On top of that, Goku's a very merciful character. Although it is true that he did indeed spare Vegeta for the sole purpose of wishing to fight him again, he attempted to spare Freeza, the tyrant responsible for the then-permanent death of his best friend, without any desire to rematch Even after failing in his first try to let Freeza move on, he still saw a glimmer, if only that, of potential redemption within him and lent him some of his ki, in the hopes that he would one day "see the value of life".

This is not to say Goku is perfect. As mentioned before, his Saiyan blood has insisted on letting villains escape if only for the sake of a rematch. Oftentimes, he is found unaware of how people, even hin own son feel at certain times. While others may portray of him as a figure of peace, it is clear that his real ambitions in life lay not in protecting, but in fighting for the sake of fighting. Still, I believe these traits make him a much more realistic character.

Merciful and stubborn, often to a fault, Goku is one of Dragon Ball's best.