Son Goku

Lore & Background

Goku's journey began when he met Bulma, joining her quest to find the seven wish-granting Dragon Balls. Along the way, he gathered friends who followed him as he grew into a master martial artist battling diverse villains. Born Kakarot on Planet Vegeta, his Saiyan nature initially made him full of aggression until Gohan's kindness and an accidental head injury reshaped his personality. Goku later named his first son Gohan in honor of the man who raised him. While Toriyama intended for Goku to remain a selfish fighter focused on strong opponents rather than a traditional hero, anime adaptations often portrayed him as more heroic. This contrast was noted by Toriyama, especially regarding Dragon Ball GT where producer Kōzō Morishita influenced Goku's rescues of his granddaughter Pan.

In Their Own Story

Goku made his debut in the chapter 'Bulma and Son Goku' on December 3, 1984. Initially a child with a monkey tail, he traveled with Bulma to find Dragon Balls, meeting new allies as he sought strength. As an adult, he faced threats from Frieza, who destroyed his homeworld. During the Cell arc, Gohan was intended to replace Goku as protagonist, but Toriyama decided Gohan was unsuitable for the role. The Super Saiyan transformation emerged during the Frieza arc; Toriyama chose blonde hair because it was easier to draw in black-and-white manga than coloring black hair, and piercing eyes were inspired by Bruce Lee's glare. In Dragon Ball Z, he appears as an adult character, adapting the final 26 manga volumes, which introduced most Western audiences to him after the first anime's limited overseas success.

Reader's Guide

Goku uses a hybrid of East Asian martial arts including Karate and Wing Chun. His design evolved from Toriyama's one-shot 'Dragon Boy', where the protagonist had wings instead of a tail. The tail was added as a distinguishing feature but removed early because it was difficult to draw. Goku wears Buddhist monk robes for a Chinese appearance, though his editor initially found him plain; Toriyama countered this by adding characters like Master Roshi and Krillin and creating the Tenkaichi Budōkai tournament. He lost the first two tournaments but won the third. Voice actress Masako Nozawa has voiced Goku in every Japanese anime since the start, selecting her based on an audition sample where she sounded uniquely like him. She avoids reading the manga to keep reactions fresh. In English dubs, Barbara Goodson voiced him in Harmony Gold's brief dub; Saffron Henderson and Ian James Corlett/Peter Kelamis covered early Funimation/Saban seasons, while Sean Schemmel consistently voices adult Goku in later productions.

Did You Know?

• Toriyama wanted Jackie Chan to play a live-action Goku, stating 'nobody could play Goku but him'.
• The Super Saiyan form has blonde hair specifically because it was easier for Toriyama's assistant to draw than black hair in manga pages.
• Goku's piercing eyes in his Super Saiyan form were inspired by Bruce Lee's paralyzing glare.
• Toriyama was angered when anime adaptations portrayed Goku as more heroic, as he intended the character to be selfish and primarily interested in fighting strong opponents.
• Masako Nozawa does not read the Dragon Ball manga before recording so her reactions remain fresh and match Goku's ignorance of upcoming events.