10 Times Goku Was Actually Dragon Ball's Biggest Problem

Custom Image by Casandra Ronning Published Aug 30, 2026, 9:30 PM EDT Casandra Ronning is a staff writer for Screen Rant's anime section. Since mid-2024, she has dedicated herself to expanding her knowledge and experience in the entertainment industry. She is most proud of conducting an exclusive interview with popular voice actor Stephanie Nadolny. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Goku has saved the Earth, other planets, the universe itself, and countless lives throughout all of Dragon Ball. However, some of his greatest victories and feats were preceded by choices that either made an already dangerous situation even worse or invited danger to his friends, family, and home world. His love of fighting and willingness to offer second chances have often become the cause of some of the series’ biggest problems. While there have been times when these decisions ultimately did not backfire, the potential for disastrous consequences is too great to ignore. Unlike many other heroes, Goku typically doesn’t eliminate threats as quickly as he can, and he’s far too willing to show mercy for even the worst villains. Goku may be Dragon Ball’s greatest hero, but he has also made more than a few terrible choices that led to more problems down the line. Showing Raditz Mercy The first enemy in Dragon Ball Z turned out to be none other than Goku’s brother, Raditz, who arrived on Earth, revealed Goku’s true origins, and kidnapped young Gohan to force Goku’s hand in joining him. During their battle, however, Goku managed to grab hold of Raditz’s tail, weakening him and practically securing the victory. Yet, after hearing him surrender and plead for his life, Goku naively believed him despite Piccolo’s warning. Raditz immediately betrayed him, leading to a longer confrontation. While Goku ultimately seized Raditz again, it was at the cost of his own life. His mercy for Raditz was ill-placed and accomplished nothing beyond giving Raditz another chance to hurt him, Piccolo, and his son. With the extra time he had been given, Raditz caused more harm and sent a broadcast to Vegeta and Nappa, prompting them to set their eyes on Earth. Provoking Zamasu While investigating Goku Black’s connection to Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super, Goku accompanied Beerus and Whis to Universe 10. There, he quickly became interested in testing his abilities and demanded a sparring match, leading to Zamasu’s defeat and effectively fueling his hostility toward mortals. After losing to Goku, Zamasu’s hatred festered, leading to the attempt to assassinate Gowasu, which would have then led to the events leading to him becoming Goku Black in Future Trunks’ timeline. While Goku couldn’t have anticipated the full catastrophe ready to play out, his needless provocation helped set the Zero Mortals Plan into action. Giving Frieza His Energy on Namek By the time Goku and Frieza’s battle reached its climax on Namek, Goku had already proven his power after the Super Saiyan transformation. Desperate to win, Frieza attacks Goku behind his back with his Death Discs, only for it to backfire and slice himself in half. With Namek on the brink of destruction, Frieza begged for help, and Goku ultimately gives him enough energy to survive. Goku’s mercy gave Frieza a chance to escape, but blinded by his anger and hate, the tyrant used the borrowed energy to launch a surprise attack. Goku was powerful enough to redirect it back at Frieza; however, letting Frieza go after all the damage he'd already caused was undeniably a terrible choice. It became yet another example of how Goku’s compassion could be disastrously misplaced. Sparing Vegeta on Earth Vegeta was one of the first major villains in Dragon Ball Z, proving his power by effortlessly killing Nappa, who killed nearly every Z Fighter before Goku’s arrival. By the end of Vegeta’s battle, he was left weakened and forced to retreat, but was nearly killed by Krillin before Goku intervened, asking him to let Vegeta escape Earth. Goku’s driving motivation was the desire to face Vegeta in battle again, despite knowing that many of his friends were killed and he himself was lucky to survive. While this choice ultimately wasn't as devastating as other times Goku has shown mercy and led to Vegeta joining the Z Fighters, sparing him at the time was selfish and reckless. Refusing to Stop Dr. Gero Early When Future Trunks warns the Z Fighters about the looming threat of the Androids, Bulma proposes using the Dragon Balls to locate Dr. Gero’s laboratory and eliminate the threat before it can emerge. However, Goku rejects this idea, arguing that Gero hasn’t committed any crimes yet in their timeline and expressing interest in battling new, powerful opponents. To be fair, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan all rejected the idea. The Z Fighters believed that they could train to take on the threat, allowing Gero to continue his work on the Androids. While Goku may have been morally right, arguably, the decision also left Earth and the Z Fighters’ fate uncertain. Giving Moro a Senzu Bean In the Dragon Ball Super manga, the high-stakes battle against Moro is one of the most grueling in the series. After Goku masters Ultra Instinct, he effectively leaves the ancient criminal defeated and unable to continue fighting. Yet, rather than finishing the confrontation, Goku offers Moro a Senzu Bean and gives him one final chance to surrender peacefully to the Galactic Patrol. As many might expect, Moro immediately betrays this agreement, leading to a greater disaster that threatened the entire planet. By giving Moro a Senzu Bean, Goku repeated the same mistake he made during the Cell Games years prior and dragged out the already settled conflict, nearly rendering certain sacrifices meaningless and endangering countless lives. Making a Deal To Resurrect Frieza With Majin Buu unavailable before the Tournament of Power, Universe 7 was in desperate need of another skilled fighter. To fill in for Buu, Goku travels to Hell and offers Frieza a temporary return to life in exchange for joining the team. Frieza accepts, but only after convincing Goku to promise that he’ll resurrect him permanently. Although Frieza is instrumental during the Tournament of Power, Goku basically gambled the safety of the universe on the cooperation of one of the evilest villains he has ever faced. Not only has Frieza set his sights on Earth several times and harbored a deep-seated grudge against the Saiyans, but allowing him to roam free ultimately gave him time to attain his Black Frieza form, reaching levels of power that surpass both Goku and Vegeta. Leaving Majin Buu For Trunks and Goten Credit to Toei Animation After returning to Earth for a single day, Goku is soon pulled into a far more dangerous conflict involving Majin Buu. When Goku revealed his Super Saiyan 3 transformation and battled against him, it was clear he could keep up and land devastating blows. However, because the transformation was shortening his time on Earth, he decided to abandon the fight. Later, Goku explicitly admits he could have defeated Majin Buu but chose not to because he wanted the younger generation to step up and protect Earth. This choice is easily one of the worst Goku has ever made, as he left the fate of the world in the hands of two children and indirectly caused the deaths of millions, including his friends and family. Triggering The Tournament of Power Wanting to have an exciting challenge against powerful opponents, Goku reminded Grand Zeno and Future Zeno of their earlier promise to hold a multiversal martial arts tournament, but it came with one major caveat: the universes that lose will be entirely erased from existence. Dragon Ball · Character Profile Which Dragon Ball Character Are You? “Power comes in response to a need, not a desire.” 👊 Goku The Fighter 👑 Vegeta The Prince 🧘 Piccolo The Mentor POWER UP → 01 A powerful new enemy appears. What’s your first reaction? AThis is amazing! I can’t wait to fight them and see how strong they are! BI’ll defeat them myself. No one else is worthy of the challenge. CWe need a plan. Rushing in blindly is how people get killed. NEXT → 02 How do you train for an upcoming battle? AFind the strongest sparring partner I can and push myself past my limits every day BTrain alone in isolation — I don’t need anyone holding me back CMeditate, study the enemy’s weaknesses, and train the younger fighters so they’re ready too NEXT → 03 Your team is losing a fight. What do you do? AJump in front of everyone — I’ll take the hits so my friends can regroup BGet angry. I refuse to lose — my pride won’t allow it. I’ll surpass my limits right here. CFall back and coordinate — someone needs to think clearly while everyone else is panicking NEXT → 04 A rival challenges you to a one-on-one fight. How do you respond? AAbsolutely! Let’s go right now — no holding back! BFinally, a chance to prove I am the strongest. I accept — and I will crush you. CIf it serves a purpose, fine. But pointless fighting is a waste of energy. NEXT → 05 An old enemy offers to join your side. What do you do? AI don’t trust them — once an enemy, always an enemy. They’ll betray us. BSure! Everyone deserves a second chance. The more friends the better! CI’ll allow it, but I’m watching them closely. Trust is earned, not given. NEXT → 06 What’s your biggest weakness? AI’m too trusting and sometimes let enemies power up just for the thrill of the fight BMy pride — I’d rather die than accept help from someone else CI keep everyone at arm’s length — caring about people is a liability I struggle with NEXT → 07 You sense a massive power level approaching Earth. What’s your move? AFly straight toward it — I want to meet them first and see what they’re made of BPrepare myself — if this threat is real, I’ll be the one to destroy it CGather the fighters, assess the threat, and make sure the people I protect are safe first NEXT → 08 What drives you more than anything? AProtecting those who can’t protect themselves — someone has to be the responsible one BThe thrill of getting stronger — there’s always a new level to reach, a new challenge to find CProving my worth — I am the Prince of all Saiyans, and I will surpass everyone REVEAL MY CHARACTER → Power Level Scanned Your Dragon Ball Identity 👊 Goku “I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace.” You’re a pure-hearted warrior who lives for the thrill of the fight. Every challenge is an opportunity, every enemy a potential friend, and every defeat just fuel to come back stronger. People are drawn to your infectious optimism and unbreakable spirit, even when your naivety drives them crazy. You’d give your last Senzu Bean to a stranger and charge headfirst into a battle you can’t win — not because you’re reckless, but because you genuinely believe that pushing past your limits is the only way to grow. Like Goku, your greatest power isn’t your ki — it’s your ability to inspire everyone around you to be better.Pure-Hearted Fearless Limitless Inspiring 👑 Vegeta “I do not fear this new challenge. Rather like a true warrior, I will rise to meet it.” You carry yourself with the pride of royalty and the ferocity of a born warrior. Second place is not in your vocabulary, and you’d rather break your body than your spirit. People might call you arrogant, but beneath that iron exterior lies someone who has learned to fight not just for themselves, but for the people they’ve quietly grown to love. Your journey is one of evolution — from cold-blooded conqueror to Earth’s fiercest protector — and every scar you carry is proof that pride and love can coexist. Like Vegeta, you don’t just want to be the strongest — you need to earn it on your own terms.Proud Relentless Fierce Evolving 🧘 Piccolo “Sometimes, we have to look beyond what we want and do what’s best.” You’re the one everyone depends on when things fall apart — the calm center in the middle of chaos. While others charge in recklessly or let their ego do the talking, you see the bigger picture and make the hard calls that need making. You didn’t choose to care about people, but somewhere along the way it happened, and now you’d sacrifice everything for those you’ve taken under your wing. Stoic on the surface, deeply loyal underneath, you’re the mentor, the strategist, and the last line of defense all in one. Like Piccolo, your true strength is wisdom — and the courage to do what’s right even when no one is watching.Wise Tactical Protective Stoic ↻ PLAY AGAIN While his intentions were simply to face the strongest warriors, he had been warned multiple times to not meddle with the Omni-Kings. Thanks to his blinding desire for battle, he inadvertently put billions, if not trillions or more, lives at stake. Since he was the one who proposed the idea of a massive tournament, it also immediately turned the participating universes against him and his allies. Giving Perfect Cell a Senzu Bean After Goku concedes his fight with Perfect Cell, he reveals that defeating him wasn’t his intended role and that it would be his son, Gohan, who would defeat him. Rather than letting his son take on Cell when he is already battle-worn, Goku throws the villain a Senzu Bean, believing it’s the only way for Gohan to unlock his true power. That gamble, however, nearly proves disastrous and pushes Gohan and the other Z Fighters into a tight corner. While the result ultimately leads Gohan to unlock Super Saiyan 2, it comes at the cost of Android 16 and the safety of all their friends. Just because the Z Fighters prevailed in the end doesn’t mean the unnecessary risk was any less dangerous and reckless. Video Game(s) Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, Dragon Ball FighterZ, Dragon Ball: The Breakers, Super Dragon Ball Heroes: World Mission, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot First Film Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies First TV Show Dragon Ball Cast Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil Created by Akira Toriyama Latest Film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero