Goku

Biodata

Name	Son Goku (悟空)
Alias(es)	Kakarot
Species/Race	Saiyan
Gender	Male
Affiliation	Z Fighters; Turtle School
Occupation/Role	Martial artist; defender of Earth
Status	Alive
First Appearance	Chapter 1

Power Progression

Stage / Realm / Level	Chapter	Notes
Power level in the teens	1	Goku is initially assessed as only having a power level in the teens while living on Mount Paozu.
Great Ape — 120 combat power	6	Transforms under a full moon; the form increases his combat power tenfold but leaves him uncontrollable.
Around 110 battle power	7	Reaches this level after Master Roshi’s training, though he remains far behind Chen He.
Around 400 battle power	36	A Senzu Bean heals him after his loss to Chen He and triggers a near-death Saiyan recovery surge.
10,000 power level	38	His power rises overnight while training in Bulma’s gravity facility.
30,000 power level	41	Reaches this estimate after a year of repeated gravity training.
68,000 power level	41	Surges after consuming a Senzu Bean during his battle with King Piccolo.
90,000 power level	42	Faces Raditz alongside King Piccolo, but is still overwhelmed by Raditz’s 300,000 power level.
280,000 battle power	43	Returns from the afterlife substantially stronger before Vegeta’s arrival.
Super Saiyan	57	Awakens the legendary transformation after Frieza kills Krillin on Namek.
Super Saiyan Full Power	64	Trains with Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, surpassing ordinary Super Saiyan while maintaining a calm normal state.
Super Saiyan 2	72	Matches Vegeta’s transformation during their rematch at the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament.

Background

Goku lives on Mount Paozu as a tailed Saiyan child before joining Bulma and Chen He’s Dragon Ball search. Although initially wary of the strangers, he agrees to travel after learning of the Dragon Balls and the possibility of seeing the outside world 1.

His kindness is apparent from the beginning: he rescues a stranded turtle without expecting anything in return, leading Master Roshi to give him the Flying Nimbus 3. He later trains under Roshi alongside Krillin, developing into a capable Turtle School martial artist 7.

Appearance

Goku is a lean, athletic Saiyan with distinctive black hair and, early in the story, a brown monkey-like tail 1. He commonly wears an orange-red martial arts gi, while his appearance changes dramatically through Saiyan transformations 61.

• Spiky black hair, later described as resembling his son Goten’s “crab-like” hairstyle 69.
• Brown Saiyan tail during his childhood on Mount Paozu 1.
• Golden hair and green eyes as a Super Saiyan 57.
• Sharper golden hair and blue electrical arcs as a Super Saiyan 2 72.
• Uses a silver-gray gravity vest built by Bulma for high-gravity training 36.

Personality

Goku is instinctively compassionate and straightforward. He helps strangers, spares defeated enemies such as Dodoria, and is disturbed by Chen He’s willingness to kill opponents who can no longer fight 3 15 50.

His love of battle is immense, but it is tied to self-improvement rather than cruelty. Defeat by Chen He does not break him; instead, it drives him to request gravity-training equipment and pursue a harsher path of training 32 36. As threats to Earth and his family escalate, he becomes more serious and accepts the responsibility of protecting others 47 49.

Goku also values rivals. He treats Vegeta’s strength as something to meet and enjoy rather than resent, even while fighting at Super Saiyan 2 72 74.

Abilities & Skills

Saiyan Physiology

Goku’s Saiyan body grows stronger through severe combat and recovery, allowing him to turn near-fatal injuries and extreme gravity training into rapid increases in power 36 38 41.

• Transforms into a Great Ape under a full moon, multiplying his combat power tenfold; he initially cannot control this state 6.
• Uses repeated near-death recovery and gravity training to accelerate his growth 36 38 41.
• Endures increasingly extreme gravity, from Bulma’s vest to spaceship training reaching 150–250 times Earth’s gravity 36 47 48.

Super Saiyan Transformations

Goku unlocks Super Saiyan through rage and grief after Krillin’s death at Frieza’s hands 57.

• Super Saiyan — Overwhelms Frieza through a massive increase in speed, strength, and ki 57 58.
• Super Saiyan Full Power — Maintains power beyond ordinary Super Saiyan without remaining transformed outwardly 64.
• Super Saiyan 2 — Uses a more powerful form marked by blue lightning during his tournament rematch with Vegeta 72.

Turtle School Martial Arts

Goku is trained by Master Roshi and combines orthodox martial arts with exceptional battle instincts 7.

• Uses agile Turtle School footwork and Afterimage Fist tactics to exploit openings against Chen He 30 31.
• Employs the Kamehameha, including a full-power version against Chen He and Cell 31 67.
• Uses the Power Pole in his early adventures and during the Red Ribbon Army assault 17 18.
• Can wield the Flying Nimbus, granted by Master Roshi after Goku aids the turtle 3.

Kaio-ken and Energy Techniques

Goku uses Kaio-ken during the Saiyan conflict, pushing his body beyond its normal limits alongside Chen He 44.

• Launches a Spirit Bomb against Frieza, leaving the emperor severely wounded before Krillin’s death triggers Goku’s Super Saiyan transformation 57.
• Combines his attacks with Chen He to defeat Nappa during Vegeta’s invasion 44.
• Contributes his remaining ki to Gohan’s final Kamehameha against Cell 68.

Instant Transmission

During his time on Yardrat, Goku learns Instant Transmission and later plans to use it to return to Earth when Frieza approaches 59 61.

• Senses distant ki signatures, including Frieza’s and King Cold’s approach toward Earth 59.
• Uses the technique as a rapid-travel option, though Chen He persuades him not to interfere with Trunks’s confrontation with Frieza 61.

Equipment / Weapons / Items

• Flying Nimbus — A cloud given to Goku by Master Roshi after Goku saves Roshi’s turtle 3.
• Power Pole — His primary weapon during the early Dragon Ball hunt and Red Ribbon Army campaign 17 18.
• Gravity vest — Bulma’s silver-gray training vest, capable of reaching forty times Earth’s gravity 36.
• Senzu Beans — Restore his injuries and can trigger powerful Saiyan recovery boosts; Chen He gives him one after their tournament battle 33 36.

Relationships

• Chen He — Companion, rival, and fellow Saiyan. Goku admires Chen He’s power but worries about his cold, survival-driven mindset 23 33 46.
• Bulma — Early traveling companion and friend who creates Goku’s gravity-training vest and supports his training despite fearing for his safety 36 40.
• Master Roshi — Martial arts teacher. Roshi recognizes Goku’s talent but urges him not to let Chen He’s ruthless path define his own martial arts 7 35.
• Krillin — Turtle School training partner and close friend. Krillin’s death at Frieza’s hands triggers Goku’s first Super Saiyan transformation 7 57.
• Vegeta — Saiyan rival. Their rivalry is intense but mutually respectful, culminating in Goku’s Super Saiyan 2 victory at the 25th tournament 72 74.
• Piccolo — Ally and fellow defender of Earth. Goku fights beside him against Raditz and later grieves his death before the Namek journey 42 47.
• Son Gohan — Goku’s son. Goku entrusts Earth’s fate to Gohan when Cell proves too strong for him and Chen He 42 67.
• Chi-Chi — Wife and mother of Gohan and Goten. Goku spends seven years living with her and their younger son after surviving the Cell conflict 42 69.
• Son Goten — Younger son, who can already transform into a Super Saiyan as a child 69.
• Trunks — Future warrior who warns Goku of the Androids and provides medicine for his heart disease 61.
• Majin Buu — Goku recognizes Buu’s immense hidden power when challenged to a spar by Mr. Satan 74 75.

Story Role / Major Arcs

Dragon Ball Hunt and Red Ribbon Army

Goku leaves Mount Paozu with Bulma and Chen He, receives the Flying Nimbus, and trains under Master Roshi. He supports Chen He through the campaign against the Red Ribbon Army, though Chen He’s ruthless methods increasingly trouble him 3 7 17 18.

22nd World Martial Arts Tournament

After a year of training, Goku confronts Chen He in the tournament. He uses speed, Turtle School movement, and the Kamehameha to challenge his heavily weighted rival, but loses when Chen He destroys his strongest beam attack with a punch 30 31 32. The loss motivates Goku to begin extreme gravity training 36.

King Piccolo and the Saiyan Invasion

Goku defeats King Piccolo after recovering with a Senzu Bean, reaching 68,000 power level 41. He later fights Raditz with King Piccolo and sacrifices himself by restraining Raditz for Piccolo’s killing attack 42. After returning from the afterlife, he joins Chen He against Nappa and Vegeta 43 44.

Namek and Frieza

Goku travels to Namek with Chen He, enduring brutal gravity training during the journey 46 47 48. He battles Frieza, awakens as a Super Saiyan after Krillin’s death, and decisively defeats the galactic emperor 57 58. Although Goku spares Frieza, Chen He kills him to complete a system mission 58.

Android and Cell Conflict

After returning to Earth, Goku learns of the Android threat from Future Trunks and prepares through further training 61. Illness weakens him against Android 19, but he later trains with Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to achieve Super Saiyan Full Power 62 64. Unable to defeat Perfect Cell with Chen He, he places his trust in Gohan, whose Super Saiyan 2 power destroys Cell with the Z Fighters’ support 67 68.

25th World Martial Arts Tournament and Buu

Seven years after Cell’s defeat, Goku reunites with the Z Fighters and defeats Vegeta in a Super Saiyan 2 rematch 70 72 74. He then accepts Mr. Satan’s invitation to spar with Buu, immediately realizing that Buu’s innocent demeanor conceals power beyond Goku’s current strength 74 75.

Notable Quotes

“Chen He was right. The Red Ribbon Army may be gone, but there must still be lots of powerful people in this world we've never even heard of.” 36

“Amazing, Vegeta! Just how did you train these past seven years? This is so satisfying!!” 73