who really cares and why does it matter?

My preference aligns with Funimation Goku, but the OG has it's time and place as well and I'm glad they co-exist as different types

The Hamburglar · Feb 21, 2017

This is one of those series is when the English dub is superior.

Japanese goku was the most annoying prick ever. Japense vegeta was pure evil and half the time over the top for no reason. I never managed to watch the sub until vegeta changes properly into a good guy at the end of z.

English goku was actually a decentish character.

StayDead · Feb 21, 2017

Toriyama Goku is the best.

JustSomeone · Feb 21, 2017

Goku is a terrible character in every version.

Aaron Strife · Feb 21, 2017

Faulconer DBZ is great if you like soundtracks composed for restless children who will change the channel if it doesn't switch from hardcore buttrock to goofy clown music and back again every five seconds.

But that doesn't really have anything to do with how Goku is portrayed in the dub versus the original anyway.

Surprise surprise, I like the original Goku better. A character who's not necessarily acting in the best interests of everyone is a stronger deviation from the Superman archetype, but also the actions of the character and those around him are written based on how he behaved in the original version. No matter how much the dub or even the Toei run of Z fluffs up Goku's character, there are some things that just make more sense with his original characterization. Superman Goku often makes decisions in spite of himself.

CrimsonSquall said:
Some of u guys remind me of my manga obsessed friends. Saying u like something bc it's the way it was originally intended is lame. That makes it sound like it's impossible to be better in different hands. Also, who really cares and why does it matter?

My preference aligns with Funimation Goku, but the OG has it's time and place as well and I'm glad they co-exist as different types

I agree that "they changed it now it sucks" is usually a poor argument, but it's a little different with dubbed anime where the footage is the same in both versions. The original dub of DBZ is awful at maintaining a consistent tone with what's happening onscreen, due to Funimation's compulsion to joke everything up. They also change the story to be at odds with what's actually happening (Bardock: "Don't be afraid of him men!")

Kain-Nosgoth · Feb 21, 2017

Goku is stupid as fuck but i still prefer the original version (toriyama)! And i grew up with a manly goku too (french version)

Also i understand that nostalgia is a huge factor in this.... but man i don't understand how anyone can like faulconer music

Aaron Strife said:
Faulconer DBZ is great if you like soundtracks composed for restless children who will change the channel if it doesn't switch from hardcore buttrock to goofy clown music and back again every five seconds.

Exactly

lvl99 Pixel · Feb 21, 2017

Alienous said:
Dragon Ball Z Abridged Goku is consistently the worst thing about that series. Every other character has one foot on ridiculousness, whereas Goku exists completely in that realm.

at least its funny when taken to its logical extreme and not trying to convince you hes a good person.

the_batman · Feb 21, 2017

the one that doesn't sound like an old lady

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