Goku is famous and considered one of the most powerful characters in the Anime World. He is incredibly strong and always manages to quickly end story arcs. The story arcs only last as long as they do because Goku is usually busy when villains cause trouble.
In Dragon Ball Z, Goku is portrayed as nearly unbeatable. He often shows up to defeat the tough enemy when his friends are having a hard time, taking the focus away from other characters of the show and some people criticize it.
However, despite the criticisms directed specifically at the Dragon Ball Z, this problem has been a part of the Dragon Ball series from the beginning.
A Long-Standing Issue in the Dragon Ball Series
In chapter 77 of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama, the author of Dragon Ball used a common plot trick. In the manga chapter, Goku is separated from Krillin and Bulma while searching for the Dragon Balls and running from the Red Ribbon Army’s General Blue.
Goku fights a robot pirate, while his friends continue their search. Blue tricks Goku into going the wrong way, leading to an encounter with an octopus. During this time, Blue defeats Krillin. Goku eventually arrives to save the day.
The pattern is similar to Dragon Ball Z, where Goku’s friends often struggle against stronger opponents while Goku deals with other issues. Goku easily defeats Blue, while Krillin is left injured on the ground. This is a recurring theme in Dragon Ball Z battles.
The only difference is that Goku doesn’t have Senzu Beans yet, so he can’t heal his friends as he does in Dragon Ball Z, which enrages his future opponents.
Krillin’s Character From Capable Warrior in Dragon Ball to Frequent Defeat in Dragon Ball Z
While Dragon Ball may not be as popular as its spin-off series Dragon Ball Z, it offers unique aspects that the Dragon Ball Z doesn’t have. But the series also suffered from that.
The very popular characters like Krillin and Yamcha, although not as strong as Goku, were portrayed as capable warriors who participated in important events and battles, even from the start of Dragon Ball.
However, Krillin’s role changed for the worse in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, as he became a character often getting beaten up.
Interestingly, this pattern was already evident in Dragon Ball Chapter 77, showing that Akira Toriyama was laying the groundwork for Krillin’s later decline, which became more frequent in Dragon Ball Z compared to Dragon Ball.
Source: ScreenRant
