Goku

"Goku" redirects here. For other uses, see Goku (disambiguation).

Goku
Dragon Ball character
File:Gokukidadult.jpg Son Goku by Akira Toriyama
First appearance	Dragon Ball chapter 1 Dragon Ball episode 1
Last appearance	Dragon Ball vol. #42 Dragon Ball GT episode 64
Created by	Akira Toriyama
In-universe information
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)

Son Goku (孫 悟空, Son Gokū, Goku in most English adaptions) is a fictional character in the Dragon Ball anime and manga series created by Akira Toriyama and the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise. Goku is originally introduced as an odd, monkey-tailed boy who practiced martial arts and possessed enhanced strength. In Dragon Ball Z, he is revealed to be from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyan, said to be the strongest warriors in the universe. Goku also made appearances throughout Toei Doga's Dragon Ball GT and a cameo in Toriyama's self-parody Neko Majin Z.

Creation and conception

Akira 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. 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 Sun Wukong, but as a human-looking boy with a monkey tail. Toriyama later developed the story to where Goku was an extraterrestrial called a Saiya-jin (an anagram of yasai; meaning "vegetable") from a planet named Vegeta (pronounced Bejīta in Japanese).

Character overview

Originally named Kakarotto (カカロット, Kakarotto, Kakarot in the English adaptations), Goku is born a member of a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans. Shortly following his birth, Goku is sent via spacecraft from his home, planet Vegeta, to destroy Earth. 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. As the series continues, Goku meets Bulma, a brilliant teenage girl, Yamucha, Oolong, and Pu'ar, whose characters mirror those found in Wu Cheng'en's Journey to the West. He also encounters one his closest friends, Kuririn, and others during his training. Participating in several World Martials Arts Tournaments, Goku also battles foes-turned-allies such as Tenshinhan and Chaozu, as well as the offspring of Piccolo Daimao named Piccolo Junior. 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 universe. After his encounter with Freeza, Goku trains his son Gohan to be his sucessor, dying during the fight against Cell. Goku returns several years later from the afterlife to battle an extraterrestrial enemy named Majin Buu. During a World Martials Arts Tournament ten years after Majin Buu's defeat, Goku encounters the monster's reincarnated human form, Uub, and flies off with him in the final chapter, intending to train him and mold him into the Earth's next defender.

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. Due to his devotion to Earth, Goku prefers dressing in a gi, and has refused offers to adorn the Saiyan battle armor, being that he considers himself an Earthling. In Dragon Ball, Goku is first seen wearing a blue outfit with a white belt, red wristbands, and black shoes. In Dragon Ball Z, his most common uniform consists of an orange outfit with a blue short-sleeved undershirt and striped boots. Goku is often seen to adorn the kanji of his training masters; the first kanji being Muten Roshi's, "kame" (meaning "turtle"), the second kanji being North Kaio's, and the third being his own kanji. Eventually he stops wearing a kanji. In Dragon Ball GT his uniform changes to a blue sleeveless shirt and yellow pants.

Abilities

File:Super Saiyan Gokudbz.JPG

Goku in his Super Saiyan form.

Through constant training, Goku has achieved many abilities, such as super strength, super speed and the ability to fly using one's chi energy. Goku's signature technique is a chi energy blast called the Kamehameha, which he learned from Muten Roshi. Another signature technique of his is an attack that multiplies the user's chi for an instant, called the Kaio-ken, taught to him by North Kaio. Goku's most powerful attack is the Genki Dama, a sphere created by gathering chi energy, which he also learned from North Kaio. Goku also learns a teleportation skill called Shunkan Ido, which he learned from the inhabitants of a fictional planet called Yardrat.

Goku is also the only Saiyan in the entire series to achieve all the Saiyan transformations seen in the manga. In the Dragon Ball manga and anime series, he was able to transform into a gigantic ape called an Oozaru, albeit after his Saiyan tail was permanently removed by Kami, he no longer could achieve this form.

In Dragon Ball Z, Goku is the first Saiyan to achieve the fabled Super Saiyan state in over a millennium. He ascended to Super Saiyan after being overcome with rage by the murder of Kuririn by the hand of Freeza. 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 Other world for seven years, and achieves both Super Saiyan 2 and Super Saiyan 3.

In Dragon Ball GT, he achieves the final Saiyan transformation, Super Saiyan 4.

Character reception

Goku is one of the most well-known fictional characters in manga and anime history. Other manga artists, such as Naruto creator Masashi Kishimoto and One Piece creator Eiichiro Oda, have stated that Goku inspired their series' main protagonists.

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. The film's protagonist, Monkey Boy, is inspired by Goku.

• Goku is a recurring character in other works by Akira Toriyama, such as frequenting in Toriyama's metaseries Dr. Slump, as well featuring in the self-parody manga 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.

• Goku was a featured character in a single episode crossover of Dragon Ball Z and two other anime, One Piece and Astro Boy.

• Goku and the cast had yet another crossover with One Piece in a jointed one shot manga called Cross Epoch, in which both Akira Toriyama and Eiichiro Oda did the art for their respected characters.

• His latest appearance was as an animated commentator for the Nippon Ijin Taisho made in 2007 ("Japan Great People Awards").

• Goku has appeared in all Dragon Ball video games, as well as Jump Super Stars and Jump Ultimate Stars.

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

• Goku also appeared in a Japanese showa note commercial, along with Son Gohan and Son Goten, where they advertise school supplies.

• An official live-action Dragon Ball film is in production and will be released in 2008. Actor Justin Chatwin has been slated to play Goku in the film.

Voice actors

In the English dubs of the anime, the voice acting 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 actors):

• Saffron Henderson (Child Goku in The Saga of Goku)
• Ian James Corlett (Adult Goku in the Saiyan Saga)
• Peter Kelamis (Adult Goku in the Namek Saga)

FUNimation (in-house actors):

• Stephanie Nadolny (Child Goku)
• Sean Schemmel (Adult Goku)

Blue Water (Ocean Group actors):

• Kirby Morrow (Adult Goku)

External links

• Profile at http://www.absoluteanime.com/
• Biography on DBZ Fan