The character Goku is based on Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese), [nb 25] the central character of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. [15] To be creative with the idea of Sun Wukong, Toriyama designed Goku as a human boy with a monkey's tail, rather than a complete simian, because the tail would give the character a distinguishing feature. [13] He later stated that the tail was a pain to draw, hence why he had it get cut off early on. [16] Toriyama did not initially plan to make Goku an alien, it was not until the introduction of fighters from other planets that he established him as a Saiyan [nb 26] [nb 27]. [17] Goku was given the ability to teleport to any planet in seconds, so that Toriyama could increase the pace of the story. [18] In Bang Zoom's dub of the first 27 episodes of Dragon Ball Super produced for Toonami Asia's broadcast, Goku was voiced by Lex Lang. [36] Toriyama, Akira (September 10, 1995). 鳥山明的超会見[Akira Toriyama Super Interview]. DRAGON BALL 大全集 3: TV ANIMATION PART 1[ Dragon Ball Great Complete Collection 3 TV Animation Part 1]. Dragon Ball (in Japanese). Shueisha. p.202. ISBN 4-08-782753-4. Padula, Derek (2012). Dragon Ball Z 'It's Over 9,000!' When Worldviews Collide. foreword by Ryo Horikawa. Derek Padula. ISBN 978-0-9831205-2-0.

In Super Hero, Goku was capable of fighting evenly against Vegeta while both of them were in their base forms. After a long and arduous match, Goku admitted defeat and fell before Vegeta did, proving that Vegeta had gotten a slight edge over him.KameHameHa', la nueva tendencia que revive el recuerdo de Gokú". El Tiempo (in Spanish) . Retrieved April 6, 2013. As the protagonist of Dragon Ball, Goku appears in most of the episodes, films, television specials and OVAs of the manga's anime adaptations ( Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z) and sequels ( Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super), as well as many of the franchise's video games. Due to the series' international popularity, Goku became one of the most recognizable and iconic manga/anime characters worldwide. Outside the Dragon Ball franchise, Goku has made cameo appearances in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z, has been the subject of other parodies, and has appeared in special events. Most Western audiences were introduced to the adult version of Goku featured in the Dragon Ball Z anime, which adapted the final 26 Dragon Ball manga volumes, as opposed to his initial appearance as a child due to the limited success of the first anime series overseas. [4] Conception and creation Akira Toriyama created Goku. During the Battle on Planet Namek, the leader of the Ginyu Force, Captain Ginyu, used his Body Change technique to switch bodies with Goku. Goku was gravely injured while in Ginyu's body due to Ginyu causing a severe wound on his own body just prior to Ginyu switching bodies. While ultimately adjusting to this body and effectively used it in battle, the said injuries and brief length of time that Goku was in Ginyu's body made his full capabilities in this form unknown.

Akira Toriyama to Draw Manga About Goku's Mom". Anime News Network. February 5, 2014. Archived from the original on February 6, 2014 . Retrieved February 5, 2014. In Fusion Reborn, Goku made it to the finals of another Other World Tournament where he fought on par against Pikkon. Later, base Goku fended off Janemba's base form and swiftly obliterate the creature with Super Saiyan 3. Once Janemba reformed into a stronger form, Goku held his own for a prolonged period before ultimately being defeated. Goku and other Dragon Ball characters joined the cast of One Piece in the 2006 crossover manga Cross Epoch. [75] He appears in a single panel of Toriyama's 2013 manga Jaco the Galactic Patrolman, which is set before the events of Dragon Ball. [76] The collected tankōbon volume of Jaco features the bonus story Dragon Ball Minus: The Departure of the Fated Child, depicting how and why Goku's parents sent him to Earth. [77] [78] In 2010, a fiberglass statue of Goku was created by Canadian-born Hong Kong artist Edison Chen, with Chen's facial features instead of Goku's, as part of Chen's collection that was displayed at the "Treacherous Treis" exhibition in Singapore's Museum of Art and Design. [106] [107] CNN released an article explaining how Goku was Spanish professional tennis player Rafael Nadal's childhood inspiration, and called Nadal "the Dragon Ball of tennis" due to his unorthodox style "from another planet." [108] Parade revelers dressed as Goku at the 2013 Brazilian Carnival Stars behind Dragon Ball Z, Christopher R. Sabat, Sean Schemmel to Appear at Otakon 2015". Anime News Network. Archived from the original on July 30, 2017 . Retrieved July 14, 2017.

The Galactic Patrolman's Completed Mission". Weekly Shōnen Jump. Shueisha (44). September 30, 2013. Anime Grand Prix since (1992 May issue)]. Animage (in Japanese). Archived from the original on July 16, 2011 . Retrieved November 17, 2013. a b Toriyama, Akira (February 25, 1996). DRAGON BALL 大全集 7: DRAGON BALL 大事典. Dragon Ball (in Japanese). Shueisha. ISBN 4-08-782756-9. Dragon Ball Super episode 24, " Clash! Frieza vs. Goku This Is the Result of My Training!" summary, 2015