Raditz catching and flicking the farmer’s bullet in Dragon Ball Z is actually nothing compared to Goku’s exploits in Muscle Tower in Dragon Ball.
Raditz’s dramatic entrance was undoubtedly an exciting way to launch Dragon Ball Z, but his younger brother Goku actually diminished his grand debut much earlier on in Dragon Ball. At the time, fans didn’t even know Goku had any siblings. Goku didn’t have to flick any bullets to pull this off, either.
Despite arriving on Earth in a space pod and with a tail wrapped around his waist like Goku, Raditz’s debut is noteworthy for another reason. He catches a bullet that a farmer fires at him before replicating the strength and speed that comes from firing a gun by simply flicking the bullet back at his assailant. Many deduced that Raditz was an alien even before the shooting incident, but his interaction with the farmer cemented his otherworldly status.
Goku Didn’t Need To Catch a Bullet in Dragon Ball
Ironically, a much younger Goku had a more monumental altercation with bullets years earlier in Dragon Ball chapter 65. After ascending to the top of the Red Ribbon Army’s Muscle Tower, Goku puts himself in a compromising position when he takes the time to help his friend the android “8-Man” before confronting the boss of the tower, General White. General White, of course, takes advantage of the fact that Goku is preoccupied by taking multiple shots at the Saiyan while his back is turned. How Goku gets shot at in Dragon Ball is much more impressive than when the farmer shoots Raditz in DBZ.
For starters, Goku doesn’t catch any of the bullets, instead sustaining direct hits to his body. Catching a bullet also implies that Raditz is protecting himself in some way rather than allowing it to just bounce off his head. In fact, DBZ later adopts a formula where a newly transformed villain who originally blocked or even dodged attacks demonstrates how much stronger they’ve gotten by taking the hits head-on. Additionally, getting attacked from behind implies that the target’s defense is lowered and more vulnerable as a result. When this happens to Goku, and he still survives with barely a scratch, it’s much more impressive overall.
Funimation Helped Cover Up This Dragon Ball Oversight
In the U.S., the vast majority of fans watched Dragon Ball Z before its predecessor, Dragon Ball. Although Funimation debuted Dragon Ball in the U.S. one year before DBZ in 1995, the series was canceled after 13 episodes due to low ratings. Upon its return in 2001, DBZ was already a massive success, which led to more Americans watching Dragon Ball for the first time. In other words, most fans weren’t underwhelmed by Raditz’s debut in DBZ since they’d never seen the moment in Red Ribbon Army’s Muscle Tower.
Only those who grew up reading the manga first, delved into the manga after the original 13 episodes of Dragon Ball finished airing, or tackled its return after 2001 may have felt this way if they remembered the Muscle Tower. Raditz’s bullet-catch-and-flick debut in Dragon Ball Z will always be impressive, but in comparison to Goku, it doesn’t seem quite so spectacular.
Source: Screenrant.com
