Most fans understandably condemn how Goku treats his wife Chi-Chi in Dragon Ball Z and Super, but the reason why they get married in the first place actually puts the blame more so on Chi-Chi than Goku.
In chapter #171 of Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, Chi-Chi reminds Goku that when he agreed years earlier that he would “come and get” her hand if and when Chi-Chi’s father offered it to him, he had promised to marry her. Goku mentions that while he thought at the time Chi-Chi meant that her father would be giving him food, he couldn’t argue since he did promise, and then concludes that they should better get married.
Could Chi-Chi Actually Be A Worse Partner Than Goku In Dragon Ball?
Chi-Chi essentially tricks and takes advantage of Goku’s lack of social awareness to make him agree to marry her. At the time, Chi-Chi just thought Goku was playing innocent, as she was also still just a kid. However, in the present day, Goku’s utter bewilderment should have alerted her, a now full-grown woman, to his unique situation. During Goku and Chi-Chi’s Tenkaichi tournament match, Chi-Chi clearly hears Goku when he asks Krillin loudly what she meant earlier because she performs the stereotypical anime fall. This usually happens when the afflicted character can’t believe what they’re hearing, normally because they’re flabbergasted by another person’s incompetence or just overall lack of understanding.
Warning bells should have been going off in Chi-Chi’s head all along thanks to Goku’s completely naive behavior, even when he says: “Okay! We better get married!” If anything, Chi-Chi should have asked if he still wanted to get married regardless of what he promised as a kid. Although this puts more of the responsibility on Chi-Chi and less on Goku, he’s utterly clueless. Just moments later, he misconstrues her hugging him as grabbing, to which Chi-Chi feels obligated to tell him that it’s something that couples do. Also, Chi-Chi isn’t as clueless as to not understand what’s going on, as later chapters of Dragon Ball Z and Super will prove.
Chi-Chi Still Doesn’t Deserve How Badly Goku Treats Her
Although Chi-Chi basically forced herself into a marriage with Goku (fittingly, Goku and Chi Chi’s wedding was also Dragon Ball‘s worst filler episode) this doesn’t mean that she deserves to be treated the way Goku does later on. She may have tricked her way into marrying the strongest man in the universe, but that doesn’t justify Goku’s behavior. He clearly doesn’t respect her enough as a partner since he goes against her wishes by taking their son Gohan away from his studies and putting him in dangerous situations. He puts all the responsibility of raising money on her since he won’t get a real job. Moreover, he leaves her for months, sometimes years at a time to train. Yes, Chi-Chi essentially forced Goku into marrying her, but she shouldn’t have to deal with the lack of kindness and respect she got in Dragon Ball.
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