DBZ Goku age 24 to 30. Keep in mind that I am not a professional in psychology.

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When we meet Goku again in Dragon Ball Z, it has past 5 years since the 23^rd tournament. This would mean he is 24 years of age. We even meet his son. We can see some significant differences from the last we saw Goku during this short time.

Here we can witness a calmer Goku. Also, to note small signs that he shares a strong bond with his offspring. From the way he holds Gohan to how he reacts when his son is in trouble. Even noting how Goku shows great concern for his son.

We then also glimpse how he had significantly matured during these past 5 years, from how calming he interacts with new and past enemies. Also, how he respectfully addresses everyone he encounters in the afterlife. His understanding of what is asked of him has also improved. This also includes how he can joke around more easily and knowledge of the context.

Then we get more glimpse of how he is as a father. Like the way he prioritizes Gohan’s safety above everything else. Goes to his offspring before engaging with enemies or questioning his comrades. He shows greater emotional expression in his 20s compared to his younger self.

This also ranges when it comes to his wife, Chichi. We still have a glimpse of how he even distances himself from others. But compare to teenage Goku, this Goku is more “affectionate.” He holds more eye contact, responds to her better than the rest of the cast. Even shows the level of trust he has with her in how he carries himself in her presence.

This can be seen he has grown more emotional due to the influence of Chichi’s help. Also, with the added of raising a child together and learning more of each other. We can even conclude he might have some form of dependency need of her. In short, Chichi can be considered Goku’s emotional support system.

If so, then that would explain his lack of shutdowns, his unusual calmness. Even can explain how he developed a different motive for his actions. Before, his actions and behavior were mainly influenced by the constant change of his environment. Nothing for Goku, up until his marriage with Chichi, had a stable foundation.

Having some form of stability could help understand this drastic change for Goku. All signs of ADHD and other mood disorders seem to be mild to somehow unnoticeable. Until we come across Frieza, he witnesses his friend, Krillin’s, second death. We also saw him having a small shut down during his fight with Vegeta.

But between these fights, we have witnessed that after being with Chichi, he seems much calmer. This would indicate that along the way, Goku was emotionally open before taking on new challenges. Before, he never had moments to sit down and process events. After Vegeta, he was processing what he found out and dealing with the fact that he was unstable.

We have known that Goku tends to be calm but shut out, yet during the hospital event, he was relatively expressive. Even taking careful notes where Chichi always was standing throughout her visits. Here is where it’s more apparent that Goku relies on Chichi for confronting, something that he didn’t have during his youth. Which is good considering the events that will unfold during his fight with Frieza.

Everything leading up to the fight with Frieza shows signs that Goku was bound to have a significant episode. He was not only dealing with consistent physical stress but also learning about who he was. So, for him, everything was coming at full force, and he was going to have a meltdown sooner or later. This even can explain his health issues that would be a key factor later on.

Every fight is being thrown at him, one would question how he was still holding everything together. But counting the fact he now had an emotional support system and some stability, could state why it took him long to relapse.

Between when he returned to earth and when he caught the heart virus, there were clear signs his health was not stable. From the way, he carried himself when coming home, compared to before he left earth. Him “snapping” didn’t just let a ton of emotional release but also took an even more tremendous toll on his physical form. His body had to work twice as hard to keep up. This type of exertion is hazardous.

Going through space and training in instance gravity and the extreme pressure he experiences is phenomenal how he’s still standing. Since he’s not human, we can conclude that his body can withstand force greater than average. But any amount of stress on one’s body in a brief burst can have a massive effect on the body.

When he lands on earth, he is already showing signs his body is struggling to keep up. Goku is known to hide any signs that he is working due to his long history with his friends. We also note that Chichi, in her own way, is trying to get Goku to relax. So, it shouldn’t have been an enormous shock that Goku even came down with a heart virus.

During his time training Gohan alone, we also witness him again trying to contain the extent of his condition. And during the Cell Games, we experience Goku having one of his most prolonged shutdowns. This is something of a concern. Especially since he just reached his 30s.

For the last 6 years, Goku started with signs his emotional and mental health improved significantly, with his supported wife’s aid. We witness him thrown into battle and death, even suffering from significant health issues. If he had lived past his encounter with Cell, his health would have suffered majorly. This is both mentally and physically.

He had to get past traumatic experience, a rapid decline in health, and to top it off, he was on the round to die a second time regardless of any fight. His body and mind’s significant stress in such a short time is close to nothing compared to his upbringing. This taking into account him starting at the age of at least 7 all the way to 18. He had plenty of time to adjust and recover from fights. He even had a considerable amount of time to process events. But that was over 11 years. Not to mention how short burst those fights were. And even his youth played a significant part in his recovery. But being in his mid to late 20s, with little rest cycles and taking a nosedive in physical health, is concerning. These factors will cause anyone’s body to shut down or crash with little to no recovery.