Goku giving Cell the Senju Bean is one of the most controversial moments Dragon Ball suffrage Many fans misinterpreted this scene as Goku believing that Gohan wanted a fair fight like he did, but there is much more depth and nuance to Goku giving Cell the Senju Bean. Goku's whole plan for Gohan to defeat Cell in the Senju Bean.
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The fact that Goku gives Cell the Senju Bean isn't silly at all, nor does it show a misunderstanding of who Gohan is. When it comes down to it, Senju Bean Goku Cell doesn't just save Gohan's life, it saves the entire world. Goku understands what is at stake in the Cell Games better than any other character, and his decisions are fully validated by the end of the Cell Games.
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Cell only wants to fight Goku
The most important thing to understand about the Cell games is that Cell created it specifically to fight Goku. The tournament structure exists due to Goku's DNA within Cell, and the fact Cell wants to warm Goku up by fighting the weaker Z-Fighters first. Cell is very shocked when Goku immediately decides to fight Cell (after Mr. Satan, that is). Anyone else fighting Cell would distract from the main event, which Goku himself understood.
To Goku's credit, he does indeed fight his hardest – defeating Cell and so Gohan can observe Cell's fighting style before moving on. Once Goku fully realizes that he cannot defeat Cell no matter how hard he tries, he loses the match and tells Cell that someone stronger will take his place. By fighting first, Goku gives Cell what he wants, and by giving him the Senju Bean, indicates that he believes he is not the strongest Z-Fighter.
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Goku needs Cell to take Gohan seriously
More important than anything else, Goku needed to give Cell the Senju Bean so that he would actually take Gohan seriously. If Gohan had simply lost and told Gohan to fight, Cell would probably have tried to kill Gohan as soon as possible so he could start fighting Goku again. Senju Bean convinces Cell that Goku is 100% serious and that Gohan is stronger than him. Gohan is the youngest Z-Fighter and has the least fighting experience of the entire cast, so Goku couldn't realistically expect him to fight and have Cell satisfied.
Senju Bean urges Cell to treat his fight with Gohan as a proper fight, giving Gohan enough time to get into the swing of battle. Goku's only fault with the plan was not telling Gohan about it beforehand, instead relying on the idea that Gohan would understand the magnitude of the situation and fight Cell for real. Goku regrets not letting Gohan factor into his strategy, but when it comes down to it, he wasn't wrong to give Cell the Senju Bean. Gohan has never shown any resistance to fighting before, either, even though he doesn't enjoy fighting as much as Goku, everything from the Saiyan and Frieza sagas suggests he'd be good at fighting Cell.
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Goku was 100% right about Gohan in the end
Although Gohan immediately struggles to understand why Goku is dueling him Cell and struggles with his own inner demons about what to fight, he ultimately has the power to kill Cell. Even as a regular Super Saiyan, Gohan was already strong enough to defeat Perfect Cell. If Gohan hadn't hesitated, he would have been able to finish the cell games in a matter of minutes. Instead, it takes the death of Android 16 to unlock Gohan's latent potential, but even then, it recognizes Goku.
Goku knew that Gohan still had great power inside him that needed to be brought out. Super Saiyan 2 Gohan could kill Cell whenever he wanted. It's unfortunate that Goku had to sacrifice his life for the sake of his son, but giving Cell the Senju Bean gave Gohan a fighting chance, while putting Cell in the right frame of mind to fight anyone who wasn't Goku. Both were necessary to set the stage for Gohan's victory.
- Release date
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1989 – 1996
- network
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Fuji TV
- directors
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Daisuke Nishio, Shigeyasu Yamauchi, Osamu Kasai
- The authors
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Akira Toriyama, Neil Bligh, Hiroshi Toda, Katsuyuki Sumisawa, Aya Matsui, Keiji Terui, Reiko Yoshida, Toshiki Inoue
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Masako Nozawa
Son Goku / Son Gohan / Son Goten (voice)
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Rio Horikawa
vegetables (voice)
