History Characters / DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH

* {{Foil}}: One aspect of Goku's character that has to be summed up to avoid filling up its own page is the way that his humble beginnings, hard work ethic and willpower being his road to godlike strength, and general zest for life and willingness to step up and protect innocent people makes him stand out from his peers, fierce rivals, and especially his hated enemies. His come-up from simple roots (both as a Saiyan and on Earth) due to his own ceaseless efforts combined with a little help from his friends makes for a mighty contrast with the likes of Vegeta and Frieza, both royals within the same callous empire who believed great power was their destiny but would not begin to truly tap their potential until well after Goku approached and tested their levels, as well as cultivated beings like Cell and Buu who were imbued with great power by their summoning/creation and subsequently grew said power exponentially through absorption abilities. His remarkable innocence sometimes bordering on stupidity but still fully cognizant of right and wrong makes him a different sort of {{manchild}} when paired next to Beerus' mercurial temper combined with his literal job of destruction, Z Broly and Kid Buu's insatiable thirst for wanton destruction, Fat Buu's complete obliviousness to good and evil actions until Goku and Mr. Satan counteracted Babidi's influence with the simplest of words, and S Broly's stunted development thanks to his father raising him as a weapon, all of which made them rightfully feared by most of those who knew them. His ability to bring out the best in other people and make friends of everyone but the most callous or chaotic of beings contrasts him with foes such as Cell, Turles, Frieza, and early stage Vegeta, who revel in causing terror and crushing people's dreams, and antagonists Jiren and Zamasu, who see justice through one myopic lens or another which precludes any type of camaraderie or trust (indeed, he ends up being a key part of what wins Jiren over from this mindset). Even his routine excitement in rare cases when he's beaten or outclassed by an opponent due to having a strong foe whose level he can now aspire to sets him apart from how many of those he's defeated or surpassed have either been motivated by a bitter grudge since then (Vegeta and Frieza again) or, in the case of his Earthling Z-Fighter friends, lost confidence in their abilities (hell, Mercenary Tao's reappearance in anime {{filler}} is an example of both at the same time). And of course, much to the consternation of every evil Saiyan he and his friends have fought, Kakarot being sent to Earth, raised to be a good person, and rejecting the ways of the Saiyan Army when they came to collect, led to him (as well as the fourth Prince who converted to his side) living a lifestyle more conducive to his growth into an exemplar of his people's power and fighting spirit to than every other Saiyan who faithfully served under the Vegeta and Cold families combined many times over.

* {{Foil}}: A standout aspect of Goku's character is the way that his humble beginnings, hard work ethic and willpower being his road to godlike strength, and general zest for life and willingness to step up and protect innocent people makes him stand out from his peers, fierce rivals, and especially his hated enemies. His come-up from simple roots (both as a Saiyan and on Earth) due to his own ceaseless efforts combined with a little help from his friends makes for a mighty contrast with the likes of Vegeta and Frieza, both royals within the same callous empire who believed great power was their destiny but would not begin to truly tap their potential until well after Goku approached and tested their levels, as well as cultivated beings like Cell and Buu who were imbued with great power by their summoning/creation and subsequently grew said power exponentially through absorption abilities. His remarkable innocence sometimes bordering on stupidity but still fully cognizant of right and wrong makes him a different sort of {{manchild}} when paired next to Beerus' mercurial temper combined with his literal job of destruction, Z Broly and Kid Buu's insatiable thirst for wanton destruction, Fat Buu's complete obliviousness to good and evil actions until Goku and Mr. Satan counteracted Babidi's influence with the simplest of words, and S Broly's stunted development thanks to his father raising him as a weapon, all of which made them rightfully feared by most of those who knew them. His ability to bring out the best in other people and make friends of everyone but the most callous or chaotic of beings contrasts him with foes such as Cell, Turles, Frieza, and early stage Vegeta, who revel in causing terror and crushing people's dreams, and antagonists Jiren and Zamasu, who see justice through one myopic lens or another which precludes any type of camaraderie or trust (indeed, he ends up being a key part of what wins Jiren over from this mindset). Even his routine excitement in rare cases when he's beaten or outclassed by an opponent due to having a strong foe whose level he can now aspire to sets him apart from how many of those he's defeated or surpassed have either been motivated by a bitter grudge since then (Vegeta and Frieza again) or, in the case of his Earthling Z-Fighter friends, lost confidence in their abilities (hell, Mercenary Tao's reappearance in anime {{filler}} is an example of both at the same time). And of course, much to the consternation of every evil Saiyan he and his friends have fought, Kakarot being sent to Earth, raised to be a good person, and rejecting the ways of the Saiyan Army when they came to collect, led to him (as well as the fourth Prince who converted to his side) living a lifestyle more conducive to his growth into an exemplar of his people's power and fighting spirit to than every other Saiyan who faithfully served under the Vegeta and Cold families combined many times over.

* {{Foil}}: A standout aspect of Goku's character is the way that his humble beginnings, hard work ethic and willpower being his road to godlike strength, and general zest for life and willingness to step up and protect innocent people makes him stand out from his peers, fierce rivals, and especially his hated enemies. His come-up from simple roots (both as a Saiyan and on Earth) due to his own ceaseless efforts combined with a little help from his friends makes for a mighty contrast with the likes of Vegeta and Frieza, both royals within the same callous empire who believed great power was their destiny but would not begin to truly tap their potential until well after Goku approached and tested their levels, as well as cultivated beings like Cell and Buu who were imbued with great power by their summoning/creation and subsequently grew said power exponentially through absorption abilities. His remarkable innocence sometimes bordering on stupidity but still fully cognizant of right and wrong makes him a different sort of {{manchild}} when paired next to Beerus' mercurial temper combined with his literal job of destruction, Z Broly and Kid Buu's insatiable thirst for wanton destruction, Fat Buu's complete obliviousness to good and evil actions until Goku and Mr. Satan counteracted Babidi's influence with the simplest of words, and S Broly's stunted development thanks to his father raising him as a weapon, all of which made them rightfully feared by most of those who knew them. His ability to bring out the best in other people and make friends of everyone but the most callous or chaotic of beings contrasts him with foes such as Cell, Turles, Frieza, and early stage Vegeta, who revel in causing terror and crushing people's dreams, and antagonists Jiren and Zamasu, who see justice through one myopic lens or another which precludes any type of camaraderie or trust (indeed, he ends up being a key part of what wins Jiren over from this mindset). Even his routine excitement in rare cases when he's beaten or outclassed by an opponent due to having a strong foe whose level he can now aspire to sets him apart from how many of those he's defeated or surpassed have either been motivated by a bitter grudge since then (Vegeta and Frieza again) or, in the case of his Earthling Z-Fighter friends, lost confidence in their abilities (hell, Mercenary Tao's reappearance in anime {{filler}} is an example of both at the same time). And of course, much to the consternation of every evil Saiyan he and his friends have fought, Kakarot being sent to Earth, raised to be a good person, and rejecting the ways of the Saiyan Army when they came to collect, led to him living a lifestyle more conducive to his growth into an exemplar of his people's power and fighting spirit to than every Saiyan who faithfully served under the Vegeta and Cold families combined many times over (with only the fourth Prince coming anywhere close in the main canon).

* FollowInMyFootsteps: The entire reason he threw Gohan into the ring with Perfect Cell. Goku, having seen his son in action a few times, made the (flawed) assumption that Gohan must enjoy combat as much as he did, and chose this moment to put Gohan into his old role as Earth's hero, even going so far as to heal Cell first to make the fight more interesting. Unfortunately, it turned out that fighting was ''not'' something Gohan enjoyed, just something he happened to be skilled at. Only after receiving a WhatTheHellHero from Piccolo does Goku realize his mistake.

* ExpectingSomeoneTaller: In ''Battle of Gods'', he's genuinely surprised to discover that Beerus, the [[TheDreaded infamous]] God of Destruction, is "a big, hairless house cat."

** Goku often asks his opponents to use their full power against him, something he never does in return. In Super, he holds back some of his power at first to gauge his opponent's strength.

* DefeatMeansRespect: Often go hand-and-hand with DefeatMeansFriendship. The most notable example is Piccolo after he was reborn. He went from seeing Goku as another bug to be stomped on, to a major threat that needed to be destroyed so he could take over the world. [[spoiler: In a reversal, after Beerus beat Goku for the second time, Goku is much more respectful, even calling him Lord instead of just saying his first name]].

** His idiocy and childishness have also been played up. The manga reveals that Goku didn't even know when Gohan was born. Moreover, he has difficulty telling a pregnant woman from a fat woman, since his first assumption is always that they eat too much. And despite all the obvious signs, he never realizes that the "Monaka" he fought was Beerus in disguise.
** This happened even in the original manga with his BloodKnight tendencies. When he believed that he killed Tao Pai Pai he didn't care, but then in the 23rd tournament he says he doesn't want Piccolo to die, both because it'd kill Kami and he doesn't want to lose his arch-enemy, and he mentions the second one as an aside comment. Then comes Saiyan saga and he begs Krillin to spare Vegeta because Vegeta was stronger than he expected and fighting someone so powerful made him happy, and this is after Vegeta killed his friends, just tried to kill him and his own son. [[DownplayedTrope While]] Goku himself remorsefully admits this is a bad decision, it's still quite a notable attitude change when he never considered sparing villains before because of that. By focusing more on AllLovingHero and TheRedeemer sides of Goku's personality and having him make a IfYouKillHimYouWillBeJustLikeHim speech, the early English dubs actually made Goku more [[Administrivia/TropesAreNotBad consistently written]] on this regard as most of Goku's villain sparings before and after have been done out of genuine mercy and willingness to redeem rather than BloodKnight tendencies (scene where he tries to spares Raditz sticks out in particular, thanks to being from the same Saga), making the original version of letting Vegeta go a major outlier.

* EvenTheLovingHeroHasHatedOnes: Goku is the kind of guy who can forgive and befriend even cruel former villains like Piccolo and Vegeta who came close to destroying the Earth. But when the genocidal Frieza's constant cruelty culminates in him killing Krillin in a gruesome manner and [[PapaWolf threatening to do the same to Gohan]], Goku's subsequent fight as a Super Saiyan sees him not just beat up but physically and verbally ''humiliate'' his foe; even 18 years later, after Goku has faced numerous and stronger enemies compared to him, he proclaims that he still utterly despises Frieza the most. He also later develops a murderous hatred for Goku Black and Future Zamasu after Goku Black sadistically reveals how he stole his body before murdering him, Chi-Chi and Goten, causing Goku to become completely enraged and become hellbent on killing them.

** This happened even in the original manga with his BloodKnight tendencies. When he believed that he killed Tao Pai Pai he didn't care, but then in the 23rd tournament he says he doesn't want Piccolo to die, both because it'd kill Kami and he doesn't want to lose his arch-enemy, and he mentions the second one as an aside comment. Then comes Saiyan saga and he begs Krillin to spare Vegeta because Vegeta was stronger than he expected and fighting someone so powerful made him happy, and this is after Vegeta killed his friends, just tried to kill him and his own son. While Goku himself admits this is a bad decision, it's still quite a notable attitude change when he never considered sparing villains before because of that.

* HeroesFrontierStep: While Goku has always been a heroic person, most of his exploits as a kid were done for more [[ItsPersonal personal reasons]] than for the greater good; like destroying the Red Ribbon Army because they indirectly murdered his friend Bora and him killing King Piccolo and all of his children save Piccolo Jr. because they murdered Krillin and Master Roshi. The first truly selfless act Goku performs is when he [[HeroicSacrifice gives his life to stop Raditz]]. Although his primary reason for stopping Raditz is to save his son, he also never considers taking his brother's offer to kill one-hundred humans to get his son back and puts aside his pride to fight Raditz dirty: grabbing his tail and working with Piccolo in a 2 on 1 fight. Later, he gives his life, [[DeathIsCheap again]], to keep Cell from blowing up the Earth, [[BackupFromOtherworld spiritually guides Gohan from the grave to restore his hope]], and chooses to stay dead for everyone's protection since all the bad things that happened to Earth recently were directly or indirectly connected to him.

* DisappearedDad: To Goten, subverted as he shows up with little angst on his sudden appearance.

* HeroProtagonist: The main protagonist of the franchise, a chronic HopeBringer and FriendToAllLivingThings, TheDreaded to any villain unfortunate enough to cross him, WorldsStrongestMan in a series already [[WorldOfBadass chock full of badasses]], and when he isn't the latter, he tends to be the BigGood. There's a reason he ranks among anime's greatest heroes and badasses. Seriously, take into account everything he's done since age 11 and dare contend otherwise. It would crowd up the wiki if we were to go through ''all'' of it.

* TheHero: Chronic HopeBringer and FriendToAllLivingThings, TheDreaded to any villain unfortunate enough to cross him, WorldsStrongestMan in a series already [[WorldOfBadass chock full of badasses]], and when he isn't the latter, he tends to be the BigGood. There's a reason he ranks among anime's greatest heroes and badasses. Seriously, take into account everything he's done since age 11 and dare contend otherwise. It would crowd up the wiki if we were to go through ''all'' of it.

[[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]] | D-H | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin/Kuririn]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] ([[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesAToD A-D]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesEToN E-N]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesOToZ O-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]] | [[Characters/DragonBallAllies Allies]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFamiliesAndFriends Families & Friends]] ([[Characters/DragonBallChichi Chichi]] | [[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTrunksAndSonGoten Trunks and Son Goten]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Hercule]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallFusionCast Fusions]]-]]]]]

[[folder:Character Index]]

'''[[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]]'''\\
[[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]] | '''D-H''' | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ P-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin/Kuririn]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] ([[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesAToD A-D]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesEToN E-N]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegetaTropesOToZ O-Z]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunks Future Trunks]]\\
'''[[Characters/DragonBallMajorSupportingCast Major Supporting Cast]]'''\\
[[Characters/DragonBallAndroids17And18 Androids 17 and 18]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTrunksAndSonGoten Trunks and Son Goten]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMrSatan Mr. Satan/Hercule]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFusionCast Fusions]]\\
'''Ancillary Characters'''\\
[[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast DBZ/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunksTimeline Future Trunks' Timeline]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGalacticPatrolAndPrisoners Galactic Patrol and Prisoners]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBardock Bardock/Burdock]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallNamekiansAndDragons Namekians and Dragons]]\\
'''Antagonists'''\\
[[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallRedRibbonArmy Red Ribbon Army]] ([[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero/Android 20]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallDemonKingPiccolo Demon King Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler/Coola]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMoro Moro]]\\
'''Multiversal Characters'''\\
[[Characters/DragonBallMultiversalCharacters Multiversal Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zeno]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu/Zamas]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]])\\
'''New Media Characters'''\\
Characters/DragonBallHeroes | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | Characters/DragonBallOnline | Characters/DragonBallXenoverse | [[Characters/DragonBallFusions Fusions (Video Game)]] | Characters/{{Dragon Ball FighterZ}} | [[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]] | Characters/DragonBallFighterzBaseRoster | Characters/DragonBallLegends-]]]]]
[[/folder]]

* DependingOnTheArtist: As of the TheNewTens, Goku is ofter drawn with highlights in his hair. However, some artists chose not to draw them, giving Goku his traditional solid black hair.

** According to Whis in Resurrection 'F', Goku is too laid back for his own good, allowing his opponents to exploit holes in his guard. This is proven true when he lets his guard down during the fight with Friezuela nearly leading to his death.

* HonorBeforeReason:
** He prefers a fair fight, to the extent that he gives Cell a Senzu Bean right before Gohan, his ''own son'', is about to fight him to the death.
** Before then, he rejected Bulma's suggestion to [[StatingTheSimpleSolution hunt down and kill Dr. Gero before he activates the Androids]], partly for BloodKnight reasons, and partly because he's not comfortable with killing him yet because Gero hasn't actually done anything bad; of course, he's forgetting that Gero was one of the head scientists of [[ArmiesAreEvil the Red Ribbon Army]], and most likely built most of their weapons and technology.

** That being said, Zeno planned to automatically destroy the eight lowest ranked universes anyway, and Goku inadvertently gave them a shot at survival by suggesting the tournament.

* FriendlyRivalry: After having very heated rivalries with almost all of his friends, their relationships eventually evolves into this. Vegeta is the most standout example since it takes Vegeta's entire character arc before he finally settle his beef with Goku always being better than him. Goku on the other hand seemed to regard Vegeta this way from the start, enjoying their fight so much he begged for Vegeta's life to be spared just so they could keep the rivalry going.

* FishOutOfWater: In the early parts of the series, Goku was raised in near isolation in the middle of the mountains and knows nothing of the outside world when Bulma finds him. Him growing up partly revolves around him getting to know the world and all the mishaps that follows because of his ignorance.

** As a kid, Goku was known for being fearless to the point of arrogance, such as taking on the entire Red Ribbon Army by himself with no plan or backup and charging Muscle Tower without a coat in freezing weather. What made Goku stand out from most who falls under this trope was that he could get away with it since only a few people in the world could hurt him. His fearless fool tendencies finally caught up with him in the King Piccolo Saga when he blindly went after Tambourine and was promptly defeated because he was weak from fighting Tien. He also tried to take on Piccolo without any knowledge of who he was and got beaten to the point that his heart stopped. He losses most this trait after training with Kami and learned not to underestimate his opponent. However, it does reappear when he has the desire to fight strong people, even when advised against it by everyone. He asked to fight Beerus, despite all the warnings from King Kai, and he went and asked Zeno about the tournament he promised, despite Beerus ''and'' Whis telling him that's a horrible idea. Beerus even threatened to vaporize him to keep him from seeing Zeno, to which Goku gives the God of Destruction a [[NervesOfSteel defiant glare]]. In the first case, he gets a bruised ego after Beerus two-shotted him. In the second example, he indirectly [[NiceJobBreakingItHero endangered the entire multiverse]].

* EveryYearTheyFizzleOut: In spite of genuinely being one of the strongest competitors in every Budokai he entered, he has only won it once (the 23th). All other times, he has lost due to either being just slightly weaker than the winner or circumstance.

** In the Cell Saga, Gohan deliberately prolongs his Curb-Stomp Battle with Cell solely to humiliate him and make him suffer for his crimes. Goku is taken aback despite the fact that he himself did the exact same thing to Frieza for the same reason.
** He and Vegeta state that they will not fuse to fight Kid Buu (an Ax-Crazy Omnicidal Maniac with an incredibly broken Healing Factor) because they want to fight one-on-one like true Saiyans. The number of times Goku has beaten the Final Boss of a Story Arc fair and square with no outside help can be counted on one hand (Adjutant Black & Piccolo Jr), since his friends always step in and save his life when it looks like he's about to be killed.

** Goku first learned the Kaio-Ken from King Kai, a technique that amplifies all of the user's abilities far beyond their natural limits. It can be stacked, applied multiple times to further multiply its effects up to 20 times. The downside is that it places severe strain on the body, risking severe injury or even death.

Goku has learned how to entrap the aura of Super Saiyan Blue within himself. However, using this ability puts him in danger of tearing his body apart as he hasn’t mastered it.

** The Kaioken. When used, this technique can more than double Goku's power, speed, hearing, sight, and other senses. He uses this to fight on even ground with Vegeta during their first fight on Earth when Vegeta was more than twice as strong as Goku. The Kaioken, however, is highly dangerous. One slip from the user and they can explode, and [[HeroicRROD overuse leaves the user severely drained and in pain]]. By the time Goku reaches Namek, he can safely use the Kaioken up to X10 without any ill effects, while a X20 nearly kills him. Once Super Saiyan is introduced, Kaioken becomes SoLastSeason since a regular Super Saiyan gives Goku fifty times the power and none of the severe drawbacks. That is until ''Super'' where [[spoiler: Goku learns to combine Super Saiyan Blue and the Kaioken. Because Goku is still working on the technique, however, it has a 90% failure rate and it can seriously harm or even kill him, making it even more dangerous than it was previously]]. It also puts such a strain on his body that it makes him sick and his ki becomes temporarily distorted to the point of uselessness ''days later''. In the Universal Survival Saga, this is {{Downplayed}} since Goku can now used the [[spoiler: basic Kaioken]] multiple times without harming his body.
** In the Future Trunks Saga, Goku learns the Evil Containment Wave, the technique used to seal away King Piccolo. It is a very powerful technique that can defeat enemies many times stronger than the user or in Goku's case, [[spoiler: an immortal who can never die]]. The setback, it's an extremely draining technique that has a high chance of killing the user. In the manga, the only person who has ever survived using it was Kami.
** From the ''Super'' manga, Goku has learned how to entrap the aura of Super Saiyan Blue within himself. This allows him to fight at the max power of Super Saiyan Blue, which puts him on par with [[spoiler: Merged Zamasu]]. However, using this ability puts him in danger of tearing his body apart since he hasn't fully mastered it. It's basically the manga's version of the [[spoiler: Super Saiyan Blue/Kaioken combo]].
** Ultra Instinct turns out to be this as of episode 130. It's incredibly powerful, to the point Goku is strong enough to match and implied to even ''surpass'' the Gods of Destruction themselves, but it puts a ''massive'' strain on his body after only a short amount of time in-universe, he can only access the power by being pushed to the edge of his physical limits, and overall it [[HeroicRROD leaves him all but helpless when it's finished]].

** A big part of ''Z'' seems dedicated to deconstructing his, and by extension the Saiyan race's, BloodKnight and ChallengeSeeker tendencies. It starts with the moment when Goku convinces Krillin to spare Vegeta, pretty much just because he wants to fight Vegeta again someday. Then, when he's fighting Frieza, he lets the AxCrazy [[TheCaligula Space-Caligula]] power up to 100% of his full power, because he wants to defeat the WorldsStrongestMan at his best, and when King Kai wishes to have everyone on Namek relocated to Earth, he demands that he and Frieza be left on Namek, a planet that is minutes away from blowing up, because he wants to see the battle through to its end. Come the Android Saga, Bulma suggests that they locate and kill Dr. Gero before he can unleash the Androids upon the world, only to be rebutted by everyone who feasibly ''could'' kill him wanting to fight his Androids, which a man from the future has already revealed will kill them all. The QED comes during Gohan's fight against Cell where Goku's [[PsychologicalProjection inability to understand]] that Gohan ''isn't'' a BloodKnight, he's a MartialPacifist, results in him giving Cell a senzu bean, allowing a homicidal monster to beat the tar out of Goku's own terrified son. It's not until Piccolo screams [[WhatTheHellHero straight into Goku's face]] that, from Gohan's POV, his father just threw him to the wolves, ''after'' making sure that the wolves were at their deadliest, because he cared more about the struggle between his son and said wolves being good and fair than his own flesh and blood's well-being, that Goku finally realizes that [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone his nature has led him to mess up big time.]]
*** The Universe Survival Saga does it yet again. His eagerness for a good fight so utterly blinds him to the consequences of Zeno's tournament (losers get their universe destroyed) that fighters from other universes assume he must be evil and uncaring. Goku himself doesn't help this assumption since he ''is'' more focused on all the strong people he'll get to fight than the ramifications of the tournament, and [[MotivationalLie lies to his friends about there being prize money]] to get them to fight alongside him, to the point that [[CallingTheOldManOut Gohan calls him out on his selfishness]]. However, this is {{Downplayed}} when it's revealed that Zeno [[spoiler: was going to nuke Universe 7 along with seven other universes since they all had mortal ratings below 7]], so Goku indirectly gave at least one universe the chance to save themselves. The gods still hate him for his uncaring nature and [[GreenEyedMonster relationship with Zeno]].
** From the Android Saga onward, Goku becomes one for TheAce and the HopeBringer. Because he is so good and so powerful, his friends and family [[CrutchCharacter tend to depend on him too much to solve the current problem]] and they don't put their trust readily in anyone else but him. They become noticeably deflated and pessimistic when he isn't around, and Gohan firmly believes that he can never surpass his father, despite Goku showing him otherwise. Goku's death in Trunks' [[BadFuture timeline]] is one of the many reasons why things got so bad and Bulma invents the Time Machine mostly to save him, firmly believing that he can do something to stop the androids. Vegeta eventually [[OvershadowedByAwesome gets so sick of being overshadowed by Goku]] that he sells his soul for power and unleashes Majin Buu upon the world. Goku himself has realized that his loved ones are far too dependent on him; he knows that one day, he will be dead for good, and if his loved ones don't stop relying on him so much, then no one will be able to counter the next big threat to Earth. Which is why Goku regularly searches for successors.
** The end of the Kid Buu fight deconstructs HumbleHero. [[TheGreatestStoryNeverTold Because Goku always saves the world from the shadows]] no one, outside of a few, know of his deeds. So when Goku begs the world for energy to power the Spirit Bomb that will kill Majin Buu, only the people who intimately know him listened; everyone else blows him off just as they did Vegeta. It takes Mr. Satan, the resident FakeUltimateHero, to yell at the people of Earth to get them to cooperate since Mr. Satan, not Goku, is known as the world's savior.
** The Future Trunks Saga deconstructs the idea of Goku bringing out the best in people. After meeting and fighting Goku, instead of Zamasu [[DefeatEqualsFriendship becoming friends with him]], it sparks Zamasu's StartOfDarkness and he begins to see Goku as a SatanicArchetype since he gained power that surpasses the gods.
** From the same saga, it shows how having an InexplicablyAwesome protagonist is horrifying when used by an antagonist. [[spoiler: Goku Black is Zamasu using all of Goku's abilities and extreme growth against the characters turning him into an InvincibleVillain]].

* {{Determinator}}: Going up against impossible odds is [[SpiritedCompetitor all part of the fun]] for this guy. He will keep fighting even with broken bones, torn muscles, and holes in his body:
** {{Deconstructed}} in Goku's fight against Android 19. Despite not feeling well and experiencing great pain, he keeps fighting even when he reaches the point where his attacks are not hurting the android anymore. He also refuses any help from his allies. He nearly gets himself killed and puts his friends in danger since they rush to save him.
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' takes this up a notch. Unlike in the movie where Goku admits defeat after realizing that he couldn't beat Beerus, Goku keeps fighting after being impaled, blasted, nearly drowned, and knocked out of orbit. He catches a massive planet buster from Beerus and holds on even as he loses his Super Saiyan form, and his hands and arms burn. Goku had to burn through his entire energy reserve before he literally drops.
** Then he does it again in the Tournament of Power. Facing [[WorldsStrongestMan Jiren]], his last-ditch move is the Spirit Bomb, and he throws ''everything'' he has into the struggle, but it's still not enough - the Spirit Bomb collapses into a singularity, and a spent Goku falls into it. Despite having literally nothing left, he ''refuses to die'' and fights against it anyway... and the result is something even gods struggle to master.
** Takes this trope to a whole new level in 131, [[spoiler: after Ultra Instinct wears off and harms his body so severely he's lying in pain. 17 and Freeza take up the fight and are at their limit against Jiren's explosive power and it slowly begins overtaking them. However, Goku fights through the agony and is able to Instant Transmission to them and help repel the attack and continue the fight.]] Goku simply will not give up when everyone and everything he cares about is on the line.

** His entire plan to defeat Cell hinged on exploiting Gohan's PsychoactivePowers, knowing that Gohan is at his strongest when he's angry and counting on Cell to ''make'' him [[UnstoppableRage angry]]. Once Gohan is pushed to his RageBreakingPoint and ascends to Super Saiyan 2, however, Goku is taken aback when Gohan [[RevengeBeforeReason chooses to prolong his beatdown of Cell to make him suffer as much as possible for his crimes rather than simply finish him off before he gets desperate]].
** After sacrificing his life to stop Cell, both King Kai and he are shocked that Cell is still alive, [[SenselessSacrifice rendering Goku's sacrifice meaningless]]. It was so unpredictable that not even ''Cell'' saw it coming.

** In ''Resurrection 'F''' he is caught off-guard by Sorbet who shoots him in the heart after he has Frieza at his mercy. He is also shocked, [[GenreBlindness although he really shouldn't be]], that Frieza [[spoiler: destroyed the Earth instead of being killed by Vegeta]].
** Goku has his fight against Frost in the bag [[spoiler: until he suddenly gets sleepy and gets kicked out of the ring]]. Everyone is shocked.
** Goku got a nasty surprise when he finds out that Hit manages to improve his [[spoiler: time stopping ability]] in the middle of their fight.
** One of the primary reasons why Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks [[spoiler: lost their rematch with Goku Black. They were only expecting him to be as strong as Super Saiyan 3 Goku, not to power up to the point where he could challenge a Super Saiyan Blue, and this is ''before'' he transforms into Super Saiyan Rose. Things went further downhill once Future Zamasu arrived, which shocked everyone since they thought Goku Black and Zamasu were the same person, and [[TookALevelInBadass he was able to challenge Goku at full power]]. To add their trouble, Future Zamasu is an immortal]].
** During his rematch with Hit, Goku was expecting him to used the Time-Skip, which he knew how to counter. So, he's caught flatfooted when all his attacks phase through Hit like he was a ghost. He also didn't expect Hit's punch to land since he was a good distance from him and he could react if Hit moved. [[spoiler: This cost him his life, although temporarily,]] since the punch created a shockwave that stopped his heart.

** He meets the Supreme Kai during the Buu Saga, and becomes the second mortal to set foot on the Supreme World of the Kais (Gohan being the first). Later on, in ''Super'', Universe 6's Kai Fuwa is surprised by how close and informal Goku's being. Though Goku saved Shin's entire universe from Majin Buu, so he's earned the right to be casual there.

* EvilCounterpart: Goku has a ''lot'' of these, often overlapping with MirrorCharacter and ShadowArchetype:
** King Piccolo and his son Piccolo Jr. Both are aliens from worlds that were in distress (one being outright destroyed), they both were raised in isolation away from the civilized world, lost their memories of their old worlds, and had come to see the blue planet as their one true home. Their arrival on Earth also greatly impacted the planet changing it forever. The difference between them is that whereas living on Earth gave Goku the best qualities of humanity, it gave the Nameless Namekian that later split into Kami and Piccolo the worst qualities.
** His older brother, Raditz. They both love to fight and were born on the low end of the power scale of Saiyan society. Goku is brave (not afraid of death) and chose to grow stronger instead of choosing to stay as a "low class". Raditz is a coward who begs for his life when he's about to be killed and remained weak because he hid behind people much stronger than him instead of trying to improve his own skill.
** Turles from the movie ''TheTreeOfMight''. His entire character was based on the idea of what kind of person Goku would have grown up to become if he had never cracked his skull and gotten amnesia.
** Vegeta, initially. They are both Saiyans who love to fight and challenge themselves. The difference is that Goku values life and fights to protect those he loves, while Vegeta couldn't have cared less about anyone but himself. Vegeta eventually learns to value others and to accept and return love.
** Cell in his perfect form. He gains Goku's laid-back, lazy attitude and cares only about fighting and challenging himself instead of conquest like Vegeta and Frieza. He also gives sporting chances to his opponents so they can give him a better challenge. It is telling that when Cell and Goku fought, they actually got along well and considered each other {{Worthy Opponent}}s. The main difference, Cell is a sociopathic murderer who allows his pride to blind him to the fact that anyone could ever beat him. He is also not a SpiritedCompetitor like Goku, [[GracefulLoser who will lose gracefully]] if faced with a superior opponent. When Cell is backed into a corner, he would rather RageQuit than lose.
** Majin Buu, all forms. They love to fight, learn techniques from just seeing them once, have a love for food, are [[ManChild man children]], have crude mannerisms and are often rude, are much smarter than people give them credit for, which makes their enemies underestimate them, and can be playful and goofy while beating someone senseless. Buu (at least in the cases of Super/Kid Buu) is an entity who doesn't care about anything besides itself and destroys and kills for fun.
** Beerus initially, although his evilness is [[BlueAndOrangeMorality questionable]]. Both of them being rather lazy outside of the prospect of fighting things, [[ChallengeSeeker love a good challenge]], [[BigEater obsessed with food]], kind and respectful [[NoSocialSkills but with no sense of being rude]], outright [[TheDreaded terrifying to enemies]] when [[CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass angry]], and generally the most dangerous things in the universe. Only difference is that Beerus had nobody giving him a moral compass. Beerus and even Whis notes how similar they are. After Goku and Beerus becomes friends, their relationship evolves to something much like Vegeta.
** Goku Black. [[EvilTwin He looks identical to Goku in appearance]], shares Goku's [[BloodKnight love for combat]], [[ChallengeSeeker being challenged]], [[WorldsStrongestMan are the strongest in their respective universes]], and they both have the Kamehameha, only Black's Kamehameha is black and purple in color. Much like Turles before him, Black in demeanor, species and outlook is Goku's EvilCounterpart, a dark mirror of his talents, powers and beliefs. Goku grew to be a [[HumbleHero humble]], [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pure-hearted]] hero who enjoys improving his skill, befriended nearly everyone he encountered, [[MessianicArchetype and ended up saving the universe several times over]]. Black on the other hand was once [[spoiler:a young Kai who was considered to be very promising and in training to oversee the universe]]. However, unlike Goku, concepts such as modesty, humility, love, friendship and compassion are totally non-existent for him. Eventually, he grew to be a purely evil {{narcissist}} serving an empty justice and [[SatanicArchetype the biggest threat in history]].

** His tendency to give mercy to his opponents is often brought up as a flaw. Most of the time, Goku sparing his opponents works for the best, like with Piccolo and Vegeta. Other times, it backfires badly like with Raditz, Frieza, [[spoiler:and Moro]]. In ''Resurrection 'F''', [[spoiler: Goku trying to spare Frieza again gets the Earth destroyed]].
** Goku's wrath when he is emotional. When he is extremely angry, he becomes deaf and blind to everything around him, and often makes irrational decisions. He went into a [[RoaringRampageOfRevenge vengeance seeking rampage]] when Tambourine murdered Krillin, to the point that he ignored his master's order to stand down. This leads him to blindly attacking Yajirobe when he believed that he was part of the murder, since he mistook Yajirobe's One-Star Dragon Ball for his grandpa's ball, and he tried to fight King Piccolo without any knowledge of who he was. He nearly died fighting Tambourine since he was still hurt from fighting Tien at the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament and he's completely overwhelmed by King Piccolo. And, after becoming a Super Saiyan, he's so filled with hatred towards Frieza for killing Krillin that he chooses beating and tormenting Frieza over escaping an exploding planet. This decision nearly cost him his life and he's only saved because he is able to find one of the Ginyu Force's ships at the last possible moment.
** According to Whis in ''Resurrection 'F''', Goku is too laid back for his own good, allowing his opponents to exploit holes in his guard. [[spoiler: This is proven correct when he lets his guard down during the fight with Frieza, allowing Frieza's [[TheDragon Dragon]] Sorbet to near-fatally shoot him InTheBack.]]
** Beerus and Whis also notes that Goku's Saiyan pride is a major flaw. He hates and often refuses help from others, preferring to fight and win on his own strength. Beerus gets on Goku for not being happy that he has friends that can help him achieve Super Saiyan God and Whis points out that Frieza wouldn't have been a threat at all if Goku and Vegeta had just worked together instead of taking turns.
** As noted by Vegeta in ''Super'' Episode 50, Goku's love of fighting means that he never goes full throttle from the start even when his opponent is a major threat to Earth. Goku even calls himself a slow starter when facing Frost.

* {{Foil}}: One underestimated yet important aspect of Goku's narrative is that if you put him next to a major character that runs up against him, chances are there will be notable parallels between them blanketed by critical differences that set them apart and establish why Goku is the purer of the two:
** When Krillin first appeared and joined Goku as Master Roshi's bright young pupil as a child, he was a foil to Goku. Whereas Goku was an [[IncorruptiblePurePureness impossibly pure-hearted child]] who [[SkilledButNaive took his incredibly strength for granted]], and [[SmugSuper had a lot of confidence in his power]], Krillin was a devious BrattyHalfPint with a blatant inferiority complex, which he covered by acting like a smug brat. By the time of the series' first TournamentArc, he's largely grown out of this thanks to his training and Goku's influence giving him genuine self-confidence. Concurrently, Goku's defeat in the finals of that tournament kept his ego in check, ensuring that he would delve more seriously into his desire to train and grow stronger.
** On top of being an EvilCounterpart to Goku, at least initially, Piccolo is also this to him. Both are Earth-raised purebloods of an alien race and remarkably strong for it, but Piccolo is cold and dispassionate, while Goku is fun loving and can be quite emotional when angry or upset. Piccolo is one of the smartest and most responsible characters in the series, while Goku is BookDumb and can be quite irresponsible even when the fate of the world is at stake. Both men are capable of good planning when they need to be, but Goku's strategics tend to be more obviously risky while Piccolo's are more likely to patch up a problem. Their roles are slightly reversed during the Buu Saga. Piccolo was willing to give himself to Babidi so Buu would stop slaughtering cities. It was Goku who was rational and pointed out that Piccolo sacrificing himself wouldn't help anyone in the long run. Despite continuously training and getting stronger, they have also both relied on fusions with other members of their respective races who they often bicker with to increase their strength when necessary. Goku's fusion was temporary, while Piccolo's are permanent mergers of minds and powers with his form remaining constant as the host.
** Goku and Vegeta's eternal rivalry practically writes itself this way. Both are thrill-seeking Saiyan warriors always looking to test, expand, and overcome their limits. While Goku is a cheerful man who cherishes others, greatly values his Earthly upbringing, and was born weak among commoner parents, Vegeta is a rough, arrogant prince who initially cares only for himself, and was born very powerful and heir to the throne of his planet. Through a series of trials and hardships, they gradually influence each other as their rivalry matures from resentment to respect. Goku comes to understand Saiyan pride and Vegeta learns compassion for loved ones. Amusingly, Vegeta pretty much becomes the next Krillin when the two went to train under Whis.
** Goku and Frieza are near opposites of each other. Both are immensely talented warriors who are among the most powerful beings in their universe and are the strongest their race have to offer. Frieza, however, is born extremely powerful, didn't need to train a day in his life, and is the prince of a galactic empire, while Goku is born a low class, is the son of a lower class warrior and pacifist mother, and had to work for his power. Frieza is very polite and well educated, while Goku is somewhat rude and BookDumb. [[HopeCrusher Frieza thrives on spreading despair]] and [[TheCorrupter corrupting others with his influence]]. [[HopeBringer Goku inspires hope and tends to bring out the better side of people]]. No wonder they're each other's galactic ArchEnemy.
** The son of Bardock and Gine is an overachiever much like his father, born a low-class yet fortunate enough to become an elite by attrition after their race was wiped out. Now, are we talking firstborn Raditz, or the younger Kakarot? The split is actually pretty telling. While Goku embraces the gentle heart given to him by his mother and works his entire life to break the limits of his birth, like his father, Raditz chose to hide behind others stronger than him while embracing the ruthlessness of being a Saiyan, rejecting his mother's kind influence. Also, despite Goku's gentle and kind nature, he maintained his Saiyan pride and spirit, while Raditz's Saiyan spirit has long been driven out of him despite his claims to the contrary.
** For a cyborg programmed to hunt and kill Goku, Android 17 is actually pretty similar to the man. Both are powerful yet childishly nonchalant fighters who were apparently sent out for destruction's sake yet would much rather fight for the fun and adventure of it all. Keyword: apparently. 17's purpose is played straight but he defies it out of hatred for his "creator", whereas the real reason Goku was sent to Earth when he was very young was to escape Frieza's destruction of his planet. Both were given names apart from their name of birth by old men whose motives and goals couldn't be more different than each other: 17 was a human born Lapis before an evil scientist experimented on him and converted him into a cyborg, while Goku's original Saiyan name is Kakarot and he was found and raised by a kindly old martial artist in the middle of the woods. Both in canon via ''Super'' and in the ''GT'' alternate timeline, they finally meet and fight each other after never doing so during the original run of ''Z'', in both cases being far stronger than they were before. However, Goku got his power through his own hard work and tribulations and is fully his own man, while 17's power was forced into him through technological advancements that also come with mental programming directives he has to resist or work around. This also applies to the altered forms they achieve in the ''GT'' timeline. Also, Goku eventually learns not to kill unless it's necessary and has a total enthusiastic zeal for life, whereas 17 has no problem killing worthy opponents and is initially about as arrogant as Vegeta underneath his cool demeanor. Ironically, by the time they meet in ''Super'', a bit of a role reversal is created. The first step in Goku's ascension into divine tiers of power is achieved through a deification ritual involving his friends' help, whereas 17 somehow manages to maximize the specs of his android technology enough to remain a significant force amongst godlike fighters all on his own through passive training. Also, 17 ends up gaining a more protective instinct toward the animals on the island he's in charge of and largely losing his sense of thrill seeking through battle and adventure, while the exact opposite happens with Goku throughout the series aside from some pivotal moments.
** While Cell is the partial genetic clone of every notably strong warrior in the series up to that point, one of the characters he is mostly a foil to is Goku. Both spend years powering themselves up to achieve a purpose, are capable of innately understanding techniques with relatively little exposure, and once reaching the apex of what they can accomplish will set out to test their power in battle. However, while Goku is a lower-class Saiyan who trains hard to become stronger the good old fashioned way, Cell is literally optimized at a genetic level, cheats to improve by consuming others to steal ''their'' hard-earned strength for himself, and is the living manifestation of a mad scientist's thinly-hidden desire to destroy all organic life and replace it with artificial perfection. Most importantly, while Goku ultimately rejects his malevolent Saiyan instincts and chooses to live a ([[MartialPacifist somewhat]]) peaceful life like a human, Cell embraces his evil nature and eventually seeks to fulfill what he believes to be his creator's will by destroying all life in the universe.
** Majin Buu is similar to Goku. They are both super-powerful [[ManChild man children]] who are much smarter than people give them credit for, loves fighting and food above just about all else, can learn techniques just from seeing them once, and are pure nature. The difference, Buu's childish nature is what allows him to do so many evil things. In Fat Buu's case, he is so innocent [[ObliviouslyEvil that he doesn't know right from wrong]] and needs Mr. Satan to act as his MoralityChain. Super Buu is a child because he [[ItsAllAboutMe doesn't care about anything or anyone else except his own needs and desires]]. Kid Buu is as [[PureIsNotGood pure]] like a child and doesn't care about anything except killing and destroying everything. In comparison, Goku's childish nature [[IncorruptiblePurePureness highlights his innocence and purity of goodness to do the right thing]], which gives him a high moral justice. Goku also works to achieve his power through years of hard work and dedication while Buu was not only born extremely strong, but can steal other people's work by absorbing them.
** Goku to Beerus, especially after Goku achieves godhood for himself. Both are deities who love so many of the same things — a good battle, food, fun with friends, and sleeping. Between Goku's wife and Beerus' master attendant, they also both have someone at their side who regularly snarks or challenges them and exists as a counterbalance to their impulsive behaviors. However, Goku is a hard-working common man who had to rely on his friends' hearts to become a god. He fights to protect life, and he possesses incredible self-restraint and awareness. Whereas Beerus has lived his entire life hovering like a giant above everyone else in their universe aside from his master attendant. His whole job is to destroy to make space for more growth, and his HairTriggerTemper and Olympian sense of entitlement make him frightening to be around for most who've met him.
** Broly is a case study in how two people can share an origin yet be total and complete opposites. Both he and Goku are powerful Saiyans who ran afoul of the royal family and traditional Saiyan culture. They were kept in the same chamber room after they were born and escaped Frieza's genocide of their planet and people apart from the other Saiyans, then very quickly found themselves dressing and living far outside the Frieza Force[=/=]Saiyan Army motif and structure. Both are messianic characters, both are recognized as the "legendary Super Saiyan" and both are based on the original [[Literature/JourneyToTheWest Monkey King Sun Wukong]]. But where Goku lucked into his own self-restraint, became well-adjusted if a bit naive, and was born with a ferocious spirit that would eventually see him earn his strength through training, feats, and adversities, Broly was born with an uncanny power level and a disconcertingly meek personality causing him to be frightened to tears when subject to continuous loud noises, utterly [[AxCrazy losing his mind]] [[WoobieDestroyerOfWorlds at the first sign of life-or-death trauma as a result.]] While Goku looked and lived the part of a common man, and became king of his own destiny as well as the first naturally-achieved Super Saiyan in millennia in large part due to both his aforementioned fighting spirit as well as his cherishing of many loved ones as well as life itself, Broly had to be dressed in attire resembling a regal or holy being that at the same time was used to virtually lobotomize him, and was used as his father's puppet of destruction until his mutant Super Saiyan power burst through and was unleashed in the form of an [[UnstoppableRage incredible hulking demon out to kill everything including said father, not even stopping to feel pain unless fatally pierced or torn into.]]
*** The [[Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly retooled Broly who appears in the canon timeline]] fits the role of a foil to Goku as well. Both survived the destruction of their home planet, but Goku was sent off to Earth to protect him, while Broly was exiled to [[DeathWorld Vampa]] out of fear of his immense power. Throughout his life, Goku [[MagneticHero made friends with many people]], while Broly's OnlyFriend was an animal who was taken out of his life early on, becoming [[NoSocialSkills socially inept]] as a result. Goku is [[StrongAndSkilled one of the best fighters]] and [[MessianicArchetype greatest heroes]] in the universe, while Broly is [[TheBerserker a hulking force of rage]] used as a tool of revenge. While both are {{Manchild}}ren, Goku's innocence and optimism are emphasized the most, while Broly's childish traits are portrayed in a negative light, being emotionally stunted.
** As Goku's death-skinned {{doppelganger}}, Turles is (or was for a long time before ''Super'') the closest character to the popular "Evil Goku" concept in official ''Dragon Ball'' media. Both were born low-level Saiyans who looked exactly alike, led a group of allies, escaped and survived Frieza's genocide pretty much on their own, and became stronger than they were supposed to be as time went on. Whereas Goku became a peace-loving defender of the Earth through a head injury and his mother's influence on Planet Vegeta, typically works for his strength and only siphons power from others by asking for it to take out true threats with the occasional Spirit Bomb, Turles is a calculating, cold-hearted marauder with ambitions of conquering the universe, who achieves most if not all of his gains in power by planting a life-sucking tree into planets that it then proceeds to rot to death, then eating from its forbidden fruit.
** And speaking of Goku doppelgangers, ''Super'' has introduced a new scourge in Future Trunks' timeline who shares Goku's name and appearance, albeit thinner and dressed in all black. This "Goku Black" character, as nicknamed by Future Bulma, is his WorldsStrongestMan and quite smug about it just like Goku is at times, is prone to smiling a lot, is fairly unconventional in his fighting style, and shares Goku's initial disdain for the Saiyans. However, the differences are made clearer with each passing moment of Black's screentime. Where Son Goku is a protector of life and a peaceful hero to a prosperous Earth known only to his inner circle, living former enemies, and world tournament aficionados, Black is an all-consuming destroyer who's liquidated and destroyed numerous planets, is in the midst of doing so to his Earth, and utterly feared by anyone he's ever met that lived long enough to tell about it. In fact, Black has terrorized and killed people on Earth who otherwise recognize Son Goku as a force of good [[spoiler:including most likely all of Goku's family and friends]]. Goku is jovially informal and usually friendly, at times bordering on crude, and tends to be cocky at times but usually knows when to take a threat or challenge seriously, whereas Black is joyfully sophisticated and detached, blatantly showing his arrogance whenever he surfaces to kill. Goku is a straightforward, out-in-the-open fighter who relies on martial arts, bright ki, and instinctive strategies, likes to gradually escalate his battles to get the most challenge out of them, and avoids killing even his enemies if it can be helped. Black only acts this way but in a more sinister take on it against Goku himself [[spoiler:since he stole his body and uses his fights with Goku to acclimate himself to Goku's fighting style]]; otherwise he will terrorize and kill anyone as quickly and efficiently as he can without a second thought (including sometimes striking as a LivingShadow with [[RedEyesTakeWarning dragon-like red glowing eyes]]), and even his bright ki techniques carry a darker, sinister hue to them. Also, Goku's initial hatred for the Saiyans came from being introduced to them via three callous space pirates who came to liquidate his homeworld, and dissipated when he came to understand Saiyan pride through Vegeta's struggle against Frieza, while Black [[spoiler:is a rogue god-apprentice who]] desires to destroy every "human" species in the universe including Earthlings and Saiyans. Furthermore, Goku has rejected all GodJob offers despite achieving divine power, while Black [[spoiler:killed his teacher to become a Supreme Kai and]] freely runs around using the artifacts of Supreme Kais to help him achieve his evil ends.
** In a non-villain example, Goku to his son Gohan. They are both [[TheGift extremely gifted warriors]] who represent the peak of their groups. Goku is the strongest pure-blooded Saiyan, while Gohan is the most powerful of all the hybrids. They are both also [[IncorruptiblePurePureness pure-hearted]], fun-loving, [[AllLovingHero have a love for animals and people]], and are somewhat naive about the outside world. They're also both BrilliantButLazy — in exactly the opposite ways. Goku loves to fight and challenge himself, while Gohan hates fighting and hurting people, and won't train unless there is an immediate danger. Goku is BookDumb and doesn't work to support his family unless pressed, while Gohan is very well educated and has a steady job. Midway through ''Super'', they both lose these flaws; Goku learns how to use his farming job as light training and becomes a regular at a local farmer's market, while a near-death experience at the hands of Frieza and Tagoma causes Gohan to rededicate himself to training and fighting so he can be strong enough to protect his loved ones. The result is an incredible sparring match between father and son prior to the Tournament of Power, and both serving as the primary keys to Universe 7's survival in said tournament as the WorldsBestWarrior and SupportingLeader respectively.
** ''Super'' also introduces Goku's DistaffCounterpart Caulifla, a Saiyan girl from Universe 6 who like Goku is incredibly strong and talented enough to adapt to her enemies' exploits and gets excited to the point of NoSenseOfPersonalSpace when a new level of Saiyan power or a great adversary beyond where she's at are presented to her. Her relationship with her protégé Kale also evokes Goku's ties with Gohan (proudly caring for another Saiyan with great power and potential hidden behind a meek personality) and Vegeta (being the person at the top another powerful Saiyan strives to reach, often fights alongside, and has even fused with). They're both among the few Saiyans who aren't part of a galactic organization, tend to be entirely rude and direct due to NoSocialSkills, and are increasingly fueled by powerful battles thanks to their Saiyan blood. The differences? Caulifla is more of the prodigy for whom learning new levels seems to come too easy, while Goku is the overachiever whose LevelGrinding over the years via hard work, smart rest, and at least one traumatic awakening is the stuff of legends. When it comes to counterparts with the green-haired legendary berserk form, Kale has a PseudoRomanticFriendship with Caulifla through which she's able to calm and focus her mutant power, whereas movie 8 Broly associates baby Kakarot's incessant crying with the near-death trauma he experienced from day one and is thus triggered by his name into going implacable demon, and canon Broly goes from being used as a weapon against Kakarot to possibly becoming one of his training partners. And despite both being {{Smug Super}}s, Goku is able to graciously accept defeat and kindly go for a rematch while Caulifla is an aggressive brand of SoreLoser who nonetheless is still capable of grudging respect similar to Vegeta.
** Goku has yet another counterpart in Jiren the Grey from Universe 11. Both are incredibly strong mortal warriors who through adversity and training have ascended their powers into the realm of the gods and who've drawn in entire teams of companions around their strength. They have also each had to deal with loss at an early age. However, [[spoiler:Goku's earliest loss, his entire race, was at such a young age that he never fully registered it until well after encountering the last remnants of the Saiyans, starting with his brother coming to retrieve him. Jiren was already attached to his family and returned to his village one day only to see it burned to death. Furthermore, Goku is trusting to a fault and genuinely cares for others, [[HumbleHero and doesn't call himself a hero]] but can't stand seeing innocents or those he cares for get hurt. Jiren is hailed as the strongest member of a superhero team but believes that strength is the only true reliable justice there is and neither trusts nor values his comrades. Goku ends up beating him in their battle of ideals, doing significant damage to Jiren after fiercely protecting his bonds from an erratic assault as well as finally taking him down ''[[CueTheFlyingPigs by working in perfect tandem with Frieza]]''. This, followed by a conversation with Toppo after the tournament, causes Jiren to start to come around to Goku's way. Even this reveals another difference; not only is Jiren hardly the first adversary to be influenced by Goku's optimistic nature, he's ultimately the one who gets won over by the very team he tried blatantly to keep at arm's length.]]

** In the Buu Saga, after Super Buu absorbs Gohan and becomes near-invincible, Goku becomes so desperate to fuse with another fighter in order to beat him that he's willing to do so with the only other person who knows how to fight left in the area: Mr. Satan. Having been told the Potara Fusion was permanent compared to the Fusion Danced, Goku thought he and Mr. Satan would be stuck together forever, and there was no guarantee that the resulting fusion would make a difference (in the Japanese text, Goku wonders if he will become weaker). Fortunately, Vegeta happens to arrive, just as he's about to do it.
** Goku's resurrection during the Buu Saga is this. With Super Buu having turned the tides on Gohan by absorbing Gotenks and Piccolo, the Old Kai pulls off a HeroicSacrifice, transferring his life force into Goku in order to bring him back; up until that point, a Kai has ''never'' given his life to a mortal.

** During the Future Trunks Saga of ''Super'', [[spoiler: with Zamasu having become an unstoppable, multiverse-encompassing EldritchAbomination, Goku has no choice but to use the button Zeno gave him to call him in; Zeno proceeds to wipe out Zamasu, and the entire multiverse of Trunks' timeline, in one shot.]]
** In the Universe Survival Saga, [[spoiler:when Majin Buu falls into a two-month hibernation, and their need for a tenth member for the Tournament of Power, Goku resorts to having Fortuneteller Baba revive Frieza for one day to compete for them.]]
** Goku usually causes others to cross into this, as usually he'd break out another power up that can thoroughly trounce his opponents. This is what caused Frieza to blow up Namek; Frieza was afraid of the Super Saiyan Goku but knew that, Super or not, he couldn't breathe in space.

* GoodIsNotSoft: Usually averted, as he is one of the most merciful characters in the show and has shown kindness to every major villain in the series. There are however a few instances where he fits the trope:
** When he was a kid/teen. This is especially demonstrated when he mercilessly kills King Piccolo and his children for murdering his friends. He also destroys the Red Ribbon Army with his own hands and kills his foes even when they're fleeing for their lives. He downplays this trope as an adult, due to the combination of him [[ThouShaltNotKill showing mercy to his enemies]], thus [[DefeatMeansFriendship making them into friends]] and mostly enjoying fighting for the [[SpiritedCompetitor competitive aspect]]. Although, some traits of this remains like him [[CruelMercy letting Frieza live with the shame of being defeated by a mere monkey]] and blasting Frieza when he shot him in the back. [[spoiler: After accepting that Frieza is irredeemably evil and too dangerous to live, he atomizes him with a Kamehameha]]. He was also more than willing to kill Cell and Buu, not offering them the chance to walk away. When fighting [[spoiler: Future Zamasu]] for the second time, he actually blew his head off with an energy blast and he only survived because he's an immortal. [[RageBreakingPoint And when properly enraged]], he will beat his enemies to a bloody pulp.
** When Gohan was torturing Cell, most of the characters were horrified at seeing sweet Gohan cruelly picking the android apart, including Piccolo. Goku, however, was concerned that Gohan was taking too long and Cell would get desperate, not really caring that Gohan was torturing someone to death.
** When the Supreme Kai attempts to stop Goku and Majin Vegeta from fighting, it's not Vegeta, but Goku who threatens to kill him if he gets in the way, shocking Gohan and Vegeta. And based off the reactions from all three of them, they could tell Goku wasn't bluffing.
** Played straight with his portrayal in ''GT'' and the [[NonSerialMovie non-serial movies]]. Unlike his adult canon portrayal, Goku kills almost every villain he faces. This can be justified since Toei [[AdaptationalHeroism emphasizes Goku's heroic traits more]], thus making him take his battles more seriously.

* GuileHero: As he becomes OlderAndWiser, he uses his head more and doesn't just rely on brute strength to get ahead:
** He goads Piccolo into growing bigger during the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament after Piccolo uses a technique to become jumbo-sized. Once he's big enough, Goku jumps into Piccolo's mouth, causing major damage to him. Piccolo eventually manages to spit him out, but not before Goku saves Kami, [[ItMakesSenseInContext who Piccolo had swallowed earlier]].
** He mentally tells Gohan to look at the artificial moon so he can transforms into a Great Ape to beat Vegeta. When it seems that Gohan has lost complete control and is just a rampaging beast, he guides Gohan to attack Vegeta.
** He manipulates Cell, using the android's desire to fight strong people and his pride. He tells Cell that Gohan is the strongest fighter at the Cell Games and will destroy him even at full power, going as far as to give Cell a Senzu saying that he will need it. Cell takes the bait and tries to goad Gohan into becoming angry. Although Goku's plan has some bumps, Gohan eventually unleashed his hidden power, becoming a Super Saiyan 2 and kicking Cell's ass.
** In the dub, he gently manipulates Buu into realizing that he is much stronger than Babidi and is far too talented of a fighter to be pushed around by such a weakling and a coward. He also gets Buu to wait three days before destroying the Earth by telling him that an even stronger fighter than him will come to challenge him.
** To secure Old Kai's help so he will power-up Gohan to fight Buu, Goku offers him a kiss from Bulma. In the Japanese text, he offers him to feel on Bulma's boobs. Vegeta isn't amused when he learns about this.
** When fighting Golden Frieza, Goku quickly realizes that he's outmatched even with his godly powers. He, however, finds Frieza's fatal weakness, his ultimate form has the same stamina issues as his original 100% form. So, he fights Frieza for awhile and allows the tyrant to burn himself out to the point that his attacks can't hurt him anymore.

* HumbleHero:
** Despite saving the world more times than he can count, he takes no credit for any of it and doesn't flaunt his achievements. When people do know of his deeds, he's quick to point out if he needed any help. This is mostly because Goku wants to live peacefully without all the noise fame tends to bring. He's happy to let the world think Mr. Satan is the world's savior. Bulma also understands this, which is why she didn't name Goku as the one who killed King Piccolo, only that justice prevailed when she reported Piccolo's defeat. This, however, gets {{Deconstructed}} during the Kid Buu fight where Goku begs the people of Earth for help to beat Majin Buu and gets almost nothing since no one knows who he is.
** In the Buu Saga, Goten and Trunks accuses Goku of being a cowardly weakling who let Gohan and Vegeta be killed by Buu. This happened because Goku refuses to tell them about Majin Vegeta and just says he was unconscious when Vegeta died. Instead of defending himself and even stopping Piccolo from speaking up for him, he agrees with their statement, but says that even a cowardly weakling can still teach them the FusionDance.
** In ''Super'', Dende implores Goku to train the reborn Kid Buu when he becomes old enough. Goku is hesitant about the idea since he claims not to be good at that kind of stuff, which is a severe downplay on Goku's part since he trained Gohan to surpassed him during the Cell Saga and taught Goten and Trunks the FusionDance in just a few hours.

** During the Cell Saga, he's taken aback when Gohan deliberately prolongs his CurbStompBattle with Cell solely to humiliate him and make him suffer for his crimes and yells at him to finish Cell off, despite the fact that he himself did the ''exact same thing'' to Frieza for the ''exact same reason'', prioritizing Frieza's utter humiliation over escaping Namek before it exploded. A good argument could be made that he learned that lesson the hard way, and didn't want Gohan to make the same mistake.
** He also refuses (at first) to step in and help Gohan fight Cell even while Gohan is having the living daylight beaten out of him from refusing to fight back... despite the fact that Gohan has done this for Goku at least twice during his fights with Vegeta and Frieza when Goku was too injured or exhausted to keep fighting. Piccolo has to give Goku a ''serious'' chewing-out and prepare to charge into battle on a SuicideMission before Goku considers stepping in.
** He and Vegeta state that they will not fuse to fight Kid Buu (an AxCrazy OmnicidalManiac with an incredibly broken HealingFactor) because they want to fight one-on-one like true Saiyans. The number of times Goku has beaten the FinalBoss of a StoryArc fair and square with no outside help can be counted on one hand (Adjutant Black & Piccolo Jr), since his friends always step in and save his life when it looks like he's about to be killed... and this is ''exactly what happens in the fight with Kid Buu anyway,'' as Vegeta and Fat Buu hold him off while Goku prepares a Spirit Bomb, which is only completed with help from Mr. Satan.
** He demands that [[spoiler: Goku Black]] use his full power when they fight for the first time. Black counters that Goku isn't one to talk since he's only fighting as a Super Saiyan 2. In fact, in ''Super'', Goku often asks his opponents to use their full power against him from the get go, something he ''never'' does in return, preferring to hold some of his power back at first in order to gauge his opponent's strength.

* DubPersonalityChange: The earlier English dubs of ''Z'' tends to increase Goku's more noble aspects while downplaying his more selfish side present in the Japanese version, such as valuing fighting a stronger opponent over the safety and wellbeing of others. Furthermore, [[Creator/AkiraToriyama Akira Toriyama]] [[WordOfGod himself has stated]] that even the Japanese version of the anime severely downplayed Goku's selfish aspects, which may or may not be why those aspects are notably more emphasized in ''Super'' (made a few years after Toriyama's comments on Goku's characterization).[[note]]This, however, is a {{Downplayed}} example since Goku is seen as an IdealHero even in the original manga by his friends and family (and by most fans), and experiences a subtle MessiahCreep.[[/note]] This can be off-putting to fans who grew up with the English dub and has led some (who are unaware of Toriyama's comments) to accuse ''Super'' of making Goku an AdaptationalJerkass and AdaptationalDumbass.

** As Goku's death-skinned {{doppelganger}}, Turles is (or was for a long time before ''Super'') the closest character to the popular "Evil Goku" concept in official ''Dragon Ball'' media. Both were born low-level Saiyans who looked exactly alike, led a group of allies, escaped and survived Frieza's genocide pretty much on their own, and became stronger than they were supposed to be as time went on. Whereas Goku became a peace-loving defender of the Earth through a head injury and [[WordOfGod his mother's influence on Planet Vegeta]], typically works for his strength and only siphons power from others by asking for it to take out true threats with the occasional Spirit Bomb, Turles is a calculating, cold-hearted marauder with ambitions of conquering the universe, who achieves most if not all of his gains in power by planting a life-sucking tree into planets that it then proceeds to rot to death, then eating from its forbidden fruit.

[[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallRedRibbonArmy Red Ribbon Army]] ([[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero/Android 20]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallDemonKingPiccolo Demon King Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler/Coola]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMoro Moro]]\\

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