When Goku first fought Majin Buu in Dragon Ball Z, it was in his powerful new Super Saiyan 3 form. Of course, he never finished this fight, so it's hard to say how it would have turned out. However, there was at least one other person present whom Goku should have been more than a match for with his power-- Babidi.

Even though Goku probably could have killed Babidi at any time, he didn't even try. Things ended up working themselves out as soon as he left as Babidi was killed by Buu. However, there's no directly-stated reason as to why Goku left the wizard's fate up to chance like this.

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What Did Goku Leave Babidi Alive?

Majin Buu gets ready to execute Babidi in Dragon Ball Z

One could argue that Goku didn't leave things up to fate. Instead, he lead Buu to deal with Babidi by convincing him that he didn't need to follow the wizard's orders. However, this still doesn't explain why Goku decided to leave Babidi's fate up to somebody else.

This isn't to say that Goku is averse to the idea of getting his own hands dirty. If a villain is irredeemably evil like Babidi, Goku is willing to deliver a killing blow. As for why he didn't do it in this situation, there should be another explanation for it. Goku might have thought about finishing off Babidi the same way he thought about finishing off Majin Buu. As he later stated, he might have been able to beat the destroyer of worlds as a Super Saiyan 3 but didn't try for it. He would have rather made sure the affairs of the living could be handled by the living, namely the future generations of fighters. He only went back on this choice when there was no other option.

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Goku Spared Babidi to Make Buu Stronger

Good Buu poses in Dragon Ball Z.

Tying into the idea of leaving new threats to the Earth up to the next generation, Goku might have wanted to make sure Buu was at his best. He might have believed this was impossible for Buu as long as he was following Babidi's orders. This wouldn't have necessarily convinced the Majin to kill the wizard, but it would at least stop him from following his petty orders.

It's also important to remember that this wouldn't be the only time Goku tried to turn a powerful fighter on their weak master. He went on to do the same thing in the Dragon Ball Super manga by trying to convince Gas that he didn't need to follow Elec's orders. Nothing came of this, but the important thing is that he tried.

Goku's intentions with Gas and Elec might have been like what they were for Buu and Babidi. In the case of the former, Goku was simply trying to turn the two on each other with no ulterior motives. It's possible that he had the same desire when he turned Buu on Babidi. The only difference is that where Gas had unquestionable loyalty to his family, Buu only followed Babidi out of fear of being sealed. Goku could only give one of these fighters confidence to strike out on their own.

Whatever Goku's motives were, it's clear now that Super Saiyan 3 wasn't necessary to deal with Babidi. The wizard was already long overdue for a falling out with Majin Buu. All Goku needed to do was drive their story forward and let events play out and come to its natural conclusion.