While both have their fair share of criticisms and praises from fans, Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super are two drastically different sequels in the popular franchise. Super takes place almost immediately after the end of Dragon Ball Z (after the Buu Saga, but before the finale), whereas Dragon Ball GT takes a more drastic leap into the future, about five years after the DBZ finale.
Regardless of what readers may prefer, both shows offer very different interpretations of the Goku character, mostly because they portray Goku at very different points in his life. These interpretations are different enough to dedicate an entire list toward.
10 SUPER: He Acts Like A Child Despite Being A Grown Adult
One common criticism that hardcore fans have had for Dragon Ball Super has been for how the show/anime has portrayed Goku's good-natured naivety. Such an instance is best-defined by TV Tropes as Flanderization. Flanderization is when a character's single action or trait is continually highlighted as seasons progressed until he's suddenly defined by it.
Goku being a little bit silly and childish has been a trait for Goku since the original Dragon Ball, but it's been amped to 11 in Super. GT, however, takes a different approach.
9 GT: He Was Literally Turned Back Into A Child
While Goku is childish in the body thanks to a wish from Emperor Pilaf, he does not feel necessarily "childish," at least not in the way that he is in Super. While GT does showcase that trademark cluelessness at times, he feels wiser as he should and smartens up appropriately when the situation calls for it.
While Super showcases Goku as if he's age five in the body of an adult, GT shows Goku acts like the 50-something man he is in the body of a child.
8 SUPER: He Ascends Multiple Forms
If Goku has any consistent motivation throughout Dragon Ball Super (and perhaps, it can be argued, the entirety of the Dragon Ball franchise), it is that he wants to consistently get stronger and constantly surpass his own limits.
Visually, this theme is highlighted in the many forms that Goku is able to reach over the course of the series. Since the series first began, Goku has ascended to several new Super Saiyan forms ranging from Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken, and Ultra Instinct.
7 GT: He Reaches One New Form
Unlike his Super counterpart, Goku in GT does not transform as frequently and only manages to achieve one new transformation over the course of that series. After regrowing his tail and turning into a Great Ape, only to be reminded of his true self by his granddaughter Pan, Goku regressed down to normal adult size, but as a man/ape hybrid. This hybrid transformation is known best as Super Saiyan 4.
Even though he only achieved one transformation, Super Saiyan 4 became one of Goku's most iconic and instantly recognized forms despite originated in a now non-canon show.
6 SUPER: He Doesn't Always Save The Day
It can be debated as to whether or not this means the GT version of Goku is stronger than his Super version considering that Goku manages to save the day in all three saga arcs of the GT era. Meanwhile, Goku isn't so lucky in the latter sequel.
The first arc of Super begins with Goku failing to defeat Lord Beerus. Then, the Universe 6 Saga ends with Goku failing to win that tournament. Afterward, while Goku's team won the Tournament of Power in the Universe Survival Saga, Android 17 was ultimately the last man standing. Not to mention the Future Trunks Saga ended with Trunks being the one to slay Zamasu. While GT Goku is virtually unstoppable, Super Goku takes some major losses over the course of that series.
5 GT: He's Fighting 17 As An Enemy
Speaking of 17, his relationship with Goku is very different in GT. It was during the show's middle arc - the Super 17 Saga - where Dr. Gero returns to make a clone of Android 17 - called Hell Fighter 17 - with the previous saga's antagonist Dr. Myuu. The clone brainwashed the original 17 and convinces him to fuse to become Super 17.
The newly fused android nearly destroyed the world before Goku, in a last-ditch effort, was able to defeat him by piercing a hole through his body, using a Super Dragon Fist.
4 SUPER: He's Fighting Alongside 17 As An Ally
Once re-introduced into the canon for Dragon Ball Super, Android 17 had no such motivations for world domination. Instead, it's revealed that in the time between the end of the Android Saga and the events of Super, 17 had quietly settled down to become a park ranger living happily with a wife and three children.
He only decided to return to the fray after Goku asked him to join Team Universe 7 when the universe was on the line. It was at this point that he and Goku become good allies. And to everyone's surprise, not only is he the sole survivor of the team, he wins the whole tournament and uses his wish the grant everyone their own universe back into existence.
3 GT: He Got His Tail Back
As mentioned earlier, GT is where Goku got his tail back for the first time in years, something he canonically has not had since he was of child age in the original Dragon Ball. With GT serving as something as a throwback combination of both classic Z and DB, it made sense for Goku to go back to his roots in this way.
For further context, Goku retrieved his tail when the Elder Kai painfully pulled it back out with pliers, hoping to help Goku's "energy problem" at the time.
2 SUPER: He Befriends Frieza
Well, befriend is a strong word, but Goku willingly accepts Frieza as an ally - however brief their kinship may have been - when he needed a powerful fighter as a last-minute replacement on his team for the Tournament of Power. In fact, he walks into Hell to ask Frieza himself, and when the overlord fulfills his duty, Goku fulfills his promise to revive Frieza.
The two aren't nearly as friendly in GT, where Goku similarly storms into Hell, only to get beat up by both Frieza and his new underworld buddy, Cell. Still, Goku gets the last laugh before it's all said and done.
1 GT: Goku's Actively Searching For Dragon Balls Again
Although the franchise is called Dragon Ball, Super doesn't focus much on the legendary artifacts. In fact, it's rare that anyone in Super ever even seeks out the Dragon Balls anymore. The Dragon Balls just aren't as prominent in storylines as they were when the original series first launched.
With that said, in being the throwback of nostalgia that it is, GT focuses heavily on Goku looking for the Dragon Balls, albeit for a more high stakes reason. In this sequel, after a wish is made on the Black Star Dragon Balls filled with negative energy, the planet has one year before it grows extinct and Goku must retrieve the Balls before time runs out.