LogFAQs > #877265337

See, the thing is, Dragon Ball has always been a martial arts series.

In martial arts shows, morality is often a secondary factor - it's all about contests of skill, striving to always become a better fighter, and to be met with increasing challenge after challenge. Power creep isn't just a side effect of the escalating plotline - it's honestly the goal.

The fact that some of the opponents the protagonists will fight are irredeemable monsters isn't unexpected - they're the true tests of the protagonists' grit and character.

In the Japanese version, Goku has always been about seeking the next fight. For those of us who grew up with the show, though, we were spoiled by the dub that did its best to make Goku into someone who was closer to a saint - instead of sparing Vegeta because he wanted to fight him again, he spared Vegeta because "We're good guys". Instead of having his Saiyan pride rekindled by Vegeta's speech just before Frieza killed him, he was all about avenging him because "We're good guys".

The Kai redub did a lot to bring Goku's character back in line with the Japanese version, and I can't help but wonder if that's part of why it was less popular than the original dub for Americans.
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