5 Things You Should Know About Goku

When it comes to Dragon Ball, no one can touch Goku.

The powerful character may not be the series’ strongest, but he comes pretty close. Raised on Earth, the oblivious Saiyan grew up learning martial arts before fate called him to become an inadvertent hero. Goku thrilled anime fans around the world with his Super Saiyan style when Dragon Ball Z made it debut, and the character’s love for fighting gave fans a fair share of adrenaline rushes.

Known for his laid-back attitude and questionable parenting skills, Goku stands as one of anime’s most popular heroes. However, there are some secrets about the character which fans tend to overlook. If you didn’t already know Goku was deathly afraid to needles, then there may be other pieces about the hero’s past you don’t know.

Here at ComicBook, we’re giving you a rundown of some special highlights from Goku’s past. So, if you want to toss out some sweet Dragon Ball trivia to your friends, you’ll want to take notes.

Goku Has A Terrible Martial Arts Tournament Track-Record

Despite his love of fighting, Goku has a really bad record with martial arts tournaments. In the anime, the hero has entered more than eight events and only come out as a winner once. The first two tournaments Goku entered went to Jackie Chun and Tien during Dragon Ball. By the third event, he managed to win out over Piccolo. Come Dragon Ball Z, Goku was unable to win during the Cell Games and lost matches in both Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super.

Goku Has An Evil Doppleganger

Goku has an interesting family history, but fans will never forget Raditz. The haughty Saiyan was the first threat to descend upon Goku in Dragon Ball Z, and his looks were uncanny to his younger brother. However, there is one other Dragon Ball character who looks more like Goku’s brother, and that is Turles. In Dragon Ball Z, a Saiyan space pirate named Turles was introduced to fans, and audiences did a double-take when they saw how similar he was to Goku.

There is an explanation for the close looks. According to Dragon Ball Z: Anime Film Comics, the two characters look alike because all low-rank Saiyans have similar facial features.

Goku Only Killed 2 Villains In DBZ

Fans know that Goku is a sweet guy, but the fighter also has a horribly fiery temper. In anime, Goku rarely exhibits his full rage when fighting and manages to incapacitate opponents instead of obliterating them. However, Goku had to make an exception for two baddies during Dragon Ball Z. The hero got carried away during his fight with Yakkon, leading the villain to absorb light energy to the point he burst. And, of course, Goku finally overwhelmed Kid Buu with a Super Spirit Bomb. Ouch.

One Of Goku’s Voice Actors Passed Out From Recording Screams

Goku’s history with voice actors is a fascinating one. Given the franchise’s popularity, scores of actors have been given the chance to voice the hero. In Japan, the voice work done for Goku has been done by the same person since the 1980s – and she’s a woman to boot.

In America, Sean Schemmel is the man behind the Saiyan. These actors deal with a lot when it comes to Goku, but the most trying part of the job is the screaming. The fighter tends to yell during battle when he powers up, and Schemmel admits he passed out while recording Goku going Super Saiyan 4.

Goku Was Originally Designed To Be A Furry Monkey Child

Dragon Ball fans know that Goku isn’t human, but the hero at least looks like one. Despite having a tail in his youth, Goku walked and talked like any other human being. However, in Akira Toriyama’s original designs, the lead did not look anything like you or me. Having been inspired by a Chinese tale called “Journey to the West,” Toriyama based Goku on the character Sun Wukong. In the folktale, the hero was a monkey, and the artist intended to make Goku the same. However, when the second draft of Dragon Ball was finished, Toriyama ultimately chose to make Goku more human.