History Characters / DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ

* SerialEscalation: Goku started off as a weak Saiyan who could be beaten by a moderately-skilled Earthling martial artists. Through a lifetime of hard work, determination, and his own natural talent, he'd end up attaining [[PhysicalGod legitimate godhood]] [[UpToEleven and beyond]]. Not a bad run.

* WeDoTheImpossible: The primary reason why he is seen as TheAce and the HopeBringer. He is known for doing the impossible from single-handedly destroying an entire army, defeating the Demon King and all his children, doing it again three years later, thwarting an alien invasion from members of his own race, taking down the most elite fighting force in the universe, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu regularly defeats those called the strongest in the universe]], and escaped an exploding planet, twice. At times, his friends truly believe that he is invincible. This is taken UpToEleven after ''Battle of Gods'' since Goku can be considered [[DeityOfHumanOrigin a deity of Saiyan origin]] with his mastery of Super Saiyan God, therefor making his actions a case of DivineIntervention.

[[center:[-[[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], '''P-Z''') | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[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]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFutureTrunksTimeline Future Trunks' Timeline]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] [[[Characters/DragonBallBardock Bardock]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]] | [[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero (Android 20)]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6MajorCharacters Major Characters]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zeno]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGalacticPatrolAndPrisoners Galactic Patrol and Prisoners]] ([[Characters/DragonBallMoro Moro]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFusions Fusions (Video Game)]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterzBaseRoster Base Roster]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallLegends Legends]]]]-]

Back to ''Manga/DragonBall'', ''Anime/DragonBallZ'', ''Anime/DragonBallGT'', or ''Anime/DragonBallSuper''.

'''Goku:''' I am the hope of the universe. I am the answer to all living things that cry out for peace. I am protector of the innocent, I am the light in the darkness. I am truth. ALLY TO GOOD! NIGHTMARE TO YOU!

--->'''Goku:''' It's done. Your power is decreasing with every blow, in fact, you're not even a challenge to me anymore. It wouldn't be fair for me to keep fighting you. I'm satisfied now, your pride has been torn to shreds. You challenged and lost to a fighter who is superior to you and to make it worse, he was just a monkey, right? It would be meaningless to fight you now, you're too scared and ashamed. Live with the shock, keep it bottled up inside you, silently.

** [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with [[CainAndAbel Raditz]], but as a Super Saiyan 3, his RapunzelHair and ForeheadOfDoom makes him slightly resemble his older brother. The constant [[DeathGlare scowl]] also helps. He lacks the Widow's peak, though.

** For a majority of ''Z'' Goku was already powerful enough to take on beings that are considered to be god-like beings and that’s not counting the fact that nearly every Saiyan is now this. In ''Super'' Goku becomes a ''literal'' Saiyan God in the movie ''Battle of Gods'' by preforming a ritual for him to gain a new form called Super Saiyan God which turns him into a godly being to fight the God of Destruction, Beerus. [[spoiler: And yet, Goku still couldn’t beat Beerus, forcing him to admit defeat! Goku later unlocked a new transformation called Super Saiyan Blue which combines his Super Saiyan God form with his normal Super Saiyan transformation, this form allowed Goku to fight on par with the likes of Frieza (in the his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]]

** For a majority of ''Z'' Goku was already powerful enough to take on beings that are considered to be god-like beings and that’s not counting the fact that nearly every Saiyan is now this. In ''Super'' Goku becomes a ''literal'' Saiyan God in the movie ''Battle of Gods''. [[spoiler:And he still can't beat Beerus, forcing him to admit defeat! Goku later unlocked a new transformation called Super Saiyan Blue which combines his Super Saiyan God form with his normal Super Saiyan transformation, this form allowed Goku to fight on par with likes of Golden Frieza, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]]
** And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary Autonomous Ultra Instinct. All of the Gods of Destruction present at the Tournament stand up in respect at the sight of this. After training during the Galactic Patrol Prisoner Saga, he seems capable of accessing it at will in order to face Moro.]]

* ResistTheBeast: Done during his first Super Saiyan transformation. Goku's fully aware that he's [[SanitySlippage being overwhelmed]] by [[UnstoppableRage rage and bloodlust]], and the first thing he does after transforming is order Gohan to take Piccolo and run before he completely loses his mind; at this point, he doesn't trust himself ''not'' to [[AdultFear hurt his own son]].

* WouldHitAGirl: If she attacks him first, she's capable/strong enough to give him problems, and she's not Chi-Chi, he will fight back. The most prominent example being him knocking out Launch (in her violent "Kushami" personality. {{Inverted|Trope}} when he does fight Chichi in the 23rd World Tournament, though; he only dodges her attacks and [[WouldntHitAGirl refuses to lay a hand on her]], so he defeats her by using his fist to create a wave that knocks her out of the ring. Then again, considering she claimed that he promised to marry her, he might just have not wanted to hit his potential ''fiancee'' (and immediately did propose after learning it's the truth).

** Not counting the fact that nearly every Saiyan is now this, Goku becomes a ''literal'' Saiyan God in the movie ''Battle of Gods''. [[spoiler:And he still can't beat Beerus, forcing him to admit defeat!]]

[[/folder]]

** Pronounced "Son Gokū" (with a long vowel "o" and a long vowel "u"), but usually it's spelled "Son Goku" (without any indication of a long vowel), while Toriyama himself writes it as "Son Gokuh". Bandai actually spells it "Son Gokou" in most of their toys and games in what seems to be an attempt to anglicize his name (think of the "cou" in "cougar"), but it only makes thing more confusing since "Gokou" can be mistaken for an entirely different Japanese name ("Gokō"). (Also, [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY in one episode, Pilaf reads a sign that says "Welcome back, Goku!", but mispronounces Goku's name as "Go-cow"]].)

--> '''Goku''': They paid for their mistakes.

--> '''Goku''': Maybe not. But it was enough to beat you, Frieza.

** [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] Some fans tend to interpret his parenting as neglectful, but in Goku's defense, while he does ''try'', he never really had a clue as to how to be a parent in the first place. Part of this is actually Saiyan heritage -- [[WordOfGod Akira Toriyama]] has stated that Saiyans lack an inborn nesting instinct and Saiyan culture never had much of a concept of family, abandoning their youth shortly after birth -- with Goku and Vegeta's own parents being ironic exceptions, but they weren't around very long on account of being dead. Another part is that Grandpa Gohan died early, leaving him on his own to be pseudo-RaisedByWolves, so he certainly doesn't have the knowledge to parent children on principle. Also, he's been absent for large swathes of his two sons' lives, but that was on account of being killed and certainly wasn't intentional on his part regarding Goten, who hadn't been born yet, not for any malicious intent. In the end, he's simply more of a ParentsAsPeople (read below) type than anything.

* PureIsNotGood: Beerus holds this opinion of Goku, seeing his naive, trusting nature as a danger to the universe after he refuses to see how dangerous Zeno is. He goes as far as to threaten to kill Goku on the spot. [[WordOfGod Toriyama]] even discussed this trope at length in regards to Goku:

* SurpassedTheTeacher: By the end of the original series, Goku surpasses all his teachers, becoming the strongest thing on the planet; Master Roshi, Master Korin, and Kami. He explicitly has to surpass King Kai in order to have even a remote chance against the Saiyans since they're stronger than him. This is {{Subverted}}, however, with Whis. He remains far more powerful than Goku ever after all his training and WordOfGod states that it will remain that way for a long time.

* ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine: Frieza's entire fighting style consists of torturing and toying with his opponents, and ensuring that they die in pain and despair, knowing they never stood a chance against him. After Goku goes Super Saiyan, he spends the entire fight toying with and brutalizing Frieza just as Frieza had done to all of his victims, wanting to ensure that Frieza realized that even at full power, he never stood a chance against a Super Saiyan. In the end, the ''only'' reason Goku tries to spare Frieza is because [[CruelMercy he felt that letting Frieza live with his pride ripped to shreds was a far worse punishment]].

* PapaWolf: Messing with Gohan is a sure way to anger [[BewareTheNiceOnes the normally cheerful Goku]]. When Raditz kidnaps Gohan, Goku loses his fear of his brother and is ready to fly after him despite being barely able to move after Raditz kneed him. He also sacrifice himself to stop Raditz because he was about to kill Gohan. He beats up Nappa and Recoome after they both hurt Gohan (along with the rest of his friends) and, while it's remembered that Frieza killing Krillin triggers Goku to ascend to Super Saiyan, what really set him off was Frieza [[AndYourLittleDogToo threatening to kill Gohan too]]. [[spoiler: He also goes into an UnstoppableRage and tries in earnest to ''kill'' Goku Black after Zamasu tells him that his other self killed Goku's family along with him while acquiring his body, and even after that incident, was still fixated on killing him.]]

* ThePollyanna: Goku is an unrelentingly optimistic and happy person. At the start of the series, he tells Bulma that his parents abandon him in the woods where his grandfather found him. His grandfather died years ago, stomped to death by a giant monster, and he was left alone in the mountains with no human contact the entire time. He says all this with a huge grin on his face and never shown any visible signs of trauma. Bulma outright ask him how can he be so happy. Even during the most hopeless of times, [[ThatMakesMeFeelAngry he can be seen smiling, despite saying he's afraid]].

** Vegeta tries to demean Goku by telling him that was cast out and sent to Earth because he's weak. Goku just tells him that he's grateful to be raise on Earth since he grew stronger being away from the Saiyans.

** He gives Frieza a short, but sweet response after Frieza mocks him for showing him mercy and how the Legendary Super Saiyan can't even beat a dead planet:

* SignatureMove: Like many martial artists in his 'verse, over his lifetime Goku has accrued a number of fairly unique abilities.
** The Kamehameha is something he learned as a child and it remains his go-to attack.

** Sometimes, Goku believes that "fair fights" are more important than saving the world. Examples of this include refusing Kami's help to defeat Piccolo in the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budokai when ''no-one'' probably not even the announcer would have cared about disqualification when Piccolo threatened the world, and gave Cell a Senzu Bean in order to make things "fair" with his fight with Gohan.

* SmitingEvilFeelsGood: In his youth, Goku really enjoyed beating and even killing people he deemed bad. This can be seen where he mercilessly beats up Mercenary Tao for murdering Bora, chased down Officer Black when he tried to retreat, [[NoHoldsBarredBeatdown plummets]] Tambourine within an inch of his life and stops short of outright killing him just to drag out his suffering, and smiles as beats on King Piccolo. In the dub, King Piccolo lampshades [[NotSoDifferentRemark how they both delight in causing pain to their enemies]]. He gets over this trait as he grows up, and he shows mercy and even sympathy towards his enemies.

** He never truly got over it as an adult, either. In his fight against the Ginyu Force Goku is (rightfully) so confident in his abilities that he spent more of the fight trash talking than actually fighting. This comes back to bite him when he has his fight against Ginyu, since he can steal bodies.

** He falls into this again in ''Battle of Gods'' during his first fight with Beerus, going Super Saiyan 3 right off the bat, smugly gloating that he could "dial it back to 2" if Beerus wanted, and getting annoyed when Beerus told him to "just try his best." He gets one ''hell'' of a wake-up call when Beerus takes him down with just two hits. This gets expanded on in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' where Goku tries to fight Beerus as a basic Super Saiyan before powering up to Super Saiyan 2. When Beerus tells him to use his full power, Goku initially refuse, saying that he didn't want to hurt Beerus.
** Turns out being a SmugSuper is one of Goku's {{Fatal Flaw}}s. Whis berates Goku for being over-confident and relaxing his guard, leaving even his powerful body vulnerable to attack. [[spoiler: Frieza takes full advantage of this in ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', getting Sorbet to shoot Goku in the heart while his guard is down]].
** Takes this up to Wrestling/JohnCena levels in the Universe Survival Saga. After deciding he's gotten rusty thanks to a gunshot from some muggers making him bleed, he just casually goes up to both Zen'os and reminds the present Zen'o of the Universal Tournament promise, completely overestimating the virtue of the childish TopGod of the multiverse and resulting in all the Universes now being on the chopping block for deletion. Sure, it turns out the four strongest universes are strong enough to be exempt from the Tournament and the survival stakes, and that the rest of the Universes were just given a chance to fight for survival whereas Zen'o was already considering wiping them all out point blank…but Universe 7 is not only not one of those four strong universes, it's the second weakest. Despite all this, and even after learning of the stakes, his reaction quickly recedes from total shock to mild discomfort and never includes a moment of outrage against Zen'o. Furthermore, he continues to be unpleasantly nonchalant towards all the gods even after his exhibition opponent has talked them all into hating his guts, as he eggs on all their strongest warriors to come at him and saying he'll beat them all, while frequently wearing the type of smug grin that would be more at home on Vegeta, Raditz, or Goku Black. It's to the point where a superhero is stepping up to oppose him and declaring him evil yet his primary care is still about getting a challenging fight.
** However as the tournament goes on and stakes continue to raise this attitude slowly changes. First with his shock [[spoiler:at Universe 9’s erasure]], then seeing how outmatches he is by Jiren and latter beings like [[spoiler:Kefla]]. His carefree and enjoyable grin fully dies however from 123 on as the tournament hits its endgame and Jiren starts showing his true power and U7’s numbers whittle away. Culminating in Goku at his most determined and serious since at least the Buu Saga in the last four episodes. Where he repeatedly makes it clear he’s fighting to save his universe and can’t and won’t lose because he has to win for his teammates.

** After unlocking the Super Saiyan transformation, he never uses the Kaioken again, except for a filler episode where he fights Pikkon. [[spoiler: This become {{Subverted}} in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' where Goku manages to successfully combine Super Saiyan Blue with the Kaioken, taking it all the way to 10X. It is still a work in progress since the combo has a 90% failure rate and can severely hurt or even kill Goku]].

** In ''Resurrection 'F''' [[spoiler: Goku offers to spare Frieza so he can come back and challenge him again. He even laments that if Frieza wasn't evil he would make a good rival]]. Unlike the above with Vegeta, this decision did not end well for Goku.

** Pronounced "Son Gokū" (with a long vowel "o" and a long vowel "u"), but usually it's spelled "Son Goku" (without any indication of a long vowel), while Toriyama himself writes it as "Son Gokuh". Bandai actually spells it "Son Gokou" in most of their toys and games in what seems to be an attempt to anglicize his name (think of the "cou" in "cougar"), but it only makes thing more confusing since "Gokou" can be mistaken for an entirely different Japanese name ("Gokō"). (Also, [[ItIsPronouncedTroPAY in one episode Pilaf reads a sign that says "Welcome back, Goku!", but mispronounces Goku's name as "Go-cow"]].)

* SpiderSense: All the major characters eventually learn how to sense energy, but Goku is the most proficient at it since Kami specifically trained him to use his sixth sense. Not only can he sense an enemy's location and 'see' how events are unfolding, but he can also sense a person's morality aliment, something that is limited to the Namekian race, and can even feel if the person has any killing intent, which is why he didn't move when Trunks first attacked him.

** He loves finding new opponents to fight, especially if they're really powerful and a good challenge, and even when is on the brink of death from a ruthless and monstrous opponent, he goes out of his way to say "I'm having fun with this." [[MartialPacifist He also only fights people who are willing (most of the villains), and rarely ever kills anyone unless it's a last resort.]] This is his primary motive in sparing Vegeta's life at the end of the Saiyan Saga. He also expresses a wish (later granted by Yemma) to see Majin Buu reincarnated as a good guy just so he can fight him again.

** [[spoiler: In ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', he offers mercy to Frieza, yet again, because he sees him as a WorthyOpponent for becoming so strong within such a short amount of time. This being Frieza, he's beyond any redemption and is killed by Goku's hand]].

* StockShonenHero: The TropeCodifier, as most of the traits in the trope description are ones he introduced. As a kid, he's simpleminded KidHero who is naive to the point of stupidity at times, and a BigEater that can put away 40+ full course meals in one sitting. As an adult, he shows mercy to his enemies, gets excited at almost any challenge, and masters techniques after one glance that took other people years to develop. Even after becoming a master he still trains, believing there's no upper limit to self improvement, and is soon on par with literal gods (and on a first name basis with them). He also becomes very HotBlooded when he sees the opportunity to get into a fight. However, he's also an [[UnbuiltTrope unbuilt]] example, since [[DownplayedTrope while Goku's an unambiguously heroic character and a genuinely good person in every version of the show]], he's also not necessarily as noble or unselfish as other shonen heroes inspired by him; if his friends or the world are threatened he'll surpass any and all limitations to pull out a win, but he fights primarily for the thrill of it and his final goal is always something for his own benefit.

** [[spoiler:Xeno Goku]] from Dragon Ball Heroes also seems more cold and calculating than [[spoiler:his [[ManChild Dragon Ball Super counterpart.]]]]

** His Instant Transmission. As long as he can sense someone's energy he can teleport anywhere in the universe and even the afterlife. He can even go the Supreme Kai's planet that is supposed to be impossible for mortals. He can also use Instant Transmission to move around opponents who are faster than him like Beerus, escape lethal attacks like Cell's Kamehameha, or move dangerous objects or people to another location. Only the Kais themselves have a better version of the Instant Transmission and even Beerus must rely on Whis to ferry him across the universe.

--> '''Goku''': Hey, I think there's a little me hiding behind your legs, Chichi.

* StupidSacrifice: When Cell freaks out and tries to self-destruct, Goku teleports him away to King Kai's planet and dies when Cell blows up, despite the fact that he could have just teleported back to Earth before that happened (at least in the anime where it takes Cell several seconds to blow up where it was instant in the manga). However, it's heavily implied that Goku allowed himself to be killed, seeing his death as an overall good thing since he was responsible for many of the threats to Earth and it was only luck that Cell survived his self-destruction. Which then brings up the point that Goku's sacrifice, while well-meaning, was pointless in that regard too. Frieza and the Saiyans were always a wide scale threats that could someday come to Earth even if Goku wasn't there and all the other villains who were just doing their own thing in the original series before Goku ever showed up. The point is driven home when the following threat of Majin Buu has ''nothing'' to do with Goku at all, as well as the reveal in ''Resurrection 'F''' that his presence on Earth, as well as his status as TheDreaded, was the ''only'' thing keeping Frieza's army from returning to Earth.

* SupermanSubstitute: While Goku has long been compared to Superman, his actual origin is tied far more into that of Sun Wukong. It wasn't until ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' that we learned he was an alien sent to Earth as a baby - from a planet that was blown up mere days later. The twist is that he was meant to wipe out human civilization, but thanks to a bump on the head and a good upbringing, he became a MartialPacifist and the Earth's greatest defender.

* SupernaturallyYoungParent: In ''GT'', thanks to Pilaf's reckless wish he's younger than his two adult sons and the the same age as his preteen granddaughter.

* SuperpoweredEvilSide: When he transforms into a Great Ape since he loses all sense of himself and becomes a real monster. Also, when he first becomes a Super Saiyan he is nearly overcome with UnstoppableRage.

* SupportingProtagonist: During ''Dragon Ball Z''. If one looks closely, ''Z'' chronicled ''Gohan's'' life, despite Goku being TheHero. This has echoes of the relationship between the protagonist and his son in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestV''; notable because of how much they look like Goku and Gohan, [[Creator/AkiraToriyama for good reason]].

* WouldHitAGirl: If she attacks him first, she's capable/strong enough to give him problems, and she's not Chi-Chi, he will fight back. The most prominent example being him knocking out Launch (in her violent "[[FanNickname Kushami]]" personality. {{Inverted|Trope}} when he does fight Chichi in the 23rd World Tournament, though; he only dodges her attacks and [[WouldntHitAGirl refuses to lay a hand on her]], so he defeats her by using his fist to create a wave that knocks her out of the ring. Then again, considering she claimed that he promised to marry her, he might just have not wanted to hit his potential ''fiancee'' (and immediately did propose after learning it's the truth).

** A LighterAndSofter version, Beerus notes that Goku is like him in that they will get payback on those who slight them, no matter how petty the slight is. This is seen in ''Dragon Ball Super'' where Goku flicks Beerus on the forehead and karate chops him on the back on the neck because Beerus defeated him that way in their first bout.

*** [[spoiler:None of this happens in the manga version; as Jiren from the manga is a much more straightforward superhero/star pupil archetype, lacking the anime Jiren's cold denial of trust and friendship, [[AdaptationalVillainy Jiren doesn't try to murder anyone]] and [[AdaptationalWimp never gets knocked down by Goku]]. Instead he just beats down Goku no matter how motivated the latter gets, progressively adapting to keep up with Ultra Instinct and punching Goku out of it. Concurrently, this means the aspect of Goku's motivation that comes from proving himself as a martial artist against a WorthyOpponent is given full focus, since his protectiveness toward his friends is given no reason to factor in.]]

** From the TV special ''History of Trunks'', Goku's absence is greatly felt. He dies within the first minute of the special leaving a gaping wound as the other heroes are mercilessly slaughtered by the androids. Gohan wears a replica of his father's gi in his memory and Bulma often talks about him, saying how he could have changed things if he had lived. A big part of the special is Bulma making the time machine to give Goku the medicine that will save his life.

** In ''Resurrection [='F'=]'', a similar case to that with Android 19 happens [[spoiler:when Frieza has Goku at his mercy and is torturing him, and he never once calls for help, even when Frieza is about to kill him. When Vegeta is standing in front of him, he didn't ask to be saved. He only laughs mirthlessly and says he messed up. With that said, he did thank Vegeta for the rescue]].
** [[spoiler:He and Vegeta take turns fighting Frieza in ''Resurrection [='F'=]'' because they're confident one of them can take him down and their pride won't let them work together. This leads to him getting shot in the chest and Frieza blowing up the planet]]. Despite this, Goku agrees wholeheartedly with Vegeta when saying that he doesn't want to team up, even though Goku and Vegeta fighting together would probably be a near invincible team. He cites his own pride as the reason. Whis is inclined to condemn this, but seems aware that he won't be changing Goku's mind on this.

* PureIsNotGood: Beerus holds this opinion of Goku, seeing his naive, trusting nature as a danger to the universe after he refuses to see how dangerous Zen'o is. He goes as far as to threaten to kill Goku on the spot. [[WordOfGod Toriyama]] even discussed this trope at length in regards to Goku:

* RaisedByHumans: For most of his life Goku was raised by humans and even thought he was one of them. It isn't until he's an adult that he learns that he's a HumanAlien from a warrior race. Outside his love for fighting and physical training, he's closer to being a human than a Saiyan.

--->'''Goku:''' Although you brought this all on yourself, it;s a shame that your life has to end in such a miserable way. I wanted to save you, Frieza, but you wouldn't let me. Now share the fate of the Planet Namek, which you yourself destroyed.

* RedBaron: After he defeats Frieza on Namek he becomes known as the Super Saiyan or just the Saiyan within Frieza's empire.

* RenownedSelectiveMentor: He is one of the few primary characters to take in students to be his successor. So far he has only trained Gohan, Pan, and Uub.

* {{Revenge}}: His motive for killing Tambourine, after Tambourine killed Krillin. This was definitely justified as Goku was riding Nimbus (which takes a pure heart to do) while he finished off Tambourine in the appropriately titled Dragon Ball episode "Goku's Revenge". It was also his motive during the last part of the Freeza fight after Freeza murdered Krillin. ''Super'' has him falling into this ''hard'' after learning that [[spoiler: alternate timeline version of Zamasu use his body to kill Chi-Chi and Goten]].

** Yamcha is Goku's first official rival and is one of the few people able to hurt Goku in the first story arc. He eventually shares this role with Krillin who also wants to surpass Goku, although by the time of ''Z'' they've both accepted that Goku will always be better than them.
** Tien gives Goku one of his toughest challenges and actually beats Goku when they fought at the 22nd tournament, even if it's more luck than skill. Despite Goku surpassing him in every way possible by ''Z'', Tien still tries to compete with him, [[CantCatchUp although he knows where he stands]].

** Vegeta, Goku's longest running rival and the only one able to keep pace with him, at least in the canon movies. In ''Z'' Vegeta never truly caught up with Goku again after the events of the Namek Saga and the gap between them got wider in the Buu Saga. In the movies, however, Vegeta is within striking distance, although he remains one step behind, and Goku greatly surpasses him again in ''Super'' since he can combine the [[spoiler: Kaioken]] with Super Saiyan Blue. The dynamic of their rivalry also changed over the years from being very toxic, especially for Vegeta, to being one of VitriolicBestBuds.
** Frieza is a particularly dark and villainous version. Goku and Frieza despise each other, even if there is a lingering sentiment of the other being a WorthyOpponent. After his loss to Goku on Namek, Frieza devotes his life and even his afterlife to trying to end Goku. He even improves in hell by [[ThePowerOfHate fantasizing about killing Goku]] in revenge. He has fought Goku thrice so far and gives him trouble each time, making him the only purely villainous character to consistently stay competitive with Goku. Goku for his part often is curious about Frieza's potential for further growth, but unlike his other rivals Frieza never becomes a better person from his rivalry with Goku; if anything, the closest thing to an improvement Frieza has had is [[BreakTheHaughty accepting]] that he isn't totally invincible and respecting someone else as an equal warrior, and even those sentiments hardly stick.

** He develops another rivalry with Jiren the Gray, a member of the Pride Troopers of Universe 11 and whose power is such that he has surpassed a God of Destruction's one. While Jiren is at first dismissive of Goku and doesn't acknowledge him as a rival, by the end of the Universal Survival arc he has come to see Goku as a WorthyOpponent and is looking for a friendly rematch with him.

** During the last part of the Red Ribbon Army Saga the army hires Mercenary Tao to kill Goku and take his Dragon Balls. During his mission, Tao murders the father of Goku's new friend. Goku eventually kills Tao, or so he thought, and decides to find the remaining Dragon Balls so he could wish his friend's father back to life. So he storms the Red Ribbon Army base, kills pretty much everyone there, takes out the newly-made leader (Commander Red was executed by Officer Black after he learned about the true nature of Red's goal), gets the Dragon Balls, and destroys the terrorist army in one fell swoop.

* RousingSpeech: Goku gives a surprisingly potent Rousing Speech to Vegeta in ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' episode 253, ''Union of Rivals'', when Vegeta is reluctant to fuse with him.
--> "Wake up! Majin Buu's eaten everyone we care about! Everyone is gone, even Bulma! They've become part of Buu, they can't even die! I just thought the least we could do is put our old differences aside, just this once, and really work together. We owe that to our teammates, our families Vegeta, our friends! Look, you've always talked about our Saiyan race, how we're the last of a mighty people. Well it's time to accept we're starting a new race, one that can be just as strong, just as proud! But not if we're caught up in so much of our old birthrights to see what we have right in front of us! We've lost our old race Vegeta... let's not lose this one, too!"

* RunningOnAllFours: As a child he occasionally ran on all fours, usually when he's after food or using a type of stance like his Crazy Monkey style.

** After becoming a Majin, Vegeta forces him into one. Either fight him and risk awakening Majin Buu who has the power to destroy the universe, or let Vegeta keep killing people at the World Martial Arts Tournament, which can possibly kill both of their families. He chooses to fight Vegeta and beat him before they can awakening Buu. He fails.

* TheScapegoat: Thanks in part to Bergamo's words, Goku's own attitude and friendship with Zen'o, and the fact that no one can outright defy/protest Zen'o's decision(s) on the matter, Goku has become a target for all the participating universes for the upcoming tournament. Despite giving at least one universe [[spoiler: the chance to save itself from destruction when there was none before]], Goku takes all the blame for the Tournament of Power's [[spoiler: universal destruction rule]].

* SecondPlaceIsForWinners: At the 21st and 22nd World Martial Arts Tournaments. He lost both, but still managed to do so well that everyone was proud of his efforts. In the first tournament he fought Jackie Chun for ''four'' hours and had a technical tie with him, forcing the officials to use a tie-breaker. The second, he would had won if he wasn't hit by a truck at the last possible second. Additionally after the first tournament, it's {{Lampshaded}} how even though Goku lost the tournament he still ultimately got to used the prize money, as he was so exhausted from fighting that he ate everything at a restaurant during the group's celebratory dinner. The bill was so high that Roshi had to pay with all his winnings.

* SeriesMascot: Goku along with Luffy from ''Manga/OnePiece'' are the mascots for ''Magazine/ShonenJump''.
* ShapingYourAttacks: His Dragon Fist from the non serial movies and ''GT'', where he shapes his ki into a massive Shenron-esque dragon. It's based of off the original ''Dragon Ball'' adaptation, where he kills King Piccolo with an attack that took the form of a Great Ape.

* PalsWithJesus: Besides being on casual speaking terms with the Kais, Kami before he merged with Piccolo, and Dende (the current God/Guardian of the Earth that he hand-chose), Goku and company also befriends Beerus, the God of Destruction, after the ''Battle of Gods''. Goku and Vegeta regularly train on his planet, and he and Whis regularly stop by Earth to hang out and eat delicious food. Goku then one-ups that by becoming pals with [[TopGod Zen-O]], King of the Multiverse — much to the shock of all the other gods he's already friends with, who are all terrified into abject formality when around Zen-O [[AllPowerfulBystander and]] [[BewareTheNiceOnes for]] [[TheDreaded good]] [[StoryBreakerPower reason]].

* PapaWolf: Messing with Gohan is a sure way to anger [[BewareTheNiceOnes the normally cheerful Goku]]. When Raditz kidnaps Gohan, Goku loses his fear of his brother and is ready to fly after him despite being barely able to move after Raditz kneed him. He also sacrifice himself to stop Raditz because he was about to kill Gohan. He beats up Nappa and Recoome after they both hurt Gohan (along with the rest of his friends) and, while it's remembered that Freeza killing Krillin triggers Goku to ascend to Super Saiyan, what really set him off was Freeza [[AndYourLittleDogToo threatening to kill Gohan too]]. [[spoiler: He also goes into an UnstoppableRage and tries in earnest to ''kill'' Goku Black after Zamasu tells him that his other self killed Goku's family along with him while acquiring his body, and even after that incident, was still fixated on killing him.]]
* TheParagon: He tries to become this after he recovers from his heart virus. Instead of directly handling threats himself, he tries to act as a beacon of encouragement and wisdom towards his sons to make them become guardians who can protect the Earth. Unfortunately, Gohan, Goten, nor Trunks have the drive to continue to grow stronger if there is no immediate threat, so Goku is forced back into active hero duty by the end of the Buu Saga.

** [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed.]] Some fans tend to interpret his parenting as neglectful, but in Goku's defense, while he does ''try'', he never really had a clue as to how to be a parent in the first place. Part of this is actually Saiyan heritage -- [[WordOfGod Akira Toriyama]] has stated that Saiyans lack an inborn nesting instinct and Saiyan culture never had much of a concept of family, abandoning their youth shortly after birth -- with Goku and Vegeta's own parents being ironic exceptions, but they weren't around very long on account of being dead. Another part is that Grandpa Gohan died early, leaving him on his own to be psuedo-RaisedByWolves, so he certainly doesn't have the knowledge to parent children on principle. Also, he's been absent for large swathes of his two sons' lives, but that was on account of being killed and certainly wasn't intentional on his part regarding Goten, who hadn't been born yet, not for any malicious intent. In the end, he's simply more of a ParentsAsPeople (read below) type than anything.

** Much later, during the Frieza Saga, despite having every right in the world to just kill Frieza and be done with it, he spares Frieza's life not once, but twice, and both times, Frieza just keeps trying to kill him when his back is turned. Of course, to be fair, Goku's attempts to spare him were more out of CruelMercy than pacifism, and [[GoodIsNotSoft the very]] ''[[GoodIsNotSoft second]]'' [[GoodIsNotSoft Frieza betrays his last chance, Goku blows him away]].

** When Majin Vegeta threatened to kill everyone at the World Martial Arts Tournament if he didn't fight him and the Supreme Kai warning him that such a battle would revived Majin Buu, Goku decides to fight Vegeta and beat him quickly before Buu can awakening. [[NiceJobBreakingItHero It didn't work out]].

* TechnicianVersusPerformer: Although Goku is a well-trained martial artist who put in decades worth of hard work to become the best fighter in the universe, his technical skills are below Piccolo, Tien, and even Vegeta. He never invents his own techniques outside the move he used to kill King Piccolo and the canon questionable Dragon Fist. Instead, [[PowerCopy he relies heavily on learning or copying techniques from his enemies, friends, and teachers]] and improving upon them or creating variations to make them his own. He is also very playful when fighting and coming up with creative ways to outmaneuver his opponent. When he's not training, he's often relaxing with his family. He tends to be too relaxed even in battle, a weakness that Whis says will be his undoing.
* {{Telepathy}}: He has shown the ability to communicate with his friends through talking to them with his mind. This is how he is able to tell Gohan to redirect the Spirit Bomb, get Gohan attack Vegeta when he's a Great Ape, and get Krillin to spare Vegeta. He even listens in to King Kai and Gura's conversation when he is fighting Frieza, which shocks King Kai since he's able to take to them and fight at the same time. Also on Namek, he shows that he can read minds by physically touching Krillin.

* TermsOfEndangerment: In the dub, Buu calls Goku 'dad' after he absorbs Gohan. Goku isn't amused by this at all.

** When Mr. Satan tries to give Goku the prize money he received for killing Majin Buu, Goku initially turns it down, saying that he didn't beat Buu alone. He only changes his mind after Goten points out that if he takes the money he can quit his farming job to train.

* ThouShaltNotKill: {{Zigzagged|Trope}}. When he was a young boy, [[GoodIsNotSoft Goku had no problem killing his opponents]], even when they were retreating. He only really restrained himself during tournaments where killing isn't allowed. After training with Kami, he refuses to kill even the most evil opponents. Some of this is because he wants to fight them again like Piccolo and Vegeta (although he swears to kill Vegeta the next time they fight), and Frieza is a case of CruelMercy. Although most are a cases of real mercy like him trying to spare Raditz, Nappa, the Ginyu Force, and Mr. Buu. After the Frieza Saga, he becomes more willing to kill like him actively trying to destroy Cell and encourages Gohan to do the same, to him atomizing Majin Buu, even if he did wish for him to be reborn as a good person. He takes no pleasure in killing and will try to spare opponents if possible, like him giving Frieza mercy ''again'' after he returns to life.

** When he is defeated by King Piccolo, he returns to Korin Tower, hoping that he can train again to become stronger. [[SurpassedTheTeacher He already surpassed Korin and he can't teach him anything]]. So, Korin sends him to get the Ultra Divine Water, which is real and will increase his power once he drinks it. Turns out that the Ultra Divine Water is just a ''really'' powerful poison that pushes one to the edge of death and if you survive you will become stronger, in theory since no one has actually survived the process. Given the Saiyans' ability to become stronger from being close to death, surviving the ordeal makes Goku extremely strong.

** This is actually hilariously lampshaded by Present Zen'o in Chapter 29. When Future Zen'o asked how many times he'll transform, Present Zen'o started counting on his fingers.
* ToBeAMaster: At the start of the series Goku wants to become the strongest fighter on Earth and fight powerful opponents. He achieves this goal when he's a teenager. After learning that he's an alien and is pitiful weak compared to the true monsters in the universe, he refocuses his goal to becoming the strongest in the universe.

** ''Every time'' Goku gained a new Super Saiyan transformation he naturally gained a new level in badass to follow to the point that listing them all here would be pointless. The most notable, beyond Goku's original Super Saiyan form, which allowed him to handle Freeza as if he were Raditz, is the Super Saiyan God form. This form has given Goku the biggest power increase to date, taking him from the threshold of the mortal realm into the realm of the gods.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', [[spoiler: he fights Frieza's true form, who has been through TrainingFromHell for four months, without going Super Saiyan and still overpowers him. Even when Frieza transforms to Golden Frieza, Goku whips out ''his'' new transformation which is a step up from Super Saiyan God. Even through Frieza has the upper hand for a time, Goku's greater mastery of his transformation wins out and he curb stomps the tyrant once again]].
** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' Goku shows that in his three years of training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber that he leaned how to combine the [[spoiler: Kaioken]] with Super Saiyan Blue. This combination allows to out-speed Hit, [[spoiler: [[TimeMaster who has the ability to freeze time]]]].

* TrainingFromHell: Although born with nearly endless potential, Goku had a very low battle power for a Saiyan and was classified as a lower class warrior. It's through years of hard and dedicated work that he has become so powerful. Goku even cites this as the reason why he, a lower class warrior, can surpass Vegeta, the Saiyan Prince, during their first battle. He also disliked Super Saiyan God because it's a level giving to him and not something he earned himself.

* TraumaCongaLine: The King Piccolo Saga was this for Goku. First, he loses the tournament because he's hit by a pick-up trunk at the worst possible moment, and then his best friend and training partner is murdered because he forgot his Dragon Ball and Power Pole at the stadium. When he tries to avenge his murder, he's beaten to a pulp because he's tired and hungry from the tournament. When he does avenge Krillin, he's beaten near death by King Piccolo and has the Dragon Ball that he was protecting stolen. He later learns that his master and father figure is also killed by Piccolo (although indirectly). By the time Goku is lying on the ground because Piccolo disabled both of is legs, you can tell that he's reached his breaking point.

** He achieved Super Saiyan after watching Krillin die a second time and Freeza threatening to kill his son Gohan next.

* UnbuiltTrope: Goku is this for the StockShonenHero, since he wound up being a [[DeconstructedCharacterArchetype deconstruction of the archetype]] he would unwittingly [[TropeCodifier inspire]]. His motivations for fighting are largely self-centered, with nearly everything he does being a means of getting stronger, [[DownplayedTrope and while he is willing to lend a helping hand to people in need,]] his final goal is always something for his own benefit. ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' would downplay his more self-centered traits and make him [[AdaptationalHeroism more heroic]], which the English dub would then [[DubPersonalityChange take even further]]; Toriyama has criticized this decision since he had always intended for Goku to have a self-centered side.

* UnskilledButStrong: {{Downplayed|Trope}} In his youth: Goku did have formal training, but his Grandpa died before it was completed. Because of that, Goku relied heavily on his brute strength, speed, and his [[AwesomenessByAnalysis natural ability]] [[PowerCopying to mimic the skills and moves of his opponents]]. Master Roshi actually called him wild and strong during the 21st Tournament. His skills were refined under Master Roshi and Korin respectively, who taught him how to predict his opponent's movements, but he still remained fairly undisciplined as Mr. Popo notes when he calls Goku out on his wasteful movements and energy. By the time he rejoins his friends during the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, he's not only stronger and faster, but he learns how not to waste energy and used minimal force to take down weaker opponents.
* UnstoppableRage: When he is ''truly'' pissed off. He is closed to foaming at the mouth in anger when Tambourine murders Krillin and didn't calm down until he killed the monster. After turning Super Saiyan the first time, he [[SanitySlippage switches]] between this and TranquilFury. [[spoiler: Also, there was his rage-fueled rampage after Goku Black and Future Zamasu decided to twist the knife and admit to to him that Black had murdered his other self's family.]] [[spoiler: When Jiren tries to murder his friends and family in the stands all because he didn’t like what Goku had to say about his habits as a cold loner, Goku loses all patience with him and proceeds to soundly crush Jiren in one of the most brutal and one-sided fights in ''Dragon Ball'' history.]]

** Him letting Vegeta train first in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. When Vegeta left the chamber to fight Cell, [[SmugSuper he is so arrogant in his new power]] that he allows Cell to become complete to stroke his own ego, which leads to the deaths of Goku, Trunks, and Android 16.

** He reminds Zen'o of the multiversal tournament promise he made back in the Champa Saga. Zen'o decides that the [[spoiler: losing universes will be destroyed, putting the multiverse in danger of destruction]]. And then it's revealed [[spoiler:he was already planning to do this anyway, and Goku's tournament simply gave him a convenient excuse and a reason to spare one of the eight universes he was targeting, subverting this trope]].

* UseYourHead: As in a headbutt. In his younger years it's practically his finishing move. Goku uses this to finish off Staff Officer Black and ring out Piccolo. He does it again in ''Super'' when Vegeta tells him to [[LiteralMinded "use his head"]] to beat Botamo.

** [[HistoryRepeats His victory over]] [[spoiler: Frieza in ''Resurrection 'F'.'' While Frieza's new GoldenSuperMode is initially stronger than even Goku's Super Saiyan Blue transformation, because Frieza [[IncompletelyTrained rushed right to Earth after unlocking the form without bothering to master it]], he's plagued with the same stamina issues that he had with his original 100% form]]; all Goku has to do is stall for a few minutes, and [[spoiler: Frieza burns himself out to the point where his attacks can't even hurt Goku]]. In the retelling in ''Dragon Ball Super'', the endurance part is played up more because [[spoiler: Frieza has better control over his power and smacks Goku around in his golden form longer, flooring him more than a couple of times. Then Frieza gets serious and fights at his full power, and not even a minute later his power drops like a rock. It's so bad that Goku is in better condition while Frieza is literally panting on the ground without Goku even touching him]].

** Bulma and Goku starts with this kind of relationship. Goku is quick to point-out how weak and useless Bulma is, while Bulma often yells about how naive Goku is. This is especially apparent in the first story arc where they both show little respect for one another. Despite that, they do care for each other with Bulma worrying about Goku's safety and Goku rescuing Bulma when she's in trouble, even if he sometimes complain about it. By the time of ''Z'' the vitriolic part is all but gone, although it does pop up every blue moon, such as the ending to ''Battle of Gods''.
** Goku and Krillin also started as this, although it's mostly on Krillin's part. He was jealous of Goku's natural fighting talent, often annoyed by how naive he was, and often embarrassed with Goku's antics like him stripping in public. By the introduction of Piccolo Jr, the vitriolic with Krillin was all gone, never to return.

* WeDoTheImpossible: The primary reason why he is seen as TheAce and the HopeBringer. He is known for doing the impossible from single-handedly destroying an entire army, defeating the Demon King and all his children, doing it again three years later, thwarting an alien invasion from members of his own race, taking down the most elite fighting force in the universe, [[DidYouJustPunchOutCthulhu regularly defeats those called the strongest in the universe]], and escaped an exploding planet, twice. At times his friends truly believe that he is invincible. This is taken UpToEleven after ''Battle of Gods'' since Goku can be considered [[DeityOfHumanOrigin a deity of Saiyan origin]] with his mastery of Super Saiyan God, therefor making his actions a case of DivineIntervention.
* WeakButSkilled: Compared to the Saiyans at the beginning of ''Z'' Goku is this. Since he was raised on Earth which have weak fighters compared to the rest of the universe and low gravity, Goku lacks any real strength when Raditz comes looking for him. However, Goku has actual martial arts training, which allows him to sense energy, hide his power, and have great control of his ki, something that surprises Raditz when Goku bends his Kamehameha and raises his battle strength at various points.

* WhatsUpKingDude: Goku rarely treats kings or even gods with any greater respect than he would show to anyone unless told to do so by someone else. This gets him in trouble in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' where his treatment of Zen'o the [[GodEmperor King of All]] is typically casual. While Zen'o likes his approach, everyone else is horrified by it, and Beerus warns that treating Zen'o so lightly when he has the power to destroy entire universes in an instant is a disaster waiting to happen. [[spoiler: Though it also ends up saving the multiverse when his friendship with Zen'o allows Goku to summon him to deal with Infinite Zamasu, who'd merged with the Future Trunks timeline and was threatening all the others.]]

** Vegeta also gives Goku quite a few during the latter sections of the Buu saga. First, when Vegeta is called back to Earth to help fight Buu, he gives Goku the cold shoulder, having found out that Goku ''deliberately'' held back the usage of his Super Saiyan 3 form during their previous fight. This caused Vegeta to believe that he could win and ultimately lead to his SenselessSacrifice against Buu. Later, Vegeta delivers another scathing reproach of Goku after they escape the destruction of Earth, calling out Goku for saving Dende and Hercule while leaving their children (and Piccolo) to die in the planet's ensuing explosion. Immediately after, he yells at Goku for promising the Elder Kai a chance to gain acquaintance with Bulma. Finally, he's startled when Goku reveals that he had the chance to kill Buu in his Super Saiyan 3 form, but chose not to.
** After the people of Earth refused to give any of their energy to help with the Spirit Bomb after Vegeta and he begged them and Vegeta was slowly being beaten to death by Buu along with the good version of Majin Buu being mortally wounded, Goku snaps and calls the people of Earth morons.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods'' Goku got an earful from Piccolo, Vegeta, Bulma, and Oolong when they learned he was watching the fight with Beerus from a safe distance instead of rushing to help them when they were getting their butts beaten.
** In ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'' King Kai asked what Goku was thinking fighting Beerus. He says to the effect, 'what were you even fighting for?'.

** And again from ''Super'', he gets one from Beerus of all people for reminding Zen'o and of the multiverse martial arts tournament he promised, because [[BloodKnight he was bored]]. Beerus' warnings turn out to be correcting since Zen'o declared [[spoiler: that any losing universe will be destroyed]]. Gohan also isn't happy when he learns about this rule and yells at his father for not having a plan if their universe [[spoiler: ends up on the chopping block]].

* WideEyedIdealist: As a child, he was extremely naive and innocent to the point of not being able to sense bad intentions in people and thinking of the best of everyone he meets, even when they have shown themselves to be shady and untrustworthy. For example, he considers Bulma his friend, while at the same time [[BrutalHonesty telling her that she isn't a good person]]. He happy to see Yamcha when he was fighting Boss Rabbit and figures he's here to help, despite Yamcha trying to rob and murder him just days before. He also calls Krillin his friend, after he constantly tricks him and cost him dinner. As an adult, he's still idealist to the point of being ThePollyanna, but he's usually aware of ill-intentions, mostly because he can sense ki and feel hostility.
* WillfullyWeak: Goku always holds back his full power even when he's in the middle of a tough fight. He does this either to conserve energy, or to keep from killing or seriously hurting his opponents. Unless pushed, he won't go beyond a basic Super Saiyan. Goku tells Pikkon during their match in the Otherworld Tournament that his skill in combat is directly proportional to the seriousness of the threat he's facing. This can also be seen in ''Super'' during the Champa arc, where he fights Botamo and Frost, and didn't use his god power-up. This is deconstructed during the Buu Saga, where his holding back and hiding Super Saiyan 3 led not only to Vegeta's SenselessSacrifice against Buu, but the birth of Super Buu.

** At the beginning of ''Z'' Goku gets owned by his older brother, Raditz. This is after he becomes the strongest thing on Earth with only Piccolo being close to his equal. To add further to the worf, Raditz is a weakling compared to his companions.

** During his first fight against Jiren Goku is very easely dominated by the pride trooper, with Jiren being unaffected by his attacks up until he transforms into Super Saiyan God, and even then Jiren easely block or dodge his attacks before laying a smackdown on him. Even when using Kaioken X20 in Super Saiyan Blue, Goku is quickly and effortlessly beaten by Jiren. It's only by unlocking Ultra-Instinct that Goku becomes able of putting a fight against Jiren.

** PlayedForLaughs in the first story arc. When Goku is in the middle of his fight with Yamcha, he loses energy because he's hunger, which greatly weakens him. Before Yamcha can take advantage of this, however, he gets interrupted by [[WhyDidItHaveToBeSnakes Bulma]]. Yamcha freaks out when he sees her and runs away.

* WorldsStrongestMan: He holds this title at various points throughout the series although he has been upstaged several times. [[note]]After Piccolo merges with Kami, he becomes the strongest of all the heroes, and Gohan holds this title during the Cell Games after he becomes a Super Saiyan 2, and at the end of Buu Saga after old Kai awakened all of his hidden power.[[/note]] By ''Battle of Gods'', it's strongly hinted that Goku regains this status, which is why Vegeta freaks out when he hears that [[spoiler: Goku lost to Beerus in only two hits]] and Beerus still outclasses Goku even after he gains several major power-ups. In ''Dragon Ball Super'', [[spoiler: after the revelation that Monaka isn't the powerful fighter that Beerus makes him out to be, Goku becomes the strongest mortal fighter in Universe 7, especially after he manages to combine the Kaioken with Super Saiyan Blue.]]
** During the tournament of power, Goku takes this trope to new heights when he [[spoiler: gains and masters the power of Ultra Instinct allowing him to become faster, more skilled and stronger than any other fighter there. Unfortunately, it's still not enough to beat Jiren who either outlasts him (in the anime) or ''punches him out of Ultra Instinct'' (manga).]] But as he masters it and finally beats Jiren to the ground he regains this title.
** [[spoiler:He loses his title of strongest mortal fighter of Universe 7 in ''Anime/DragonBallSuperBroly'' to the titular saiyan since not only was he unable to defeat him, but Vegeta and Frieza, two of the other strongest fighters of Universe 7, also weren't able to even when he teamed up with the former.]]

** At the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, Tien proves to be his perfect equal and gives Goku his toughest match since Mercenary Tao. During the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, Goku removes his weighed clothes to fight Tien, something that impressed Kami since Goku only removes his cloths when he's being serious.

** Vegeta. In original manga/anime and the dub of Kai, this is the reason why he begs Krillin to spar his life. He wants to fight Vegeta again since he proves to be the better fighter at the time. Goku still uses Vegeta as a measuring bar for himself, even after he greatly surpasses him.
** Frieza. Goku ''hates'' this guy, but acknowledges him as a powerful fighter who pushed him to his limits. Goku was actually saddened as he witnessed Frieza's [[HowTheMightyHaveFallen spectacular fall from grace]]. In ''Anime/DragonBallZResurrectionF'', [[spoiler: Goku offers Frieza the chance to leave peacefully and fight again once he mastered his new transformation]]. This is {{Downplayed}} in ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'', where Goku purely despises Frieza and only spares him because he sees Frieza as [[NotWorthKilling too pathetic to kill]]. Even when forced to work with Frieza during the [[spoiler: Universal Survival Saga, he makes it clear that he doesn't like the guy and if he steps out of place, he ''will'' stop him]].

** Jiren the Gray. Upon meeting Jiren Goku is very quickly impressed by Jiren who's able of moving so fast than Goku can't see his movements at first and who's able of completely reading the trajectory of blocks coming in their way while staying immobile and completely calm while Goku panically dodges them, causing Goku to acknowledge him as an extraordinary individual. Goku also acknowledges Jiren as amazing several times, being clearly amazed by Jiren's strength and how he managed to become so powerful on his own, and expresses his intention to meet and face him again in the future.
* WouldHitAGirl: If she attacks him first, she's capable/strong enough to give him problems, and she's not Chichi, he will fight back. The most prominent example being him knocking out Lunch (in her violent "[[FanNickname Kushami]]" personality. {{Inverted|Trope}} when he does fight Chichi in the world tournament, though; he only dodges her attacks and [[WouldntHitAGirl refuses to lay a hand on her]], so he defeats her by using his fist to create a wave that knocks her out of the ring. Then again, considering she claimed that he promised to marry her, he might just have not wanted to hit his potential ''fiancee'' (and immediately did propose after learning it's the truth).

** In ''Resurrection 'F''', upon seeing how strong Frieza had become in such a short amount of time, Goku remarks that Frieza could have been a perfect sparring partner for him if he wasn't pure evil, and outright declares his newfound power a "waste of talent." In response, Frieza states that that kind of attitude is just one of ''many'' reasons he can't tolerate Goku's mere existence.

[[center:[-[[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], '''P-Z''') | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[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]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] [[[Characters/DragonBallBardock Bardock]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]] | [[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero (Android 20)]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6MajorCharacters Major Characters]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zeno]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGalacticPatrolAndPrisoners Galactic Patrol and Prisoners]] ([[Characters/DragonBallMoro Moro]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFusions Fusions (Video Game)]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterzBaseRoster Base Roster]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallLegends Legends]]]]-]

[[center:[-[[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], '''P-Z''') | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[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]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] [[[Characters/DragonBallBardock Bardock]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]] | [[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero (Android 20)]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6MajorCharacters Major Characters]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFrost Frost]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHit Hit]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKale Kale]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zeno]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGalacticPatrolAndPrisoners Galactic Patrol and Prisoners]] ([[Characters/DragonBallMoro Moro]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFusions Fusions (Video Game)]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFighterzBaseRoster Base Roster]]) [[Characters/DragonBallLegends Legends]]]]-]

[[center:[-[[Characters/DragonBall Main Character Index]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMainCharacters Main Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGoku Son Goku]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesAToC A-C]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesDToH D-H]], [[Characters/DragonBallSonGokuTropesIToO I-O]], '''P-Z''') | [[Characters/DragonBallBulma Bulma]] | [[Characters/DragonBallKrillin Krillin]] | [[Characters/DragonBallPiccolo Piccolo]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSonGohan Son Gohan]] | [[Characters/DragonBallVegeta Vegeta]] | [[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]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallSupportingCast Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZGTSupportingCast Z/GT Supporting Cast]] | [[Characters/DragonBallTournamentCharacters Tournament Characters]] | [[Characters/DragonBallOthers Other Characters]] ([[Characters/DragonBallSaiyans Saiyans]] [[[Characters/DragonBallBardock Bardock]]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallOriginalSeriesVillains Original Series Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZVillains DBZ Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallFrieza Freeza/Frieza]] [[[Characters/DragonBallFriezasEmpire Frieza's Empire]]] | [[Characters/DragonBallDrGero Dr. Gero - (Android 20)]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCell Cell]] | [[Characters/DragonBallMajinBuu Majin Buu]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZMovieVillains DBZ Movie Villains]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBroly Broly]] | [[Characters/DragonBallCooler Cooler]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallGTVillains GT Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallSuper Super]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse7 Universe 7]] ([[Characters/DragonBallBeerus Beerus]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse2 Universe 2]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse3 Universe 3]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse4 Universe 4]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6 Universe 6]] ([[Characters/DragonBallUniverse6MajorCharacters Major Characters]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse9 Universe 9]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse10 Universe 10]] | [[Characters/DragonBallUniverse11 Universe 11]] ([[Characters/DragonBallJiren Jiren]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallZeno Zeno]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGokuBlack Goku Black]] | [[Characters/DragonBallZamasu Zamasu]] | [[Characters/DragonBallHeroes Heroes]] | [[Characters/DragonballHeroesVillains DBH Villains]] | [[Characters/DragonBallGalacticPatrolAndPrisoners Galactic Patrol and Prisoners]] | [[Characters/DragonBallXenoverse Xenoverse]] | [[Characters/DragonBallFusions Fusions (Video Game)]] | [[Characters/DragonballFighterZ FighterZ]] ([[Characters/DragonBallAndroid21 Android 21]]) | [[Characters/DragonBallLegends Legends]]]]-]