Speaking to
WIRED, Toriyama was asked about
Dragon Ball’s main character, and the creator admitted he had issues with how
Dragon Ball Z depicted Goku.
“There’s how, basically, Son Goku from
Dragon Ball doesn’t fight for the sake of others, but because he wants to fight against strong guys,” Toriyama said.
“So once
Dragon Ball got animated, at any rate, I’ve always been dissatisfied with the “righteous hero”-type portrayal they gave him. I guess I couldn’t quite get them to grasp the elements of “poison” that slip in and out of sight among the shadows.”