Benutzer:Makreuzbichler/Son-Goku

Vorlage:DB Character Son Goku is the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball series, spanning the original Dragon Ball, its sequel Dragon Ball Z and the further sequel Dragon Ball GT. He is based upon the monkey protagonist, Sun Wukong, from the Chinese novel Journey to the West.

With spiky black hair and his trademark orange/red and blue martial arts gi, Goku is known for his cheerful, energetic personality, love of competition (specifically fighting) and eating. He has remarkable intuition at seeing the good in others in spite of their actions, though his capacity for forgiving his enemies has occasionally been criticized as excessive. In the early Harmony Gold English Dragon Ball dub from the 1980's, he is known as Zero.

Appearance

Goku stands 5 feet 7 inches tall with black hair and dark eyes. His hair is fairly spiky and also partly covers his forehead. He is almost always seen wearing a custom training outfit composed of a full body orange costume with a blue undershirt, boots, belt and wristbands. The back of this outfit commonly displays the symbol of his training master. There are few times he does not wear this outfit, these being on his return to Earth from Namek, where he is seen in traditional Yardrat garb and during his training before the fight against Cell, during which time he wears Saiyan combat gear, similar to that which Vegeta wears early on in the series.

Saiyan name

Kakarot is Goku's birth name as a Saiyan, which is a pun of the word carrot, continuing the trend of naming Saiyans after vegetables. At first Goku rejects his heritage by refusing to be connected to a race that destroyed civilizations on planets for profit. Only other Saiyans ever refer to Goku by his Saiyan name and Vegeta refuses to refer to him as anything else (except when occasionally referring to him as "Goku" for people that don't know Goku's birth name.) believing he should be proud of his Saiyan heritage.

Goku's original name fits in with his family; all the known members in his family are vegetables that are roots of plants. Kakarot is a pun of the word "carrot", while Raditz is a pun of the word "radish" and Bardock is a pun of the word "Burdock".

History

Behind the childhood

At the beginning of Dragon Ball Z or Bardock: The Father of Goku (prequel to Dragon Ball), it was revealed that Goku was from a nearly extinct alien warrior race called the Saiyans. The Saiyans were space pirates, working under an overlord named Freeza. The sole mission of a Saiyan was to conquer worlds and then turn the desolate planets over to Freeza to be sold for storage on the Galactic Market. Even Saiyan babies were utilized in the most savage manner. The weakest babies were sent to planets with weaker inhabitants. Apparently, even a Saiyan child was more than capable of exterminating an entire race of people.

Goku (Named Kakarot at that time) was sent to Planet Earth. Goku's space pod lands not too far from Mount Paozu, which is hundreds of miles away from the nearest city. He is taken in by Son Gohan, a wise old martial arts master who lives as a hermit on Mount Paozu. Gohan, unaware of Goku's Saiyan name, names him Goku (which means "sky" or "emptiness"). Goku was wild and unusually savage for a child so young, but one day during Gohan's travels, Goku falls out of his carrier and into a ravine where he suffers severe head trauma.

The resulting impact removed his "programmed" Saiyan nature and Goku became an innocently naive child, completely uninfluenced by desire and the evils of the world, and also completely unaware of his original mission of destruction. He lovingly calls Gohan "Grandpa Gohan", thus ending his original mission of conquering the planet.

Behind the hero

During his life on Earth, Goku was husband to Chi-Chi and father to Gohan and Goten. Despite being introduced to his elder brother, Raditz, and being told of his father named Bardock, during Dragon Ball Z, Goku is not influenced by the knowledge of his Saiyan heritage. He embraces the company of his friends and his life as being an Earthling over his Saiyan connections.

Goku grew up to respect life and people granting mercy to even the most vicious of foes when he believed they were defeated, always giving them the option to change their ways and become a force for good. Because of this nature, Goku gained a great deal of friends even from former foes like Piccolo, Tenshinhan, and Yamcha.

Such is Goku's love and respect for life that he pitied and even tried to help the dying Freeza, a genocidal tyrant who not only was the one who destroyed the Saiyan race and their home planet, but murderer of his dearest friend Kuririn. Much as he reminded himself to feel anger towards Freeza for the things he had done to countless innocents and for killing Kuririn, Goku's hatred for him evaporated when he looked past the mutilated monster; and saw a helpless man crying and begging for his life. He simply couldn't force himself to leave the mortally wounded tyrant to suffer and die in such a painful and humiliating manner.

Goku has always loved his family and friends deeply and because of this he chooses to stay deceased after the Cell Saga despite the ability to resurrect him being available. He made this decision believing that the majority of the threats to Earth and its inhabitants had occurred because of him (Piccolo Jr. wanting to fulfill his father's ambition, Raditz looking for Goku, Nappa and Vegeta getting the Dragonballs, Freeza trying to get revenge on Goku and Dr. Gero's Androids).

Goku was not greatly educated as a child as he never went to school. For most of his childhood, he was secluded and lived in a remote location of the world. So he is innocently naive to the ways of the world. After Grandpa Gohan taught him martial arts, he began teaching him about things in the outside world (e.g. girls). However, before he could finish his teaching, he was accidentally killed by Goku when Goku turned into an Oozaru and stomped him to death. Regardless of Goku's lack of education, his strength is in fighting. Goku can learn new techniques almost instantly, but he usually lacks sensibility when it comes to planning. Goku's determination to be the strongest he can be and love for fighting is what spurs him to excel, and ultimately makes him the greatest fighter in the Universe.

Then again, Goku is too naive sometimes. Goku had agreed to marriage when he was twelve, but never really knew what it was until he was told by Kuririn that marriage is when a man and a woman get together and live together for the rest of their lives, Goku being a good-natured man agreed to Chi-Chi's proposal fairly quick, in front of the whole crowd at the 23rd Tenkaichi Martial Arts Tournament. Chi-Chi had always been madly in love with Goku, a sentiment that he clearly reciprocates, but never fully understands. This is probably due to his utter seclusion from society until his adolescence, making him forever ignorant to the concept of romantic love and responsibility. This certainly does not however (as many fans wrongfully assume) equate to Goku not loving his family. Rather, this innocence renders his relationship with his spouse closer to that of two best friends than a romantic union, and an "affectionate big brother" towards his sons rather than an overbearing figure of fatherly authority.

As fearless as Goku may seem, he has one weakness: He has a strong fear of needles. If anyone so much as mentions one, he cowers and runs or hides. This was proven before his journey to planet Namek, when the doctor was going to give him some treatment after his brutal fight with Vegeta, and during his fight with Captain Ginyu on Namek, when Vegeta was preparing him for the Cryo-Chamber for him to heal, and a needle fell off a table, which Goku had mistaken for Vegeta intending to use, and cowered out, but Vegeta quickly explained he had no intention of using it, embarrassing his son, Gohan. His fear was also exposed in Dragonball GT, when they went to the Hospital planet to help a wounded boy, and Goku hid under a couch, and then in a tree when he grew paranoid of being given a needle, when in fact the doctors were not even going to, since they're not allowed to give needles to non-patients.

Goku's lenient nature seems to involve itself with his fighting. Goku is aware of his strength and only when he runs into losing situation, or needs to protect his friends, does he actually get serious. To Vegeta, this is considered a weakness and for a while, he shuns Goku for it.

Dragon Ball

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12-year old Goku in the original Dragon Ball series.

In the original series, Goku is first seen as a 12 year-old boy living in the wilderness. He is seemingly normal except for his ignorance of the world, his great strength, and his tail. As the Dragonball series progresses, he accompanies Bulma as she scours the world, searching for the seven Dragon Balls. Legend has it that whoever collects them all will be granted one wish and so, Bulma searches tirelessly for them, desperately longing to wish for true love. During their initial quest Goku confronts Yamcha, a desert bandit, who at first challenges him, but after being defeated in battle, decides to accompany him in his search. Goku also meets his future wife Chi-Chi and the legendary Muten-Roshi. Goku owns both the Flying Nimbus (Kintoun in the manga) and the Power Pole. After the quest is finished, Goku begins to train with Master Roshi and develops into one of the most powerful fighters on Earth. His fellow student Kuririn is a rival at first, but soon becomes Goku's best friend.

After the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, (the first one Goku participates in), he leaves his friends behind once more and searches for the Four-Star Dragon Ball, which he believes contains the soul of his departed grandfather. Along the way he confronts the ruthless Red Ribbon Army, an organization with dreams of world domination that is seeking the seven Dragonballs as well. The leaders of the Red Ribbon Army have no scruples with killing innocent people and are willing to do whatever it takes to get their hands on the Dragon Balls. After managing to overpower many of the army's top agents, Goku finds himself in battle with the World's Deadliest Assassin, Tao Pai Pai who has been hired to "take care" of him. However, against all odds he manages to defeat the infamous hired killer and eventually tops the entire Red Ribbon Army.

Goku's next major opponent would come to be Tenshinhan, a warrior trained by Roshi's rival, Crane Hermit. Goku and Tenshinhan face off in the finals of the 22nd Martial Arts Tournament. After a lengthy fight, Goku loses when he and Tenshinhan fall from the sky, both too exhausted to stop themselves from landing outside of the ring and thus, being disqualified. Unfortunately for Goku, he is hit by a truck seconds before Tenshinhan hits the ground and thus, loses the championship. However, as it was with Yamcha, Goku and Tenshinhan don't remain rivals for long and soon become close friends.

Immediately after the 22nd Martial Arts Tournament, Demon King Piccolo, the embodiment of the evil which Earth's guardian Kami had purged from his body, appears, and after killing Kuririn, sent out to destroy all martial artists on Earth and ensure his unchallenged rule. After a difficult series of battles, Goku eventually manages to defeat the demon and avenges Master Roshi's and Kuririn's death. Moments before Piccolo's death however, the demon manages to spit out an egg which contains his offspring, Piccolo Junior.

After the battle, Goku accepts the grueling training of Kami, the Guardian of Earth. He trains for three long years after which he participates in the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament. However, Piccolo Junior, much to the hero's horror, also competes in the tournament and proves himself to be one of Goku's greatest rivals yet.

After a long and very close battle, Piccolo becomes desperate. With nothing else able to defeat Goku, he decides to use his Hyper Explosive Demon Wave. After an enormous blast, Goku is left unaffected and Piccolo looks on in horror at his situation.

Goku then proceeds to pummel Piccolo, and after the demon collapses in pain, Goku blasts him with a powerful Kamehameha attack. Piccolo lies still, and appears to be vanquished. However, Piccolo is only been deceiving Goku, and just when it seems he has triumphed, Piccolo gains the advantage in a surprise blast from the mouth attack that cripples Goku, going right through his right ribcage. Piccolo then proceeds to destroy Goku's body piece by piece, breaking his leg and burning his arm, thereby rendering him virtually immobile.

Piccolo then rises to the sky above and uses his charged energy blast attack. However, Goku manages to avoid it by flying into the sky - an ability he learned during his training with Kami but kept secret - and defeats Piccolo in a surprise attack of his own by flying headfirst into Piccolo's midsection, making Goku the champion of the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament.

At the end of the series, the newly engaged Goku flies off with Chi-Chi, embarking on several adventures, and at long last marrying her.

Dragon Ball Z

Saiyan Saga

Main article: Saiyan Saga

At the start of the Dragon Ball Z series, Goku built a family with his wife Chi-Chi, and their son, Son Gohan. A new threat arrives, whom his name is Raditz, who also reveals himself to be Goku's older brother. Raditz reveals to Goku that he is actually a Saiyan who was originally sent to Earth to vanquish the civilization from existence. However, Goku fell into a ravine and lost his memory, which gave him a good-hearted personality. Raditz kidnaps Gohan and tells Goku that he must kill at least 100 humans and bring their dead corpses to get his son back. Piccolo, a rival from Dragon Ball offers to join forces to defeat Raditz. To contradict Piccolo and Goku's plans, Raditz is overwhelmingly strong and escapes their attacks without effort.

Gohan, watching his father getting afflicted by Raditz, reveals his dormant potential and propels himself, head first, into Raditz's stomach, injuring him substantially. Goku is able to get a hold on the afflicted Raditz, and Piccolo launches his most devastating attack, killing both Goku and Raditz. Although this threat has been vanquished, the dying Raditz tells Piccolo that two even more powerful Saiyans will arrive within a year.

Once in the afterlife, Goku travels along the Serpent Road to receive beneficial training from North Kaiô (King Kai). After traveling roughly 1,000,000 kilometers (Over 10,000 miles in the English dub), Goku arrives at King Kai's planet, which has a gravitational pull ten times stronger than Earth's. Goku discovers that the so called "legendary martial arts master" is actually a comedian in lieu of a martial arts master. However, taking this situation seriously, King Kai tells Goku he reached his planet with 88 days to spare. King Kai challenges Goku to catch his pet monkey, Bubbles, and later his trash-talking grasshopper named Gregory. After the struggle, King Kai teaches him several new techniques such as the Kaiō-ken and the Genki Dama.

Due to becoming adjusted to the dense planet's gravity, Goku's speed and strength increases significantly. After the training, Goku's friends call forth Shenlong to resurrect Goku. Goku takes off and rushes through Snake Way to reach the checking point, arriving sooner than expected. And with that, Goku returns to Earth with the help of Kami and quickly joins the battle. At the scene of the battle, Goku discovers that Tenshinhan, Yamcha, Piccolo, and Chaozu have been killed by the vicious Saiyans. Goku defeats Nappa, one of the two Saiyans, without breaking a sweat using his new technique Kaiōken.

Vegeta brutally kills Nappa, saying that he is a disgrace to the Saiyan race. Goku leads Vegeta to a desolate place far from civilization. The two Saiyans duel, and Goku struggles to defeat the barbaric Saiyan, but realizing that Kaiōken x3 Kamehameha only rivaled Vegeta's Garriku-hō (Galic Gun), Goku had to risk vaporization by pushing his power to Kaiōken x4, twice the limit of what King Kai suggested he raise it to. Goku gains the upper hand, and pushes Vegeta back, saving the Earth from Vegeta's powerful Galic Gun. After a struggle involving ki attacks, Vegeta uses the Moon Burst technique to transform into an Oozaru. At this point Goku realizes that he himself killed Grandpa Gohan when he transformed on that fateful day. Out of desperation, Goku attempts to form a Genki Dama but is overpowered by Vegeta. Goku becomes crippled by Vegeta, who squeezes and stamps on the helpless Saiyan.

Gohan and Kuririn return to the battle and try to cut Vegeta's tail, which is needed to maintain the Oozaru transformation. After failed attempts, Yajirobe sneaks behind Vegeta and cuts his tail with his sword. Gohan battles Vegeta and Goku transfers the energy to Kuririn, who launches it at Vegeta. Kuririn misses, but Gohan rebounds it back to Vegeta, consequentially sent to the sky. Vegeta, badly weakened yet still alive, falls to the ground. Goku urges Gohan to look at the forgotten Moon Burst ball, and this causes him to transform into an Oozaru.

Now that the tables have turned, it is Vegeta's turn to be pummeled by Gohan. As a last ditch effort, Vegeta cuts Gohan's tail off, but Gohan falls on Vegeta, who crushes Vegeta under his weight. Vegeta, too badly injured to even move, summons his space pod, admitting defeat. He is allowed to escape due to a request by Goku, hoping someday he will be able to have a rematch with Vegeta.

Freeza Saga

Kuririn, Son Gohan, and Bulma then head to Planet Namek to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to wish their friends back to life. On his way to join his friends, Goku trains under 100x Earth's gravity to further boost his power.

Once again Goku enters the battle already in progress, this time saving Son Gohan, Kuririn, and Vegeta from the assault of Freeza's Ginyu Force. He is taken by surprise by their leader Captain Ginyu who has the ability to switch bodies with anyone he sees fit. Critically injuring himself, Ginyu then swaps bodies with the more powerful Goku. Goku manages to get his body back after intercepting a beam sent by Ginyu to swap bodies with Vegeta after being pummeled by the Z Fighters. Goku then undergoes a recovery process inside Freeza's spaceship, emerging again to join another fight in progress, where Vegeta meets his demise against Freeza. The battle against Freeza is furious, as he seems to be invincible. Even Goku's most powerful attack, the Genki Dama (Spirit Bomb), fails to defeat the warrior. However, when Freeza kills Kuririn and critically injures Piccolo, Goku, in anger, taps into his inner power reserves and transforms into a legendary Super Saiyan. While his friends escape the crumbling planet, Super Saiyan Goku fights and eventually defeats the merciless Freeza just before Planet Namek explodes. His friends, who were teleported to Earth, believe him to be dead, until they wish him back, when Porunga rejects the wish, because Goku is still alive.

Cell Saga

When Goku returns to Earth, he is confronted by a teenaged boy named Trunks, who surprisingly also possesses the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan. Goku later finds out that Trunks is the half-Saiyan son of Vegeta and Bulma and he has come from 20 years in the future where two killer Androids are terrorizing his world. Trunks tests Goku's strength in order to see if Goku can be trusted. Satisfied, Trunks gives Goku medicine for a heart disease that he will contract later and warns him about two Androids that will destroy all of civilization and kill all the Z-Fighters in three years. Goku trains himself for this new threat during this time span.

On the initial assault with the Androids, Android 19 bests Goku when he begins to drastically weaken from the heart disease he was warned of. Although Trunk's prediction was indeed correct, the virus struck him much later than anticipated. Vegeta manages to save Goku, and he then ends up spending the rest of the fight and several days recovering from the disease.

When Goku is well once again, he realizes that there are higher Super Saiyan levels to reach. Vegeta also realizes this, and Goku's goal, along with Vegeta, Future Trunks and Gohan becomes to ascend to the next level of Super Saiyan.

When Cell absorbs Android 17 and transforms into his second stage, Goku, Gohan, Vegeta, and Trunks go into the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to obtain a year of training under heavy gravity in one day. Despite Vegeta and Future Trunks' training, Cell manages to absorb Android 18 and reach his perfect form. However, instead of killing Trunks and Vegeta, Cell surprises everyone by deciding to hold a 'Cell Games' tournament in which the Earth's greatest fighters must attempt to defeat Cell or the world will be destroyed. Cell decides that the tournament will be held in 10 days' time.

While in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Goku's first attempt at ascension (which is in fact an uncontrolled stage of Super Saiyan 2) successfully results in his transformation into a 2nd-level Super Saiyan. While showing the form to Gohan, Goku later says that he could go even further if he wanted to, and so he does, and transforms into a 3rd-level Super Saiyan. In this form, Goku realizes that brute strength will not be enough to end Cell. As was previously displayed during his fight with Cell, Trunks' speed and agility was greatly diminished because of his Ascended Super Saiyan form (which some say was not Super Saiyan 2, but a form in between dubbed "USSJ", standing for Ultra or Ultimate Super Saiyan). He decides that he and Gohan will perfect the form of Super Saiyan by maintaining the transformation permanently until it no longer requires excessive energy to utilize. Along with Gohan, Goku succeeds in this and when they emerge from the Time Chamber, they were often called "Full Powered Super Saiyans" by fans or the technical term "Mastered Super Saiyan". During the tournament, Goku is first to face Cell, and he finds himself almost equally matched by him in every way. Goku enjoys the fight but realizes that their only hope for victory lies with his son Gohan. He decides to let Gohan (who was only 11 years old at the time and possessed a profound power deep inside that's kindled by anger, greater than even Goku's power himself) fight in his place.

Cell does not take Goku's assessment of Gohan's abilities seriously and tries to defeat Gohan easily. However, Gohan's incredible power is unleashed when Cell casually crushes the head of Android 16, causing Gohan to become furious and transform into a Super Saiyan 2. Gohan's power is now double that of Cell's, and he has the ability to finish Cell off. However, Gohan's arrogance is amplified by the power he now possesses and Goku is forced to step in with the "Instant Transmission" technique when Cell attempts to self-destruct and destroy the entire planet. Goku teleports Cell and himself to King Kai's planet and dies in the explosion. Cell manages to recover however and due to his Saiyan cells, his power doubles. Upon his return to Earth, Cell shoots a beam that pierces Trunks' chest, killing him. Gohan is subsequently crippled protecting Vegeta from a powerful blast from Cell. During the final battle, Goku spiritually motivates Gohan from beyond to help give him the confidence in his abilities he needs to fuel the Kamehameha attack, which successfully obliterates Cell.

Afterlife Tournament

After the Cell Saga, an anime-exclusive saga was shown, in which Goku faced off against the powerful Pikkon. Goku and King Kai meet West Kaio and Pikkon while on their way to see Dai Kaio. It turns out West Kaio and King Kai are rivals, and after an argument in which West Kaio suggests that Goku and Pikkon have a sparring match, Dai Kaio appears and asks Pikkon and Goku to go to Hell and take care of a few deceased villains who are causing trouble down there, namely Freeza, King Cold, Cell, Reacoom, Butta, Jheese and Gurd.

Goku easily takes out the Ginyu members, and is surprised to see Pikkon defeat Cell in only two hits, something Goku couldn't do so easily. Pikkon then proceeds to take out both Freeza and King Cold just as easily.

Later on, after Goku and Pikkon have struck up a friendship, an Afterlife Tournament is held in honor of North Kaio's death. Goku faces off against some odd and challenging opponents, and eventually makes it to the final round, along with Pikkon. The two battle it out ferociously for the prize: a private lesson with Dai Kaio. During the battle, Pikkon uses his Thunder Flash attack twice on Goku, with which he creates a massive and devastating column of fire from his fists.

Goku gets back up, ready to fight again, this time seemingly equal with Pikkon's power. Goku attempts to fire a Kamehameha, which Pikkon easily backhands away. Pikkon then decides to finish him off with one more Thunder Flash, but Goku counters with an Instantaneous Movement. He then appears beside Pikkon and blasts him out of the ring, winning the tournament. He does not get the prize, though, as both he and Pikkon touched the ceiling at the same time during their fight which counted as a ring out.

Buu Saga

In the afterlife, Goku spends his time training and facing (deceased) heroes from other quadrants of the universe in battle to upper his strength. His strength and fighting ability increases substantially over the years to the point that he achieves both Super Saiyan 2 (the true Ascended Saiyan) and Super Saiyan 3. On the day of the revival of the Tenka'ichi Budôkai, Goku is given special permission to return to Earth for one day to participate in it thanks to Baba. It is soon interrupted by an incident initiated by the evil wizard Babidi. Goku and the Z-Fighters travel to Babidi's ship and are forced to face several of Babidi's henchmen, unwittingly giving power to Majin Buu's resurrection with the energy expelled during the battles. During these battles, Vegeta is willingly returned to his evil ways by Babidi's magic because Goku is only back for a single day, and Vegeta will never be able to fight him again. He had also observed the crowd's surprise to Spopavitch's incredible increase in power. He knew that by becoming a Majin, it would substantially increase his power too. Goku is forced to face Vegeta in battle. During the fight however, Buu is released which both Goku and Vegeta sense. Goku asks Vegeta to help him defeat Buu to which Vegeta agrees because the battle is dead even and to continue on fighting would be pointless. Instead of going together, Vegeta attacks Goku from behind, knocking him unconscious. He then takes the last Senzu for himself; fully revived by the bean's effects, he fights Buu alone. Vegeta before his death overcomes the influence of Babidi. After he sees his son Trunks, he sacrifices himself, hoping to take Buu with him.

Upon awakening, Goku finds no trace of Earth's other mightiest heroes, Gohan and Vegeta, and with his time on Earth running out, he decides to teach Goten and Trunks the fusion dance technique, believing that together they can defeat Buu. Goku faces Buu in combat, unveiling for the first time his Super Saiyan 3 transformation, and easily takes on the mystical being for the fight. The transformation however burns up the majority of Goku's energy and he is forced to return to the Afterlife earlier than expected.

The Z-Sword

In the Afterlife, Goku learns that Gohan is alive and training with the Kaioshin and teleports to his location. Son Gohan, Goku's son, is able to pull the sword out of the stone. (He still finds it unbearably heavy however.) As Gohan trains with his Excalibur-like sword on the Planet of the Kais, Goku appears. While training with the sword, intending to fight Buu, Gohan and his father, Son Goku, break the sword accidentally only to discover that the Elder Grand Supreme Kai, or just Elder Kai, had been trapped inside.

The Z Sword is notable in the series as to be one of the few actual Z objects in Dragon Ball Z. (The Z in the title is made up; there was no hidden meaning. This is unlike Dragon Ball GT where the GT stands for "Grand Tour". However, in the English dub of the series, the main characters are sometimes referred to as the Z Warriors.)

Goku observes the fight on Earth through a crystal ball as newly fused Gotenks faces Buu. Gohan, with his sleeping power awakened, returns to Earth to face Buu, but he fails, prompting Rou Dai Kaioshin to surrender his life-force to Goku in order to resurrect him. Goku returns to Earth with the Potara fusion earrings to fuse with Gohan, but Gohan loses his earring, so Goku is forced to turn Super Saiyan 3 again to hold off Buu while Gohan searches for the lost item. During the battle, Gohan is absorbed and adds to Buu's power.

However, the newly revived Vegeta appears and though hesitant, agrees to fuse with Goku to form the strongest character in the DBZ series, Vegetto.

Vegetto outclasses Super Buu and easily overpowers his efforts against him. Vegetto taunts Buu into purposely absorbing him in order to gain entry to Buu's insides and rescue Gohan, Piccolo, Goten and Trunks. However, once inside, the mystical properties of Buu defuse Vegetto back into Goku and Vegeta. While attempting to escape with their friends, Vegeta removes the absorbed Fat Buu from Buu's insides resulting in Super Buu transforming into Kid Buu. During this transformation, Vegeta, Goku and their still unconscious friends escape to safety.

Kid Buu destroys the Earth in an extreme show of power while Goku uses Shunkan Ido/Instant Transmission to transport the survivors to the Kaioshin Kai. However, Gohan, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo are lost.

When Buu finds them, Goku faces him in battle after he and Vegeta play a version of rock-paper-scissors and determine the order in which the two fighters will face Buu. He transforms to SSJ and attacks Buu, doing no damage. The two of them play around for a bit until Goku decides that he has had enough and transforms to SSJ3. Fighting at full power, the two combatants are evenly matched. Goku however, unleashes a massive Kamehameha that fails to destroy Buu. He collapses, but manages to get back up after seeing Vegeta in mortal peril. He powers up to SSJ3 again, and fights Buu again for an extended period of time. Buu however, has an advantage because while Goku becomes more fatigued and his power drains off, Buu stays the same. Goku then attempts to power up, saying that he wasted too much energy playing with Buu at SSJ2 and could defeat him if he was at 100%. Vegeta distracts Buu; however, Goku, due to a miscalculation as to how much energy SSJ3 drained on his living body as opposed to his dead one, runs out of energy while attempting to power up. Out of desperation, Goku begins to gather his Chou Genki Dama (Super Spirit Bomb) while drawing energy from all the humans on Earth (which was brought back by a wish from the Namekian Dragon Balls). Vegeta, despite being nowhere near Buu's power level, manages to keep him occupied until Mr. Satan convinces the Earthlings to lend the Chou Genki Dama their energy. Unfortunately, Buu's resilience allows him to hold off the incredible attack; so with the last Namekian Dragon Ball wish, Vegeta wishes for Goku's full strength to be returned. Goku transforms into a Super Saiyan and overpowers Buu with his Chou Genki Dama, completely obliterating the ultimate evil, once and for all!

Goku continued to train after this battle in-between spending time with his family and friends, including Vegeta, since he finally showed his respect for Goku shortly after the battle. 10 years later at the Tenka'ichi Budokai, the fighters come together again to take part, but Goku leaves as soon as he meets Uub, the reincarnation of Buu, so that he could train him and have a new strong opponent to fight as well as a new protector for Earth.

Dragon Ball Z Movies

Goku also appears in every Dragon Ball Z Movie. He witnesses Gohan defeating Garlic Jr., defeats Dr. Wheelo, thwarts the plans of the evil Saiyan Tullece, defeats Lord Slug, has two encounters with Freeza's older brother Coola, defeats Android 13 and his henchmen, helps Gohan defeat Bojack, fuses with Vegeta to defeat Janemba, and defeats Hirudegarn. Many of the movies also revolve around Goku's confrontations with Broly.

Dragon Ball GT

Bebi Saga

Goku is wished back into a kid by Emperor Pilaf. As a kid again, Son Goku becomes immature, despite retaining his strength and memories of being an adult. The wish was made on the Black Star Dragon Balls. As a result, Goku must travel the universe and return them to Earth or else the planet will explode from the negative energy created by the wish. In the course of his travels, he encounters a creature known as Bebi, who is in fact the last surviving Tsufurujin, the original inhabitants of Planet Vegeta. Bebi is a machine mutant who was created by Doctor Myuu; however, Bebi actually created Dr. Myuu first.

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Son Goku in many of his forms throughout Dragon Ball GT

Eventually, Bebi arrives on Earth and starts wreaking havoc. He begins by planting a seed in everyone on Earth, thus making them all believe they are Tsufurujin and that Bebi is their leader. After infecting and controlling most of the Saiyans (like a parasite), Bebi finds himself ultimately in the body of Vegeta and controls him; (he is referred to as Bebi Vegeta by fans, but is still called Bebi in the show).

Pan, Trunks, and Goku arrive on Earth to return the Dragon Balls, but soon discover what has happened. After a short fight with Bebi, Goku discovers that he cannot sustain Super Saiyan 3 as a child. After being pummeled by Bebi Vegeta, Goku is weak and defenseless and Bebi Vegeta uses the Revenge Death Ball to finish off Goku. Kibitoshin arrives just as the bomb strikes to save Goku and bring him to the Kai's planet.

Believing that Goku is dead, Bebi Vegeta uses the Black Star Dragon Balls to wish Planet Plant (home world of the Saiyans and Tsufurujin, named 'Planet Vegeta' in the Funimation English dub) into Earth's orbit. He renames it the Tuffle Planet and moves all of the earthlings to it using Capsule Corporation's Doomsday Rocket.

Meanwhile, on the Planet of the Kaioshin, Elder Kai hatches a plan to "solve Goku's energy problem" by re-growing Goku's tail. Progress is slow at first, but Goku has an idea about how to accelerate the process. After a very painful procedure where the tail is pulled out by a pair of pliers, Goku returns to the Tsufurujin planet to confront Bebi.

During the battle with Bebi Vegeta, Goku is able to sustain his Super Saiyan 3 form but is still no match for his opponent. As he lies on the ground, defenseless, he gazes at Earth and realizes he has failed it. But instead of dying, looking at the Earth causes Goku to transform into a Golden Oozaru. Although powerful, Goku has no control over his Golden Oozaru form. With Pan's help, however, Goku is able to regain control and become a Super Saiyan 4.

Bebi Vegeta is no match against Super Saiyan 4 Goku. In desperation, Bulma (who's under Bebi's control) uses a Blutz wave generator that causes Bebi Vegeta to transform into an Oozaru. Goku's situation becomes bad, but after a lengthy battle, he succeeds in defeating Bebi Vegeta and leaving Bebi defenseless. In desperation, Bebi leaves Vegeta's body and tries to escape from the Tsufurujin Planet, but Goku uses his Kamehameha attack to destroy Bebi and blast his remains into the Sun.

Super 17 Saga

Goku fights in the world martial arts tournament, having to fight in the junior division due to his child status and a height requirement. His opponent, though weak, wins by tickling Goku while he is talking to Vegeta, resulting in Goku falling out of the ring. Goku and friends are at home eating until a badly beaten up Trunks arrives, saying he was beaten up by Android #17, and that he told him to tell Goku to go to Hell. Goku leaves for Hell, where he meets Dr. Myuu, and Dr. Gero, who leave and seal the exit behind them, trapping Goku in the afterlife. To worsen matters, two of his oldest and worst enemies appear, Cell and Freeza. After a short fight, Cell and Freeza perform a new technique, trapping Goku into a tornado that drags him down to the deepest part of Hell, where an old lady traps him within a block of ice with an ice machine.

With Cell and Freeza deciding how to kill Goku, it looks like it is the end, until they all realize that the ice machine does not work effectively on the living and the ice holding Goku begins to melt. After his escape, Goku freezes Freeza and Cell in ice and then shatters them, albeit accidentally.

Goku, still trapped in Hell, thinking for a way to get out, asks King Yemma for help, to which Yemma responds that his powers are being blocked and he cannot release Goku. Piccolo contacts Yemma and asks him to transport him to Goku, but Yemma refuses, as Piccolo should not be in Hell. Piccolo destroys half of Heaven to force Yemma's action and Yemma is forced to teleport Piccolo to Hell to help Goku. Piccolo and Dende create a portal between the living world and Hell to allow Goku's escape.

Goku battles the newly fused Super 17 after Piccolo frees him from his trap in Hell. With the help of 18, who is mad at 17 because he killed her husband Kuririn, Goku is able to defeat 17by flying straight through him with the Dragon Fist, and then following up with several Kamehameha attacks through the wounded 17's stomach.

Shadow Dragon Saga

When the dragon, Shenlong, is summoned to revive those killed by Super 17, the Dragon Balls crack, and a different, cigar-smoking Dragon appears in its place. This "Black Smoke Dragon" promptly splits into seven evil Dragons, each with a cracked Dragon Ball in its forehead. Goku and his companions fight valiantly to defeat these new Dragons. However, after six of the seven are defeated, the One Star Dragon, Yi Xing Long, absorbs the other Dragon Balls into himself, forming Super Yi Xing Long (FUNimation dub: Omega Shenron). Goku defeats him after the most difficult battle of his life, including a fusion with Vegeta to form the strongest fighter ever, Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta, that does not succeed in putting the One Star Dragon down permanently. Eventually however, Goku does defeat Omega Shenron, returning the dragonballs to how they once were and purging them of evil. Later, the real Shenlong appears and tells Goku and his friends that no more wishes shall be granted for a long time. Goku however, in exchange for one last wish, agrees to give up his place on Earth and accompany the Dragon back to the realm from which it came, falling asleep on its back as it flies away. The seven Dragon Balls are absorbed into Goku's body, and the dragon and Goku vanish.

A century later, an aged Pan sits in the stands of the Tenka'ichi Budôkai to cheer on her grandson, Goku Junior. As the young boy enters the ring, his opponent appears: it is a distant descendant of Vegeta's, Vegeta Junior. The two fight, and quickly astonish each other by becoming Super Saiyans. As Pan watches, she catches a glimpse of a familiar face in the stands: her grandfather, Son Goku. When she tries to follow him, however, he disappears, but Pan knows that he has returned. With the battle of his descendant finished, Goku walks along the outside of the Tenkaichi Budokai arena, reminiscing on all the major events of his lifetime. Finally, after one last look around, he looks up into the sky and flies upward. With his destiny long since fulfilled, and his great-great-grandson's just beginning, he makes one last wave to us, the viewers, catches his power pole, and flies off on the Nimbus to wherever it's taking him: thus the Dragon Ball Trilogy comes to an end.

Forms and transformations

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Son Goku in all of his forms throughout Dragon Ball Z

As a member of the Saiyan race, Goku has acquired through training, the ability to transform. By transforming his body, Goku greatly enhances his abilities from the previous state. These forms are listed in the order they were attained:

Normal
This is Goku's normal form (See Appearance). His appearance remains the same over the course of the entire series, though his basic level of power greatly increases from training and injury as time progresses. This in turn boosts the power potential for all his preceding forms. When any transformation is cancelled due to being knocked unconscious, having too much of a depletion of ki energy, death, or self-reversion, Goku returns to this form.

Oozaru
This form was a powerful but uncontrollable state common to all Saiyans where the user transforms into a large, ape-like creature, commonly referred to as a Great Ape. As a child, Goku was able to use this form, growing to a size that rivaled small buildings. His eyes turned red and his body became coated in a thick, brown fur. In this form, Goku became an incredible force to be reckoned with but has no control over his actions at all, his mind overcome with a primal rage. This form was never used again by Goku after Dragon Ball due to his tail being removed but does make a brief appearance in Dragon Ball GT.

Giji Super Saiyan
Before transforming into the true Super Saiyan, Goku nearly reached the form in DBZ Movie 4, during his fight with Lord Slug, resulting in the Giji Super Saiyan form. Since Goku had never become a true Super Saiyan before the form was hard to keep under control and eventually Goku returned to his base form. In this transformation Goku's physical appearance takes some traits from the Super Saiyan form. Although the eyes and hair stay black, Goku's hair does stand on its end. The muscles also increase in this form and in the movie, the Golden Aura, which is a Super Saiyan trait, also appeared.

Super Saiyan
The legendary warrior of the Saiyan race, this initial transformation occurs when a Saiyan who has reached his limit experiences a moment of uncontrolled rage, resulting in a warrior with upright golden hair, green eyes and what was considered, limitless power. Goku was the first Saiyan in the series to achieve this transformation. After Freeza murdered Kuririn, seriously hurt Piccolo, and with his son, Gohan, in the path of danger, Goku was overcome with rage and the motivation to stop Freeza once and for all, transforming into a Super Saiyan. This transformation enabled him to access to a power that was fifty times his base power.

In this transformation, his hair changes from black to gold and stands on end. He is surrounded by an aura appears to have a more golden look. His eyes change from black to a blue-green as well and he gains more muscles in this form.

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Goku in Super Saiyan 2nd & 3rd grade

Ascended Super Saiyan/Super Saiyan 2nd Grade
Goku achieved this form after training in the Room of Spirit and Time upon Kami's Tower by continuously increasing his power, forcing his body to grow to contain the energy. Though it granted him a huge power increase and he still retained his speed unlike the Ultra Super Saiyan form, he decided never using it in battle, instead preferring to perfect his regular Super Saiyan transformation.

Goku's hair appears to slightly sharpen in this form, but the most significant change in this form is his increase in muscle mass.

Ultra Super Saiyan/Super Saiyan 3rd Grade
Goku achieved this form inside the Room of Spirit and Time while training with Son Gohan. Further increasing his energy, he still appeared to be a Super Saiyan but his muscle mass was greatly increased. He decided against using such a form, because such a power increase with an offset of a decrease in speed would have indicated that it would be impossible to defeat Perfect Cell. Therefore, Goku decided to use a different route in achieving the power he needed to combat Perfect Cell.

Super Saiyan, Full-Power
Goku learned to perfect the Super Saiyan form with Gohan, so that he could remain in Super Saiyan form indefinitely, and without consuming energy, or straining himself. He could also focus more power into his body and attacks in this state, without burning himself out, because he had adjusted to the rigors of the Super Saiyan form.

Super Saiyan 2
Goku first revealed this ability during his battle against Majin Vegeta in the Buu Saga. Though it is never seen where Goku learns this form, it can be assumed he unlocked this transformation while in the afterlife. The form granted Goku further enhancements in speed and strength from Super Saiyan, though physically he changed very little from the Super Saiyan 1 form except for his hair now only having three bangs, where his Super Saiyan form had five.

In the Super Saiyan 2 form, his hair is longer and finer then in Super Saiyan 1. Strands become sharper in appearance and three strands of hair instead of five now cover his face. When utilizing power in this form, Goku's body would become surrounded in a golden aura of energy and sparks of electricity would randomly spark across his body.

Super Saiyan 3
This was the final transformation Goku achieved in DBZ. Goku was the only character to ever use the form without having fused with another character first. He displayed this form first during the Buu Saga against Majin Buu and admits that he achieved it while training in the afterlife. The form was the strongest transformation available in the DBZ universe but consumed large amounts of Goku's energy, reducing his time on the Earth substantially. Again, the form augmented Goku's current strength, speed and energy levels but to a higher degree than those provided by Super Saiyan 1 or Super Saiyan 2.

In this state, his hair strands are clearly defined and his hair increases in length, growing down to his waist, his eyebrows disappear, and his face is leaner, giving him a more serious look. Goku's irises turn green but his pupils remain black.

Golden Oozaru
Goku achieved this transformation in DBGT after being transformed into a child and having his Saiyan tail restored. This state allowed him to transform into a rampaging, mindless, Super Saiyan Oozaru with golden fur instead of brown/black. This form allows him to contain greater levels of power than ever before. The raw, animal rage combined with the increase in raw strength made him a terrible force of destruction. When his granddaughter, Pan, managed to calm the raging Goku, the Oozaru power was condensed and focused allowing him to transform into a Super Saiyan 4.

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Goku as a Super Saiyan 4

Super Saiyan 4
Goku achieved this form during his battle with Bebi Vegeta in DBGT. After being calmed down in the Golden Oozaru state, his mind was allowed to focus, and he was able to control his power and transform into a Super Saiyan 4, shrinking from the Oozaru form down to his regular humanoid dimensions; but he looked different than any previous transformation before. For Goku, this form gives him black hair which extend down a little of his back and hang over his shoulder close to his neck, gold eyes and scarlet/cerise colored fur which covers his entire body except for hands, face, chest and assumedly feet. This appearance is unique to him for this transformation (Vegeta's SSJ4 is slightly different.)

Fusions

Vegetto

The Potara Saiyan Fusion between Goku and Vegeta, Vegetto, is considered to be the most powerful being in Dragon Ball Z. He was created as a desperate plan by Rou Dai Kaioshin, to stop the powerful Majin Buu. Goku's relaxation and Vegeta's strategic mind enabled Vegetto to be quite an intelligent character without being overcome by arrogance but still possessing the ruthlessness to kill Buu. During their fight Vegetto outclassed Buu in every way, usually toying with him and tormenting him. Although the fusion was thought to be permanent, Vegetto ends up separating back into Goku and Vegeta once inside Buu's stomach.

Gogeta

The result of a Fusion Dance performed by Goku and Vegeta, Gogeta is considered to be one of the most formidable characters introduced in the series. Like Vegetto, Gogeta was formed out of desperation, though this one was to stop the powerful demon Janemba, rather than Majin Buu. Gogeta easily outclassed Janemba, and the demon was quickly disposed of. Unlike with Potara Fusion, the Fusion Dance creates a perfect fusion of minds and personalities between the participants, so neither is dominant. Gogeta returns in Dragon Ball GT to stop the tremendously powerful Ii Shenlong (Omega Shenron in the FUNimation dub). This time, Goku and Vegeta fuse as Super Saiyan 4's. Instead of Super Saiyans, Gogeta is far more powerful than anyone introduced in Dragon Ball, including his alternate side, Vegetto. Unfortunately, the strength of Gogeta is so great that the normal 30-minute duration of the Fusion Dance is cut to 15 minutes, due to the huge energy drain associated with maintaining the SSJ4 form.

Veku

A failed fusion made by Goku and Vegeta through an incorrectly performed Fusion Dance. Veku was made only once in Dragonball Z movie 12: Fusion Reborn. He is sometimes known as "Fat Gogeta" and even though he looks almost exactly like Gogeta (except he is shorter and fatter), he is not the same fusion. His arsenal is much weaker and is quite different then Gogeta's. Veku's ultimate weapon is his own flatulence, overcoming his enemy with his lethal intestinal gas. He is so weak, becasue as far as we know he doesn't even have the ability to power up to [[Super Saiyan], enabling him to get man-handled by the demon Janemba. After thirty minutes, this failed fusion splits and Goku and Vegeta fuse again to make Gogeta.

Techniques and special abilities

Bukujutsu

This is the ability to fly using one's ki. Goku simply controls his energy and pushes out from underneath him allowing him to fly. The name 'Bukujutsu' means 'Air Dance'.

Fusion Dance

A character can temporarily fuse with someone else provided that they also know the fusion dance and are within the same power range and physical size. The effects last for about half an hour and require a resting period of one hour before it can be done again.

In the manga, Goku never performs this technique, he only teaches it to Trunks and Goten, so it is not considered canon.

Genki Dama

Perhaps Goku's most powerful attack, the Genki Dama draws energy from all life and places it in a deadly ki ball. Goku uses this against many of his more powerful opponents. The downside is that he is quite vulnerable during its lengthy creation time. It is called the Spirit Bomb in the English anime.

Hasshuken

(Dubbed 'Eight Fists') When Goku fights Tenshinhan during the 22nd Tenka'ichi Budôkai (22nd World Martial Arts Tournament), Tenshinhan uses his Four Supernatural Fists on Goku. In defense, Goku decides to use an eight-arm attack, which works even better. Because of the extra arms Goku is able to fight much faster and attack/block more often as each arm moves so fast as it seems to appear in four places at once. Those arms were nothing more then illusions, as Goku was moving his arms up and down extremely fast, making this technique have much in common with zanzoken.

Jan-Ken

('Rock Scissors Paper Fist' in English) This is Goku's special attack in early Dragonball, but is soon replaced by the Kamehameha. The user shouts "Jan Ken", then a name corresponding to the attack. "Jan Ken Gu", equals rock and will be a strong punch. "Jan Ken Chyoki", equals scissors and will be a poke in the eyes. "Jan Ken Pa", equals paper and will be an open palm strike. In the English dub of Dragon Ball, the scissor part was cut.

Kaiô-ken

The Kaioken or Fist of the Lord of Worlds is one of Goku's most popular attacks in the Dragonball series, this ability allows Goku to multiply his speed and power by turning potential energy from the body into pure physical energy, often letting him work on an equal level against an initially more powerful foe. Other effects include heightened senses such as eyesight and hearing. Because of the extreme increase of energy flowing through Goku and the increased stress on his body, this form is potentially fatal, and can actually vaporize him if he multiplies it by too much. Goku no longer uses Kaiô-ken once he is able to access the more potent Super Saiyan state. One exception to this was during the filler saga of the Other World Tournament final against Pikkon, where he used Kaiô-ken while a Super Saiyan; he called it Super Kaiô-ken. The kaio-ken is normally represented as a blazing, blood-red aura surrounding the user.

Kamehameha

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Goku using the Kamehameha

Goku's signature technique, the Kamehameha attack, is a powerful, constant stream of energy hurled at an opponent through the hands (or in one instance, the feet). Goku has several other variations of this attack as well. In some instances, Goku has launched the Kamehameha with one hand.

• Feet Kamehameha - (Ashi kara Kamehameha in Japan) This attack was first used by Goku against Piccolo at the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budôkai (World Martial Arts Tournament). He fired a Kamehameha from his feet to propel himself at Piccolo and leave his hands free at the same time.

• Double Kamehameha- This attack was used only once in Movie #3 "Tree of Might". This is when he shoots a kamehameha out of both hands in different directions.

• Super Kamehameha - (Chou Kamehameha in Japan) An even more powerful version of the Kamehameha developed by Goku.

• Continuous Kamehameha - (Renzoku Kamehameha in Japan) Goku fires more than one Kamehameha, like a volley.

• Turning Kamehameha - (Magaru Kamehameha in Japan) Goku fires a Kamehameha that he can bend and guide toward his target.

• Warp Kamehameha - (Shunkan Idou Kamehameha in Japan) Goku charges up the attack; then, right before he releases, he teleports in front of the target and releases the blast directly into it. This is also known as Instant Transmission Kamehameha, probably due to the Japanese translation.

• Parent & Child Kamehameha - (Oyako Kamehameha in Japan, Father-Son Kamehameha in the Budokai video games) A dead person assists someone who is alive with a Kamehameha. Goku helps Gohan against Cell, and helps out Gohan and Goten against Broly in DBZ Movie #10 (non-canon, and the Movie 10 one used to be called the "Perfect Kamehameha" by fans).

• 10x Kamehameha - This name is given to the red-colored Chou Kamehameha used by Goku while in his Super Saiyajin 4 form, in the Budokai video games, but the name is never used in the actual series. Some fans are confused by the fact that SSJ4 Gogeta used something called the "Kamehameha x10" ("Juubei Kamehameha" in the Japanese version) against Ii Shenron, but this was an illusionary technique that didn't do any damage.

Kienzan

Goku can use a disk-shaped Ki attack that is similar to Kuririn's Kienzan (also known as Destructo Disk in the English dub). It is used twice, once in Movie #3 "The Tree of Might" to cut off Gohan's tail while Gohan was berserk in ape form, and the other was to slice Super Buu in half. It is shaped differently than the Kienzan, being thicker, rather than a flat disk with the rotating edge of sharp Ki that Kuririn's technique has.

Renzoku Kikou Dan

A machine gun ki attack, used by pretty much anyone who knows how to form balls or beams of energy. It is fairly powerful, especially if the defender is caught off guard, as many beams can be fired and the ones that hit have more power than the last. It is good as a distraction tactic too, firing a few of them before charging up a really big attack to finish it off. The disadvantage is that this attack can take its toll on the attacker, due to the large energy drain. He used this against Perfect Cell in the Cell Games in a desperate attempt to incinerate him, which upon doing this severely drained his ki.

Ryū-Ken

Ryū-Ken is a technique where Goku charges his energy into his fist and it creates a Shenlong-like dragon that drives through the opponent. It is often referred to as Super Dragon Fist. An exception to this was an Oozaru, instead of a dragon. This happened during Dragonball, when Goku defeated King Piccolo.

Shunkan Idô

An ability Goku learned on his way back to Earth from Namek on a remote planet called Yardrat. It allows him to teleport nearly anywhere instantly so long as he focuses on a specific ki signal at the desired location or can see where he wants to go. He places two fingers on his forehead to focus on a power signal.

This ability is called Shunkan Idou, but it is also referred to as Instant Transmission in the English anime translation. Evidence points to the technique transporting the user instantly, rather than at a certain speed.

Spinning Cyclone

A technique used by Goku at the Tenka'ichi Budôkai (World Martial Arts Tournament). He spins quickly like the motion of a cyclone and then knocks into his opponents. It did not work as planned because he got dizzy when using it, so he only used it once. He used it as well in Dragon Ball GT in order to defeat Ryu Shinron, the 6-star Black Dragon.

Taiyōken

Also known as the Solar Flare (in the English anime translation) or Fist of the Sun. A technique learned from Tenshinhan that uses energy to reflect the full light of the sun at an opponent within close proximity, temporarily blinding them. This then enables either escape or a surprise attack.

Zanzôken

Also known as the Nin-ju-Zanzôken or Double Shadow Attack, After-Image (English dub), this is when the user of this technique is able to move extremely fast over very short distances (usually a maximum of a few meters), leaving two rather misleading blurry after-images behind. This attack's liability ranges from user to user, Goku improved it during the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai when he increased the number of shadowy images of himself to three.

Voice actors

In the English versions of Dragonball, the voice actors for Goku and many other characters of the series have changed as a result of the series' dubbers and translators changing companies 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 Z, Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball, and Super Saiyan 4 Goku in DBGT)
• Stephanie Nadolny (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball and "Kid" Goku Dragon Ball GT)

Blue Water Dub:

• Zoe Slusar (Kid Goku in Dragon Ball and "Kid" Goku in Dragon Ball GT)
• Jeremiah Yurk (Adult Goku in Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Gt, and Super Saiyan 4 Goku in DBGT)

Other:

• Nenad Nenadović (Goku in Serbian Dragonball)
• Laura Torres (Kid Goku in the Mexican Spanish dub)
• Carlos Díaz (Goku in the 90's version of Dr. Slump Mexican Spanish dub)
• Mario Castañeda (Adult Goku in the Mexican Spanish dub)
• Brigitte Lecordier (Kid Goku in French Dragon ball, Dragon Ball Z and GT)
• Patrick Borg (Goku in French Dragonball Z)
• Henrique Feist (Portuguese (Portugal) dubs of Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, both kid and adult versions)
• Wendell Bezerra (Portuguese (Brazil) dub of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT)
• Noeli Santisteban (Kid Goku in first Brazilian dub of Dragon Ball)
• Ursula Bezerra (Kid Goku in Brazilian in second dub of Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT)
• אבי מאור [Avi Ma'or] (Adult Goku in the Hebrew (Israel) dub in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT)
• איטן גרינברג [Ei'tan Greenberg] (Kid Goku in Hebrew dub in Dragon Ball Gt and Dragon Ball Movies)

Appearances in other media

Video games

Goku has been in every Dragon Ball video game. He's been a selectable character in every Dragon Ball Z fighting game and has been the main character of every Dragon Ball Z RPG. He has also represented Dragon Ball Z in the games Battle Stadium D.O.N and Jump Superstars.

Manga

• Goku appears as a cameo in the Neko Majin series as Neko Majin's teacher.

TV

• In Japan, there is a short movie that features One Piece and Dragonball Z joining forces to take down Eneru who tried to destroy Japan. Both Luffy and Goku team up to put an end to his evil. (See here)
• Characters personifying Goku and Gohan were featured in the Christmas special of Robot Chicken, in which Santa Claus asks Goku to save Christmas. Note: It is indicated in the episode that one of the characters is Gohan, but fans argue that it was Goten due to the hairstyle. However, Chibi Goku of Dragon Ball GT would be even more accurate, as then both the hairstyle and outfit would match.
• In the second Dr. Slump series, Arale uses a new invention of Senbei's to bring the final Dragon Ball manga to life. Upon doing so, a black and white Goku and Kid Buu come to life as they fight in the middle of Arale's house. Later on, a younger Goku stays in Penguin Village as Senbei fixes his broken Dragon Radar so he can search for the remaining seventh Dragon Ball he needs. Upon his stay, Murasaki and Blue pay a visit to try and steal the Dragon Balls away. Needless to say, they are both outdone by Goku and Arale.

In popular culture

• Goku has commonly been referred to as the Japanese equivalent of Superman due to their similar origins (sent to another planet, homeworlds destroyed, found by a nice elderly person who raised him as his own), was told to conquer Earth, and powers (super strength, flight, high-invulnerability). Both characters have also died and been resurrected.
• At a Fuji Summer Fest in Japan, Goku teamed up with Monkey D. Luffy of One Piece to stop Eneru from destroying Tokyo. (See here)
• Andrew Wells, a character from Buffy the Vampire Slayer, references Goku and Vegeta's rivalry during an episode in the show's final season.
• In the 133rd edition of 'Wizard Magazine', a Superman vs. Goku match up was conducted. Goku won the fight quite easily, needing to just tap into the first Super Saiyan level to beat Superman. It has been argued the article had been unjust to Superman by showing him as being weak, and has been disregarded by many as nothing more then fanfiction due to inconsistencies in character portrayal that occur throughout the article.

See also

• Saiyans
• Broly
• Vegeta
• Vegetto
• Gogeta
• Gotenks
• Raditz
• Turles
• Bardock
• Son Gohan
• Son Goten
• Son Goku Jr.
• Chi-Chi