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Is ChiChi More Than Goku's Main Love Interest Or Not?

Is ChiChi More Than Goku's Main Love Interest Or Not?

Let's Talk About ChiChi. Is She More Than Goku's Main Love Interest Or Not?

Introducing a new romance in an anime is not easy. This is especially true if the said anime is of the fighting genre, where almost every character knows how to fight or is learning to, meaning the characters have little to no time to engage in romantic activities.

If not, ask Goku. Even if most Dragon Ball fans love him, they can all agree that he is the least romantic character in the entire show, particularly if you consider that he is already married and with two children. How did he make ChiChi fall in love with him if he never paid her attention? Those are the primary questions Dragon Ball fans tend to ask each other.

In ChiChi's case, we can't say that she was added as an afterthought in the Dragon Ball saga since she appears in the first episodes, and being a child, ChiChi was sure of what she wanted: to marry Goku. What a determined child! Still, it doesn't remove the fact that her love for Goku always seemed to be one-sided, and there wasn't anything coming from Goku's part that could suggest otherwise.

One of the theories regarding why ChiChi finally made Goku's love interest is related to the fact that Toriyama planned to make Goku's son the protagonist at some point. So, if Goku would have children at some point, Goku had to have a wife.

Toriyama, we love you and appreciate you, but it is clear that writing romance is not your thing, and you probably felt forced to write it for the sake of the Gohan plot. (Also, the second time one of the main characters has a child, Toriyama didn't bother to write romance. Apparently, Trunks was the product of a one-night stand. The romance between Bulma and Vegeta flourished way after Trunks was born).


Is her character well developed?

Let's get one thing clear about ChiChi: she's there because Toriyama wanted her there since the beginning. Still, that doesn't mean that her development is well done or that her character is well made. In fact, fans have complained that things about her character (and her relationship with Goku) don't make any sense. Because of that reason, sometimes it looks like she's only there for the sake of the conception of Gohan. Let's start with the thing she is more well known for. Her relationship with Goku.


Goku and ChiChi

Their love story starts when they are children. At the first moment, she wasn't interested in him, especially because she thought he was immature. On his part, Goku didn't care that much about girls, and his main objective was to train a lot. (Even when he grew up, he wasn't interested in women in general).

She starts seeing Goku differently after he saves her time after time. At one point, she makes him promise that they will marry when they grow up. Our hero accepts it very reluctantly since he has no idea about romantic feelings.

When they saw each other years later, he barely recognized her, but he kept his promise still.

A year after they marry, they have their first son. Today, it is a mystery how they had two children if they are anything but romantic with each other. Even as an adult, Goku doesn't seem interested in her, mostly because he tends to act like a child most of the time. They don't even show affection to each other in public, and sure, that doesn't mean the marriage isn't working or that they are like that in private, but it's hard to believe it when they behave like that.


Are there any fun facts we should know about ChiChi and Goku's relationship?

Yes, there are! According to the Dragon Ball wiki:

  • Akira Toriyama doesn't enjoy writing romance, but as we can see from the early introduction of ChiChi as a character in the series, her marriage with Goku was planned from the beginning.
  • This couple had known each other since they were kids, and in DB, they are the only canon couple who fits this criterion.
  • They get married when they are nineteen years old, becoming the youngest couple in the series to do it.
  • Apparently, the only thing Goku is truly afraid of is her.
  • There are several canon couples in the Dragon Ball universe, but this one seems the less romantic couple.
  • Goku loves her, at least in his own way. He doesn't like to enrage her, and she tends to be forgiving of that when he does.
  • Since Goku disappears a lot, especially when he trains, ChiChi considers that he will return hungry and takes special care to prepare tasty meals just if he comes back.
  • On that same matter, Goku loves her food.
  • In all the Dragon Ball series, Goku has told her "I love you" just once, while she reminds him of so every time she can.

ChiChi As A Character

Let's leave aside the fact that she seems to exist just for the "Goku having a son" part of the plot. How about her personality? Do her actions follow a specific reason? One of the things that infuriates fans the most is that sometimes, it seems like she doesn't make any sense. Some of the questions that arise are as basic as why did she fall in love with Goku? Or why did she leave her dad's safety if Goku couldn't give her that? You could say it was all for the plot, but still, it's something worth thinking about.


Sometimes she acts like she's on the verge of poverty

She is a princess. Most of the time, princesses have money already inherited from them, so they don't have to worry about working or, in this case, about how much money their husbands will make. However, ChiChi worries a lot about money, and she would prefer if her husband had a typical job instead of what Goku likes to do: training and training, and did we mention training?

So, what did it happen, then? Did ChiChi's father lose all of his money? Is that why ChiChi pressures Goku? We love you, ChiChi, but we don't understand you.


She seems to be completely uneducated about some matters she should know about

We aren't sure if Toriyama forgot ChiChi's education, but sometimes it feels like he did. The most vivid example is when Gohan achieves his Super Saiyan form. At this point in the series, we already know what a Super Saiyan looks like. The changes in hairstyle, hair color, and eye color should be pretty recognizable by now! Most in our favor, she should be able to recognize it since she has seen her husband in his SS form.

Still, when Gohan arrives home, ChiChi, instead of being happy for her son, thinks he's acting in a delinquent way.

We don't discard that this scene was made for the fun and giggles, but still, c'mon. We know ChiChi is better than that.


The fact that she's a princess seems to be forgotten by everyone (including Goku)

Here is when the question of why she fell in love with Goku arises again. Is ChiChi's father really open-minded? She should have married another prince instead of Goku, but nobody around ChiChi seems to care that Goku is not a royal. We love Goku, but he wasn't even sure if he loved ChiChi, let alone marry her. He only kept his promise because he's kind-hearted, but nothing else. So, why did the Ox-King allow her to marry that guy? Those are the questions that don't let us sleep at night.

Also, let's say the King dies. Wouldn't that make Goku a king? We don't think Goku has thought this through before.


She's a warrior, but only by name

The moment when we see her fighting for real is in one of the tournaments when she finally fights with Goku. This moment served as a plot point where Goku and ChiChi decide to marry. But then, that's it. She doesn't fight along with her husband, nor does she engage in her husband's trips. The most reasonable thing is that she had always wanted to make a family, and when she made one, maybe being a fighter wasn't that attractive for her. It's a shame considering her background and how she was raised to be a skillful warrior, but at the same time, we're glad. Goku is mostly absent, so it's good that someone cares for Gohan and Gotenks.


To sum it up, ChiChi could be a character with more to give, but she got delegated to being a housewife, and that's not a bad thing per se. However, it's a shame that, given her fighter upbringing, she still decided to only take care of the children at home instead of being truly a warrior.

That is everything for today! We invite you to look at our store and see all the Dragon Ball things we have for you. Take care!

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