Goku is Dragon Ball's True Villain, Thanks To His Most Heroic Trait

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While Goku is the main hero of Dragon Ball, and has been since its beginning, he has one trait that seems as though it’s his most heroic, but in fact basically makes him Dragon Ball’s true villain. Goku is always longing to get stronger as he is constantly training and even gets giddy any time an opponent, who has a threateningly high power level, challenges him. Beyond his pursuit of power, Goku has a good spirit and believes fighting should be a fun experience rather than one between legitimate enemies, a thought process that consistently leads him down a path of unwitting villainy.

In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 65 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, the villainous sorcerer Moro is on the brink of utter annihilation after Goku mastered Ultra Instinct and beat the villain to a pulp. As everyone around him, including the Galactic Patrol officer Jaco and even Lord Beerus himself, is telling Goku to eliminate Moro as his power and evil are too great to contain in Galactic Prison, Goku pauses. He doesn’t do so because he is weakened or even out of pity, but because of his one trait that makes him borderline villainous.

Related: Goku’s Greatest Dragon Ball Victory Nearly Destroyed The Universe

Goku loves fighting worthy opponents so much that he is reluctant to eliminate any villain he faces because he is hopeful that they will become even stronger the next time they attack which will, in turn, make Goku have to train harder to become even stronger himself. Goku once told his ally and former trainer Merus that he eventually hopes every villain he fights will turn good and then they can train together. When Goku has the chance to kill Moro in this chapter, he gives the planet-devouring villain a chance to go to prison willingly.