Goku

*I've never really thought as myself as a savior, I just want to fight strong opponents. But I can't just stand by and watch innocent people and animals suffer. That's what my grandpa taught me.*"

— Goku in "Hunt the Poachers! Goku and No. 17's United Front!!"
**Son Goku** ( '**Son Gokū'**), born **Kakarot** (カカロット'**Kakarotto'**), is a male Saiyan and the main protagonist of the *Dragon Ball* meta-series created by Akira Toriyama. Cheerful, tenacious, and also a bit naïve, Goku is a Saiyan originally sent to Earth as an infant with the mission to destroy it. However, an accident alters his memory, causing him to grow up pure-hearted and later become Earth's greatest defender, as well as the informal leader of the Dragon Team. Throughout his life, he trains hard and constantly strives to be the greatest warrior possible and to fight stronger opponents, which has kept the Earth and the Universe safe from destruction many times.[13]

## Appearance

Goku is the spitting image of his father, Bardock, possessing the same unique spiky black hairstyle, dark eyes, and facial features. However, he has softer eyes, a kind demeanor, and a lighter pale skin complexion from his mother, Gine. Perhaps Goku's most distinguishing physical characteristic is his spiky black hair. He has 3 bangs hanging to the right of his forehead and 2 bangs hanging to the left. His hair also stands up in the front with 4 spikes and 3 bangs in the back (however, later his front spikes become 5 and his back spikes become 4). Goku was born with the signature tail of the Universe 7 Saiyans, which was long and prehensile with brown fur. While occasionally having it removed as a child and later having it regrow back, by his late-teens, it was permanently removed by Kami (to prevent him from transforming into a Great Ape, so Kami could safely bring back the moon).
As a child at age 12, Goku was rather short, and appeared even younger, as some considered him to be much less than 10 years old; people would be rather surprised when they learned his actual age. During the next few years, Goku did not go through any physical changes, beyond his muscles becoming more pronounced. By age 15, he began showing noticeable increases in height. By age 18, he had a considerable growth spurt, growing taller than most of his friends and developing a well-built physique. He is also considered very handsome, as noted by Bulma. His physical changes made him almost indistinguishable from before, and was only recognized by his signature naïve personality and "trademark" hairstyle. By age 25, Goku had another growth spurt, and become similar in height to
He is most commonly seen wearing his trademark orange shirt and blue armbands, which he first started wearing at the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament. After this outfit was ruined by the Pilaf Gang to retrieve their Dragon Ball to revive Bora, Goku took Shu's outfit, which was a shinobi uniform consisting of a purple kimono with a yellow shirt underneath it, purple hakama pants, a pale blue or white sash, black tabi socks, and straw waraji sandals. He wore this until getting his replacement orange outfit. at the 21st World Martial. After training with Kami and Mr. Popo, he later updated his outfit by wearing underneath a dark blue short-sleeved undershirt and replaced his black kung fu shoes with dark blue boots with a yellow border (later red) that are outfitted with red laces (later tan). Over the years, this organ shirt has either been plain or featured kanji on its back, and the front-left side above his stomach. The kanji has been either of Master Roshi, King Kai, or his own. He originally wore a blue obi tied in a knot over his waist, although after the Frieza Saga this was changed to a blue sash. During the early part of his training under Whis, Goku wore an orange traditional and loose gi that was secured together with a blue obi tied in a knot at the left of his waist. He also wore blue wristbands that cover nearly his entire forearms and blue boots that clasp together on the front of his shins. It was also given without Goku realizing it Whis' kanji on the front-left of his shirt.
his taller human allies, and much more muscular.
When he appears in the *Prison Planet Saga*, Goku wears an outfit that is cross between his normal look and his *Resurrection ‘F’* look. He wears his loose traditional gi but with a Capsule Corp logo in place of Whis' symbol. He also wears his blue shirt underneath the gi, his larger blue armbands, and his regular boots. He later retains this outfit during Future "Trunks" Saga and in Tournament of Power as the symbol reverts back to its original kanji.

When first introduced in *Dragon Ball*, Goku wore an open blue gi that is secured with a a white obi tied in a bow over his waist, red wristbands, and dark blue kung fu shoes. By the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku wears a turquoise gi with a white obi, orange wristbands, dark green pants, and black kung fu shoes with orange stockings. Despite his fighting gi being his preferred look, Goku is not without other types of wardrobe, such as a suit and tie[14] casual clothes like blue pants with a button-down red shirt, or his farmer attire consisting of beige pants and shirt with a white scarf around his neck and black boots.

In *Dragon Ball GT*. Goku's skin tone got noticeable tan. His general outfit consists of a blue gi with a white obi, pink wristbands, ochre pants, and black kung fu shoes with white stockings, which overall is very similar to his outfit at the 28 World Martial Arts Tournament. Due to the carelessness of Emperor Pilaf, Goku was wished back into his childhood age of 11. While essentially looking the same as he did back then, Goku showed considerably more defined muscle. Later, with the aid of Old Kai, Goku regenerates his tail, which would poke out from his pants. 100 years later at the 64th World Martial Arts Tournament, despite growing back to his physical prime without transforming, he was not still seen with his tail. However, in one ending, he is seen with a tail in adult form. During which, his outfit is changed to have dark green pants while his stockings and armbands are yellow. He is also seen wearing his Power Pole again.

When re-grown up *GT* Goku appears in the Adventure Mode of *Extreme Butōden*, he wears his classic outfit from *Dragon Ball Super*.

## Personality

"*Despite all my heinous provocations on Namek, Goku still couldn't will himself to destroy me. He's a noble man of great moral clarity. So pure, he makes me want to vomit!*"

— Frieza description of Goku's nature in *Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’* Originally as an infant Saiyan, Goku was programmed with intense hostility to carry out his mission of eradicating all sentient life on Earth. When found by Grandpa Gohan, he was unruly and aggressive, wanting nothing to do with the elder, although this was seemingly only when worked up as when initially found by Gohan, he quickly took a liking to the elder. However, after the head injury that caused him to lose his memory as Kakarot along with his more violent Saiyan tendencies, Goku became well known for his energetic and caring personality, traits he seemed to inherit from his mother Gine. He was also taught to be respectful to others by Grandpa Gohan. He takes most situations in stride, he rarely lets things get him worked up; he quickly got over losing his tail each time. He is however not without fear. Goku is shown to be scared of overbearing women like Bulma and Chi-Chi, even to the point of Master Roshi jokingly declaring that for all his universal-class might, he is terrified to face his wife. In the anime, he also has a crippling fear of needles. He is also not beyond feeling sorrow, most noticeably seen from the loss of his grandfather. He also shows genuine concern for the well-being of those close to him. When Master Roshi seemingly died against Ganos, Goku frantically rushed to his aid, desperate to save his mentor and shed tears of joy when he managed to revive the elder.

He is well-noted for his love of any food,[4] which can be comical at times. When put to sleep while facing "Jackie Chun", Bulma told Goku dinner was ready, instantly waking him up.[15] Like most Saiyans, Goku loves combat, and loves to challenge strong opponents. As such Goku rarely shows nervousness or fear when fighting. Though he has admitted to times facing foes that leave him genuinely afraid, such as Golden Frieza. While not arrogant in his abilities (especially compared to Vegeta), Goku has a tendency to be too relaxed and recklessly challenge anyone he views as strong to a fight. Despite his fighting spirit, he is at heart a pacifist as he often spares his enemies, trying to avoid hurting or even killing people if possible and never using more strength than necessary.[16][17] This combined with his naturally gentle nature can lead to him letting his guard down.

Goku is pure of heart, possessing no negative feelings or thoughts and highly loyal to his friends and family, even willing to sacrifice himself to save others as he did against Raditz and Cell. He also strongly believes in repaying debts, as he gave the then-evil Vegeta a senzu bean for technically saving Gohan and Krillin from the Ginyu Force. He has a very practical and carefree view on life and his goals are very simple and, only seeking to test the limits of his might as a warrior. He has no interest in luxury or higher ranking positions as he rejected Kami's offer to become Guardian of Earth and likewise Whis' offer to become the next Universe 7 God of Destruction, though the latter was mainly due to his morality making him unsuitable for it. At the same time, he shows such unwavering will and tenacity to succeed, always determined to never give up against any adversity.[17] Goku has also been noted several times to have a special effect on people, being capable of inspiring them to be kinder as he even caused several of his enemies to become his allies. He even convinced God of Destruction Beerus that Earth was worth keeping around, and even caused the ruthless assassin Hit to smile in genuine happiness.

He has shown much innocence since childhood, mainly because of spending most of his childhood on Mount Paozu in isolation, apart from the first few years of his life with his grandfather, and spending his adolescence traveling the world to sharpen his combat skills. This lack of social experience and proper education growing up (apart from the basic education from Master Roshi) left him rather ignorant in many things outside of battle and had little development in emotional maturity. During his childhood, he originally had difficulty telling the difference between a male and a female without physically touching them, which often got him in trouble.[18]

Another problem stemming from his lack of proper education, Goku had little understanding of financial matters. As a result, he spent most of his marriage without a job, instead being supported by his prize-winnings from the World Martial Arts Tournaments and the Ox-King's wealth. This limited education also was seen from his struggling in the written test for the Tournament of Destroyers. Overall, both his children have shown better understanding of general matters as Chi-Chi ensured that the two sons had a well-educated background. While Chi-Chi later made Goku take up a job as a farmer, Goku is regularly shown with little interest in it, often looking for excuses to get out of work to train instead. This mostly stems from his Saiyan-nature, instinctively desiring combative challenges.

Goku also has little modesty, and is not at all concerned about being nude in public (though later came to have better appreciation for it). Goku's simple nature rarely exhibits lustful feelings and thus little interest in women (with the exception of his wife). As a result, seduction tactics have no effect on him. His lack of emotional maturity has also left him somewhat naïve. His direct and carefree approach, combined with often taking things to face-value tends to make him appear somewhat stupid. Acting very much on instinct most of the time, Goku can be very blunt from as he expresses himself. While he is not normally reckless, he occasionally also makes decisions without properly thinking them through, such as when he went to discuss the Tournament of Power with the Omni-Kings despite Beerus warning him of the potential consequences of meeting with the amoral supreme rulers. While technically considerate in nature and never intentionally rude, Goku tends to not show proper respect to people of high authority. Goku can also be insensitive at times, as shown by his willingness to promise Old Kai naked photos of Bulma, without consideration for either Bulma or her husband Vegeta (though he rationalized that it was for the sake of Earth's protection to enlist the Old Kai's assistance).

His simple nature often comes off as naïve, which often makes many incorrectly assume him to be somewhat stupid. Despite this, Goku is remarkably effective at applying himself once properly motivated, able to quickly comprehend the situation and likewise learn the basics of anything presented to him, if not master it. When taking a firsthand experience, Goku is shown to be incredibly perceptive and intuitive, quickly able to analyze the situation and formulate an effective countermeasure. Also very methodical and tactical in his approach, he even saw through the limits of Super Saiyan Second Grade and chose to instead refine his normal Super Saiyan form, impressing even his rival Vegeta at the crafty and innovative idea.

He has remarkable intuition to see the good in others in spite of their actions, though his compassion and willingness to forgive can have often been criticized as excessive even to a fault and has led to harm and death to those he cares about in extreme occasions. At the same time, for all his morally driven nature, Goku can show animosity towards those he believes have earned it, such as Mercenary Tao and Frieza for killing Bora and Krillinrespectively, a trait he seemed to inherit from his father Bardock. Overall, Goku only kills his enemies when he feels it is necessary or if they are beyond redemption. While viewed by many as a very honorable man of heroic nature, as Goku told Android 17, never actually considers himself a savior, but rather simply refuses to let innocent people or animals get hurt, as his adoptive grandfather taught him. Goku also tends to admonish Vegeta's brutality towards enemies as shown when he criticizes Vegeta for killing the Ginyu Force, though this was mainly due to Vegeta killing incapacitated opponents.

Despite his genuine compassion for others, Goku's ignorance at times suggests that he may not have a sense of familial ties, but rather views his family simply as companions.[19] He is rarely seen being romantic or intimate with Chi-Chi and mainly married Chi-Chi because he promised to, although he has cited her feistiness and passion as traits he finds especially endearing. He will often leave his family for long periods, and though normally for noble reasons, such as maintaining his strength for the protection of the world, Goku does not realize how this negatively affects his family and friends. Despite this, he consistently expresses his appreciation for his family, as after completing his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to face Cell, he chose to spend the remaining time with his family rather than training. Goku also desires for his children to follow in his footsteps as a fighter, but he is generally accepting of their choices in lifestyle so long as they are happy and healthy. Overall, he is shown to be extremely caring and protective towards his family as thoughts of their pain and endangerment have been a constant boost to his performance in battle. Also, Goku was very happy to learn he was going to be a grandfather, to which he later (in the anime) enjoyed taking care of his baby granddaughter Pan and grew very concerned when she disappeared. Even more, while not passionate about farming, he is still willing to work hard to provide for his family.

Even more, Goku's love for his adoptive grandfather has constantly been shown as the most emotional aspect of his life. He has been Goku's greatest influence, even long after the old man's death and as shown by Goku's reaction to meeting him again with Fortuneteller Baba. Even with the revelation that he and the elder were not blood related or even the same race, Goku still considers the old man to be family, as shown by his great sorrow and shame when realizing that he killed the kind man as a Great Ape, apologizing deeply to him and hoping for forgiveness when next they meet. Goku's bond towards his grandfather made him cherish the Power Pole and the 4-Star Dragon Ball that he left his grandson behind as the only material objects of real worth to him. As a child, he even came to believe that the Dragon Ball housed the old man's spirit as he would speak it often, possible as a coping mechanism to deal with his loss of his only known family member. Goku was happy to meet all who were close to his grandfather, and even delighted when his first born son reacted positively to being named after the elder.

While he tends to still consider himself an Earthling more than Saiyan, in battle, he tends to thinks more like a typical Universe 7 Saiyan. Valuing his friends' loyalty and willing to accept help when the need comes, he prefers to face his challenges solo, determined to prove his might against the given foe. Even while battling Frieza on the self-destructing Planet Namek, he chose to finish his fight with Frieza even when offered the chance to escape through the Namekian Dragon Balls. His warrior mentality can also be reckless in his gambles; when realizing that Gohan's dormant capacities could defeat Cell, he chose to focus all his efforts on training his son instead of himself, forgetting that Gohan was even gentler than him. Likewise, while preparing for the Tournament of Power, Goku even went as far as to risking his life into hiring Hit to kill him so he can fight him at his best. Goku's reckless nature can also be seen from his willingness to recruit help from his greatest of enemies like Frieza as he needed a strong tenth ally for the Tournament of Power.

At the same time however, this ambition for the younger generations stems from his concern that his friends and family have become too dependent on his might. He rationalizes his willingness to put the children in the spotlight of battle due to the fact that he will not always be around to help. He believes that the younger generation needs to become stronger in order to protect the Earth from future threats. However, he is not without a somewhat selfish goal behind it. Realizing the potential might of people like Gohan and Uub, he is excited by the idea of facing such might once realized. At the same time, Goku also tries to keep people away from the battlefield if he feels it will be too dangerous for them as he during the battle against the resurrected Frieza, Goku agreed with Vegeta sternly on not letting Goten and Trunks get exposed to anymore of Frieza's brutality.

— Goku in *Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2*

Goku seems to think very little of his Saiyan family, having never learned the good traits of his parents. Even more, when he first learned of his Saiyan heritage, he rejected it out of horror and disgust at being from a race of vicious killers, though he ultimately embraced his heritage after hearing Vegeta's dying words against Frieza on Namek, fighting him to avenge the loss of all those killed by Frieza, including his Saiyan race. Also, after his death and resurrection, upon learning Raditz was his actual brother from King Yemma, Goku had no problem calling Raditz such even doing so with a smile. In *Xenoverse 2*, after learning the Future Warrior is training under his father, Goku shows an interest in learning more about him and even considers going to meet him. Given Goku's good nature it stands to reason that Goku would likely be more accepting of his parents than he was with his brother Raditz, if he were to learn of their positive traits.

Goku's most unique relationship is with fellow-Saiyan Vegeta. Their rivalry seems mostly one-sided as Goku is generally friendly towards Vegeta and recognizes his abilities as a fighter, although Goku does get competitive with Vegeta as seen from learning that Vegeta left without him to train under Whis. While Goku and Vegeta have trouble working together, due to their conflicting personalities and Vegeta's continue desire to best Goku, they both respect and motivate each other to grow stronger. While Goku is generally friendly towards Vegeta, Goku is not above teasing him.

## Biography

Goku was named Kakarot at birth and sent from Planet Vegeta to Earth. On the day of his birth, his father, Bardock, attempted to rebel against Frieza to seek revenge for his murdered comrades at the hands of Frieza's loyal subordinates but Frieza blew up Planet Vegeta, killing Bardock and most of the Saiyan race; Goku survived as he was being sent to Earth. After crash-landing on Earth, the baby was found in the woods by an old man named Gohan and became his adopted grandson. He was then given his Earthling name, "Son Goku". At first, Goku was extremely violent and ill-tempered, not obeying Gohan at all, but one day he fell down a deep ravine and hit his head, suffering severe head trauma that sent him into a coma and very nearly killed him and caused him to suffer long-term amnesia. After he woke up, he had lost all of his Saiyan aggression due to not remembering his mission, becoming a kind and mild-mannered young boy.[20] His Grandpa Gohan taught him martial arts and told him about such things as the city and people, as they lived in a very remote place in Mount Paozu, with no communication with other people

Gohan one day discovered Goku's full moon transformation, and thus told him to never look at the full moon. However, one night Goku did, and he transformed into a Great Ape, causing him to unknowingly kill Gohan. After his grandpa's death, Goku stayed at his home, carrying out his daily life of survival. From a young age, Goku developed the impression that his birth parents abandoned him in the mountains as a baby, leaving him for Grandpa Gohan to discover.[21]

Kakarot was born on Planet Vegeta three years before its destruction. Kakarot had been inside his incubation chamber for three years since his birth when his father Bardock and his mother Gine decide to release him. Bardock makes the decision to send Kakarot away to Earth in an Attack Ball since he is worried about Frieza's ambitions. Frieza destroys Planet Vegeta a month after Kakarot has been sent away.

Days later after being sent to Earth, Kakarot lands in Mount Paozu. While there, he is found by an elderly man, Gohan. He takes him in and feeds the newly found alien. Kakarot is eating when he is given the name "Son Goku".