Dragon Ball is incredibly important for the history of anime.
Summary:
- Dragon Ball inspired many shounen series that came later, and many protagonists resemble Goku in some ways.
- He’s heroic and he trains hard for his success, but he isn’t without faults.
- These tropes weren’t invented by Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball is often credited for being the trope-setter for many shounen after it. That includes the Big Three — One Piece, Naruto, and Bleach — as well as other battle shounen series that came after.
Being a trope-setter, of course, includes the protagonist influencing other shounen protagonists after him. So, how exactly is Goku important for the battle shounen genre, and what does he have in common with characters from other battle shounen series?
Goku Inspired Many Other Battle Shounen Protagonists
First of all, Dragon Ball is one of the first battle shounen series where the protagonist had to train extensively to become very strong. “Hard work is important” trope definitely existed before it, but it wasn’t popularized before it — and it definitely wasn’t taken as one of the main messages for the genre.
Interestingly enough, the Dragon Ball franchise gets criticized for Goku being too overpowered without working for it. That sentiment stems from people skipping the original series and starting with DBZ — while most of the training happens in the first part.
Goku’s attitude towards life also influenced many battle shounen protagonists. He’s kind-hearted and heroic, but also shows streaks of being too obsessed with fights. The former is more common among battle shounen protagonists, for sure, but the latter also exists — a good example is Ichigo from Bleach.
Goku is not the smartest character either. He’s not stupid, that’s for sure, but his heroism often makes him rush into things without thinking properly. We do get smart protagonists every now and then, but characters like this are more popular — it’s easier for the audience to root for a character who often does the right things no matter what.
Dragon Ball Didn’t Invent These Tropes, but It Made Them Popular
While none of these character tropes were invented by Dragon Ball — in fact, a lot of shounen tropes are older, dating back to series like Saint Seiya — Dragon Ball’s impact on the industry cannot be understated. As such, they are commonly associated with Goku and characters somewhat inspired by him.
Still, some of Goku’s character traits we wish we didn’t see. He seems to care more about fighting strong enemies than about spending time with his family. It’s a thing he gets criticized for, and it’s good that other shounen protagonists aren’t like that. Except for, potentially, Naruto, who’d rather do paperwork than talk to his children.