Dragon Ball: Why Goku is often labeled dumb & why it doesn't make sense

Dragon Ball is one of the most popular shonen anime in existence. Thanks to Dragon Ball Super, the series witnessed its reach and impact soar even higher. An incredible cast of characters, breathtaking transformations, and powerful villains keeps fans hooked and coming back for more.

This article will focus on the loveable and good-natured Son Goku. Not known for being the smartest cookie in a genre full of them, the word "dumb" has been used repeatedly to describe him. While he has done quite a few not-so-smart things, he is by no means blockish.

Disclaimer: This article purely reflects the author's opinions. It might also contain spoilers from the Dragon Ball series.

Dragon Ball: Why the "dumb" label does not apply to Son Goku

The reason Goku is called dumb

Grandpa Gohan stumbles on little Goku in the woods (Image via Toei Animation)

Introduced as an alien from another planet, Dragon Ball's little kid Goku was taken in by Grandpa Gohan and brought up like his own child. As he grew up, he began having adventures, making friends, and that is how his story came to be. However, over the course of his long series timeline, Goku made some pretty dim-witted decisions.

He didn't really think those choices through and certainly not about the consequences. He often appears as brash when it comes to fights and the excitement of battling a powerful foe clouds his judgement making capabilities.

For instance, despite being warned by Trunks, he did not take his heart virus medication and suffered badly. The biggest instance of Goku just being dense was talking Zeno into organizing the Tournament of Power, not caring about the lives of the other 12 universes but only his chance to face strong opponents.

Goku is far from dumb

Ultra Instinct Sign Goku (Image via Toei Animation)

Calling Goku dumb would be a mistake, as he is far from it. Instead, especially when it comes to battling, he is a genius. Be it preparing for a battle or right in the midst of one, Dragon Ball's protagonist always has an ace up his sleeve that comes in handy.

Goku taking on Piccolo can be cited as an excellent example of how versatile, quick-thinking, and innovative the former can be. During this battle, while thinking on his feet, Gokue managed to re-direct Piccolo's energy blasts, beat a seemingly “impossible” situation, and did a ton of damage to Piccolo in the process.

Goku combines Kaioken with Super Saiyan Blue (Image via Toei Animation)

Also, along with the unintelligent decisions, he has displayed that he can catch on things quickly. He was able to pick up on Kami's lies about the dragon balls bringing him back. Other instances of Goku's brilliance can be seen when:

He recreated incredibly difficult techniques after only witnessing them in action once - like Beerus’ hakai.
He took Cell to King Kai's planet when he was about to explode. He deduced that the exploding android could the least damage there and it didn't really matter if King Kai, Gregory, and Bubbles were alive, despite all the complaints.
He came up with a way to combine Kaioken and Super Saiyan Blue while keeping his body intact. Such a feat would require substantial understanding of how the techniques functioned and his own body as well.
He chose to recruit Frieza to the Universe 7 team as there was no rule baring the dead fom joining. Also, to keep the tyrant from running wild, he got Baba to summon him just for 24 hours. Other than him, Whis was the only one who realised what he was doing.

This list just stands to show the kind of genius Goku possesses. Despite being labeled as "dumb," Dragon Ball's Son Goku is far from it and he has proved it time and again.