Son Goku (Dragon Ball)

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Son Goku
Dragon Ball character
Son Goku by Akira Toriyama
First appearance	Dragon Ball chapter 1 Dragon Ball episode 1
Last appearance	Dragon Ball chapter 519 Dragon Ball GT episode 64
Created by	Akira Toriyama
Voiced by	Toei Animation Masako Nozawa Ocean Group Ian James Corlett Peter Kelamis Kirby Morrow Funimation Stephanie Nadolny Sean Schemmel
Profile
Aliases	Zero (Harmony Gold dub)[1]
Gender	Male
Date of birth	737 A.D.[2]
Known relatives	Burdock (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)
Power level	180,000 (Ginyu Saga)[3]

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 superhuman strength.^[4] 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.^[5] Goku also starred in Dragon Ball GT and made a cameo in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z.

Contents 1 Creation and conception 2 Plot overview 3 Appearance 4 Abilities 5 Family tree 6 Voice actors 7 Appearances in other media 8 Reception 9 See also 10 References 11 External links

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.^[6] 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.^[6] Toriyama later developed the story to where Goku is an extraterrestrial called Saiyan from a fictional planet named "Vegeta".

Plot overview

Originally named Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto^?, addressed as Kakarrot in English adaptations),^[7] Goku is born a member of a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans, born with a lowly power level of 2.^[8] 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.^[9] 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 with his adopted grandfather, Grandpa Son Gohan, who is later killed by Goku in his Oozaru form.^[9] Goku meets a brilliant 16-year-old teenage girl named Bulma, the desert bandit Yamucha, and two shapeshifters named Oolong and Pu-erh. As the series continues, most of the characters introduced are basic parodies of characters found in Journey to the West.^[10] 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, named after his grandfather, to be his successor. Goku sacrifices himself during the battle against Cell, leaving Gohan to succeed him. Goku returns seven years later from the afterlife to visit Earth and participate in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, however is drawn into a battle for the universe against an extraterrestrial genie named Majin Boo. During the Tenkaichi Budokai ten years after Boo's defeat, Goku meets Boo's human reincarnation, Oob, 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, in which his hair stands upright and turns blond. This is explained by Vegeta to be a common characteristic of full-blooded Saiyans.^[11] 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.^[12] In Dragon Ball, Goku is first seen wearing a blue uniform with a white belt, red wristbands, and black shoes.^[13] 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"),^[14] the second kanji being North Kaio's, "kaio" (界王 ^?, lit. "world king")^[15] and the third being his own kanji "Go" (悟 ^?, meaning "wisdom" or "enlightment").^[16] Eventually he stops wearing a kanji.^[17] In Dragon Ball GT his uniform changes to a blue sleeveless shirt and yellow pants.^[18]

Abilities

Through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities; aside from his great strength (enough to shatter mountains in a shockwave or leave craters in the ground), he also possesses super speed (first seen as a child),^[19] 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 (translated into Turtle Destruction Wave), which he learned from Muten Roshi.^[20] 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.^[21] Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama (renamed the Spirit Bomb in most English adaptations), a sphere created by gathering chi energy, which he also learned from North Kaio.^[22] Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Idô (renamed Instant Transmission in most English adaptions), which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.^[23]

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 removed by Kami, he no longer achieved this form.^[24]

During the events of Dragon Ball Z, Goku is the first Saiyan to achieve the fabled Super Saiyan state in over a millennium.^[25] He ascended to Super Saiyan after being overcome with rage by the murder of Kuririn by the hand of Freeza.^[26] 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.^[27] 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

Gyumao

Grandpa Son Gohan

Burdock

adoptive grandfather ->

Chichi

Son Goku

Raditz

Mr. Satan

Son Goten

Son Gohan

Videl

Pan

Son Goku Jr.

Voice actors

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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:

• Masako Nozawa (Son Goku)
• Hideyuki Hori (1st Super Saiyan Transformation Shout)

English
Harmony Gold dub:

• Barbara Goodson (Zero)

Ocean Group dub:

• Saffron Henderson (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball, The Saga of Goku and Curse of the Blood Rubies)
• Ian James Corlett (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball Z, the Saiyan Saga)
• Peter Kelamis (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball Z, the Namek Saga, Dead Zone, The World's Strongest, and The Tree of Might)

Funimation dub:

• Ceyli Delgadillo (Kid Goku in Sleeping Princess in Devil's Castle and Mystical Adventure)
• Stephanie Nadolny (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT)
• Sean Schemmel (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT)

Blue Water dub:

• Peter Kelamis (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball Z, the Trunks Saga to the Android Saga)
• Kirby Morrow (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball Z, the Imperfect Cell Saga to the Kid Boo Saga)
• Zoe Slusar (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT)
• Jeffrey Watson (Teen Goku in Dragon Ball)
• Jeremiah Yurk (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball GT)

Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout:

• Brianne Siddall (Kid Goku)
• Steven Jay Blum (Adult Goku)

Appearances in other media

• Goku has made several appearances in other media including, but not limited to, an unofficial live-action film based on Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies. The movie was produced by Tai Seng video entertainment and the main character, Monkey Boy, is based on Goku.

• 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.^[28]

• Goku has appeared in all Dragon Ball video games, as well as Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars. He has appeared in his child and adult forms.

• Goku made a spoof appearance in Seth Green's Emmy Award winning stop motion series Robot Chicken. In the episode, Goku and Gohan fight an evil Mrs. Claus alongside Santa's reindeer, in an attempt to save Christmas.

• In The 40-Year Old Virgin, when Andy is packing away his collectible toys to sell, there is a Super Saiyan 4 Goku action figure on his bed.

• Goku will be the main protagonist in the upcoming live-action movie Dragonball directed by James Wong. The character will be portrayed by actor Justin Chatwin.

Reception

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Other manga artists, such as Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, have stated that Goku inspired their series' main protagonists.^[29][30] In a survey conducted by Oricon in 2007 between 1,000 people, Goku ranked first place as the "Strongest Manga character of all time."^[31]

See also

• Son Goku (disambiguation)
• Sun Wukong

References

External links

• Profile at absoluteanime

v • d • e Dragon Ball characters Saiyans Son Goku · Son Gohan · Vegeta · Future Trunks · Son Goten · Trunks · Pan Humans Bulma · Muten Roshi · Yamucha · Kuririn · Tenshinhan Major Antagonists Piccolo · Freeza · Cell · Majin Boo · Baby Character lists Saiyans · Earthlings · Extraterrestrials · Supernatural beings