Gohan's anger at Goku isn't nonsensical, it's just irrational. Gohan lists his complaints when he's lashing out at Ginyu-as-Goku: "Abandon me for a year with Piccolo, send me off into space, and the next time I get to see you, you lost your damn body?! YOU'RE NOT EVEN YOU ANYMORE!!!"
It's very heavily emotionally biased - Goku abandoned Gohan by dying, he never meant for Piccolo to raise Gohan, Gohan made his own decision to go into space, and Ginyu taking Goku's body wasn't anything deliberate on Goku's part - but that's the point. Gohan is a child whose father hasn't been around since he was 4 years old. He's angry because he feels rejected and abandoned. He's not seeing the big picture because he doesn't care about the big picture, he just wants his father to stop going away, which is why his "What would Dad do?" mental image is Goku going, "Goodbye, son!"
Goku hasn't hit the hard complaints that fans dislike about him, but abandoning his family is something he's been doing since Raditz, he just never did it intentionally until his decision to remain dead after Cell.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I try to remember the whole "Goku is a terrible father" thing is a Running Gag getting built up to his actions during the Cell Saga (sending Gohan to fight Cell and then not returning to earth in General for the next 7 years.)
It's just like how they made Nappa as annoying as possible to sell the eventually "Ghost Nappa" gag.
But... dragonballs! Goku could have returned the week after he died, instead preferred to stay dead and train.
But my main issue is after the Namek Saga, they had the dragon balls to bring him back to earth and decided to stay who knows how long , once again, to train with some aliens.
I forgot about that whole "Bye, son!" bit. Sadly, it doesn't gibe with the order that hungry Goku listed things in in the Cooler movie, or other times he neglected to remember his son in the main series.
Why didn't he go to Namek with them, again? And was the original plan just to send Krillin and Bulma alone?
edited 18th May '14 9:12:06 AM by wanderlustwarrior
Ugh. Senjus taking over another plot. At least it isn't Uchiha.
I thought they gave him some Senzu in the hospital and he was fine?
Korin was in the room IIRC, but he didn't have any beans. Everyone could've waited for a new batch to grow, but that would mean their friends would be dead for that much longer. They didn't really expect another Vegeta or anyone stronger to show up so Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan went to Namek to try to revive their friends.
edited 18th May '14 11:10:40 AM by Spirit
#IceBearForPresident"Step away from my food, my friend, my two emergency foods, and my son! In that order."
How doesn't it gibe?
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.I think the main problem in the canon series is that we mostly see Goku as a parent when there's a crisis and he has to devote his attention to the crisis and unfortunately, Gohan falls under the bus when that happens somehow. During the three years between Trunks warning about the Androids and the Androids attacking, Goku was probably a great dad, we just never saw it. Same with the 10 days between the Cell games filler, Goku was a good dad at the time.
Especially when he made sure to check on Gohan because he took so long to get the shopping done. Choosing to stay dead instead of being wished back was a bit selfish, but Goku did have a point that the last few conflicts that hit Earth was his fault. Freeza and Cold came to Earth to get revenge on Goku, the Androids came into existence because Goku destroyed the Red Ribbon Army as a kid and so did Cell. Plus in the movies, Bojack showed up to kill Goku on Earth and Broly nearly killed Gohan, Goten and Trunks over his generic hatred of Goku.
So Goku may not be the most attentive dad ever, but he did try.
Abridged Goku on the other hand is a moron and seems to have a single minded focus on food and fighting and little else. So while he does care for Gohan, he cares for food and fighting a little more.
edited 18th May '14 5:24:25 PM by DamascaRamza
I mean, I get it. But on the other hand, Shitty Dad Goku just....makes me uncomfortable. It's like if someone Abridged Lion King and made Mufasa a shitty dad. That's just....no. I....no.
My various fanfics.Mufasa went out of his way to try and raise Simba right so that one day he could take over as king. That comparison would only work if Mufasa was deliberately absent for most of Simba's life.
Mufasa didn't have a choice to abandon Simba. Goku, in almost every occurrence, did. His reasons for abandoning his family are generally altruistic ones, protecting the Earth and such, but that's small comfort to a child made to feel that he just isn't important enough for his father to love. Goku frequently chooses the wellbeing of the Earth over being a husband and father, and that makes him a good hero, but an absentee husband and father nonetheless.
edited 18th May '14 5:43:33 PM by TobiasDrake
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Except Buu. He was already there.
Huh. Canon Goku is not the worst father ever but he is no Mufasa, either.
.. But at least with Mufasa we can see that before his death, he had tons of times TEACHING AND CARING Simba . With Gohan we only see him taking Gohan to fish before Radditz and then saving Gohan in a fight a couple of times.
edited 18th May '14 8:43:48 PM by nairoxev
If Goku were dead, Raditz still would have come to Earth to find out what became of him. Vegeta and Nappa coming to Earth had nothing to do with Goku, they wanted the Dragon Balls. Frieza went to Namek for the same reason, seeking the Dragon Balls, and if Goku had never returned after defeating him, Frieza would still have come to Earth. Dr. Gero still would have released his androids with Goku dead, as demonstrated by the existence of a timeline where precisely such a scenario occurs.
Goku's logic in choosing to remain dead is nonsensical. Dead or alive, those threats would still exist.
My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.Piccolo told Raditz about the Dragon Balls and that was announced to Vegetta through the Scouter. Frieza would have probably gotten the Dragon Balls on Namek, and did not know anything of Earth till Krillin, Gohan, and Bulma get there to bring back everyone killed by Vegeta and Nappa. The Androids were created by Gero to kill Goku. Had Goku never gone to Earth, there would be no reason for 16-20 or even Cell to be built.

Don't think anyone linked this ITT yet so here's Vegeta getting owned by livestock
.