History Characters / DragonBallSonGokuTropesPToZ

[[folder: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/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]]

* TohokuRegionalAccent: Downplayed, since he uses "ora" as a personal pronoun and his speech patterns in Japanese have some of this accent's vowel mutations (particularly the trouble with diphthongs), but none of the other phonological or grammatical changes. However, this still highlights how he was raised in the secluded countryside for most of his childhood since Tohoku accents are stereotypically associated with country hicks. This doesn't really come across in English, where he speaks more or less normally.

* 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.

* PowerMakesYourVoiceDeep: In the dub, Goku's voice drops when he becomes a Super Saiyan 3 and 4 to the point of becoming a BadassBaritone. In the ''Kai'' dub, his voice becomes deeper as a Super Saiyan, although nowhere near the extent of Super Saiyan 3 or 4.

* TalentVsTraining: This is the main factor in Goku and Vegeta's iconic rivalry. While both are members of the exceptionally powerful warrior race known as the Saiyans, Goku was born with a very low power level and became the impressive fighter he is known as today thanks to the training and trials he went through on Earth. Vegeta by contrast was born with the high power level expected of a Saiyan elite, and while he was a powerful fighter in his own right, he frequently finds himself playing second to Goku when it comes to getting stronger. That Goku unlocked the fabled Super Saiyan form before Vegeta only inflames Vegeta's wounded pride.

** As Goku continues to train his usage of Ultra Instinct in the ''Super'' manga, he realizes that his Saiyan BloodKnight tendencies and personality isn't suited for Perfected Ultra Instinct (the silver-hair form), which requires a completely calm and stoic mind. He instead decides to master Ultra Instinct Sign, allowing him to channel his emotions into the fight and be stronger than with Perfected Ultra Instinct.

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In ''Battle of Gods'', and it’s ''Super'' retelling, he becomes a literal god by preforming a ritual to become a Super Saiyan God, a divine transformation that allowed him to fight on par with Beerus. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue, which is more a powerful transformation than Super Saiyan God. And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In ''Battle of Gods'', and it’s ''Super'' retelling, he becomes a literal god by preforming a ritual to become a Super Saiyan God, a divine transformation that allowed him to fight on par with Beerus. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue which is a combination of his normal Super Saiyan form and his Super Saiyan God form. And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In ''Battle of Gods'', and it’s ''Super'' retelling, he becomes a literal god by preforming a ritual to become a Super Saiyan God, a divine transformation that allowed him to fight on par with Beerus. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue which is a combination of his normal Super Saiyan form and the power of Godly Ki. And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In ''Battle of Gods'', and it’s ''Super'' retelling, he becomes a literal god by preforming a ritual to become a Super Saiyan God, a divine transformation that allowed him to fight on par with Beerus. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue which is a combination of his normal Super Saiyan form and his Super Saiyan God form. And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In ''Battle of Gods'', and it’s ''Super'' retelling, he becomes a literal god by preforming a ritual to become a Super Saiyan God a divine transformation, allowing him to fight on par with Beerus. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue which is a combination of his normal Super Saiyan form and his Super Saiyan God form. And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: Goku was already powerful enough to fight against beings that are considered to be godlike in power. However In Battle of Gods he becomes a literal god by becoming a Super Saiyan God. He also has another godly form called Super Saiyan Blue which is a combination of his normal Super Saiyan form and his Super Saiyan God form.

* ParentalNeglect:
** [[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 -- 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.
** His specific moments are also a mixed bag. At first, he was ignorant of why Gohan wasn't going all-out against Cell even as he was being beaten badly, and had to get a WhatTheHellHero from Piccolo that Gohan doesn't think of battle the same way as him. Then, in the Buu Saga, [[EveryoneHasStandards Vegeta]], a Saiyan himself who actually grew up in their culture, [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out]] for instinctively saving [[MoralityPet Mr. Satan]] and [[HealingHands Dende]] from the destruction of Earth, rather than his own children, [[JerkassHasAPoint to which Goku has no defense]]. In ''Super'', Goku is supportive of Gohan's decision to pursue his career rather than fight, and a loving grandfather to Pan, while he and Goten have several nice bonding moments as well, the same applies in ''Z'' which gives Goku several moments of being a loving and protective father to his boys.

* PayEvilUntoEvil:
** This is Goku's mindset as a child. If you harmed or even tried to harm his friends or someone he likes, he pays it back with violent retribution, not caring if he kills the person. If he's mad enough, he will go out of his way to murder the responsible person, like he did against King Piccolo and all of his children save for Piccolo Jr.
** Frieza's entire fighting style is basically [[ColdBloodedTorture torturing people to death]] by physically overwhelming them with his power and pushing them to utter despair by making them die knowing that they never stood a chance against him. After Goku becomes a Super Saiyan, he spends almost the entire fight toying and brutalizing Frieza just as he has done to all of his victims. Goku wants Frieza to lose knowing that he never stood a chance. The ''only'' reason why Goku tries to spare Frieza is because he sees letting Frieza [[CruelMercy live with his pride in shambles as being a worse punishment than killing him]].
** 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 ''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.
* PersonOfMassDestruction: Like almost every character in ''Z'', Goku is this trope. Just him transforming into a Super Saiyan 3 nearly shakes the Earth apart and he isn't even touching the ground. However, ''Super'' takes this to a whole new level when Goku becomes a Super Saiyan God. His fight with Beerus nearly destroys the universe.
* PhysicalGod: For a majority of ''Z'' Goku was already powerful enough to take on opponents 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 powerful enough 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 opponents such as Frieza (in his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]] And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* ThePowerOfFriendship:
** ''Averted'' throughout Toriyama's original ''Dragon Ball'' manga. This is what Vegeta initially thought was the reason for Goku being a superior fighter, but after having found loved ones of his own, nothing changed. Turns out, Goku is a superior fighter because he's flat-out more talented; having someone to fight for being a secondary motivation, although it can make you more powerful in short bursts as shown in ''Battle of Gods''.
** In truth, Vegeta realized during the Buu Saga that [[ChallengeSeeker Goku fights to better himself and improve]]. Goku and Vegeta both love to fight but unlike Vegeta who fights to win, affirm himself as superior, and brag about how strong he is, Goku fights to push his limits and become stronger. [[GracefulLoser This is also why Goku takes defeat or knowledge that he's weaker than another better.]] It merely represents a new level of strength or a new goal for Goku to reach for. Unlike Vegeta who would become infuriated over being inferior to an adversity.
** [[DependingOnTheWriter Toei's adaptations and original works]] are much more likely to play it straight:
*** PlayedStraight and [[LampshadeHanging Lampshaded]] in ''Battle of Gods''. [[spoiler: Goku was able to reach Super Saiyan God by using the combined power of his sons, his unborn grandchild, his rival and his son (this was in the original script, before Toriyama was brought in for touch-ups and ended up rewriting half of it). When Beerus asked how Goku enjoyed godhood, he said he was disappointed that it was a power he couldn't reach by himself. Beerus gets on Goku for not appreciating the power he gained from his friends. By the end of the movie, Goku was able to regain his Super Saiyan God form when he thought about all the people depending on him to defeat Beerus (it's unknown if that part was in the script or if it came from Toriyama, but it's not in the ''Super'' manga)]].
*** PlayedStraight in all 15 of the ''DBZ'' movies. Most notably in the climax of the first Broly movie, where being gifted energy by his friends, son, and rival allows Goku to beat Broly in one blow.
*** PlayedStraight in the anime version of ''Super''. [[spoiler: During the Tournament of Power, Goku obtains Mastered Ultra Instinct and is pitted in a fight of ideals against Jiren, [[TheSocialDarwinist who subscribes to the ideal that trust and friendship is meaningless and that strength is all that matters.]] Goku finally understands that what he has is the power of his friends and their hopes and dreams on his back. It gets to the point where Jiren, furious over Goku's constant remarks, attempts to ''kill Goku's friends to prove a point'', only to have Goku make the save and literally beat him into the ground.]]
---> [[spoiler:'''Piccolo:''' Goku can reach these heights because he's not just fighting for himself. He fights for all of us. That's the difference here.\\
'''Master Roshi:''' Piccolo's right. Behind every one of Goku's strikes is a whole community of people who've grown up with him, strengthening him over a lifetime of unimaginable challenges. Each one has been crucial. They've been his friends and family, his allies and rivals, inspiring and pushing him forward. Goku doesn't imagine for one minute that he's gotten this far on his own!\\
'''Krillin:''' He's pushed all of us forward too, shaping us into the people we are today. A lot of us started out as his enemies. We were hostile and misguided. But he earned our respect and trust, and showed us a different way.\\
'''Tien:''' Even as he fights his opponents, he has a funny way of drawing them in. That's just the kind of man Goku is.\\
'''Beerus:''' Yes, I've seen it myself.]]
*** [[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.]]

* {{Pride}}: Unlike Vegeta and most villains, it's quite subtle, but it is there:
** Goku becomes very upset when Mr. Popo calls him weak and beats him effortlessly. Mr. Popo gets on Goku for underestimating him because he thought since he beat King Piccolo that he is the strongest in the world.
** When he is fighting Android 19 and losing because he's sick, he never once asks for help from his teammates, even when he is literally getting the life sucked out of him. This is most likely a mixture of Goku's pride not allowing him to ask for help and losing to an opponent who is inferior to him because his body betrays him. Even ''Vegeta'' calls him an idiot for fighting in his current health. In this case, Goku is too prideful to ask for assistance, but not to the point where he will reject help when given, unless it's a tournament.
** His Saiyan pride refuses to allow him to eat a senzu bean to restore himself when he's fighting against Cell, even when Cell suggests it.
** Goku despises how he became a Super Saiyan God since it's a level that he can't reach on his own. Beerus reprimands him on his pride keeping him from being happy that he has [[PowerOfFriendship friends who can support him]].
** 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.

* RememberWhenYouBlewUpASun:
** In the original series, his friends often reference how he demolished the Red Ribbon Army all by himself and it later becomes a plot point since Dr. Gero created the androids to get revenge on Goku for destroying the army. At the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, his friends, along with Tien and the Crane Hermit, finds out that he 'killed' Mercenary Tao, something that Master Roshi didn't believe at first. He then becomes known as the boy who killed King Piccolo among his friends, Kami, Mr. Popo, and a few outsiders like the King of the World. Three years later, he defeats the Demon King reborn, Piccolo Jr, who often references his defeat to Goku.
** Later, he becomes known throughout the universe as the person who defeated Frieza. It is brought up a few times by his friends and even the Kais. The reason why Beerus even wanted to see Goku is because he heard that he defeated Frieza as a Super Saiyan. He is also well-known for killing Majin Buu, which is one of the many reasons why Frieza's empire [[TheDreaded stood away from him]]. Even Frieza is greatly [[VillainRespect impressed]] when he hears that Goku killed Buu. After fighting Beerus, the battle is often used as a point of reference by Beerus to tell people how awesome Goku is, despite the fact that Goku didn't win.

* {{Revision}}: It was initially stated in-universe that Goku was sent to Earth to [[KillAllHumans wipe out humanity]] so Frieza's empire could sell the planet, but forgot that mission when he [[ChildhoodBrainDamage fell down a ravine and hit his head]]. In the short story ''Dragon Ball Minus'', released in 2013, it's revealed that Goku's parents actually sent him away to save him from Frieza's impending genocide of the Saiyans. It doesn't contradict anything within the story. Raditz was the only one who actually said that Goku was sent to Earth to kill the humans, and [[PoorCommunicationKills he could've easily misinterpreted why Goku was sent out, since Saiyans regularly sent their children out to conquer worlds anyway]]; the only ones who know the truth, Bardock and Gine, are long dead.
* TheRival: Goku has a lot of rivals over the years. Some stay more relevant than others:
** 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 World 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]].
** Piccolo, especially after their epic clash at the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament. Goku outright calls Piccolo his rival and [[WorthyOpponent is part of the reason why he spared him]]. They kept their rivalry up until the end of the Cell Saga where Piccolo accepts that he can no longer compete against the Saiyans. Doesn't stop him from training and wanting to put up a good fight against Goku when they do spar.
** 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.
** Looking across universes, Goku has developed an enduring friendly rivalry with [[ProfessionalKiller Hit]], to the extent he [[spoiler: hired Hit to kill him, just so they could fight at his best. Hit returns the mutual respect, but it doesn't make Hit any less inclined to fulfill his contract.]]
** 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.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Despite Goku's kind and gentle nature, he has a lot of these:
** 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.
** The entire King Piccolo Saga is one long RoaringRampageOfRevenge for Goku. He wants to kill Piccolo and all his sons to avenge Krillin and later Master Roshi.
** He has a TranquilFury version of this trope after he discovers that most of his friends were killed by the Saiyans.
** Near the end of the Frieza Saga, Goku goes full roaring rampage after Frieza murders Krillin, triggering his Super Saiyan transformation.
** His battle against [[spoiler: Goku Black and Future Zamasu]] in the Future Trunks Saga of ''Super'' blows all previous rampages straight out of the water. Then again, finding out that [[spoiler: an alternate timeline version of your wife and youngest child have been slaughtered by a guy using your own body will do that for you]]. It pushes him into actually [[ThisIsUnforgivable trying to]] ''[[ThisIsUnforgivable kill]]'' [[ThisIsUnforgivable the ones responsible]], [[UnstoppableRage consequences and injuries be damned.]] It also becomes a secondary motivation for Goku for the remainder of the arc.
* RousingSpeech: Goku gives a surprisingly potent Rousing Speech to Vegeta in ''Z'' 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!"
** Even through this is DubText. The original has Goku telling that everyone they knew were absorbed by Buu, and that's the reasons he's so ridiculously strong. Still, even in the original text, he asked Vegeta if he was going to allow Buu to get away with killing everyone and absorbing their sons.
* RunningGag: His fear of his wife's temper, which is PlayedForLaughs. Also, his fear of needles (anime only). Also, [[ClothingDamage his inability to keep his shirt intact]] during an intense fight. He has a habit of biting his enemies during a fight as well, which works surprisingly well.

* SadisticChoice:
** Boss Rabbit threatened to eat Bulma, [[MakesSenseInContext who got turned into a carrot]], if he tries to fight back against his henchmen. Goku surrenders and is beaten up. Yamcha and Puar are forced to intervene.
** General White tries to force Goku into one by taking the Mayor hostage and force his surrender. The Mayor implores Goku to kill White for the good of the village. Goku is willing to oblige, shocking both White ''and'' the Mayor who were probably expecting a more heroic response.
** Once King Piccolo got desperate, he takes Tien hostage, threatening to kill him if Goku moves. Tien urges Goku to kill Piccolo, but he chooses not to fight as Piccolo blows a rock at him, breaking Goku's left arm. Goku then resolves to kill Piccolo, saying that he will wish Tien back with the Dragon Balls, only to learn that Piccolo killed Shenron. While he's stunned by this revelation, Piccolo blows another rock, breaking Goku's good knee, putting him at Piccolo's mercy.
** 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 awaken Buu. He fails.

* SmugSuper:
** Goku when he was a kid, especially after beating Mercenary Tao and later King Piccolo. He played around during battle, let his opponents hit him, and often gloats about how powerful he was. He got away scott-free with Tao and it took Mr. Popo handing him his tail to deflate his ego after killing Piccolo.
** 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.
** After becoming a Super Saiyan, Goku could have beating Frieza in minutes, but he allows Frieza to power-up and score free hits just to show Frieza that he never had a chance at winning.
** Possibly his sickest burn was when he told ''Vegeta'', the king of ego, that he (Goku) was far above Vegeta in terms of strength. This has been the only time Goku has openly acknowledged his superiority to Vegeta verbally and Vegeta needed a whole bag of Senzu after that.
** {{Averted}} throughout the Buu Saga where Goku went out of his way to hide how powerful he is. He purposely didn't fight Vegeta as a Super Saiyan 3 to save energy and Vegeta's feelings, and didn't go all out against Buu because he didn't want to be the one to save the day. He also holds back against Kid Buu because he wants Vegeta to have a turn (he was showing off in the original Japanese anime, though the manga had Goku trying to finish off kid Buu from the start with Buu simply not holding still long enough, tiring him out). In all cases, things would have been better if Goku had acted like a smug super.
** 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 ''Super'' 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 ''Resurrection 'F''', 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 Zenos and reminds the present Zeno 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 Zeno 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 Zeno. 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 outmatched he is by Jiren and latter beings like [[spoiler:Kefla]]. His carefree and enjoyable grin fully dies however from episode 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.
* SoLastSeason:
** 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 ''Super'' 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]].
** PlayedWith with the regular Super Saiyan form. In ''Z'', Super Saiyan was obsolete by the end of the Cell Games with Gohan becoming a Super Saiyan 2. It becomes even more useless (outside of taking out {{Elite Mook}}s) after Super Saiyan 3, Fusion, and Gohan's Ultimate state are revealed. However, thanks to Goku absorbing the power of godhood into his body, his normal Super Saiyan form is now more powerful than Super Saiyan 3 or Gohan at full power. According to Toriyama, Goku will never use Super Saiyan 2 or 3 again, [[BoringButPractical choosing to instead to improve him normal form and his regular Super Saiyan state]] since Super Saiyan 2 and 3 are nothing more than extensions to Super Saiyan that [[AwesomeButImpractical drains more energy in the long run]]. Goku can also make his normal Super Saiyan forms stronger by merging his god energy with it, creating Super Saiyan Blue. At the Universal Tournament, Goku is able to easily overwhelm Frost, who's much stronger than Frieza even after his four months of TrainingFromHell (bar not having a SuperMode), just by using his gold Super Saiyan form. Although, he does uses Super Saiyan 2 and 3 again in the Future Trunks Saga, he uses Super Saiyan 3 to show Trunks the next level of Super Saiyan, and Super Saiyan 2 is used as an in-between transformation to test opponents who are stronger than a normal Super Saiyan.

* StoryBreakerPower:
** Goku was already powerful, being the only unfused character to reach Super Saiyan 3, but his strength went up to literal god levels after he became a Super Saiyan God. Normally, Super Saiyan God is a temporary form that burns out after a set amount of time. However, Goku absorbs the power of godhood into his body making his base form stronger than he ever was as a Super Saiyan. After training with Whis, he learns to fuse his god powers with his normal Super Saiyan form, creating Super Saiyan Blue. By the start of the Champa Saga in ''Super'', only people within Beerus' level of power can challenge him. He manages to get even further by being able to combine Super Saiyan Blue with the Kaioken, [[BeyondTheImpossible something that was thought to be impossible]].
** 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.
** The aforementioned Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken makes Goku so inhumanely powerful that he can NoSell Hit's ability to stop time. That said, the fact that it caused his ki to get temporarily stunted rendered it AwesomeYetImpractical.
** Then there comes Ultra Instinct, which is pretty much the ability to react to any attack without even needing to be aware of it. [[spoiler:And this is ''before'' he achieves the Mastered variant, which heightens his dull (by Ultra Instinct standards) attacks to the max.]]

* 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 ''Z'' 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.
** As of ''Dragon Ball Minus'', Goku becomes far closer to this: his parents, noticing there was something wrong in Frieza suddenly recalling all Saiyan to their homeworld, stole an attack ball and sent the infant Goku to Earth for his safety, as the planet had enough food for even [[BigEater a Saiyan's immense appetite]], [[HumanAlien his inhabitants looked like Saiyan without the tail]] but [[PunyEarthlings weren't powerful enough to pose a threat to him]], and [[InsignificantLittleBluePlanet the planet has nothing to get Frieza's lethal attention]], planning to retrieve him later if their suspicions were proven wrong and telling their older son Raditz (who was already to safety) in case they were right... [[PoorCommunicationKills but forgetting to tell him just]] ''[[PoorCommunicationKills why]]'' [[PoorCommunicationKills they had sent him there]], leading to Raditz assuming his brother had been sent to Earth on a planetary annihilation mission just like the one he was on-and becoming furious when he found out Goku had gone native.

** Being a PhysicalGod might make you close to invincible, but unless you're from a species like Frieza, Cell, or Buu who can survive without oxygen, you still need to breathe. Goku nearly died from Frieza drowning him and if Namek exploding didn't kill Goku, him suffocating in space would have.

** While training to stay in his Super Saiyan form, he wrecks his house since he had trouble controlling his strength. He also sent Chi-Chi flying after playfully patting her on the back because he's been away from over a year and forgotten how fragile regular people are.

* ThisIsGonnaSuck: Goku has a few of these across the franchise:
** He has a version of this trope when he realizes that the only way to match Vegeta who greatly outclass him is to use a Kaioken X3. He was explicitly told by King Kai to never go past a double since his body couldn't handle it and he could explode. Having no choice, Goku braces himself for the pain.
** In the Buu Saga, he has a visible 'this is gonna to suck' reaction when he comes to the conclusion that he had to merge with Mr. Satan, permanently, in order to have even a slight chance against Buu after he absorbed Gohan, Goten, Trunks, and Piccolo. In the Japanese version, he wonders if he will become weaker from the fusion.
** Although not said in words, Goku expresses this sentiment to Future Trunks when they're cornered by [[spoiler: Goku Black and Future Zamasu]], both who are able to beat him up as a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, and Trunks only being a Super Saiyan 2. Goku can only tell Trunks to give it all they have and hopefully live long enough to come up with a plan. Also, when [[spoiler: Goku Black]] fires his Kamehameha at them and [[spoiler: Future Zamasu]] holds them in place, Trunks gives a classic OhCrap expression, while Goku only grunts in resignation.

** 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 it, 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.
** After waking from being comatose for ten days, Goku knows he isn't a match for any of the androids. He decides to spend a year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to surpass the level of Super Saiyan. He also decides to unlock Gohan's full potential as well, making him stronger than him.
** Goku tries this when he briefly trains to become a Super Saiyan God. He can't do it since he has no clue how to reach it. He isn't happy when he learns that he has to go through a ritual to obtain godhood and it isn't something he can gain on his own.

* TookALevelInBadass: This can easily define the entire ''Dragon Ball'' series, to be honest, as nearly every time Goku has to take on a major villain, and gets his Saiyan tail handed to him on a silver platter, he has to undergo some form of training to boost his power levels beyond what was previously thought possible.
** In the first saga of the series, Goku's Kamehameha can barely wreck a car or put a hole in a steel enforced wall. After training with Master Roshi for eight months, he can produced a Kamehameha equal to him. He can also fight Roshi as an equal when before, Roshi was laughably above him.
** Goku climbs Korin Tower to drink the Sacred Water that is suppose to make him stronger so he can fight Mercenary Tao, who stomped him effortlessly, and take back the Dragon Balls. Once he descends, he goes from being utterly outmatched against Tao to being his superior.
** King Piccolo. Goku went from being unable to match the Namekian Demon King to being equal to him in power (even if he isn't equal to him in pragmatism).
** In the Saiyan Saga, Goku effortlessly beat down Nappa who's about three times stronger than Raditz. The same Raditz that Goku and Piccolo barely beat together, and Goku had to [[HeroicSacrifice sacrifice]] his life to win.
** On Namek, Goku takes out the entire Ginyu Force like they're fodder. This is the same group that [[TheDreaded terrifies]] Vegeta and beat him like a little kid. Keep in mind, Goku couldn't beat Vegeta on Earth whose power level was 18,000. The Ginyu Force in comparison is around 40 to 50,000 with Ginyu being a whopping 120,000.
** In the Android/Cell Saga, Goku was much weaker than the Androids and Cell even in his Imperfect state. By the time he faces Perfect Cell, he is able to fight the bio-android as an equal and pushed Cell harder than anyone outside of Gohan.
** ''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 Frieza 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 ''Resurrection 'F''', [[spoiler: he fights Frieza's final 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 ''Super'', 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]]]].
** After finding out that [[spoiler: Goku Black murdered alternate versions of Chi-Chi and Goten after stealing his body]], Goku becomes so mad that he powers up and beats the crap out of Black and [[spoiler: Future Zamasu]].
** In their rematch, Goku is able to counter Hit's advanced [[spoiler: Time-Skip]] techniques without the [[spoiler: Kaioken]].
** In the Champa Saga, just activating the [[spoiler: the Kaioken with Super Saiyan Blue had a 10% success rate and failure meant Goku would severely hurt his body or even kill him]]. By the Universal Survival Saga, Goku can [[spoiler: activate the base-level Kaioken as much as he wants, multiple times without any distress]].
** In the Universal Survival Saga, [[spoiler: he challenges Golden Frieza to a spar. Keep in mind that Golden Frieza not only overpowered Goku in the Resurrection 'F' Saga, but he has gotten even stronger from mental training in Hell. Goku and Frieza both knock each other out in one punch, showing that Goku is Golden Frieza's equal even if he has gotten stronger]].

* UnderestimatingBadassery: Despite Goku's sportsman-like nature, he does underestimate his opponents at times:
** When he first meets King Piccolo, he dismisses him as not being particularly strong. He gets a rude wake-up call after Piccolo beats him so brutally that [[NotQuiteDead his heart temporarily stops]].
** He thought he would have an easy time with Mr. Popo after he beat King Piccolo, becoming the strongest in the world. He's left stunned and angry that Mr. Popo made an utter fool out of him.
** [[DownplayedTrope Downplayed]] with Nappa; Goku is significantly more powerful than him, but he acknowledges that he did underestimate Nappa after he takes several powerful hits from him and is still able to fight.
** Like everyone else in the cast save for King Kai, Goku didn't realize how powerful Frieza was until he revealed that half of his max power could crush him.
** Goku truly believes that Super Saiyan 3 will be too much for Beerus, offering to turn it down to Super Saiyan 2. [[spoiler: Goku can't even touch Beerus and goes down in two hits]].
** Goku and Vegeta badly underestimated [[spoiler: Goku Black]] since they were told that he was only as strong as Super Saiyan 3 Goku at his maximum power. [[DidntSeeThatComing They didn't expect]] Black to become strong enough to beat back a Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan, [[spoiler: have his own Super Saiyan form, or to have an energy sword that could pierce though Vegeta like he's made of cardboard]]. He also underestimated [[spoiler: Future Zamasu]] since the last time they fought, he was far weaker than Goku and wasn't [[spoiler: an immortal]].
** This also applies to himself, as a lot of his enemies underestimate just how powerful he really is. Notable cases include the Ginyu Force, opponents from his first Tenkaichi Budokai debut since [[JustAKid he's just a kid]], and Champa, who is shocked when Goku easily beat Botamo and would have crushed Frost [[spoiler: if he hadn't cheated.]]

** 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, Future Trunks, and Android 16 (albeit Trunks' death was nullified soon after Cell's defeat but, for Goku, it took way more time for him to be brought back).
** While Goku, by his own admission, could have killed the Fat Majin Buu at Super Saiyan 3, he deliberately chose not to because he wanted to give Trunks and Goten the chance to do so and because he didn't want the next generation to think they could just depend on him all the time, especially since he was dead at the time and only had a one day pass. Goku's inaction leads to the birth of Super Buu, resulting in things getting ''much'' worse before they get any better, leaving the remaining Z-Fighters with a far more powerful and dangerous enemy to contend with, and Goten and Trunks can't handle it because for all their power, they're still little kids.
** On another level, him holding back during the fight against Majin Vegeta to save his pride causes Vegeta to believe that he can defeat Buu and leads to his SenselessSacrifice. Vegeta makes sure to chew Goku out over this when he's semi-revived near the end of the Buu Saga.
** During the Future Trunks Saga of ''Super'', his meeting and subsequent sparring match with Zamasu ends up triggering his StartOfDarkness. After seeing how Goku, a mere mortal, could become powerful enough to challenge the gods, Zamasu begins a downward spiral, going from simply distrusting mortals and seeing them as foolish to a full-blown JerkassGod who seeks to [[KillAllHumans wipe out all mortal life]].
** He reminds Zeno of the multiversal tournament promise he made back in the Champa Saga. Zeno 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]].

** How he ends up defeating [[TerminatorImpersonator Major Metallitron]] at Muscle Tower. Metallitron just keeps coming at Goku no matter how much damage he takes, even after Goku blows his head off; he only stops when his batteries run out.
** Although he is stronger than Frieza after becoming a Super Saiyan, he mostly beats Frieza because his power began to rapidly drop after he uses his full strength. As Goku surmises, Frieza can't control his full power since he never had to fight seriously before, which is why he burns himself out in such a short amount of time.
** [[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 ''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]].

** Chi-Chi calls Goku out all the time for putting Gohan in danger by taking him into battle, although most of those situations were out of Goku's hands.
** King Kai yells at Goku to finish off Frieza before he reached his max power so he can leave the planet with his friends. Goku completely disregards his warnings even when he's told to think of his son, Piccolo, and Bulma. He gets another when King Kai tells him it's better to escape the exploding Namek with the Dragon Balls instead of fighting to the death against Frieza and is once again ignored. By that point, King Kai considers Goku a lost cause.
** Vegeta of all people scolds him for fighting Android 19 despite knowing something was wrong with his body and going Super Saiyan on top of that, which made his sickness worse.
** Piccolo does not take well to Goku's XanatosGambit to beating Cell (throwing Gohan out to fight, hoping that he will attain a power beyond Super Saiyan) and calls him out on it. Goku reacts with a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment when it finally sinks in that Gohan is probably going to die, and now it's too late to do anything about it. Fortunately, Gohan doesn't die, but Piccolo is quite angry at the fact that Goku has basically thrown his own son into a death match against an incredibly powerful sadist. Which is interesting on Piccolo's part given that this is the same person who kidnapped Gohan when he was four to train to fight against two super-powered aliens who were known for their cruelty and wondered why Gohan was so ineffective despite Krillin pointing out that Gohan was five and has never been in a live battle before.
** Before then, everyone went 'what the hell' when Goku quit the fight against Cell, including ''Cell'' himself.
** 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, Mr. Satan and Bee 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.
** Inverted and played straight. 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 ''Battle of Gods'', 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 ''Super'', King Kai asked what Goku was thinking fighting Beerus. He says to the effect, 'what were you even fighting for?'.
** Also from ''Super'', Piccolo gets on Goku for being careless with his Kamehameha after he achieved godhood. Goku is so giddy about his new power that he forgot that his friends were there.
** And again from ''Super'', he gets one from Beerus of all people for reminding Zeno of the multiverse martial arts tournament he promised, because [[BloodKnight he was bored]]. Beerus' warnings turn out to be correcting since Zeno 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]].
** No one is happy when they learned that Goku lied about there being prized money for the winner of the Tournament of Power. Krillin is especially hurt since his best friend lied to him.

* TheWorfEffect: The best way to let everyone know that the cast is in ''really'' deep trouble, [[TheAce Goku]] will be beaten badly by the latest threat. This doesn't happen too often, at least compared to other characters, so the impact is still quite powerful:
** In the first story arc, Goku was nearly invincible with Yamcha only coming close to beating him because he was hungry. Then he met the Ox-King. His attacks didn't even make the guy flinch. He was only saved because Ox-King recognizes the Flying Nimbus as belonging to his former master.
** While training, Master Roshi demonstrates to both Krillin and Goku that he is ''much'' faster than them.
** While searching for the Four-Star Dragon Ball, Goku has a fairly easy time fighting the Red Ribbon Army with only General Blue proving any real challenge. When Mercenary Tao came, he easily beats Goku and nearly kills him with a well placed Dodon Ray.
** After easily handling Tambourine, the monster who murdered Krillin and dozens of other renowned martial artists, Goku gets beaten so badly by King Piccolo that his heart stops.
** 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.
** After he easily mops the floor with Nappa, Goku struggles against Vegeta, who he can barely touch with a X2 Kaioken. He is forced to use a Kaioken X3 to overwhelm Vegeta and that badly damages his body.
** Goku is able to fight almost evenly with Frieza in his final form. Before then, even Vegeta at his absolute best couldn't touch him. Then, Frieza powers up to half of his maximum power and beats the crud out of Goku. To add further insult, Frieza claims that he's barely pushing a third of his power and half is simply overkill. Even using a Kaioken X20 and a Spirit Bomb the size of a small moon didn't slow Frieza down. Things only turn around after Goku ascends to Super Saiyan.
** During the Cell Games, Goku fully masters Super Saiyan to face Cell, and after fighting him for a while, chooses to surrender, admitting Cell is stronger and he just can't win. His claim is validated when Cell [[IAmNotLeftHanded unleashes his full power]] to fight Super Saiyan 2 Gohan, a PowerLevel Goku and the rest of the Z-Fighters deem "[[ReadingsAreOffTheScale unfathomable]]."
** The first sign of just how powerful Beerus is in ''Battle of Gods''? Goku can't land a single hit on him at Super Saiyan 3, and Beerus takes him down with just a [[FingerPokeOfDoom flick of the finger]] and a karate chop.
** 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.
* WorfHadTheFlu:
** PlayedForLaughs in the first story arc. When Goku is in the middle of his fight with Yamcha, he loses energy because he's hungry, 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.
** PlayedForDrama when Tambourine nearly kills a tired Goku after the 22nd World Tournament.
** He gets his heart virus in the middle of his fight against Android 19, which causes him to rapidly lose energy and is nearly killed. Before then, he dominated the fight.
** When Cell releases the Cell Juniors, only Vegeta and Trunks manage to hold their own against them. Goku is beaten badly by his Cell Junior due to being exhausted from his own fight with Cell and having not taken a Senzu Bean.
** Goku says that the reason he had so much trouble with Super Saiyan 3 after coming back to life is because he isn't use to having a living body after being dead for seven years. His dead body was much more durable and had nearly endless energy.
** Actually subverted in his fight with Future Zamasu in the ''Super'' manga. His failed attempt at using the [[spoiler:Evil Containment Wave]] was explicitly stated to have drained most of his power, on top of eliminating his ability to transform into Super Saiyan Blue. Despite this, Zamasu is so weak compared to him that Goku is still able to smack him around easily.

* 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 ''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).]]
** [[spoiler:He loses his title of strongest mortal fighter of Universe 7 in ''DBS: Broly'' 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.]]
* WorthyOpponent: Goku has a lot of rivals and few do fit this trope:
** 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 clothes when he's being serious.
** Piccolo. After Goku beats him at the 23rd Martial Arts Tournament, he lets Piccolo live not only for Kami and the Dragon Balls' sake, but also because he gave him such a good match on top of not being as evil as his father. Even after he greatly surpassed Piccolo, he still sees him as a sparring partner.
** Vegeta. In the 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 ''Resurrection F'', [[spoiler: Goku offers Frieza the chance to leave peacefully and fight again once he mastered his new transformation]]. This is {{Downplayed}} in ''Super'', 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]].
** He doesn't like Cell since he's a mass-murdering android, but he respects his strength and [[GracefulLoser bows out gracefully from the Cell Games]], calling Cell the better fighter.
** Majin Buu, specifically his final, pure form. Goku had so much fun fighting him that he wished that King Yemma would bring him back as a good person so they can fight again. He gets his wish in Uub, who he takes in as his student.
** The God of Destruction Beerus. [[spoiler: He remains one of the few people to beat Goku in a straight fight]] and he did it ''twice''. Goku respects him as the strongest in the universe and the bar to surpass.
** In ''Super'', Goku views Frost as this, since he is a GoodCounterpart to Frieza who fights for a noble cause on top of being very powerful. [[spoiler: This is before he learns that Frost is a dirty cheater who is just as bad if not worse than Frieza]].
** At the same tournament, Goku begins to see Hit as this to the point that he shows Hit the technique he has been perfecting for his rematch against Beerus. [[spoiler: It is the combination of Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan and the Kaio-Ken, a combo so unstable that it has a 90% failure rate and is incomplete]], but Goku feels Hit deserves nothing less. When their fight gets interrupted mid match, [[spoiler:and Goku realizes that Hit couldn't go all out during their match due to the no kill rule the tournament dictates, Goku puts a hit out ''on himself'' so that he and Hit can both have the rematch they want.]]
** 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.

* PoliticallyIncorrectHero: In an outtake of the Funimation dub, Goku calls Gohan a "faggot" six times.

* PhysicalGod: For a majority of ''Z'' Goku was already powerful enough to take on beings that are considered to be god-like opponents 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 powerful enough 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 opponents such as Frieza (in his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]] And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* PhysicalGod: 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 powerful enough 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 opponents such as Frieza (in his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]] And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

* SimpleStaff: The Power Pole/''Nyoi-Bo'', [[TelescopingStaff which can also extend to extraordinary lengths]], even reaching ''the moon''.

* PhysicalGod:
** 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 powerful enough 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 opponents such as Frieza (in his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]]
** And then, [[spoiler:Goku transcends the power of the Gods by acquiring the legendary 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.]]

[[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]]\\

** His specific moments are also a mixed bag. At first, he was ignorant of why Gohan wasn't going all-out against Cell even as he was being beaten badly, and had to get a WhatTheHellHero from Piccolo that Gohan doesn't think of battle the same way as him. Then, in the Buu Saga, [[EveryoneHasStandards Vegeta]], a Saiyan himself who actually grew up in their culture, [[WhatTheHellHero calls him out]] for instinctively saving [[MoralityPet Mr. Satan]] and [[HealingHands Dende]] from the destruction of Earth, rather than his own children, [[JerkassHasAPoint to which Goku has no defense]]. In ''Super'', Goku is supportive of Gohan's decision to pursue his career rather than fight, and a loving grandfather to Pan, while he and Goten have several nice bonding moments as well.

* PassedInTheirSleep: How Future Goku is depicted to have died to the heart virus. He dies in his bed and was most likely comatose given how main timeline Goku remained in a coma while he was ill.

* ProtagonistPowerUpPrivileges: He is usually always the first to train at a new training ground or method of training, then moves on to a new one when the rest of the heroes make it there. Next to Master Roshi, he was one of the few characters with an energy range attack. He's also the first to reach Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and [[spoiler:Ultra Instinct as a transformation (outside of Gods of Destruction and Angels, who attain it as more of a mental state)]]. Before Cell took it and the Supreme Kai's appearance, he was also the only character able to teleport. However, Vegeta was the first Super Saiyan 2nd grade and the first to train with Whis, along with his exclusive [[spoiler: Beyond Super Saiyan Blue]], and Gohan was the first Super Saiyan 2.

* RunningGag: His fear of his wife's temper, which is PlayedForLaughs. Also, his understandable fear of needles (anime only). Also, [[ClothingDamage his inability to keep his shirt intact]] during an intense fight. He has a habit of biting his enemies during a fight as well, which works surprisingly well.

* {{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 to 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.

** Piccolo does not take well to Goku's XanatosGambit to beating Cell (throwing Gohan out to fight, hoping that he will attain a power beyond Super Saiyan) and calls him out on it. Goku reacts with a MyGodWhatHaveIDone moment when it finally sinks in that Gohan is probably going to die, and now it's too late to do anything about it. Fortunately, Gohan doesn't die, but Piccolo is quite angry at the fact that Goku has basically thrown his own son into a death match against an incredibly powerful sadist. Which is interesting on Piccolo's part given that this is the same person who kidnapped Gohan when he was four to train to fight against two super-powered aliens who were known for their cruelty and wondered why Gohan was so ineffective despite Krillin pointed out that Gohan was five and never been in a live battle.

** 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.

** 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 powerful enough 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 opponents such as Frieza (in the his new Golden Frieza form), Hit, Goku Black, Zamasu etc.]]

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* PowerCopying: Ironically, despite being TheAce, Goku never really creates his own original technique in the series. All of his [[SignatureMove signature techniques]] are moves [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he adapted from his friends]], or learned from his masters. The technique he uses to kill King Piccolo (called either the Monkey Fist or the Fist of Son Goku) was his only original technique for a long time, along with possibly the Dragon Fist [[note]]which, on top of being canonically debatable since it's only used in the movies and ''GT'', is more or less a stylistic adaptation of the Monkey Fist anyway[[/note]]. In ''Super'', he also used an unnamed, one-off 'ki landmine' move against Jiren, but it's debatable how original it is. He finally comes up with one in ''Dragon Ball Super: Broly'' when he uses God Bind, which uses his Ki to stop the opponent in their tracks.

* PowerCopying: Ironically, despite being TheAce, Goku never really creates his own original technique in the series. [[note]]Especially when you consider his sons managed to do so.[[/note]] All of his [[SignatureMove signature techniques]] are moves [[AwesomenessByAnalysis he adapted from his friends]], or learned from his masters. The technique he uses to kill King Piccolo (called either the Monkey Fist or the Fist of Son Goku) was his only original technique for a long time, along with possibly the Dragon Fist [[note]]which, on top of being canonically debatable since it's only used in the movies and ''GT'', is more or less a stylistic adaptation of the Monkey Fist anyway[[/note]]. In ''Super'', he also used an unnamed, one-off 'ki landmine' move against Jiren, but it's debatable how original it is.