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"Goku" redirects here. For other uses, see Goku (disambiguation).
Son Goku
Dragon Ball character
File:Gokukidadult.jpg
Son Goku by Akira Toriyama
First appearanceDragon Ball chapter 1
Dragon Ball episode 1
Last appearanceDragon Ball chapter 519
Dragon Ball GT episode 64
Created byAkira Toriyama
In-universe information
AliasZero (Harmony Gold dub)
GenderMale
RelativesBurdock (father)
Raditz (brother)
Grandpa Son Gohan (adoptive grandfather)
Chichi (wife)
Gyumao (father-in-law)
Son Gohan (son)
Son Goten (son)
Videl (daughter-in-law)
Mr. Satan (daughter-in-law's father)
Pan (granddaughter)
Son Goku Jr. (descendant)

Son Goku (孫 悟空, Son Gokū, addressed only as Goku in most English adaptations) is a fictional character from the Dragon Ball universe created by Akira Toriyama as the main protagonist for the media franchise, which consists of a series of manga, anime, soundtracks, movies, television specials, video games, and other collectibles. Goku is introduced as an odd, monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possesses enhanced strength.[2] In Dragon Ball Z, he is actually revealed to be from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans, said to be the strongest warriors within the fictional universe.[3] Goku also made appearances throughout Dragon Ball GT and a cameo in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z.

Creation and conception

Toriyama's Goku finds his origins in one of Toriyama's earlier characters named Tanton, a fictional protagonist who appears in a one-shot series called Dragon Boy. In the series, Tanton's odd physical characteristic was bat wings. When Toriyama decided to create Dragon Ball, he used author Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West as inspiration for his own series.[4] Toriyama's main character had the same name of the monkey king, Sun Wukong, a central character in Journey to the West; the only alteration being that it was changed to the Japanese variant of the name, Son Goku.

To be creative with the character, Toriyama stated that he designed Goku not as a monkey like the character Sun Wukong, but as a human-looking boy with a monkey tail.[4] Toriyama later developed the story to where Goku is an extraterrestrial called a Saiya-jin (an anagram of yasai; meaning "vegetable") from a fictional planet named Bejita ("Vegeta" in English translations).

Plot overview

Originally named Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto, addressed as Kakarrot in English adaptations),[5] Goku is born a member of a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans. Shortly following his birth, Goku is sent from his home, a fictional planet named Vegeta, to prepare Earth for sale on the intergalactic market by destroying all its life.[6] Due to an injury to his head that caused him severe amnesia, Goku forgets his purpose, and instead focuses on becoming stronger for little more than the pleasure of it.[6] Goku meets a brilliant teenage girl named Bulma, the desert bandit Yamucha, and two shape-shifters named Oolong and Pu'ar. As the series continues, most of the characters introduced are basic parodies of characters found in Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West.[7] He also encounters one his closest friends, Kuririn, and others during his training. Participating in several Tenkaichi Budokai, Goku also battles foes-turned-allies such as Tenshinhan and Chaozu, as well as Piccolo Daimao's offspring of the same name.

During his early adulthood, Goku meets his older brother, Raditz, an encounter that results in his death. Following the wish for his revival from the Dragon Balls, Goku continues to face other enemies thereafter linked to his heritage, such as Vegeta and Freeza. As the series continues, the focus on Goku's past is shifted away from as new enemies are introduced simply as threats to the fictional universe. After his encounter with Freeza, Goku trains his child, Son Gohan, to be his successor. Goku sacrifices himself during the battle against Cell, leaving Gohan to succeed him. Goku returns several years later from the afterlife to visit Earth, however is drawn into a battle for the Universe against an extraterrestrial genie named Majin Buu. During the Tenkaichi Budokai ten years after Majin Buu's defeat, Goku meets Buu's human reincarnation, Uub, and takes off with him in the end of the story, intending to train him as a successor (until Dragon Ball GT) after realizing that his previous successor, Gohan, had prioritized his education over his fighting.

Appearance

Goku is usually recognized by his uniquely styled hair, which never changes its length throughout the series except when in his Super Saiyan forms. This is explained by Vegeta to be a common characteristic of full-blooded Saiyans.[8] Due to his devotion to Earth, Goku prefers dressing in a gi uniform, and has refused offers to adorn the Saiyan battle armor, being that he considers himself an Earthling.[9] In Dragon Ball, Goku is first seen wearing a blue uniform with a white belt, red wristbands, and black shoes.[10] In Dragon Ball Z his most common outfit consists of an orange uniform with a blue short-sleeved undershirt, a blue belt, blue wristbands, and striped boots. Goku is often seen to adorn the kanji of his training masters; the first kanji being Muten Roshi's, "kame" (亀, meaning "turtle"),[11] the second kanji being North Kaio's, "kaio" (界王, lit. "World King")[12] and the third being his own kanji.[13] Eventually he stops wearing a kanji.[14] In Dragon Ball GT his uniform changes to a blue sleeveless shirt and yellow pants.[15]

Abilities

File:Goku's Super Genki Dama.jpg
Goku using his Genki Dama.

Through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities; aside from his superhuman strength, he also possesses super speed, reflexes, and the power to fly using chi, a fictional energy force in the series. Goku's signature technique is a chi energy blast called the Kamehameha, which he learned from Muten Roshi.[16] Another signature technique of his is an attack that multiplies the user's chi for an instant, called the Kaiô-ken, taught to him by North Kaio.[17] Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama, a sphere created by gathering chi energy, which he also learned from North Kaio.[18] Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Idô, which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.[19]

Goku is also the only Saiyan in the series to achieve all the Saiyan transformations seen in the manga. In Dragon Ball, he is able to shapeshift into a gigantic ape called an Oozaru, albeit after his Saiyan tail is permanently removed by Kami, he no longer achieved this form.[20]

File:Super Saiyan Gokudbz.JPG
Goku in his Super Saiyan form.

During the events of Dragon Ball Z, Goku is the first Saiyan to achieve the fabled Super Saiyan state in over a millennium.[21] He ascended to Super Saiyan after being overcome with rage by the murder of Kuririn by the hand of Freeza.[22] After several years of training with his Super Saiyan form, Goku completely overcomes the negative characteristics of the transformation in order to combat Cell. After his death against Cell, Goku continues his training in the Otherworld for seven years, and achieves both Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3.[23] In Dragon Ball GT he achieves the final Saiyan transformation, Super Saiyan 4.

Goku is also able to perform a fusion technique with Vegeta in two ways: one by earrings called potara, creating Vegetto. The other by fusion dance, creating Gogeta.

Family tree

Template:Son Goku family

Voice actors

In various dubs of the anime, the voice acting for Goku and many other characters have changed as a result of the series changing dubbing studios and requiring recasting.

Japanese
Toei Animation:

English
Harmony Gold:

Ocean Group:

FUNimation:

Blue Water:

Final Bout:

Appearances in other media

  • Goku is a recurring character in other works by Toriyama, such as frequenting in Toriyama's Dr. Slump, as well featuring in the self-parody manga series Neko Majin Z.
  • He has also been depicted in Wizard magazine where he was matched up in a hypothetical battle against Superman; Goku defeated Superman by transforming into a Super Saiyan and overpowering him with the Kamehameha.[24]

Reception

Other manga artists, such as Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, have stated that Goku inspired their series' main protagonists.[25][26]

See also

References

  1. ^ http://www.thegrandline.com/dbzinfo/timeline.html
  2. ^ Dragon Ball manga, vol. 1, chapter 1 — ISBN 1-56931-920-0
  3. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 1, chapter 3 — ISBN 1-56931-930-8
  4. ^ a b UNRIVALED.INFO - The best original content
  5. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 1, chapters 1-10 — ISBN 978-1-56931-930-7
  6. ^ a b Daizenshū #7, [page needed], Dragon Ball, Big Encyclopedia
  7. ^ Anime3000: The Future of Anime in America
  8. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga vol. 16, chapter ?
  9. ^ Dragon Ball Z vol 17. Chapter ?
  10. ^ Dragon Ball manga, vol. 1
  11. ^ Turtle
  12. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 2, chapter ?
  13. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 8, chapter ?
  14. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga vol. 12, chapter ?
  15. ^ Dragon Ball GT anime, episode 1-64
  16. ^ Dragon Ball manga, vol. 2, chapter ?
  17. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 2, chapter ?
  18. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 2, chapter ?
  19. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 12, chapter 142 — ISBN 1-56931-985-5
  20. ^ Dragon Ball manga vol. 14 chapter ?
  21. ^ Dragon Ball manga, vol. 26, chapter ?
  22. ^ Dragon Ball Z manga, vol. 11, chapter ?
  23. ^ Dragon Ball manga, vol. 38, chapter ?
  24. ^ Wizard magazine, Sept. 2002 issue, page 64
  25. ^ Kishimoto, Masashi (2007). Uzumaki: the Art of Naruto. Viz Media. pp. 138–139. ISBN 1-4215-1407-9.
  26. ^ One Piece Color Walk - Vol.1 - Interview with Eiichiro Oda and Akira Toriyama ((JP) ISBN 978-4088592176)
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