Kamehameha
A two-handed energy release, learned from a single viewing.
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Son Goku
孫悟空Son GokūKakarot, Sangoku, Son-kun, Son, P’tit Son, Kakarotto
Fighter obsessed with the next level up
- First appearance
- 1984
- Universe
- Universe 7
- Gender
- Male
- Home world
- Planet Vegeta, raised on Earth
- Japanese voice
- Masako Nozawa
- French voice
- Brigitte Lecordier, puis Patrick Borg
Biography
Biography
Sent to Earth as an infant to wipe out its population, Goku loses his memory after a fall and grows up with an old man who teaches him martial arts. That amnesia is the pivot of the whole franchise: it turns a programmed weapon into a competitor whose engine is not revenge but curiosity about whatever is stronger than him.
His arc follows the same rule from start to finish: he improves by taking hits, never by theorising. He is also the character who lets opponents leave alive, a decision the series makes him pay for and which supplies, every time, his next rival.
Transformations
Transformations
In the order the story reveals them.
- 01
Great Ape
Saiyan lineDragon Ball, episode 13
An involuntary transformation triggered by the full moon, uncontrollable and without memory. It ends for good once the tail is cut.
- 02
Kaiô-ken
Martial boostDragon Ball Z, episode 27
A temporary multiplication of energy learned from the North Kai. Every extra stage damages the body using it.
- 03
Super Saiyan
Saiyan lineDragon Ball Z, Namek saga
The founding transformation of the Z era, reached under the shock of a loss. It later becomes a working state rather than an exceptional peak.
- 04
Super Saiyan 2
Saiyan lineDragon Ball Z, Cell saga
An extension of the first stage, recognisable by its arcs of electricity. Goku obtains it off-screen, during his stay in the afterlife.
- 05
Super Saiyan 3
Saiyan lineDragon Ball Z, Majin Buu saga
An extreme stage with ruinous energy consumption, barely usable by a living body. The series drops it quickly for that reason.
- 06
Super Saiyan God
Divine registerDragon Ball Super, episode 9
Obtained through a ritual involving six Saiyans rather than through rage. It bets on control and precision instead of raw volume.
- 07
Super Saiyan Blue
Divine registerDragon Ball Super, Frieza resurrection saga
A lasting assimilation of divine energy into the Super Saiyan form. It is the reference state for the second half of Super.
- 08
Ultra Instinct
Divine registerDragon Ball Super, Tournament of Power
A state where the body reacts without going through conscious decision. Technically an angel discipline, not a Saiyan transformation.
Signature techniques
Signature techniques
Spirit Bomb
A sphere fed by energy borrowed from every living thing nearby. Slow to charge, devastating on impact.
Instant Transmission
Immediate travel to an identified energy source, brought back from planet Yardrat.