How Old and How Tall Is Goku in Dragon Ball?

Goku (born Kakarot on April 18) has the body of a 40-year-old but is over 150 years old in the DragonBall series. His height is listed as 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm).

Goku is the main protagonist of Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball franchise. Throughout the series, fans and general viewers got to see the Saiyan hero go from being a young 11-year-old boy alone in the world to starting a family of his own and experiencing life with friends, some of whom were former rivals. This article focuses on Goku’s age, both physically and psychologically, throughout the iconic anime franchise.

How Old is Goku in Dragon Ball?

According to several sources, Goku is discovered by a then-teenage Bulma as an 11-year-old. Other sources have also ascertained the fact that the Saiyan warrior was born on April 18.

His age changed in the course of the series. Part of his eleventh year was spent accompanying Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong, and Puar in their quest to retrieve the Dragon Balls that will enable them to prevent Emperor Pilaf and his army from using those balls for world domination.

The remainder of his eleventh year was spent training alongside Krillin under Master Roshi in preparation for the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament, a tournament he lost to the master who was in the disguise of Jackie Cheung.

It took Goku three years to prepare for the 22nd World Martial Arts Tournament, but he ended up narrowly losing to Tien. By then, the Saiyan warrior was 15 years old and had already grown into his own as a formidable force with his expert defeat of the evil Red Ribbon Army before the tournament.

He reinforced his growing reputation as a fearsome warrior with the defeat of King Piccolo and his army. Just after that defeat, he learned that the King’s son, who was considered even more powerful than his father, would be competing in the next World Martial Arts Tournament.

Having begun the first installment of the Dragon Ball Series as an 11-year-old, Goku ended the first part as an 18-year-old world champion and husband. The first part of his achievement came after defeating Piccolo’s son in the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, and he became a husband after marrying Chi-Chi afterward.

Goku Began Dragon Ball Z as a 23-Year-Old

As many fans and viewers are aware, the creators of the anime set the beginning of the events of Dragon Ball Z to happen five years after the end of Dragon Ball. This turn of events essentially meant that the show’s protagonist Goku began the series as a twenty-three-year-old man who had also become a father to a five-year-old son named Gohan.

Dragon Ball Z also brought about the initially subtle but later significant contrast to Goku’s age, both physically and psychologically. After learning of his Saiyan heritage from his estranged evil brother, Raditz, the Saiyan hero sacrificed his life for Piccolo in a bid to end Raditz’s reign of terror.

His sacrifice allowed the rest of the Z fighters to train on earth in anticipation of Vegeta and Nappa’s arrival. Goku himself is shown training in the afterlife before he is brought back to life with the Dragon Balls one year after his demise.

Even though Goku was resurrected as a 23-year-old with all the physical characteristics that came with that, he had transitioned psychologically to a 24-year-old. He eventually assists in getting Vegeta away from earth.

He spends the next three years, after defeating Frieza, training with the Z fighters for the arrival of the androids, as predicted by the alternate future Trunks. It is important to point out the additional three years meant that Goku had become 26 years old physically but 27 psychologically.

However, after spending one year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training with his son Gohan, he emerged as a 27-year-old both physically and mentally to confront Cell in the Cell Games. Again, Goku sacrifices himself against Cell to preserve Earth’s existence.

Unlike the first time, when he was dead for just a year, Goku remained dead for about seven years until Elder Kai brought him back to life to help defeat Majin Buu. He returned to life with the physical body of a 27-year-old man but with the psychological mindset of a 34-year-old.

The 10-year time jump for the series epilogue meant that Goku was now 37 years old physically but 44 psychologically. Vegeta, however, did reveal that Saiyans’ aging slows down once they reach their physical peak condition to help them adjust to fighting longer and more effectively.

Goku Became 11 Years Old Again in Dragon Ball GT

Storywise, the events of Dragon Ball GT began around five years after the conclusion of Dragon Ball Z and showed a physically 42-year-old but mentally 49-year-old Goku returning from his completion of Uub’s (good reincarnation of Kid Buu) training.

However, his physical makeup as a 42-year-old reverted after his encounter with Emperor Pilaf, who used the Black Star Dragon Balls to turn Goku into an 11-year-old boy once again. Nevertheless, his physical change did not alter his psychological makeup as a 49-year-old.

It took Goku one year to recover the Black Star Dragon Balls, at which time he had physically become a 12-year-old but with the mental acuity of a 50-year-old.  Another one-year-time jump took the Saiyan warrior to age 13 physically but 51 psychologically.

A GT epilogue and television special was set to take place around 100 years into the future after Goku merges with the eternal dragon. While that featured the Saiyan hero in his physical prime as an adult, his exact physical age is unknown, but the time jump essentially confirmed his psychological age as 151 years old at the end of GT.

How Old is Goku in Super?

At the end of Super, Goku is physically 32 years old but psychologically 39 years old. For clarity, the events of Super takes place within the decade-long time gap between Majin Buu’s defeat at the end of Dragon Ball Z  and the epilogue that followed.

It also began with a physically 31-year-old but mentally 38-year-old Goku. It also depicts the Saiyan warrior training with Vegeta leading up to the events that transpired subsequently.

How Tall Is Goku?

Goku is 5 feet 9 inches (175 cm) tall. At that height, the fearsome warrior is just about as tall as the average American man. Throughout the series, we saw the Saiyan warrior grow through puberty.

The series’ protagonist started the series as an 11-year-old, which when put in context, meant that he was around 4 ft tall. He only grew to his full height of over 5 feet when he turned 24 years old, according to several sources.

How Much Does Goku Weigh?

Goku weighs approximately 62 kg (138 lbs). Most of his weight comes from his impressive muscle mass acquired through years of intensive training.

In terms of personality, Goku began as an aggressive alien sent to take over the earth. But after years of interaction with the people living on the planet he was sent to overthrow, he developed new personality traits that included loyalty and other virtuous moralities.

Being an alien and with additional training, Goku became a fierce warrior who developed the ability to emerge victorious even when the odds were stacked against him. His innate ability to see the good in others, even when they struggled to see it, helped him transform several enemies into fierce, loyal allies.

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