Son Goku (孫 悟空, Son Gokū?, addressed only as Goku in most English adaptations) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise created by Akira Toriyama. He first appears in the manga chapter Bulma and Son Goku (ブルマと孫悟空, Buruma to Son Gokū?) first published in Weekly Shonen Jump magazine on December 3, 1984.[2] He is loosely based on Sun Wukong, a central character in Journey to the West. However, Toriyama changed some of his characteristics to be more original. Goku is introduced as an odd, monkey-tailed boy who practices martial arts and possesses superhuman strength.[3] As the story unfolds, he is actually revealed to be from a fictional race of extraterrestrials called Saiyans, said to be the strongest warriors within the fictional universe.[4]

Goku has starred in most of the episodes, films, and specials of the anime series Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT, as well as many of the spin-off video games. Outside of the Dragon Ball franchise, Goku has had cameo appearances in Toriyama's self-parody series Neko Majin Z. He has also been the subject of other parodies, and has appeared in various special events and in American pop culture.