Goku

"Goku" redirects here. For other uses, see Son Goku.

Son Goku (孫 悟空, Son Gokū, Goku in most English versions) is the protagonist who first appears in the Dragon Ball manga created by Akira Toriyama, more popularly followed by an anime series. At first, Goku's representation in the Dragon Ball story was parodied on Sun Wukong (the Chinese variant of the name), a central protagonist in the Chinese novel Journey to the West. As Dragon Ball developed from an adventure to a martial arts sensation, Goku's direct reference to this classic character in literature is quickly departed. When the manga was adapted into anime, the series was split into two sub-series. The first sub-series told the history of Goku's childhood and went by the original name of the manga; while its more familiar sequel sub-series called Dragon Ball Z covered his adulthood. A third anime only sub-series was produced called Dragon Ball GT that continued Goku's story, ten years after the end of Dragon Ball Z, and the written Dragon Ball series.

Heritage and appearance

File:Gokukidadult.jpg

Son Goku as he appears as a kid and as an adult

Goku was born Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto, Kakarot in most English versions), a member of an extraterrestrial race called the Saiyans. This race inhabited a planet called Planet Vegeta, however, Goku was sent to Planet Earth to conquer it and make it suitable for sale on the galactic market. Goku's history and appearance are unique when compared to other superheroes simply because Dragon Ball was not intended to be ongoing, or even a story that primarily focused on martial arts. Goku originally appeared in the series as a boy with dark hair, a lean build, and a very unusual characteristic, a monkey tail. These physical traits are later explained to be typical of all Saiyans. Due to Goku's tail being the single characteristic that enables his uncontrollable transformation to the Giant Saiyan Ape, it is removed by the God of Earth early in the series.

Goku is unique for a Saiyan, being that he does not possess the typical behavioral traits of the race, such as extreme aggression and ruthless behavior. This is due to an accident that he suffered as a child, where his programmed aggression and memory were erased due to head trauma. Because of his devotion toward Earth, he dresses in an Asian martial arts uniform instead of the traditional Saiyan battle armor. Goku's uniform is yellow-orange in the manga and red-orange in the anime, with a dark blue short-sleeved under shirt, obi, wristbands and dark light-weight boots. He is also known to use the symbols of his training masters. The first symbol that Goku uses was the symbol of his first master Muten-Rôshi's, which stood for "Kame", meaning "turtle". Later he wears the symbol of his next master, Kaio-sama for "Kaio" (meaning "world") while battling the Saiyan Prince Vegeta. After Goku recovers from his battle with Vegeta, Kaio-Sama sends him another gi with the symbol meaning "Go" (meaning either "enlightenment" or "wisdom"). As the series progresses, he discards these symbols, becoming a master instead of a student by training his child Son Gohan, and later a pupil named Uub.

Even though Kakarotto is Goku's original name, he prefers to be called "Goku" that he was given upon his arrival on Earth. When Goku learns of his origins as an extraterrestrial, he rejects his heritage, but later accepts it during his battle with the galactic overlord named Freeza. Only Saiyans refer to Goku by his Saiyan name, the Saiyan character in the series Vegeta is very particular about calling him by his Saiyan name; believing that Goku should be proud of his Saiyan heritage. Due to a unique genetic trait in Saiyan genetics, Goku's physique almost perfectly mimics his father Burdock. Another unique trait in Saiyan genetics is that the Saiyans evolved to retain their youthfulness for combat, so as a result, Goku ages very slowly when he reaches about age thirty, appearing very young even when he is middle-aged.

Goku's original name fits in with the rest of his family; all the known members in his family are a pun on vegetables that are related to each other. "Kakarotto" is a pun on "carrot", while Goku's older brother named Raditz who is introduced as a supervillain at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z is a pun on "radish". Goku's father Burdock, whose name is given in the Viz manga and in the Japanese-audio English subtitles of the television special, Bardock: The Father of Goku, is named after an herb of the same name.

Character personality

Goku is the first in the series to exhibit a purity of heart, meaning that he is completely void of evil and temptation. Being pure of heart, Goku is known for his naïvity and selflessness, and is often observed to be concerned with other people, regardless of how evil they seem to be. This unusual trait in Goku's personality is contrasted by his fierce love of competition, specifically fighting. Goku is often criticized by the other characters for giving his rivals a chance to change their intentions instead of killing them off. But as a result, this trait of his personality has earned him respect from former rivals, developed alliances, and even friendships with them.

Even though most of Goku's traits are very different than other Saiyans, he shares the Saiyan love for food and combat, and often neglects his duties as a husband and friend in order to train. Goku's desires mostly reflect his ambition to not only compete against others, but also to surpass his own limits, becoming an inspiration for his friends who also fight. Goku's personality is one of the few in the series that has almost no changes as the series continues, remaining naive and child-like throughout the course of the series, even at the end of the series when he is middle-aged.

History

The following account of the character's biography is based primarily on the original manga series, with mentions from the anime series where it is appropriate.

Dragon Ball

Early life

File:Kidgoku.jpg

Kid Goku in "Dragon Ball"

Goku is introduced in the series as a young boy, living alone in the wilderness after the death of his adoptive grandfather. At the start of the series, Goku claims his age to be fourteen, however it is later discovered that he was actually twelve, the mishap occurring from his own mathematical error. Goku is discovered by a young city girl named Bulma, who is searching for the Dragon Balls, seven magical balls that when brought together summon the wish-granting Dragon God Shenlong. Goku possesses one of the balls, and Bulma offers him the opportunity to travel the world with her, looking for the rest of them. Goku accepts the offer, wanting to fulfill his dream of becoming the world's strongest martial artist.

As the series continues, Goku gains a noted possession called the Kintoun, a cloud on which only a pure heart can ride. Goku also meets many strong fighters and makes new friends. Amongst the people he meets, he meets his marital arts master Muten-Rôshi, his fellow student and best friend Kuririn, a samurai named Yajirobe and trains under Kami. Goku then saves the world from the demon king Piccolo Daimao. After saving the Earth, Goku marries Chichi, and faces Piccolo Daimao reincarnated at the World Martial Arts Tournament called the Tenkaichi Budokai. Goku defeats the demon king, and at the age of nineteen, finally claims the title of "strongest under the heavens".

Dragon Ball Z

Adult life

Early adult life

Main article: Saiyan Saga

Following a five year gap between the defeat of Piccolo Jr and the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, Goku is seen to have built a family with his wife Chi-Chi, and their son named Son Gohan. A warrior of the alien Saiyans arrives on Earth and reveals to Goku his past as a Saiyan warrior. Realizing that they now have a common enemy, Goku and Piccolo set aside their rivalry and form an alliance to defeat the Saiyan threat. As a result, Goku is killed and sent to the afterlife to train with the "Lord of Worlds" (Kaio-sama), in order to prepare for the upcoming battle against two more Saiyans.

Goku learns techniques such as the Kaiō-ken ("Fist of Worlds") and the Genki dama ("Energy Sphere" or "Spirit Bomb"), and his strength increases substantially due to the increased gravity in Kaio-sama's planet. One year after his death, the Dragon God Shenlong revives Goku so he can fight the Saiyans. When Goku arrives back on Earth, Goku easily defeats one of the Saiyans named Nappa, then challenges the more powerful Saiyan named Vegeta. Afterwards, Goku is the victor after reciveing assistance from Gohan, Kuririn, and Yajirobe. Vegeta swears revenge on Goku and his friends as he retreats.

The Super Saiyan

Main article: Freeza Saga

File:Super Saiyan.jpg

Super Saiyan Goku

After witnessing the casualties of the battle against the Saiyans, Goku travels to Piccolo's planet called Planet Namek to search for the Namekian Dragon Balls in order to revive the warriors who had died against the Saiyans. Goku discovers that the powerful galactic overlord named Freeza is also on Planet Namek, searching for the Dragon Balls in order to gain immortality. Goku trains in a high gravity environment as he travels to Namek, and upon arrival, is met by Vegeta who believes that Goku had become a legendary warrior called a "Super Saiyan". Due to their common enemy, Vegeta and Goku set aside their rivalry and fight Freeza with the aid of Gohan and Kuririn. Gohan and Kuririn revive Piccolo with the Namekian Dragon God, and Goku fights Freeza. Witnessing the death of Vegeta and Kuririn forces Goku to transform into a true Super Saiyan, and battles Freeza after everyone else gets sent back to Earth. Back on Earth, everyone who was killed by Freeza was revived by the Namekian Dragon God, and Goku defeats Freeza, only to return to Earth a year later.

The perfect warrior

Main article: Cell Saga

After Goku returns home, he is met by another Super Saiyan from the future named Trunks. Trunks informs Goku of a bleak future for Earth, where two very powerful androids (Jinzō'ningen) are terrorizing his world. Trunks also reveals that everyone who could fight for the Earth were killed by the androids, aside from Goku, who had died naturally due to a heart virus before the arrival of the androids. Trunks provides Goku with an antidote for a heart virus. Goku spends the next 3 years training with Piccolo and Gohan, not showing any signs of illness.

When the androids appear, Goku battles one of them named Android #19. It is only then that Goku shows signs of illness, and after having been saved by Vegeta, Goku is rushed from the battlefield. During this time, Vegeta defeats 19, revealing that he also had become a Super Saiyan. After recovering from the illness, Goku discovers that the even more powerful androids named #17, #18 and #16 have been activated and defeated Vegeta. After witnessing a greater threat arrive in the form of the artificial being named Cell, Goku and Vegeta both knew that they had to find a way to ascend the Super Saiyan. Vegeta ascends the Super Saiyan by training for an elapsed year in the Room of Spirit and Time. However, Goku trains Gohan in the room, knowing that his son was the only one with the power to truly ascend the Super Saiyan and defeat Cell.

Cell obtains his ultimate power during Goku and Gohan's training, and decides to host a Tenkaichi Budokai called "The Cell Games" in order to test his power. Goku faces Cell at the tournament, only to pass the match on to Gohan who had become a Super Saiyan during their training. Cell's torment of Gohan forces him to transform into a Super Saiyan 2. After seeing that he could not defeat Gohan, Cell begins to self-destruct in an attempt to destroy the Earth, forcing Goku to teleport Cell to Kaio-sama's planet, where Goku dies in the explosion. Cell regenerates and returns to Earth, more powerful then prior to his attempted suicide. Gohan defeats Cell with help from Goku's spirit in the afterlife. After the battle, the Z warriors attempt to revive Goku, but Goku chooses to remain in the afterlife, believing himself to be the cause of many of the threats to Earth and his loved ones, explaining why he trained Gohan to succeed him.

The new generation

Main article: Buu Saga

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Super Saiyan 3 Goku

Seven years after the events of Cell, Goku is given permission to return to Earth for one day to participate in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai. During this time, he discovers that he has a second child named Son Goten. Goku's peaceful day on Earth is interrupted by the appearance of the Lord of Lords (Kaioshin), who informs Goku of a Universal threat that has been dormant on Earth for millions of years. The monster named Majin Buu lies dormant on Earth, attempting to be revived by the evil wizard named Babidi. Goku and the Z fighters attempt to stop Babidi from reviving Buu, however, Babidi uses his magic to expose the evil in Vegeta's heart. Vegeta then fights Goku, and as a result, Buu is revived during this time. After awakening from being knocked unconscious by Vegeta, Goku realizes that both Gohan and Vegeta had fallen to Buu.

Knowing that he would need the Dragon Balls, Goku stalls Buu with his newest Super Saiyan transformation called Super Saiyan 3, in order to buy Vegeta's son named Trunks time to retrieve Bulma's device called the Dragon Radar. Goku later revealed that he could've defeated Buu in this form, however, wanted to see the new generation learn to deal with threats for themselves. Before returning to the Other World, Goku teaches a merging technique (fusion), hoping that their combined bodies created a warrior powerful enough to defeat Buu. Goku finds Gohan training with Kaioshin, and witnesses Goten and Trunks's fused warrior (Gotenks) fall to Buu. during this time, an ancient Kaioshin releases Gohan's ultimate power, Gohan returns to Earth to fight Buu. After falling to Buu, the ancient Kaioshin revives Goku by transferring his life force to him. He then gives Goku two special earrings that allow two warriors to permanently fuse. Gohan is absorbed into Buu before the fusion can be made, and as a result, Goku must fuse instead with Vegeta, who was permitted to return to Earth to aid Goku in the battle against Buu. The pair fuse to create the super warrior named Vegetto.

Vegetto easily overpowers Buu before being purposefully absorbed by Buu to rescue all who had been abosrbed by Buu. The mystical nature of Buu's insides forces Vegetto to separate into Vegeta and Goku again. Goku and Vegeta find all the absorbed warriors and remove them from Buu. After escaping from Buu's body, Buu reverts back to his original kid form and quickly destroys Earth. Goku, Vegeta, the god of Earth named Dende, and world champion Mr. Satan are teleported to Kaioshin's Planet by Kaioshin.

Learning Kaioshin's teleportation technique, Buu pursues and battles Goku, Vegeta, and later Fat Buu. After becoming exhausted from fighting, Dende and Kaioshin teleport to Planet Namek upon Vegeta's request and use the Namekian Dragon Balls to restore Earth and all of its inhabitants, in order to use their energy for a massive Genki Dama. With persuasion from Mr. Satan, the Genki-Dama is supplied with a vast amount of energy which Goku then uses on Buu. After a brief struggle, another wish is made to restore Goku's energy, allowing him to destroy Buu with the Genki-Dama. Goku settles his rivalry with Vegeta and restores peace to the Universe.

Ten years later, Goku meets Buu's human reincarnation named Uub and trains him to be his successor as the Universe's greatest defender.

Dragon Ball GT

Later adult life

Vengence from the past

Main article: Baby Saga

Ten years after Goku met Uub, an unfortunate wish by Pilaf upon the Black Star Dragon Balls turn Goku into a child again. Goku is then set with the task of returning all 7 Black Star Dragon Balls back to Earth after they separate across the galaxy to prevent the destruction of Earth. During his journey, Goku encounters Baby, a creation of the Tsufurujin, a race that lived on the Saiyan home planet called Planet Vegeta before they were destroyed by the Saiyans. Upon their return to Earth, Goku and his friends encounter Baby again who has possessed Vegeta as an act of revenge against the Saiyans. Against Baby-Vegeta, Goku is defeated, however, is saved when he is brought to Kaioshin's Planet.

On Kaioshin's Planet, Rou Dai Kaioshin plans to re-grow Goku's Saiyan tail to increase Goku's power. After his tail is regrown, Goku confronts Baby Vegeta a second time only to fall again. During this time, Goku transforms into a Golden Oozaru. When Goku gains control of the form, he transforms into the Super Saiyan 4 form. Goku defeats Baby Vegeta, forcing Baby to flee Vegeta's body before Goku kills him.

The re-emergence of Android 17

Main article: Super 17 Saga

After defeating Baby, a new threat arrives in the form of a new Android 17. After opening the gates of Hell, Goku enters only to be trapped inside. Android 17s creator Dr Gero and Baby's creator Dr Myu escape from Hell only to reveal a second Android 17. The two android 17s fuse to create "Super 17". Meanwhile, Goku is released from Hell by help from Piccolo and Dende.

Goku battles the new Super 17 and, with the help of Android #18, Goku was able to kill Super 17 with a Dragon Fist and a Kamehameha. Peace is restored to the Earth.

The evil dragons

Main article: Shadow Dragon Saga

After defeating Super 17, Goku attempts to restore the Earth with the Dragon Balls, however, due to the negative energy built up from over-usage of the balls, seven evil Dragons emerge from the Dragon Balls negative energy. Goku defeats six dragons with the help from his grandaughter Pan, but one of the Dragons named Yi Xing Long absorbs the other six Dragon Balls into himself, forming Super Yi Xing Long. Goku fights Super Yi Xing Long, however, is defeated. Bulma uses a device that enables Vegeta to turn into a Super Saiyan 4, allowing him to assist Goku. Vegeta purposes a fusion with Goku, making Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta. Gogeta nearly defeats Super Yi Xing Long, but his fusion time ends before the battle can be finished. Yi Xing Long defeats all the warriors and Goku is severely wounded. Goku then gathers all the energy of the universe into a Genki Dama, and defeats Yi Xing Long with it. Shenlong summons himself, telling them that no more wishes would be granted for a 100 years. Goku as a result accompanies Shenlong back to the realm from which he came.

Goku returns to Earth 100 years later to observe his great-great grandson, Goku Jr., fight a descendant of Vegeta's named Vegeta Jr. Seeing peace restored, Goku flies off on his special cloud called the Kintoun, finally ending the Dragon Ball series. The real fate of Goku remains unknown.

Forms and transformations

As a member of the Saiyan race, Goku has acquired the ability to transform by physical training. By transforming his body, Goku greatly enhances his abilities from the previous state. As a child, he is able to transform into the Saiyan ware-monkey called the Oozaru. However, he is not able to transform into the Oozaru at will due to the required component of special radiant waves emitted by the full moon. As with all Saiyans, Goku was born with a tail which is a vital characteristic for transforming into an Oozaru. It is removed later in the original Dragon Ball series, however, is regrown in the third sub-series of Dragon Ball called Dragon Ball GT, making Goku regain the ability to transform into an Oozaru.

Goku is the first Saiyan in the series to achieve the legendary transformation of Super Saiyan. He was the first Saiyan in over a millennium to achieve this. Goku achieved this transformation when he was overcome by rage from the death of Kuririn at the hand of Freeza. He continues to train this form throughout the series, eventually gaining two advanced states of the regular Super Saiyan called the Super Saiyan 2nd Grade and Super Saiyan 3rd Grade. Eventually, he masters every aspect of the Super Saiyan in order to fight the artificial being named Cell. Goku then transforms even further to Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3 during his training in the Other World. During the sequel series Dragon Ball GT, Goku achieves his last transformation called Super Saiyan 4.

Powers and abilities

Due to his intense training and his Saiyan heritage, Goku had developed techniques that far surpassed the limits of normal humans. Goku's most widely known trait is his ability to manipulate the ki energy in his body. By doing so, he is able to increase his ki level, suppress his ki level to trick ki detecting devices, compose attacks that are made purely from ki energy, and even use it for levitation and flight. Goku has also acquired extreme physical strength, and super speed; where his movements are not visible to the human eye. Due to his training, he has also acquired the ability to naturally detect both the exact location, and concentration of ki energy of an opponent, as have many of the Z-Fighters. By using his ability to sense ki energy, Goku can also know the status of a battle without actually seeing it. This ability also enables Goku to fight his opponent by simply sensing the movement of their ki instead of attempting to see them with his eyes, ultimately giving him a huge advantage during fast-paced battles.

Voice actors

In the English versions of Dragon Ball, the voice actors for Goku and many other characters of the series have changed as a result of the series changing dubbing studios and requiring recasting.

Toei Animation

• Masako Nozawa

FUNimation (Ocean Group):

• Saffron Henderson (Kid Goku (1995 dub))
• Ian James Corlett (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball Z, Season 1)
• Peter Kelamis (Adult Goku in Season 2)
• Kirby Morrow (Adult Goku from the end of the Cell saga (ep 144) to the end of DBZ)

FUNimation (in-house actors):

• Sean Schemmel (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and Super Saiyan 4 Goku in DBGT)
• Stephanie Nadolny (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball and "Kid" Goku Dragon Ball GT)

Appearances in other media

Video games

Dragon Ball

• Dragon Power (The Mystery of Shenlong) (NES)
• Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu (NES)
• Dragon Ball 3: Gokuuden (NES)
• Dragon Ball: Advance Adventure (Game Boy Advance)

Dragon Ball Z

• Super Butoden (SNES)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 2 (SNES)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden 3 (SNES)
• Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden (Sega Megadrive)
• Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22 (Playstation)
• Dragon Ball Z: Hyper Dimension (SNES)
• Dragon Ball Z: Indainaru Dragon Ball Densetsu (Sega Saturn, Playstation)
• Dragon Ball Z: Legendary Super Warriors (Game Boy Color)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (Playstation 2 GameCube)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 (Playstation 2 GameCube)
• Dragon Ball Z: Taiketsu (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku II (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (Playstation 2)
• Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors (Game Boy Advance)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi (Playstation 2)
• Dragon Ball Z: Sagas (Playstation 2, Xbox, Gamecube)
• Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors 2 (Nintendo DS)
• Jump Superstars (Nintendo DS)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (PlayStation 2, Wii)
• Jump Ultimate Stars (Nintendo DS)
• Super Dragon Ball Z (PlayStation 2)
• Battle Stadium D.O.N (Gamecube)
• Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai (PSP)
• Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road (PSP)
• Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (PlayStation 2, Wii)
• Dragon Ball Z: Harukanaru Densetsu (Nintendo DS)

Dragon Ball GT

• Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout (Playstation)
• Dragon Ball GT: Transformation (Game Boy Advance)

Unknown Series

• Dragon Ball Online (PC)

All games listed chronologically.

Other appearances

• Goku has a cameo appearance in Neko Majin Z as Neko Majin's teacher.
• Goku appears in a One Piece and Dragon Ball crossover story titled Cross Epoch. He travels with Monkey D. Luffy to Shenlong's tea party.

External links

• [1]Dragon Ball manga.
• [2]Dragon Ball Z manga.
• [3]FUNimation web site.
• [4]Atari web site.
• [5]Official Dragon Ball web site Australia.