Cartoon heroes are the most celebrated icons children grow up with. One such animated character that has ruled the hearts of many children and adults for more than three decades is Goku Super Saiyan. This character from the Dragon Ball series has been the most loved and admired among them. Starting with a comic in magazines, it has been adapted as a television cartoon, feature films, and video games.
Goku was first introduced in 1984 through a weekly magazine Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. Due to its widespread popularity, Dragon Ball was adapted as a cartoon series in 1986. And from then on, three to four series of cartoon were released over 3 decades. The story is loosely inspired by the character Sun Wukong (Son Goku) from the Chinese Classic Novel, Journey to the West.
This character was created by Akira Toriyama who imagined Goku to be a small infant whose task was to destroy the planet, Earth. The series depicts the transformation of Goku to Goku Super Saiyan where he becomes a protector of Earth later. Akira’s vision of Goku was a blend of characters played by movie stars, Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan. That explains Goku’s affinity to martial arts.
Who is Goku?
Goku is a Saiyan born on Planet Vegeta. Saiyan, according to this animated series, are a clan of extra-terrestrials. They have a human body with a tail. They exhibit power by blowing out fire from their mouth or other parts of the body. However, he lost this power after a while.
Goku was sent to planet Earth to destroy all life on it and then to sell it. His life begins as an infant who is found by an elderly man Gohan. In the beginning of the series, Goku was portrayed as being very angry and stubborn as a child. He did not listen to Gohan. But slowly that changed.
A fall caused Goku to lose his memory of the mission he was assigned with. His aggressive nature changed into a kinder nature. At this point, he started learning martial arts under the guidance of Gohan. However, his power magnified and became destructive when he stared at a full moon. He turned into a Great Ape. This transformation made him kill his caretaker, Grandfather Gohan.
Grandfather Gohan had a Dragon ball which Goku kept with himself after Gohan’s death. He cherished it as a prized possession. Goku started living his life doing normal chores until he met Bulma, a girl. They became friends and planned to look for the seven Dragon Balls that together could grant a wish.
The story of this comic series revolves around the expeditions of Goku and Bulma. Having learnt martial arts from his grandfather, Goku uses these skills to fight against enemies on different planets. He also receives a special power from Master Roshi. Goku loved to pick up fights though he was pure of heart. 
These fights led to Goku becoming better trained in martial arts. His power also increased in the process. He underwent transformations that exhibited his power. One of these powerful transformations were Goku Super Saiyan. This had 3 more levels of power. The other transformation was Goku Ultra Instinct. This had even greater than Super Saiyan powers.
Also Read: Watch Free Anime
How old is Goku?
Goku is said to be 3 years old when he was sent to Planet Earth. Considering the long run of the comic, he was said to be 45 years. But since he was dead for 7 years, his current age is 38 years. Death did not destroy him completely. He was restored to life by Old Kai. So, he started living at the same age as when he died.
How tall is Goku?
Goku was short as an adolescent. He looked like he was 10 years old when he was 12. At the age of 15, he grew considerably muscular. But he had height growth spurts at age 18 and 25. With this, he grew taller than his taller human allies in his final form.
Who can beat Goku?
There are certain characters who have beaten Goku. But The names of the character who could beat Goku in the Dragon Ball series are Raditz, Vegeta, Captain Ginyu, Android 19, Cell, Majin Buu, and Frost. These characters are stronger than Goku but could not destroy Goku because of the support of Goku’s allies.
How to draw Goku?
There are various tutorials on YouTube that teach how to draw Goku. Choose one link based on the age or form you wish to draw Goku in. Goku has sharp facial features. It would help to focus on them to draw Goku easily.
How fast is Goku?
Goku can travel to different planets in a very short time. His speed is faster than light. Goku has had many transformations where his speed has increased over time. Thus, Goku is said to be very fast.
How many times has Goku died?
Goku died two times. The first time he was killed by Piccolo in combat with his evil brother Raditz. Raditz killed Piccolo which is why Piccolo killed Raditz. But Goku sacrificed himself to ensure the death of Raditz. Goku got his life back through the Dragon Balls.
The second time Cell killed Goku was when Cell was in a self-destructive state. Goku took Cell to King Kai’s planet. In a fit of anger, Cell caused self-destruction. Goku was revived after seven years because Old Kai chose to give him his life back. Thus, Goku died two times.
How strong is Goku?
Goku is strong enough to move a small mountain. Among the people in his universe, Goku is the strongest. In Ultra Instinct Goku gains more power and can destroy his opponents provided he uses his power appropriately.
Who is Goku black?
Goku Black is a villain. His actual name was Zamasu who was part of Universe 10. He is first seen in Dragon Ball Super. Goku Black went to Universe 6 where he expressed his wish to Super Shernon to enter into Goku’s body of Universe 7 and give his body to Goku. He wanted to destroy all mortals.
Goku Black realized that Goku was more powerful than Supreme Kais. Therefore, he requested a body switch with Goku. After this wish was granted, he killed Goku and his family. Goku Black was named Future Bulma.
With regards to appearance, Goku Black has piercing eyes. His skin tone is darker than that of the original Goku. His body built is thinner than that of Goku. His hair too looks blacker than that of Goku with four spikes in the front and three in the back. His clothes are also different from that of Goku.
Goku Super Saiyan
There was a time when Goku was angered at the death of his best friend Krillin who was murdered. His power as a warrior coupled with this emotion transformed him into a more powerful person. This made him Goku Super Saiyan. This occurred during the Titanic battle with Freiza.
S cells are required for any Saiyan to become a Super Saiyan. A gentle-spirited Saiyan generally has more S cells. Goku was one such Saiyan. Engaging in many combats, he developed more S cells. He thus became Goku Super Saiyan. A Super Saiyan has blonde hair color.
There were advanced forms of Super Saiyan. Goku believed that training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber could lead to power advancements in a Super Saiyan. Therefore, there are versions of Goku Super Saiyan 2, 3, and 4. This made it possible for him to battle with more powerful enemies like Android
Goku Ultra Instinct
Goku Ultra Instinct is more powerful than his Super Saiyan Blue version. This is the most powerful form of Goku. This form makes an individual emotionally disconnected from martial arts and its learnings. The person focuses on the Consciousness of the Mind.
The appearance of the Goku Ultra Instinct avatar is stronger than Goku Super Saiyan. His eyes and hair are silver in color. Goku’s aura is brighter in this form. This aura was in shades of purple and red along with blue and white. Its appearance is sparkling like a crystal.
With Ultra Instinct, a person need not spend time processing the actions that need to be taken. One can attack and defend at the same time. This made Goku Ultra Instinct more powerful. He could generate heat while fighting with Jiren and increase his power. However, his rage affected the calmness needed to sustain Goku Ultra Instinct and he lost his power.
Who would win between Goku vs Naruto?
Naruto is a comparatively new Japanese manga series that was published in the Weekly Shonen Jump in the year 1999. It is the story of Naruto who is seeking recognition from his peers to become the village leader. There are two parts to this story portraying Naruto in two different age groups.
A battle between Goku vs Naruto would result in Naruto’s defeat. Though Naruto strategizes well, Goku has more power than Naruto. Naruto is a Ninja while Goku is a Saiyan. A Saiyan can destroy the universe which is why he is more powerful.
But considering Naruto’s allies and gifted skills, he could defeat Goku in his base nature. Goku uses raw power which is critical in a fight but his intellect development was poor. This could hamper his chances of winning between Goku vs Naruto.
Conclusion
A Saiyan with a mission to destroy the planet Earth, Goku has experienced a lot of twists and turns in his life. From being an agitated infant to being calm, from having limited powers to becoming a God of the Dragons, Goku has had an adventurous journey. No wonder he has had so many fans over the last three and a half decades.