Goku's Resistance to Sleep Manipulation

[SwordLegendz01]

This thread aims to explore and argue in favor of adding "Limited Resistance to Sleep Manipulation" to Goku's abilities while addressing potential counterarguments from the previous thread.

Evidence of Goku's Resistance to Sleep Manipulation arises from a scene where Master Roshi uses Sleep Manipulation to put Goku to sleep. According to Master Roshi, this technique is designed to keep the target asleep regardless of external stimuli, meaning no amount of noise or shouting should wake them up. However, Goku eventually awakens when Bulma shouts "Dinner Time!!!," raising the question of whether he has Resistance to Sleep Manipulation.

Arguments in Favor:

• Limited Resistance to Sleep Manipulation: Master Roshi's Sleep Manipulation is supposed to keep the target asleep until Roshi gives a specific signal. Despite this, Goku was able to hear Bulma and wake up. This suggests that Goku retains a certain level of consciousness while under the influence of sleep induction, allowing him to wake up when triggered by something important to him, like food. This indicates a limited form of resistance, as Goku was not completely bound by the Sleep Manipulation.
• Goku's Consciousness: The fact that Goku could hear Bulma's voice and wake up shows that he wasn't entirely unconscious. This indicates that while he was put to sleep, he still maintained awareness of his surroundings, enough to break free from the induced sleep when he felt it necessary, similar to the previous point where Goku woke up after hearing Bulma yell "Dinner Time!!!" even though they had already tried with various other words.

Counterarguments:

• Still Fell Asleep: Some might argue that since Goku still fell asleep initially, this isn't true resistance. However, resistance doesn't mean complete immunity—it means the ability to fight back against or reduce the effectiveness of an effect. In this case, Goku's ability to wake up despite the sleep inducement points to resistance rather than a lack of it.
• Gag Scene: Some may dismiss this as a gag scene, which is common in early Dragon Ball. While this is a valid point, the mechanics of Roshi's sleep inducement are still explained within the context of the story, giving weight to the idea that Goku woke up due to a certain level of resistance.
• Enhanced Senses: Another argument against resistance is that this could be an example of Goku's enhanced senses, allowing him to hear Bulma's voice despite being asleep. However, enhanced senses alone wouldn't necessarily allow someone to break free from a sleep-inducing technique designed to be inescapable until the user decides to release it. The fact that Goku managed to wake up implies that he was resisting the effect, not just hearing through it.

If we attribute the ability to hear while asleep to enhanced senses, it would be an argument that is not entirely consistent with the portrayal of Goku's abilities in the series. Rather, this strengthens the argument that there is Resistance to Sleep Manipulation at play here because hearing is not a sense that is specifically enhanced in Saiyans, a trait more fitting for characters like Piccolo.

Rebuttals to Counterarguments:

• Consciousness Retained: If Goku were truly unconscious, as in "He won't open his eyes until I give the signal," then comparisons to normal sleep where people can still hear things wouldn't apply. Master Roshi's technique is explicitly stated to prevent waking up regardless of external noise. The fact that Goku could hear Bulma and wake up shows that he retained some consciousness, which is crucial to the argument for resistance.
• Resistance vs. Immunity: It's important to differentiate between resistance and immunity. Resistance implies that Goku was able to fight back against sleep manipulation to some extent, not that he was completely unaffected. Goku falling asleep initially does not negate the fact that he was able to wake up, which demonstrates resistance.

"Resistance is the power to withstand the effects of certain abilities through varying means. The highest degree of resistance is outright Immunity, supposedly making the user in question completely unaffected by such abilities."

Additional Evidence:

It is stated in Daizenshuu 2 the technique was broken by them and we also see Master Roshi also surprised that Goku was able to wake up.

Conclusion:
In this case, we can conclude that Goku's ability to wake up is more due to "Resistance to Sleep Manipulation than to Enhanced Hearing". While the evidence may be subject to interpretation, the argument in favor of Goku having "Resistance to Sleep Manipulation" is strong. Goku's ability to wake up despite Master Roshi's inducement suggests a limited form of resistance, rooted in his retained consciousness and ability to respond to external triggers.

Agree (0):
Disagree (0):

 

[Killerdrone123]

I agree

 

[ChoursDropoff]

I am in agreement

 

[SwordLegendz01]

I agree

I am in agreement

Thank you for commenting

 

[DarkDragonMedeus]

We usually avoid giving resistances if they're often broken through great willpower, which pretty sure a strong hunger urge counts as that. But I am neutral, given how often our policies change back and forth.

 

[Davi009997]

I agree

 

[SwordLegendz01]

We usually avoid giving resistances if they're often broken through great willpower, which pretty sure a strong hunger urge counts as that.

He didn't even say or feel hungry just asked where dinner was, Bulma just coaxed him awake that there was food or it was time for dinner.

Goku's Consciousness: The fact that Goku could hear Bulma's voice and wake up shows that he wasn't entirely unconscious. This indicates that while he was put to sleep, he still maintained awareness of his surroundings, enough to break free from the induced sleep when he felt it necessary, similar to the previous point where Goku woke up after hearing Bulma yell "Dinner Time!!!" even though they had already tried with various other words.

I've also written about it here, it doesn't make sense if he doesn't retain consciousness but hearing them scream especially the "food/dinner time" point, even Master Roshi explains that the technique can only be released if he gives the signal. This means that he knows that this ability can make someone stay asleep regardless of external disturbances such as noise.

 

[SamanPatou]

Looks good to me, we shouldn't look too much into it with consciousness and ES stuff, it's very simple and straightforward.
Goku strayed off from the supposed effects of the technique as no one else had done before. It's not even much of a willpower feat, it's one of those gag scenes which are justified in-verse, pretty much like Crilin not having a nose.

The resistance would absolutely be minor/limited or whatever, as Goku would never have waken up by himself and only personal knowledge of his personality would allow external characters to activate the ability. Nonetheless, the peculiarity is there and we shouldn't ignore it.