Goku, also known as Sangoku or Son Goku, is the unique and undisputed protagonist of the Dragon Ball universe, a work created by the famous Mangaka Akira Toriyama. From Dragon Ball to Dragon Ball Super, Goku has always been the central character driving the series’ story forward. Even when he wasn’t directly involved in the action, his presence was an active driving force behind the plot. His legacy and personality define the predominant myth of the entire Dragon Ball saga. Quite simply, there would have been no Dragon Ball without Sangoku. 🎬
All human themes are directly linked to Goku’s arc. Below, you’ll discover in more detail:
- Sangoku’s history
- His appearances in the various arcs of the Dragon Ball saga
- His true age finally revealed
- His most powerful techniques
- Some juicy anecdotes about the character
Let’s not wait any longer to see how Goku became the undisputed main character, the star of a story that spans decades inside and outside the universe. In our Ultimate Guide to Sangoku’s story, discover his journey! 💥 🔥PRODUCTS OF THE MOMENT🔥
HISTORY OF SANGOKU
Goku, whose real first name is Kakarot, was born while his father Bardock and his team of warriors were on a mission to conquer the planet Kanassa and exterminate all its inhabitants. As a baby, Goku was considerably weaker than the other members of his race, the Saiyajins, so he was sent to a planet inhabited by weak individuals (Earth) in order to eliminate all life present, as powerful Saiyajins are reserved for more difficult missions. Thus, he became a Saiyan child sent to less formidable planets to eliminate opponents deemed unworthy. 🌍
Kakarot was discovered by an old man named Gohan in a small spaceship. Gohan tried to raise the young boy, but Kakarot was extremely hostile and much stronger than humans. One day, while traveling, the young Saiyan Goku fell into a deep ravine and hit his head. This accident left him with permanent amnesia, preventing him from carrying out his original mission. He was subsequently named Son Goku by Gohan. 👶
Goku possessed incredible strength, speed and fighting skills, prompting Gohan to quickly take him under his wing and train him in the martial arts. The young fighter had a tail that resembled that of a monkey, enabling him to transform into a gigantic ape when he saw the full moon (in his Oozaru form). However, Goku had no recollection of ever having taken this giant ape form until he met Vegeta. 🐒
After the death of his adoptive father, Gohan, Goku traveled the world in the company of Bulma Brief (originally domiciled at Capsule Corporation), in search of the mysterious Dragon Balls that can summon the dragon Shenron. During his journey, he met characters such as Master Roshi (aka Turtle Genius), Yamcha, Puar and Oolong, a shape-shifting pig. 🐽
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After finding the Dragon Balls and losing them to Oolong, Goku decided to train with the venerable Master Roshi. Turtle began training Goku and Krilin in the legendary energy-blasting technique known as Kamehameha. Goku then competed in the World Martial Arts Tournament (Tenkaichi Budokai) and was defeated only by Master Roshi’s alias, Jackie Chun. 🥋
After the World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku continued to travel the world in search of the famous Dragon Balls. He defeated the Red Ribbon Army in his quest, a feat that was hailed by all his friends. 👏
After defeating the Red Ribbon army and finding the last Dragon Ball, Goku once again took part in the World Martial Arts Tournament. He lost to Ten Shin Han due to a stroke of luck. His other great achievement was defeating King Piccolo Daimao.
WHAT IS SANGOKU’S AGE?
In the manga, Goku was born on April 16 at the age of 736, and in the anime, he was born at 737. Three years later, at the age of 739, just before the destruction of Planet Vegeta, he was sent to Earth. If we don’t count his many deaths, Goku is therefore around 38 years old in the latest series, Dragon Ball Super.
To sum up, in the anime, at the time of the Tournament of Power, Goku is around 780 years old. Taking into account his 6 months of training with Beerus, his time in the Time Chamber, etc., Goku is 39 in the anime, as the events with Broly take place in the same year. In the case of the manga, temporality is approached differently, so Goku would be around 40 or 41.
GOKU FAMILY
As an adult, Goku married a woman named Chi-Chi, and they had a son named Sangohan. Goku lived a relatively peaceful life until Raditz landed on planet Earth. Raditz turned out to be Goku’s brother and revealed to him his original mission on Earth. Goku refused to join Raditz in his plan to exterminate the inhabitants of Earth, which led to a confrontation between them. 🤼♂️
Knowing he couldn’t face this super Saiyan warrior alone, Goku enlisted the help of his old enemy, Piccolo, to fight Raditz. Goku and Piccolo fought side by side to defeat Raditz, and Goku sacrificed himself by immobilizing him, allowing Piccolo to use his special beam cannon to defeat him.
Most Dragon Ball games (created by Toei Animation and Bandai Namco) let you relive the most intense moments of the series if you’re a true DBZ fan. Otherwise, you can always watch Dragon Ball on TV as a DBZ series, read Dragon Ball manga or view DBZ scans online. 📖
After his death, Goku trained alongside King Kai. Kaio-sama’s planet had several times the gravity of Earth’s, which helped Goku grow stronger. Goku left King Kai in time to confront the Saiyajin warriors during Vegeta and Nappa’s counter-attack, who had landed on the planet in search of their comrade Raditz. By the time Goku arrived, Vegeta and Nappa had already killed Tenshinhan, Piccolo, Yamcha and Chiaotzu. 💀
Goku couldn’t defeat Vegeta, but the two were unable to fight, and Vegeta eventually retreated. After Piccolo’s defeat, the Dragon Balls disappeared from Earth, and they needed them to bring their friends back to life. So Goku and the other survivors made their way to planet Namek, home to the other seven Dragon Balls. 🔮
GOKU IN THE FREEZER SAGA
When Freezer was searching for the Dragon Balls on the planet Namek, Goku faced and defeated the Ginyu Commando, Freezer’s special army. Although Goku was clearly inferior to Freezer, they fought hard. When Freezer decided to kill Krilin, Goku’s best friend, just for fun, Goku reached his limit and transformed into a Super Saiyan in the Dragon Ball Z episodes.🔥
That’s when Freezer unleashed another ultimate form by increasing his muscle mass. He thought he’d still be able to get the upper hand in the fight, but Goku kept outmaneuvering him with his clearly superior Super Saiyan power. Seeing no other alternative, Freezer decided to destroy the planet Namek.
After his enemy, Freezer, showed his true cowardice, Goku decided to leave him for dead. He even gave him some of his energy, hoping that he would understand his mistakes. But he was wrong. Goku finally finished Freezer off. Freezer’s scream in the DBZ VF episode is emblematic of the DBZ saga! ⚱️
After Freezer’s defeat, everyone thought Goku had been killed on Namek. But one day, the Z-Fighters and Vegeta sensed Freezer’s power level approaching Earth. As the villains approached, the newly rebuilt Freezer and his father, King Cold, planned to destroy Earth. Everyone was worried, as Goku was no longer there to save them. 💫
However, a mysterious young man appeared to confront them. Freezer and King Cold were clearly outmatched by this young Super Saiyan and were defeated within seconds. The young man then went to the Z-Fighters to tell them that Goku would soon be landing on Earth. Goku arrived with a new technique under his belt: instantaneous displacement. The mysterious young man was Trunks of the Future (son of Bulma and Vegeta), and he informed the team that the androids (cyborgs) would arrive in three years’ time.
He also gave Goku heart medicine, claiming that he had died in a different timeline and that this would save his life. They separated and began their training. Goku trained with his son Gohan in the hyperbolic time chamber. It was here that Goku and Son Gohan learned to maintain their Super Saiyan limits and Gohan learned to master his Saiyan strength. This is how Goku and Gohan became able to maintain these forms for longer periods of time. ⏳
After Goku and Gohan left their training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, a new event occurred: the Cell Games tournament, organized by the evil Cell.
GOKU IN THE CELL SAGA
Goku knew he didn’t have enough power to defeat Cell in his current state (Cell had reached his final form because Vegeta had become too arrogant in his Super Saiyan 2 form). He was therefore defeated by Cell in his final form. After this, Cell decided to organize his own tournament to fight all the most powerful warriors in the world, but this seemed to be an excuse to face Goku. 💥
Goku intended to exhaust Cell enough for Gohan to defeat him. Cell began to self-destruct, and Goku quickly used his instantaneous displacement to teleport to King Kaio’s planet. He sacrificed himself to keep Earth safe, but Cell managed to regenerate. It was up to Gohan to defeat him, and he did so by deploying his SSJ2 form. Goku then gathered the Dragon Balls again to wish everyone life, and he thought the world would be safer if he stayed dead.
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GOKU IN THE MAJIN BUU SAGA
And now we come to the moment when Babidi has arrived to resurrect Majin Boo. Earlier, Goku had reunited with all his best friends, like Krilin and Vegeta, as well as his sons Gohan and Goten. During the world martial arts tournament, two fighters with an M badge on their foreheads stole some of Gohan’s power and fled.
Goku and the others followed them to Babidi’s ship. Goku, Vegeta and Supreme Kai entered this ship where they faced various trials. 🚧
Goku fought this creature, which had the ability to absorb energy. Once he realized this, he powered up and let the demon absorb his power until it exploded. For his part, Vegeta was transformed into a Majin by Babidi to gain power. Then Goku asked Vegeta to take them to a remote location to fight his friend/enemy. Goku and Vegeta fought until they realized that Majin Boo had been released. 🔗
Goku tried to persuade Vegeta to join forces to defeat Majin Boo. Vegeta agreed, but when Goku went for Senzu beans, Vegeta knocked him out. Vegeta gave his life trying to defeat Majin Boo, but when Goku awoke, he had to return to the afterlife as his 24 hours on Earth were up. ⌚
Gohan was then trained by Supreme Kai. Elder Kai later traded his life for life after Goku’s death, so that he could return to Earth and use the fused earrings (the Potaras) to permanently bond with someone.
Goku fused with Vegeta after his resurrection, becoming Vegeto. Finally, Goku used his spirit bomb to defeat the original form of Majin Boo (Kid Boo). Before defeating Kid Boo, Goku requested that he be resurrected later so that he could fight him again. Years later, Boo was resurrected as a boy named Oob. At a martial arts tournament, Goku tried to provoke Oob to unleash his hidden power.
GOKU TECHNIQUES
Thanks to his perseverance and intense training, Goku has mastered over twenty techniques. His most frequently used in the series are Kamehaméha, Kaio-Ken and Genkidama. He will also learn to master Ultra Instinct in the Dragon Ball Super series.
A. KAMÉHAMÉHA
This is THE must-have technique in the Dragon Ball saga. Taught by Kamé Sennin (aka Turtle Genius, Master Roshi), this technique involves concentrating all your energy in your hands to launch a powerful wave of energy. Goku uses this technique on numerous occasions.
B. GENKIDAMA
This technique creates a huge ball of energy above Goku’s head. Very powerful, it is capable of destroying an entire planet. Goku uses it in his battles against Freezer, Kid Boo and Vegeta.
C. KAIO-KEN
The famous Kaio-Ken gives Goku a reddish aura. This technique allows him to multiply his strength, but he must be careful not to abuse it, as this would jeopardize his health!
D. ULTRA INSTINCT
Considered by some as a technique and by others as a state, Ultra Instinct has been much talked about in the Super saga. This state allows Goku to enter a zen-like trance that gives him dazzling power, speed and anticipation. Stay tuned!
If you want to know more, we tell you all about it in this article on Goku Ultra Instinct!
GOKU trivia
- To come up with the character’s name, Akira Toriyama was inspired by the Chinese legend of the Monkey King. 🐒
- Do you know where the name of the most famous technique in the Dragon Ball saga comes from? It comes from the name of a very famous Hawaiian king, you guessed it: “Kamehaméha“. 🏖
As you know, Son Goku is an exceptional warrior who has demonstrated his fighting skills throughout the saga. But now, try counting the total number of enemies he’s defeated… And yes, that’s where it gets complicated! Come on, I’ll reveal the suspense: Goku has only killed 2 enemies in his entire Saiyan career, Yakon (Babidi’s henchman) and Boo!
- Like any self-respecting Saiyan, the name Son Goku, also known as Kakarot, comes from the word “carrot”, you’ll get it from the syllables. 🥕
- Did you know Goku’s greatest fear? And it’s not Freezer! It’s the stings! He has a real phobia about it, the mere sight of a syringe freezes his blood, as shown in two episodes in the DBZ saga.
- One of the questions manga fans ask themselves… Is who would win between Son Goku and Saitama!
🔥PRODUCTS OF THE MOMENT🔥
And that’s it! You now know almost everything about the main character, Son Goku, and his adventure in the Dragon Ball and DBZ saga! We’ll soon be covering his appearances in the Dragon Ball Super sagas (in the company of Beerus, Whis and Jiren), Dragon Ball GT (SSJ4) and in the movies (against Broly, the legendary warrior), but for now, we’ll let you digest and reminisce about all his past adventures so you’re ready for the next part of his adventures as a young Saiyan! 🚀
