Whether you are more or less familiar with the world of dbz manga and anime, Son Goku is a name that everyone has already heard. The undisputed protagonist of the hit Dragon Ball series was created by Japanese Mangaka artist Akira Toriyama in the mid-80s in cartoon form as a break from his publication that made him famous, Dr. Slump . But few people predicted the tsunami that Son Goku and Bulma would create and which transformed them into icons of Japanese and global popular culture. 🏮
The original Dragonball saga was followed by the much more mature and complex Dragon Ball Z series, then by Dragon Ball GT (technically unrelated to Toriyama's official canon) , then by numerous films and by the recent Dragon Ball Super series. . And no matter how many differences they had between them, they hold our attention thanks to Goku, which they all have in common. Where does their success come from? How did Toriyama manage to create such a charismatic and popular character? Quickly find out what Goku's Origins are ! 🛫
CREATION OF GOKU
When we first met Son Goku , he was introduced to us as a child living alone on Paoz Mountain. It was clear that beyond his monkey tail (he transforms into a giant monkey / Oozaru at the full moon) , he was not an ordinary human because he possessed great strength, he was immune to bullets. .. So the clues were there. Although the progress of the plot showed that Goku's origin was much more complex than it seemed, Toriyama took two characters as references:
A. SUN WUKONG
The first is Sun Wukong , the Monkey King. This mythological being is one of the most important heroes of Chinese culture and the protagonist of Journey to the West , an anonymous text which dates from 1590 and which has become one of the most representative literary works of the Asian country. Sun Wukong is a monkey -like being who fell from the sky, he has a magic staff that changes size, moves on a flying cloud (reminiscent of goku's magic cloud!).
He faces dragons and demons and undertakes several journeys to achieve immortality and protect a young man in his quest for sacred Buddhist texts. Does this sound familiar? In any case it should, because Akira Toriyama relied on this mythological hero to create Son Goku. 🙊
The action of the original manga focuses precisely on the journey that Son Goku and Bulma make through strange lands to find the crystal balls of the legendary dragon Shenron, which can grant immortality. 🔮
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From grandfather Gohan 's typically Chinese costume to the mountain where Goku lives, his transformation into a giant monkey (Oozaru) and that of the supreme god of the heavens are all common points that we find between the two stories. Even his Level 4 aspect of the Super Saiyan form (SSJ4) is reminiscent of some of the interpretations that have been made of Sun Wukong. Toriyama, like other authors such as Tolkien, wanted to honor the beliefs and legends of other peoples to bring to life the world he was creating.
B.SUPERMAN
The other big influence, although less notable at first, came from the other side of the continent. Akira Toriyama has always been an avowed admirer of Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Jose Shuster. Even before Dragonball, the mangaka (manga author) had already referenced the Man of Steel with Suppaman, a chubby and ridiculous parody of Superman who made an appearance in Dr. Slump .
Later, the origin of the Kryptonian would be used to give more interest to the character of Goku and to develop shock arguments. 🐱🏍
When Goku (aka Kakarotto) was an adult, we discovered that he arrived on planet Earth via a space capsule, just like the DC Comics superhero, where he was found by old Gohan . It turns out that Goku is an alien belonging to the Saiyan race , whose planet was destroyed. He had been sent to Earth to destroy it, but a timely blow to the head erased his memory and turned him into the kind and noble person we all know from the dbz series.
This character will maintain a passion and discipline towards sports training, in order to always be the strongest. Besides, if you're curious about this, you can discover Goku's real training !
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In 2014, Akira Toriyama launched the Dragon Ball Minus manga , partially rewriting the character's origins and justifying his presence on Earth as an attempt by his parents to protect him, much like Jor-El with his son Kal. 🦸♂️
AN ATTACHING PERSONALITY
Remember that in the anime dbz , Goku remains the hero on whose shoulders rests the fate of the world, the last hope of humanity on countless occasions. He is the classic warrior who always triumphs at the end of Greek tragedy, he embodies the powerful and pure being who is good by nature and will always fight for his fellow men. It may be a flat description to say this, but Toriyama really wanted to embody in Son Goku the absolute good, all the good that man can offer. And frankly if you've watched the Dragonball saga, you won't be able to say otherwise! 👀
In addition to his good-natured character, the legendary super Saiyan warrior Goku manages to convey his good humor and his innocence in all situations without this coming at the expense of the seriousness and rigor that certain moments deserve. This archetypal main character is also quite common in the world of Japanese manga and anime, just look at the cases of Pirate Luffy in One Piece or Naruto in the series of the same name. 🏴☠️
Through Son Goku, Toriyama launched a direct attack targeting the more sentimental and emotional side of people. In addition to seeing him grow through his adventures, which always creates a deeper connection with the main character of the dbz story, he is presented as a balanced and fun character who appeals to the infantile spirit that is still in us and it's really not difficult to love. 🎬
DRAGON BALL MEDIA
What is good about the universe that Toriyama created is that it was available in many different formats to better appreciate the key scenes of the series. overall, most of the time in the company of our friend Goku . 🎞
A. DRAGON BALL GAMES
For example, the Dragon Ball games allowed us to replay Goku's story a ton of times! The game Dragon Ball Origins, for example, will allow you to go in search of crystal balls in the company of Bulma, the games dbz Kakarot and dbz budokai published in association between Toei Animation and Bandai Namco will make you relive Goku's adventure in different ways. shapes. As for the Dragon Ball FighterZ game, it will allow you to replay the most emblematic fights of the entire dbz series.
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B. DRAGON BALL SERIES
As you must have already noticed, what propelled the dragon ball manga to its interplanetary discovery was its appearance in the form of a television series. The Dragon Ball Z series has probably been one of the most broadcast and known to date. Even today, the saga continues over time with the release of the Dragon Ball Super series a few years ago which helped to breathe new life into the Japanese franchise.
It is in this new saga that we discover a cult form, the Ultra Instinct !
You can find all the episodes on the internet by typing streaming dbz and adding relevant keywords depending on the saga you want to see such as: dbz episode, dbz kai episode, dbz French episodes, dragon ball episode, dragon ball episode or even dragon ball episode.
C. DRAGON BALL MANGAS
You also already know this, but the first draft of Dragonball that saw the light of day was released in the form of a manga, or more precisely, a drawing board. The mangaka Toriyama 's own pencil line propelled dbz drawing to its peak, who has never tried to draw a super saiyan?
The dbz manga was a great success among early fans and to this day everyone has at least one copy of a volume of the Dragon Ball saga at home, that's for sure! 📚