I do not
mean that it is biblical in the sense that the Son family leads a
30-minute Bible study. What I mean is that Son Goku is a positive
example of Matthew 5: 16 "Let your light shine before men in such a way
that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in
heaven". Son Goku provides a glimpse of light in a culture that is
tasteless and dark, Dragon Ball Z is a show that is well-able to
influence us
in a positive way and has the ability to literally change us from the
inside-out. Let me give you some examples as to how Dragon Ball Z provides salt and light:
Part 1: the faith of Goku
1: Well Grounded Faith
Goku is filled with the kind of radiant Joy that only comes from having a strong faith in the Creator of the heavens and the earth.
2: Hard Work
Goku trains hard to keep his body in shape which is the right thing to do considering the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
3: True Humility
Goku lives a life of meekness despite the fact he is the most gifted Saiyan warrior in the entire world.
4: Showing Mercy
Goku tries to show mercy to whomever will accept it, even his worst enemies and after all isn't that what Yeshua told his disciples to do.
5: Life is Precious
Goku values the lives of other people as much as he values his own and will even risk his own life to save someone else.
6: Emphasis on Family
Goku is an excellent family man who displays unconditional love towards his wife Chi Chi and he is also an loving father who will discipline his children when needed. I know many liberal people are against corporal punishment but i think it's better to follow Goku than it is to listen to people who are too immature to understand the concept of tough love.
7: Masculinity
Goku is a strong role model who can teach important life lessons to young men who are growing up in a world where masculinity is heavily suppressed and even worse forbidden altogether. Many Christians have the mistaken belief that Christ was a weak man and part of this problem stems from all those effeminate paintings that make it look like he was raised inside a kings palace. When nothing could be further from the truth, you see Yeshua was a builder which is a very hard job which involves working with wood and even heavy stones. From this we can conclude that Yeshua was in fact a very strong man with well-developed muscles.
8: Self Defense
Goku teaches that it is okay to defend yourself from anyone who is attempting to harm you without a just cause and even more importantly Goku teaches us that it is our moral duty to protect the lives of innocent people from anyone who is attempting to harm them in any manner. The scripture where Yeshua instructed his disciples to turn the other cheek has often been misinterpreted as meaning that self-defense is forbidden no matter what the circumstance and worse yet some of these pacifist preachers claim that they wouldn't even defend their own family. Only a cowardly excuse for a man would refuse to protect his own family. Goku is more than willing to sacrifice his own life to protect the lives of his loved ones.
Part 2: Biblical Insight
1: Gods Perfect Number
Revelation 4:5 describes seven lamps of fire burning before the throne which are the seven Spirits of God. For this reason alone I find it totally fascinating that the number of dragon balls just so happens to be seven.
2: The Holy Spirit
I find it very interesting to note that a white dove appeared right in front of Gohan's face and then something truly incredible happened. The dove merged with Gohan and a brilliant flash of light lit up the screen as Gohan transformed into a super saiyan 2 for the very first time. Anyone who has read the bible will realize that the symbol for the Holy Spirit is the dove.
3: The Stones of Fire
Isaiah 6:6 describes a Seraphim angel retrieving a hot coal from off the heavenly altar, which was then used to purify Isaiah by temporarily atoning for his sins. In the English translation we get the word coal but in the Hebrew it literally says a fiery glowing stone. Ezekiel 28:14 says that Lucifer used to walk in the midst of the stones of fire. Have you ever noticed that whenever the seven dragon balls are used they take on the appearance of molten fire.
4: Seraphim Angels
Many Christians would be shocked to learn that Seraphim in Hebrew literally translates as fiery flying serpentine dragon. Wow i bet you never thought there would be dragons in heaven now did you? It doesn't take much imagination to see the connection between Shenron and the dragon balls aka stones of fire.
5: Transfiguration
Verb which literally means to transform into something more beautiful, elevated or ascended: Example the world is made luminous and is transfigured. It may surprise many of you to learn that the bible does in fact record an instance where Son Goku transforms into a super saiyan and this miraculous event took place on the mount of transfiguration. Matthew 17:2 "And He was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his clothing became as white as the light."
6: Lucifer's Ultimate Defeat
Ezekiel 28:11-19 describes how the devil will be reduced to ashes in the sight of all them beholding him and it also says he will be destroyed from the midst of the stones of fire. You will see a direct parallel to this when Goku destroys Omega Shenron with the spirit bomb and how he is reduced to ashes as the dragon-balls orbit around him. Thus he is literally destroyed from the midst of the dragon-balls.
7: Kami's lookout
Another mystery revealed in the bible is the lookout where the guardian of earth can look down and as scripture clearly states even the Lord Goku himself occasionally goes there to watch events occurring on the planet below. The chamber of spirit and time is also located on the lookout. Any vessel that the guardian of the earth does not approve of is unable to reach the lookout and that is why the spaceships cannot reach it. Isaiah 40:22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in: That bringeth the princes to nothing;
Part 3: Gokuism
From this stuff alone we can conclude that Dragonball Z and Gt are filled with good moral lessons that line up with what is taught in the bible. Gokuism is the belief that the principles of Dragon Ball Z provide a moral compass for one’s life, and that Goku in particular is an ideal role model to base one's life on. Goku is a role model of innocence and purity who has unfathomable power yet only uses it to help others. Please note there is another Japanese anime called Dragon Ball which I do not recommend watching because it contains crude humor.
Disclaimer: Evangelical Gokuism is not endorsed by Toei, Funimation, 20th Century Fox, Akira Toriyama, Bird Studio, Shueisha Inc.or any other corporation. Gokuism is a spiritual movement that hopes to make the world a better place by simply asking the question what would Goku do?
