Son Goku (Japanese: Hepburn: Son Gok ), better known as simply Goku, is a fictional

character and the protagonist of the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. He is
based on Sun Wukong, a main character in the classical Chinese novel Journey to the West. Goku
is introduced in chapter #1 Bulma and Son Goku ( Buruma to Son Gok ), originally
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published in Japan's Weekly Shnen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984,[1] as an eccentric,

monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possessessuperhuman strength. He
meets Bulma and joins her on a journey to find the wish-granting Dragon Balls.
Initially believed to be an Earthling, he is later revealed to be a member of an extraterrestrial warrior
race called the Saiyans with the birth nameKakarrot ( Kakarotto ). As Goku matures, he
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becomes one of the universe's mightiest warriors and protects his adopted home planet, Earth, from
villains who wish to harm it. Goku is depicted as carefree and cheerful when at ease but quickly
serious and strategic-minded when fighting. He is able to concentrate his Ki and use it for
devastatingly powerful energy-based attacks, the most prominent being his signature Kamehameha
wave technique, in which Goku launches a blue energy blast from his palms.
As the protagonist, Goku appears in most of the episodes, films, television specials, and OVAs of the
manga's anime adaptationsDragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, as well as many of the
franchise's video games. Due to the series' international popularity, Goku has become one of the
most recognizable and iconic anime characters in the world. 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 appearing in the Dragon Ball Z anime, itself an adaptation
ofDragon Ball manga volumes 17-42, as opposed to his initial child form, due to the limited success
of the first series overseas.[2] Goku's critical reception has been largely positive and he has been
recognized as one of the greatest manga and anime characters of all time.