While Goku is one of the most powerful beings in the Dragon Ball universe–from his powerful attacks to his god-like forms–Dragon Ball Super reveals there is one secret weapon in his arsenal that stands above the rest as it consistently gives him a leg up in every one of his battles.
Since his first tournament in Dragon Ball’s “Tournament Saga,” Goku has always been able to get inside the heads of his enemies by way of casual conversation during battle. As time went on, this trait became more ingrained in Goku as a character and as a fighter, so much so that Goku has even taken to complimenting his opponent during a fight as a show of genuine appreciation for the art form of battle.
In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 12 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, the Z Fighters are wrapped up in a multiversal tournament between them (Universe 7) and a team of fighters from Universe 6. When it is Goku’s time to enter the ring, he is face-to-face with a fighter named Hit who is by far the most powerful member of his squad. During the fight, Goku does his usual schtick by conversing casually with his opponent, and in doing so gets Hit to open up about himself in ways that he never had before. When the Kai from Hit’s universe comments on the fact that Hit is normally a mute, and that it is strange that he is opening up to Goku the way he is, Old Kai from Universe 7 says, “That’s just another one of Son Goku’s mysterious qualities.”
Goku talks to his opponent as if they are friends who are dueling for fun, even when the situation is quite dire. In this instance, that quality is simply pointed out by the Kais, but it has always been present and comes from the purest of places. The reason Goku does this is because he truly believes that everyone is good deep down, and he wants even the worst villains in the universe to reform so that he can train with them and become even stronger. However, while Goku only talks to his opponent to bring out the best in them during a fight, he is inadvertently launching a unique attack against them. By getting them to talk during a fight, Goku’s enemies let their guard down and even reveal things about themselves that they wouldn’t normally share which gives Goku more insight into who they are and thereby gives him the ammo to prolong their conversation, continuing the vicious (albeit well-intended) cycle.
Goku talking to his opponents during a fight is not only distracting enough to catch them off-guard, but it also gives them false hope while battling the Saiyan warrior. When Goku compliments or otherwise acts excited to be fighting someone, he comes off as childish and inexperienced which leads his enemies to underestimate his abilities. However, that is the last thing that they should do going into a fight with Goku as he is one of the strongest fighters in the universe, and with this secret weapon that was called out in Dragon Ball Super, he becomes an even bigger threat.