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Is Goku a superhero?

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T

The Artisan

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I regret that this question even needs to be asked but based on some petty arguments I've had both on the internet and in real life, to satisfy my own restfulness I have to ask GAF.

Is Goku a superhero?

My answer is yes.

Some people say he isn't...and it seems to me that the reason for this is because superhero is synonymous with comic book. In that, in order to be a superhero, you have to be a character from a series of comic books...so, Batman, Superman, Spiderman, they are all originated in comics so they qualify as superheroes, but Goku isn't because he didn't...

...except, he does, he originated in a manga. do mangas not qualify as comic books?

-Better yet, there are a series of Bollywood films called Krrish, which, obviously were influenced by Western comics, did not have any comic book origin, but are superhero movies. So does a superhero have to originate from a comic book to qualify as one?

What do you think?
 
A superhero is someone with super powers who regularly makes an effort to save people, cities, the world, etc.

Goku barely fits into that category.
 
No, he frequently lets villains go without punishment in order to let them train, and get stronger so he can derive pleasure from it.

See: Freeza.
 
Not in the traditional sense. The guy likes eating more than saving actual citizens, and his ego is so hard to saturate that he literally wants his opponents to be on the very top of their abilities before fighting them, e.g. with Cell when he wanted him to reach his final form. He's a fucking idiot, and he doesn't seem to be giving a flying fuck about the world he's supposed to protect.

Vegeta is the real hero.
 
Nah, a martial arts guy that happens to have what would be considered super powers though. Look at the differences between him and Gohans's super hero identity.
 
There is only one true superhero in the DB universe.

tumblr_inline_nm9iygmbqw1shoc8e.gif
 
Like, if Goku decided to constantly patrol the Earth for bad guys and wrong-doers, then yeah, he would, without a doubt, be a superhero.

But he's more of a superhero by circumstance.
 
He's more of a hero by circumstance, he likes to fight strong people and a lot of time they happen to be bad guys who want to kill everyone, he doesn't actively try to save anyone that isn't a friend/family or in his immediate area.

An actual superhero would never under any circumstances allow a monster like Frieza to get off scott free to go and terrorize the rest of the universe as he pleases, Goku however doen't give a shit what he does as long he leaves the people he knows alone.
 
Yes, but not a conventional one. He has superhuman abilities and he saves Earth many times.

Yet he mostly cares about the fights rather than the duty itself.
 
I think it depends on the situation. Generally, yes. He's trying to protect the planet and believes in the good in people. But at the same time he falls into the category of Godzilla where he'll put humanity as an afterthought if he thinks he's gonna get a good fight.
 
Goku is too selfish to be hero, he really just wants to fight and make sure him and his opponent spar at maximum power.

He is only a hero because the people he fights are putting the world at risk.
 
Red Hood said:
Not in the traditional sense. The guy likes eating more than saving actual citizens, and his ego is so hard to saturate that he literally wants his opponents to be on the very top of their abilities before fighting them, e.g. with Cell when he wanted him to reach his final form. He's a fucking idiot, and he doesn't seem to be giving a flying fuck about the world he's supposed to protect.

Vegeta is the real hero.
Click to expand...

You've got that backwards. Vegeta is the one who let Cell reach his final form.

Aside from shifting the focus to Gohan when he knew that he couldn't personally beat Cell, he tried everything he could to win. The senzu bean thing was incredibly stupid, sure. But there's a bit of difference there.
 
Imperial Bishop said:
Like, if Goku decided to constantly patrol the Earth for bad guys and wrong-doers, then yeah, he would, without a doubt, be a superhero.

But he's more of a superhero by circumstance.
Click to expand...
He's an evolution of the forced circumstances introduced in classical superhero comics. His situation is far more organic and believable than his classic contemporaries, but he's still a superhero, I think.
 
EchoChamber said:
No,goku is a selfish asshole.
Click to expand...

Yeah this. He loves the act of fighting at the expense of quick decisive victories that prevent collateral damage. Worse yet is how complacent he is because of the existence of the dragon balls. The universe is simply his arena.
 
How are people going to draw similarities between Goku and Batman. Batman has actual values of noble intent and works to stick to them. He's not giving a beaten Joker Senzu beans because he's looking to have a good time in a fight.
 
you guys talk about dragon Ball z all the time. Is dragon Ball z streaming anywhere? I kind of want to watch it because you guys talk about it so much.
 
He's a guy who selfishly loves his family and Earth, and enjoys to fight.

Wanting to save your love ones and the Earth = Hero to me.
 
He's definitely super-powered. But he doesn't really do the whole secret identity or the blatant 'here I come to save the day' thing.

As a character, with all his abilities and what he actually does, I'd say you can totally call him a superhero, but his adventures and how he goes about doing things don't really fit into a superhero structure for a story.

I think a lot of people actually think of 'superhero' more for the themes and structures that come with the word rather than individual characters as 'superheroes' when they get down to it.

I mean, one could argue that devil fruit eaters are the equivalent of superheroes/villains in One Piece, while also arguing that Luffy isn't a superhero and that One Piece isn't a superhero show.

I don't have a problem with calling Goku a superhero, but I personally don't think it's entirely accurate, while I would be willing to call Maccha Green [from Rolling Girls] a superhero because she goes about her business in a different way.
 
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