Warning! Spoilers ahead for Dragon Ball Super chapter 78!
Some Dragon Ball fans are lamenting over the recent retconning of Goku's father Bardock in the Dragon Ball Super manga. But truthfully, his revamp is perfect for those who first saw him on VHS in the 1990 film Bardock: The Father of Goku.
The first film portrayed Bardock as a ruthless warrior who pushed himself more than any other Saiyan to gain recognition from Frieza at the detriment of his family life - all of which only changed once he was cursed. The 2018 Dragon Ball Super: Broly film then reintroduced a new version Bardock who ostensibly diverged greatly from his one-shot predecessor. Now, he had a family he greatly loved and died to protect. The Dragon Ball Super manga has taken these changes to the next level by allowing the love Bardock had for his family to alter him on the battlefield.
The split between those who like and dislike the new Bardock can actually be divided further into two more distinct groups: those who first saw Bardock: The Father of Goku in the '90s and those who did afterwards. The latter fans who first watched the film on YouTube, a streaming service or maybe even on DVD can't get past the more flawed version of Bardock's character before his eventual epiphany. Meanwhile, what kids from the '90s who watched the film on their VCR want to see is a continuation of Bardock post-epiphany - and that's exactly what Super's Broly and the manga are delivering.
Bardock's Indifference Towards Goku
In Bardock: The Father of Goku, the titular Saiyan is so far removed from his son - then known as Kakarot - that he overly miscalculates the day of his birth. When asked when Kakarot was born, he is obviously annoyed by the question as though just talking about him is burdensome, but eventually guesses that he might have been born a year ago when, in actuality, he was only a day old. Later, Bardock first sees Kakarot and learns his name when exiting a recovery center on planet Vegeta. He only stops to check his power level and when he discovers he's average, Bardock leaves in disgust.
Meanwhile, in the Dragon Ball Super manga, a flashback shows the first time Bardock sees his son. Bardock might have missed his birth, but he's obviously moved by him because he's rendered speechless. His reaction is so surprising that his wife Gine quips that he must have seen other babies before, implying that he's only reacting this way because this is in fact the first infant he's ever seen. Bardock not only names his son, but this memory is what compels Bardock to save a Cerealian boy named Granolah and his mother during the Saiyan-led invasion of planet Cereal, because he saw Kakarot and Gine in them.
But there are a few points that need to be addressed. Fans who are fixated on Bardock's indifference in the '90s film forget that when his colleagues encourage Bardock to visit his son, his answer proves that he is distancing himself from Kakarot on purpose. He mentions that there's no point in visiting him now since he will just be deployed to his first planet to destroy in a matter of days. Of course, he could just be using that point as an excuse so he doesn't have to bother with him, but later scenes suggest otherwise.
Bardock's Regret
Upon his death, Bardock comes to regret how he brushed Kakarot aside when he was still alive. As a spirit, Bardock "visits" Kakarot, saying that he should have held him when he had the chance. Helping Bardock come to this realization is a curse that the Broly film completely ignored. The '90s movie sees Bardock get cursed with an ability that dooms him with visions of his future. In addition to terrifying images of planet Vegeta's demise, Bardock's mind becomes inundated with moments of his son's life. At first, Bardock is disgusted to see his son adopt a fighting style that's "not our way" while mingling with weaker races, but there's a later heart-wrenching moment when Bardock's visions "transport" him to Namek where Goku will later defeat Frieza. There, he sees Goku's back turned to him and reaches for him before his son sternly tells him that it's not too late for him to change and to not become like Frieza.
This is the version of Bardock that fans from the '90s remember. And although it's understandable why newer fans might be upset with Super's Broly for how it only showed a Bardock who loves his family, the manga suggests there was a time when this newer Bardock may have just been like his predecessor before his posthumous epiphany. In other words, the moment when Bardock sees Kakarot for the first time is the equivalent to Bardock's regret in the '90s film. The manga just hasn't shown that side of Bardock yet.
Bardock the Barbaric Warrior
Similarly, many discontented fans are upset that the retconned Bardock isn't as ruthless as his previous version, but, again, that side of him as yet to be shown. What the manga has shown, however, is that Bardock was once ruthless. Even though Bardock saves Granolah and his mother, he expresses annoyance and disbelief at himself multiple times for saving them. This proves that, under normal circumstances, he would have slaughtered them on sight - even if they were a mother and child.
It's understandable why newer fans might be frustrated. In Bardock: The Father of Goku, not only does the titular Saiyan claim the impossible that he remembers every moment while a Giant Ape, but he is a merciless warrior who pushes himself to the limit more than other Saiyans. He choke-holds his enemies with an evil smirk on his face, wears the bandana of his deceased friend drenched in his own blood, survives the dreaded Mouth Energy Wave from Frieza's henchman Dodoria (whom Goku never meets) and even takes on all of Frieza's elite warriors alone, many of them piling on top of him at once in an almost absurd way before he blasts them off him.
So, yes, this revamped Bardock is still exactly what fans wanted in the 1990s, especially now, since many of these fans now have families of their own and can more readily relate with him as a result. Also, in addition to bringing back a character whom fans from that time period have been waiting to see again for decades, the retcon builds upon his compassion, which Dragon Ball's Bardock: The Father Goku first explored. And this wasn't done at the expense of his barbaric side, either, for it's assumed he's just as merciless as his previous version. That side of Bardock just hasn't been shown yet. And that just builds the suspense further.
The only thing that's actually different about this new version of Bardock is that he changes once he first lays eyes on his son and names him. The previous incarnation of Bardock, meanwhile, casts him aside once he realizes Kakarot isn't special. It's only after death when the first Bardock realizes he should have paid more attention to his son. So, if anything, he's not a rougher or stronger version of his Dragon Ball Super retcon. He's exactly the same, just utterly and completely more tragic.