The True Source of Goku's Power Could Change Dragon Ball Lore Forever
Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dragon Ball Super chapter 83!
The latest Dragon Ball Super chapter just dropped a bombshell that explains the real reason why Goku is always winning fights and achieving the impossible - if the manga actually verifies what's implied to have happened did in fact transpire.
It's understandable why Goku is always the hero who saves the day and is stronger than everyone else despite the odds. He's the main character and has been ever since his debut in Dragon Ball. Though Dragon Ball's non-saiyan heroes prove this formula is broken, it is how the series has operated. Most readers have attributed this relentless trend to Goku's drive to get stronger and for espousing the belief that when there's a will, there's a way. But mangaka Akira Toriyama seems to have given up this more mystical possibility for a more tangible, direct reason.
In chapter 83, a flashback on planet Cereal shows Goku's father Bardock asking the Namekian Monaito who had just summoned the Eternal Dragon Toronbo to wish for his sons to thrive. Though they has their own limitations, Toronbo and Cereal's Dragon Balls are more powerful than Earth's equivalents. This request comes after Bardock vetoed Monaito's earlier wish to teleport him safely to his home planet of Vegeta to protect him from the villain Gas. Although readers never see Monaito make this wish, fans can assume it was granted since Monaito and Toronbo have been communicating with Bardock telepathically whenever there's been a problem with a wish. So, it's implied that if Toronbo couldn't grant the wish, then Monaito would have told Bardock. It's therefore quite logical to believe that the wish for Goku to thrive did happen and that it explains why he's gotten so powerful and defeats almost every villain himself instead of Vegeta, for example.
However, a problem remains. Bardock wished for his sons to thrive, not just Goku. So why has Goku thrived and not Raditz? Dragon Ball Super has often isolates Goku's brother Raditz, but that might not be what happened here. A possible answer can be found in Monaito's description of Cereal's dragon balls in the very same chapter. Upon hearing Bardock's wish, Monaito says, "A wish is a way to create hope for the future...Selfish wishes can only bring about doom." If the intentions of the wisher can affect the outcome, who is to say the same can't be said for the recipient? In other words, since Raditz's intentions have always been negative or selfish, that would explain why Bardock's wish would eventually bring about Raditz's doom when Goku and Piccolo successfully kill him in Dragon Ball Z. If this is true, then that scene becomes much more profound. Both Raditz and Goku died during that pivotal fight. But Goku ended up journeying to see King Kai and learning Spirit Bomb and Kaio-Ken while Raditz just descended into Hades. It's a shame too, as this latest arc was a prime opportunity for Dragon Ball Super to give Raditz a bigger role.
Regardless, this is a massive turning point in the Dragon Ball universe because, if true, it would provide the definitive reason as to why Goku is so ridiculously strong. Of course, critics will most likely point to how readers never actually saw Monaito making the wish and how Raditz obviously didn't thrive. Additionally, the above theory about the recipient of the wish's intentions affecting the wish's outcome could also be perceived as a stretch. But it is important to note that Monaito and Toronbo didn't communicate this failure to Bardock after having done so earlier. So, it's very likely that Dragon Ball Super did indeed just explain why Goku is always the hero.
Chapter 83 of Dragon Ball Super is available now through Viz's official site!