When Son Goku landed on Earth as a baby at the beginning of Dragon Ball, he was found by an old man. He took the Saiyan in and became his adoptive grandfather. Over the years, Goku’s grandpa became his most important person of reference, and he learned the martial arts style from him. This raises the question of why the Saiyan never thought of bringing his grandpa back to life.
How did Goku’s grandpa die? Goku’s grandpa was actually killed by Goku himself. His grandfather taught him never to look at the full moon. Since Son Goku still had his tail at that time and carries Saiyan genes, he transformed into a giant ape when he looked at the full moon.
In this state, the Saiyans lose their consciousness and become ruthless killing machines. As a result, Son Goku killed his grandfather in this state. When Goku transformed back, he no longer remembered what had happened in the transformed state. He assumed that his grandfather had been killed by a monster.
During the Red Ribbon Saga, Goku gets the chance to meet his grandfather for one day. Uranai Baba has the ability to bring people back to life for a day. However, it is possible to bring individuals back to life for a longer period with the Dragon Balls. Yet, Son Goku did not choose to bring his grandfather back.
In Dragon Ball Daima, Son Goku will once again be as small as he was at the beginning of Dragon Ball:
Goku’s grandpa was never resurrected by the Dragon Balls
Why didn’t he bring him back to life? The Dragon Balls have some rules regarding the resurrection of individuals. The dragon Shenlong, who is summoned by the Dragon Balls and grants a wish, is only as strong as its creator. At that time, it was God who was Shenlong’s creator.
The following rules applied at the time when Goku’s grandpa died:
- Only one person can be revived who has not been revived yet.
- The person must not have died for more than a year on Earth.
- The death must not be of natural origin, such as illness or old age.
With all these rules, it would have been possible for Son Goku to revive his grandfather immediately. However, the Saiyan was not aware of the rules and the secret behind the Dragon Balls at that time. Instead, he thought that his grandpa’s soul had transitioned into the four-star Dragon Ball.
Additionally, at that time, he only possessed one Dragon Ball. Therefore, he would have had only a year to find the other balls, even if he had started searching right away.
With other types of Dragon Balls, it is possible to revive individuals beyond these limits. The Super Dragon Balls can, for example, fulfill any wish. However, it seems that Son Goku had come to terms with his grandfather’s death at that time. He even named his own son after him, as a tribute to his grandpa. That’s why he did not continue searching for a way to bring his grandfather back to life.
By now, Son Goku has actually become a grandfather himself. His son Son Gohan, along with Videl, has a daughter named Pan. However, he has not yet shown that he is a good grandfather to Pan. Goku even forgot what his own granddaughter’s name is: Dragon Ball Super reveals what a bad grandfather Goku is – He doesn’t even remember Pan’s name
