Three former editors of the manga of Dragon Ball were invited for an interview and revealed one of the biggest secrets. From this, we can conclude who should actually succeed Son-Goku.
What secret did the editors reveal? The three legendary Dragon Ball editors Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo, and Fuyuto Takeda addressed in an interview with KosoKoso how Dragon Ball Z was actually supposed to end (via X). The official ending is currently the Majin Buu Arc, after which Son-Goku dedicates himself to training the incarnation of Buu.
But actually, the story was supposed to end after the Cell Saga. Toriyama had reportedly expressed a desire multiple times to end the manga after the victory over Cell. However, the editorial team applied such strong pressure on Toriyama that he added the saga to Majin Buu.
The fact that the story was supposed to end with the Cell Saga shows who should actually succeed Son-Goku.
The name of the anime already reveals when Dragon Ball should end:
Dragon Ball Z was supposed to end with the Cell Saga and Son-Goku’s successor
Who was supposed to be his successor? Ultimately, it was not Son-Goku who defeated Cell, but his son Son-Gohan.
- Cell lands as an egg on Earth, undergoing a metamorphosis and absorbing more and more fighters to regain his former strength. Among the victims are also C18 and C17.
- Son-Goku and his friends engage in a battle with Perfect Cell. The Saiyajin sacrifices himself by teleporting himself and Cell to Master Kaio’s planet and blowing everything up. But Cell survives the attack.
- Now it’s his son’s turn: Son-Gohan transforms into a double Super Saiyan during the fight and manages to destroy Cell with a final Kamehameha.
When the Z team wants to revive all the victims killed by Cell, Son-Goku remains in the realm of the dead. He had already been revived once, which is why Shenlong does not bring him back to life.
However, Goku does not mind at all, as he would only attract evil opponents and the Earth is safe with Gohan. Accordingly, Son-Goku should have actually remained dead at this point and Son-Gohan would have been the next protector of the Earth.
Thus, we know who should take up Goku’s true legacy. In the Dragon Ball GT anime, it looks like Son-Goku’s granddaughter Pan is the next protector of the Earth.
How did the ending go for Toriyama? Editor Fuyuto Takeda wanted to make it as easy as possible for Toriyama to work on the grand finale of Dragon Ball. Therefore, he found ways for the mangaka to enjoy the finale.
The two agreed not to create a complex story. The Cell Saga was much deeper due to time travel, which they wanted to avoid with Majin Buu. Instead, the team relied on comedy to keep Toriyama entertained until the end:
- Mr. Satan is a silly character who suddenly takes center stage
- Majin Buu himself is hilarious and only thinks about food
- Son-Gohan became the Saiyaman who protects the city
If the last arc had not been so humorous, it would have likely been harder for Toriyama to work on it. Meanwhile, we know that Dragon Ball Z was not the end of the anime. There were further series that are partly intertwined: Dragon Ball Daima is well-received and is actually based on the anime many fans hate
