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He later stated that the tail was a pain to draw, hence why he had it get cut off early on. 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. The character Goku is based on Sun Wukong (Son Goku in Japanese), the central character of the Chinese novel Journey to the West. The original inspiration was Hong Kong martial arts films, including Bruce Lee films such as Enter the Dragon (1973) and Jackie Chan films such as Drunken Master (1978) Toriyama said he had a young Jackie Chan in mind for a live-action Goku, stating that "nobody could play Goku but him." In this story, the protagonist looks a lot like Goku, but has a pair of wings.
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Super saiyan god goku black series#
Goku, and Dragon Ball in general, evolved from one of Akira Toriyama's earlier one-shot series called Dragon Boy. Goku's critical reception has been largely positive but has been criticized for his less heroic characterization in Super. Most Western audiences were introduced to the adult version of Goku appearing in the Dragon Ball Z anime, itself an adaptation of Dragon Ball manga volumes 17–42, as opposed to his initial child form, due to the limited success of the first series overseas. 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.
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Due to the series' international popularity, Goku has become one of the most recognizable and iconic characters in the world. As Goku grows up, he becomes the Earth's mightiest warrior and battles a wide variety of villains with the help of his friends and family, while also gaining new allies in the process.Īs 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. Along the way, he finds new friends who follow him on his journey to become a stronger fighter.
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He meets Bulma and joins her on a journey to find the magical seven Dragon Balls that can grant the user one wish. Born Kakarot, Goku is introduced as an eccentric, monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possesses superhuman strength. Goku first made his debut in the first Dragon Ball chapter, Bulma and Son Goku, originally published in Japan's Weekly Shōnen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984. Serving as the main protagonist of the series, he is based on Sun Wukong (known as Son Goku in Japan and Monkey King in the West), a main character in the classic Chinese novel Journey to the West (16th century), combined with influences from the Hong Kong martial arts films of Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee. Son Goku is a fictional character and the star of the Dragon Ball manga series created by Akira Toriyama. Kakarot (birth name) ( Kakarrot in ViZ translations) Goku seen as both an adult and child as illustrated by Akira Toriyamaĭragon Ball chapter #1 Bulma and Son Goku: Decem( Weekly Shōnen Jump No.
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