Goku Black.
He's not a live action Goku played by Will Smith.
He's evil Goku! gasp And he's taken quite the toll on the future.
It's like rural Connecticut but worse!
Hartford was lovely though.
(...well, most of it) But this Goku Black guy sure isn't.
And we're going to get to the bottom of him.
In a non-sexual way.
We're going into his mind, his story and most of all...his story you didn't know.
Don't worry that's not the schick.
Not yet.
But it's why you're here isn't it?
Indeed Goku Black is the main antagonist of the Future Trunks saga of Dragon Ball Super
and his most powerful transformation is Super Saiyan Rosé.
Which is pretty bougie.
He's the kind of pretentious, elitist douchenozzle you don't want wielding Goku's body and
power...and yet here he his.
I've already dropped some mild spoilers but beware...they get ..more.
Are you ready?
Goku Black is Zamasu's soul in Goku's body.
This green, bouge-maximizing, wine-sniffing, reluctant tea-pouring supreme kai apprentice
who is green stole Goku's body because he has the biggest balls in the universe.
The super dragon balls.
By the power of the divine dragon who dwarfs galaxies, our green, soon-to-be black literal
backstabber got his dainty, uppercrust hands on one of the strongest bodies in the universes!
You're just a dirty ladder climber who wears ascots in Aspen over his $1000 cardigan you
fuck.
Akira Toriyama, you're a master at creating villains.
Cause this guy SUCKS!
He's prepared, willing, and trying really hard to kill all gods and mortals because
he thinks he's smarter, nicer, and more deserving of obedience than everybody!
He's gunning to be the god of a universe by his design.
And that's a ridiculous thing.
So if you've ever wondered what makes the biggest, most-neon most false-justice-wanting
creep tick then prepare yourself.
For the story of power assumed with power itself, for the story of a god who forgot
he was mortal...EVEN WHEN HE WASN'T!
THIS GOKU BLACK...the story...you never knew.
That was the schtick
In order to understand someone you must first understand their motives.
That's not really true or anything but it transitions well into what we're gonna talk
about first.
Goku Black errr Zamasu's motives.
From his earliest appearance, this supreme kai apprentice disagrees with his supreme
kai master about...the usefulness of humans and anything like us.
Zamasu hates us highly-evolved monkeys because the Gods "graced us" with intellect..
intelligence...yet all we can seem to do is use this gift from the Gods to enact our selfish,
violent plans.
A CYNICAL PERSPECTIVE.
But the perspective of this self-proclaimed god nonetheless.
This hatred of any mortal that reminds zam-bam of humans is made obvious when he and his
yellow-elder watch over planet Barbaria and the "human-like" species that lives there.
They're more like 15 foot reptiles than humans but we've just gotta take Toriyama's
word for it that the minds of these creatures are extremely similar to those of the cavemen
way back in the day here on Earth.
No doubt these club-wielding, violence doers on planet Barbaria are a Barbaric bunch.
Get it?
You get it.
Indeed these lizard peoples', us humans, and those danged saiyans all fall into the
same category for Zamasu.
We're all a bunch of meanies given intelligence by the gods and we just don't deserve it!
All we ever do is destroy things and each other with it.
Understanding this idea is the key to understanding how and why Goku Black came to be.
This resentment at the simplistic, selfishness of mortals eats away at our green antagonist.
You can tell it's really bugging him, but it's not until Goku pays Gowasu and his
angsty apprentice a visit that these feelings reach a boiling point.
Goku challenges Zamasu to a fight and wouldn't you know it our golden boy ends up winning.
Zamasu is helpless against the supposedly barbaric mortal...he's not cool with that.
He's even a bit afraid of iiiiiit.
It's after this and learning of the existence of the super Dragon Balls from...god-tube...that
our soon-to-be boi in black hatches a plan.
He pays a visit to the profit Zuno who basically gives Zamasu the lowdown on how the Super
Dragon Balls work, how to summon the big, divine dragon and even how big each super
dragon ball is.
37,196.2204 kilometers to be exact.
These things are the size of planets!
But that doesn't stop Zameypammy from hopping between universes 6 and 7 to assemble these
big balls and enacting his plan.
Before he goes on his collection quest, however he must first murder Gowasu, his master so
that he, himself may become Supreme Kai and use those sweet time rings for himself.
..The Supreme Kai's each get a set of time rings that allow for travel forward in time...but
not backwards!
Make sense?
Great!
Zamasu uses this ability to fast forward a year when the balls aren't inert (cause
the Z fighters used them recently) and summons that sweet dragon with those magic words...pretty
peas.
First things first, Zamasu wishes for an immortal body so that he cannot be killed...or even
hurt.
Then he uses the time ring again to fast forward a year, collect the super dragon balls again
and make another wish.
This time wishing to trade bodies with Goku.
Much to the dismay of Chi-Chi and Goten...their husband/father suddenly changes color and
has a weird haircut.
Then a guy who looks exactly like Goku appears and murders Goku in his now-much-weaker body.
Bad.
Day.
You might be wondering how Zamasu was able to kill his old body after he'd already
wished for immortality...the answer is timeline shenanigans.
It'll make sense in a bit.
Of course things are about to get a whole lot worse!
Now that Zamasu is in possession of Goku's body, his disdain for mortals or more specifically
mortals who are smart, has the potential to become universal law instead of mere thoughts
in his head.
And to make matters worse, Zamasu (with his immortal body) has come from another time
to team up with himself in Goku's body.
There's the timeline shenanigans.
Green alien-man and Goku Black make quite the team.
Teamwork is superb when the same person exists in two different bodies.
So that's the gist of who Goku Black is and how he came to be.
Sometimes ya just gotta summarize.
BUT NOW IT'S TIME TO ANALYZE!
Have you noticed something interesting about Goku Black and the soul who inhabits him?
Have you noticed that in almost every way, Zamasu is the polar opposite of Goku?
Not only is Zam-bam a dick while Goku is kind, but he's also methodical while Goku is...forgetful.
More importantly, however, Zamasu is filled with inner turmoil, fear, and a strong desire
to push his will on to the universe.
Compare all that to Goku always being at ease, filled with forgiveness, is courageous and
really doesn't care what anyone else is doing so long as it isn't hurting other
people.
These two are so polar opposite it's almost like...it's fate that they would trade bodies.
Some things are just so poetic that they're meant to be.
Maybe that girl who posts marginally inspirational quote gifs with minions in them in everyday
on facebook was right...EVERYTHING DOES HAPPEN FOR A REASON!
Sometimes reality is poetry and it's a beautiful thing.
I mean...Dragon Ball Super is fictional but EVERYTHING HAPPENS FOR A REASON!
Anyway.
Goku and Zamasu are opposites...but that doesn't stop our green antagonist from stealing this
powerful, saiyan body to enact his justice on the world.
Now this is all well and good, but we've been focused on Zamasu for too long.
His motives and identity are essential to understanding Goku Black...but now it's
time to look deep at the false-Saiyan himself.
What's important to understand about Black's character is that he isn't just a foreign
soul in Goku's body.
He's more interesting than that.
Because consciousness...is a two way street.
Sure, Zamasu's essence of being is the one pulling the strings of this Saiyan meat-vehicle,
but what he didn't foresee was that Goku's Saiyan instincts and pride would also play
into Black's personality.
Black's appearance even resembles Zamas slightly by being slightly slimmer, eyes more...intense?
Hair noticeably darker and pointing more in one direction instead of pointing in all of
them.
He's a shinjin mind intertwined with a Saiyan body...and so both of these species, however
different, play into the character of black.
They shape his body, his mind and are voices that whisper what he should do next.
Indeed, Goku Black is a bizarre combination of monkey pride and godly entitlement.
Hence...Super Saiyan Rose.
BARF!
It should also be noted that the Zam-bam's justice plays out in the alternative, future
timeline that was already super shitty thanks to the androids back in the day.
He makes a cameo in the normal timeline but quickly gets sucked back into the future cause
YOU AIN'T SUPPOSED TO GO BACKWARDS IN TIME BRO!
So yeah, the Z fighters and friends use the present as a regrouping point and make multiple
trips to the future to thwart Black and Green.
They seem to be able to pass between the future and past without much hassle from the metaphysics
of it all but I guess Bulma's time machine is better at transcending time and space than
an object built by the Gods.
MORTALS AIN'T SO UNIMPRESSIVE NOW ARE THEY?
ZAMASU?
More like ZAMASSSSsssUCK!!!??
Oh right I guess you were more worried about us accumulating power that outpaces our wisdom…Is
that a fair assessment of your reasoning for committing galactic genocide?
So I guess this time machine is more terrifying to you than impressive?
You know when you put it like that Zamasuck doesn't sound nearly as evil.
In fact according to Gowansu, Zamasu has...a pure heart!
So either this guys a terrible judge of character or the man behind Goku Black is more complicated
than we think!
Which is bad news considering I'm 3.5 pages in and trying to keep this to a one-parter.
In case you didn't know Gowasu says several times that how one makes and pours tea is
a window to the soul.
Specifically he says: "Tea made by one pure of heart is unclouded and always the most
delicious to boot."
And clearly this guy enjoys his apprentice's tea!
But how is this possible?
How can this harbinger of darkness be pure of heart?
Remember.
Goku is described throughout Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z as being "pure of heart."
It's a cornerstone of his character and it's why he's the benevolent protagonist
we've come to know and love.
It's why he spared Vegeta, it's why he can ride the nimbus...remember Bulma couldn't
ride the nimbus in Dragon Ball?
Yeah.
Apparently Mr. Genocide over here is a better person than our benevolent yet flawed scientist.
WHAT.
I'm having a hard time buying that.
But...let's look at the definition of "pure of heart".
According to dictionary.com it means "without malice, treachery, or evil intent; honest;
sincere; guileless."
So Zamasu murdered Goku's wife and child with the most honest and sincere intentions.
No hatred here.
Perhaps...that's the key to understanding the bizarre and mysterious character of Goku
Black.
Earlier on we touched on how Goku and Zamasu are opposites.
Their goals in life and outlook on the world are so ridiculously different yet they end
up fighting with the same body.
One is a bringer of order and the other is a bringer chaos.
Akira Toriyama, you sure know how a write a dichotomy!
Oddly enough, we can better understand Zamasu's purity of heart in the scene when he wills
an energy scythe into existence, then thrusts it forward to create a vast wound in the universe
itself.
A terrifying feat that even surpasses his own understanding.
He doesn't even know how it happens.
He has no idea what this wound in the sky even is exactly...however he guesses it could
be the culmination of his bottomless anger.
So let's get into that shall we?
His anger.
His...fear.
Somehow, in spite of these unenlightened emotions, our antagonist is still "pure".
You may be interested to know why.
You see, throughout the Dragon Ball series there have been villains with the worst of
intentions.
Frieza the arrogant conqueror, Cell the entitled narcissist, Buu the...chaotic evil.
Yet Zamasu, despite being the Z fighters' strongest opponent EVER...at the time...he's
somehow doing all of this out of the goodness of his heart.
Perhaps the best way to describe him is as someone filled with...righteous anger.
That is to say he really, truly believes that his desire to control the universe and rid
it of mortals is what's best for everyone.
In a weird way, he's not selfish.
He fears for the safety of existence and so he goes to incredible lengths to wipe human-like
mortals from existence.
Frieza, Cell, and Buu were...essentially all just having fun.
But Goku Black...he is a man on a mission.
Hellbent on making the world a better place even if he has to kill everyone who lives
in it.
Which is a silly thought...but at least it's authentic and not self-serving!
Perhaps what's most interesting thing about this character is the insight he gives to
Vegeta about his anger...and anger in general.
Keep in mind that Black almost killed Trunks right before saying this.
"I now understand how you are improving so rapidly.
It's anger isn't it?
The anger that your son was hurt made you strong didn't it?
Now that I realize it, it's simple....turn anger into power.
I see, anger.
Anger at the mortals who disrespect the universe.
Anger at the gods who overlook that disrespect.
And....anger at my powerless self for losing to a mere mortal!"
He, of course, says this right before throwing that wound into the sky.
Fascinating still...is what this means for the Z fighters and the path they were on until
the start of Dragon Ball Super.
Before the beginning of this installment, every new transformation, every new attack
was done with an epic yell...a shout to the heavens...a rage that could be felt in the
Earth itself.
When such anger that harkens back to the most ancient of Saiyan urges is discovered by a
god...the result is existentially terrifying.
You could say Zamasu's desire for power and it's awful result is what would have
been had Vegeta and Goku continued down their quest of becoming the strongest, angriest
fighters they possibly could.
This rage was traded for godly tranquility when Whis began teaching Vegeta and Goku and
this allowed both of them to ascend to Super Saiyan Blue.
Tranquility was the key to unlocking the next paradigm of power...the gods understood that...but
it's not until Zamasu discovers what anger is capable of that this god understands the
power it wields.
I'm sure you're familiar with the feeling of being angry.
You've probably noticed there's something...blinding about it.
You act without thinking, you do things you normally never would.
All the while your thoughts thrash chaotically.
Do you remember exactly what you did and why you did it?
Anger...can only get you so far before it becomes too chaotic to handle.
It, by its nature, fragments the psyche and leaves the one who is feeling it in a storm
of determined confusion.
Yet Zamasu...is a god...he wields in his consciousness a deep tranquility.
A tranquility that intertwines with his anger and stabilizes it to produce power previously
unseen.
If you're familiar with Broly (in the movie Broly the Legendary Super Saiyan) you know
his rage pushed his power further than anyone had ever gone...but it tore his mind apart
and he inevitably was defeated.
Broly lacked a clarity of mind...his anger..his fury.. controlled him...not the other way
around.
It's this ugly-beautiful balance of primal fear and calmness of mind that allows Goku
Black and his green companion to be calculating, devious, and always in control of themselves.
It's only after Zamasu and Black fuse together (after black had already been killed) that
our double antagonist starts to lose control.
Ultimately getting killed by Trunks, then seeping his essence into the ether of the
universe...becoming "justice itself" in a cackling, terrifying, chaos that must be
destroyed by the god of gods himself.
Good ol' Zenosama!
Losing control is really what undid Black.
He got cocky...careless, blinded by his emotions.
And that's not what he character was about up until the end.
Not at all.
Perhaps that's the most terrifying part of Goku Black and the god inside of him.
His character is one with clarity...despite the negative emotions he feels.
His divine calmness allows him to look through furious and fearful eyes with a clarity of
mind that no mortal could ever comprehend.
That is to say that at every moment, when gods were killed, when cities were leveled,
entire populations murdered, Goku Black never truly lost himself to his fear or his anger.
Except right at the end there.
He knew exactly what he was doing.
He understood the scope of the emotional suffering he caused, the collective misery and terror
of a hundred million lives obliterated and their loved ones left to barely hold on.
And yet he did it anyway.
He's not an uncaring narcissist, he's not playing games...he's just a terrified
god who's calm enough to understand how scared and angry he is.
And that's the story of Goku Black...the story...you never knew.
And...that's my take on Goku Black!
What did you think?
Let know in the comments down below if I missed something or if you want to tell me how much
you love me.
Either way...comment section is open for business.
That being said...I HAVE AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT!
Starting Tuesday of this week, I'm streaming on Twitch!
Join me and Ryan from the Real Truth every weekday at 3pm Pacific time for some mind
blowing vidya game playing.
We'll even be crafting theories as we play through the games.
So if you want some insight into our artistic process, if you want to be entertained...then
come to the treesicle stream on twitch weekdays at 3pm pacific time!
I'm Grant...and I'd recommend following us at Twitch.tv/treesicle.
It's the thing to do.
That's all I've got for today.
I'll see you all next time.
Bye everyone!
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