There are no shortage of anime series that can run for hundreds of episodes and have surprisingly sparse character development for its heroes, but Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball Super has worked hard to avoid this stagnation. Dragon Ball's core principle where Goku leads a powerful team of heroes to protect the planet from evil forces never wavers, but there have still been important changes and evolutions to the show's scope and storytelling.
Dragon Ball depicts Goku as a commendable dad, but his own father, Bardock, has always been a bit of a mystery in the Dragon Ball canon. Over the years, more details about Bardock have come to light, and some may be surprised to learn that he's actually a decent father himself in many respects.
6 He Sends Goku Away To Earth
Arguably the best thing that Bardock has ever done for Goku ends up being a defining experience in his life that forever sets him on the path to becoming a hero. For the longest time, the biggest piece of information about Bardock was that he sends Goku away from Planet Vegeta to Earth when he's still just a baby. The decision to send Goku away is one of Bardock's first pure acts, and it spares Goku a hypothetical life as a villainous warrior rather than the hero he's become.
A lot of Bardock's rationale here also has to do with his suspicions toward Frieza, and his intuition on the matter is another essential parenting skill. Before Bardock meets his end by Frieza, his initial plan is to rendezvous on Earth with Goku afterward and pick him up. Bardock doesn't intend on abandoning their son, even though it ends up building formidable survival skills in an infant Goku.
5 His Love For His Wife Channels Through His Son
At many points, Dragon Ball tries to cast Bardock as just some everyday Saiyan, but he repeatedly proves himself to be remarkable, even if it's in subtle ways. Dragon Ball has explained that romance is not the norm for Saiyans, and whatever relationships do happen are typically for the purposes of reproduction. This makes Bardock's genuine affection and earnest tenderness towards his wife, Gine, so important.
Bardock isn't just respectful of Gine, but once they begin a family together, he also helps her separate herself from Team Bardock to remove herself from constant dangers. Admittedly, Goku doesn't witness any of Bardock's behavior with Gine, but if he had been able to grow up peacefully on Planet Vegeta, he would have been exposed to a positive home life and established healthy relationship habits.
4 Bardock’s Compassion To Granolah’s Family Earns Goku Mercy
There's a very causal chain reaction of events that often occurs in Dragon Ball. The death of one character can trigger all sorts of unexpected consequences, and while the sins of the father is certainly a principle that applies to Dragon Ball, the reverse can also be true. Some bombshells about Bardock get dropped right when it seems like Granolah has gained the advantage in his brutal battle against Goku and Vegeta. The full ramifications of the news about Bardock's connection to both Granolah and Goku seem like it might end up uniting them against a larger threat, Gas of the Heeter Force.
Bardock's kindness benefits Goku, but Goku goes on to exhibit the same admirable values in his own children where they can also prosper from the positive relationships that Goku has worked hard to build.
3 Both Of His Children Survive The Saiyan Genocide
The Saiyan genocide is one of the biggest events in Dragon Ball's history, and the massacre of the Cerealians oddly allows Goku and Granolah to bond through trauma. Frieza's destruction of Planet Vegeta means that there is an extremely small number of surviving Saiyans left in Universe 7. Considering all of the loss that the Saiyans experience, Bardock actually becomes one of the better Saiyan parents in the series since both of his children, Goku and Raditz, survive.
Bardock's decision on Goku's exodus is a little prescient on his part, and it just happens to be fortuitous that Bardock already has Raditz training and out in the world at such a young age. His choices for both of his children result in their survival, and one of them is at least able to have his own children and continue on the Saiyan race.
2 His Good Deeds On Planet Cereal Are Able To Inspire Goku
Goku spends nearly his entire life on Earth, and this results in him having very little knowledge about his father and his past. The glimpses of Bardock that have previously been provided by Dragon Ball are all through flashbacks or devices that exclude Goku. This makes Monaito's news about Bardock such a revelation because Goku is privy to it alongside Granolah. It's a big deal for Goku to gain details and context surrounding his parentage, but what's more significant about Monaito's anecdote is that it's a story that Goku can be proud of.
At this point, Goku knows that he's not his father and can handle the harsh truth if necessary, but the civility that Bardock eventually exhibits during the genocide on Planet Cereal gets to inspire Goku in a roundabout way. This act of kindness takes place shortly after Bardock learns about Goku's existence, so it's possible to argue that his following actions are with his new son and his future in mind. He wants him to live in a world where people can show humility and make sacrifices.
1 He Rebelled Against The Heeter Force To Protect Innocents
There are always new villains and organizations that reveal themselves in the increasingly vast universe of Dragon Ball. Dragon Ball Super has made the most strides in this area, and the continued focus on entities like the Galactic Patrol allow Super's manga to effectively build upon the series' established major players. The Frieza Force feels like a constant in the series, even though Frieza himself has destroyed his entire team and started over, but Super's manga reveals a rival tyrannical group, the Heeter Force.
A major moment in Bardock's development is when he fights off the Heeter Force when they antagonize a young Granolah and Monaito. This act puts Bardock on the Heeter Force's hit list, and he still can't prevent the death of Muezli, Granolah's mother, but matters could have been much worse without him. All of this speaks toward the growing empathy within Bardock as he begins to recognize the evil in others and when it's best to protect an underdog. This is antithetical to traditional Saiyan behavior, and it even confuses Bardock at the time, but it's important for Goku's future.