Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super Chapter #102As Goten, Trunks, and Gohan join Goku and Vegeta on Beerus’s World in Dragon Ball Super, an important difference has emerged between the older generation of Saiyans and their offspring. That difference concerns their reasons for wanting to grow stronger, and the kids prove that they just might be better people than their fathers with their answers.
In chapter #102 of Dragon Ball Super, Goku teleports the boys to Beerus’ World to spar with Gohan, testing out the limits of his new Beast form. Vegeta suggests that Goten and Trunks have a go at Gohan first, and so the boys square up to fight. As they battle, Gohan praises them for having trained, to which Trunks replies that as heroes, they have people they must protect.
Gohan smiles and agrees that he feels the same way, as his new power-up was sparked by a desire to protect his daughter. This reason for training couldn’t be more different from that of Goku and Vegeta, who are almost exclusively concerned with becoming stronger for the sake of being strong, in a search for ever tougher opponents.
Goten, Trunks, and Gohan Are More Heroic Than Their Fathers
Dragon Ball Super by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, chapter #102, “Son Goku vs. Son Gohan”
Gohan’s primary concern throughout the Super Hero arc was Pan’s safety. The desire to keep his daughter safe helped push him to new heights, and unlock this Beast mode transformation. This is also pretty consistent with Gohan’s actions in the past, such as joining the Universe 7 Team for the Tournament of Power, which he also did to protect his family. While Goku’s example made it clear that there are times when one has to fight, Chi-Chi helped Gohan to learn the importance of things besides fighting.
“Heroes have to be strong, you know! Cuz we got people we wanna protect!” Trunks to Gohan
Goten and Trunks are a slightly different case; both have grown up in relatively peaceful conditions compared to Gohan, only really fighting in the Buu Saga. The boys are still much younger than Gohan, and have a bit of a cocky teenage attitude to them – hence their preference for flashy attacks, like those seen in the chapter. However, their hero act is not just for show. The two also have people that they care about, which pushes them to take their training more seriously. Trunks has even seen his future self struggling to protect all that remains of humanity, and knows he must live up to that.
That couldn’t be more different from Goku and Vegeta, who are seeking to become the strongest simply to see what heights they can achieve. That drive has certainly served the two Saiyans well, but it has also led them to make foolish mistakes, such as giving dangerous enemies Senzu Beans just to see them at their full power. That’s the kind of thing Gohan, Goten, and Trunks would never do because it puts the people they care about at a higher risk.
That’s not to say Goku and Vegeta don’t care about their families, of course; realizing that he does care for his family has been a driving force in Vegeta’s character development. However, that Saiyan desire to constantly fight and grow stronger can sometimes lead them to do things that, unintentionally or not, put their families in more danger. Gohan, Goten, and Trunks instead have the classical shonen desire to protect those close to them, which ultimately makes the young Saiyans of Dragon Ball Super more heroic than their fathers.
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Dragon Ball Super
Dragon Ball Super is a sequel to the original Dragon Ball series as well as the fan-favorite Dragon Ball Z anime. Dragon Ball Super takes place ten years after Majin Buu is defeated and follows Goku and his friends on all-new adventures. Much like its predecessors, Dragon Ball Super was praised throughout its 131 episodes.
- Release Date
- July 5, 2015
- Seasons
- 1
- Streaming Service(s)
- Hulu
- Franchise(s)
- Dragon Ball
- Showrunner
- Tatsuya Nagamine
