NEWS

FEATURED

Weekly ☆ Character Showcase #18: Great Demon King Piccolo Arc's Son Goku!

Son Goku - Great Demon King Piccolo Arc -

The Weekly ☆ Character Showcase is an article series where we introduce one character from the Dragon Ball universe each week. Joining us once again is the one-and-only Goku, but this time we're taking a look at everybody's favorite Saiyan warrior as he continues to grow stronger in the Great Demon King Piccolo arc!

Story

After the conclusion of the Red Ribbon Army arc, Goku spent three full years training in the pursuit of greater strength, which culminated in his participation in the 22nd Tenkaichi Budokai.

(Tale 113)

After toppling Panpoot with just one clean strike in the first round, Goku went on to face his long-time friend and fellow student of the Kame School, Krillin. For a moment it looked like a sure-fire victory for Krillin as he clutched hold of Goku's tail—his biggest weakness—but it appears that Goku's three years of arduous training included strengthening his tail, and he managed to break free. The match ended in Goku's favor when he shoved Krillin out of bounds after seemingly vanishing thanks to moving with speed that was a touch beyond comprehension.
The grand finals saw a flurry of spectacular techniques unleashed by both Goku and his opponent, Tenshinhan! Sadly, it ultimately ended with Goku once again just one step short of winning the tournament when, after successfully jumping to dodge a Kikoho, Goku touched back down on the ground moments ahead of Tenshinhan, only to find he was out of bounds!

(Tale 134)

After the intense climax of the Tenkaichi Budokai, Goku discovered that Krillin had been killed. His unbridled rage found its target in Tambourine, one of Great Demon King Piccolo's underlings, but it ended in defeat for an unstable Goku. Sometime later, and with a stomach full of Yajirobe's delicious flame-grilled fish, Goku was able to exact his revenge and take Tambourine down.

(Tale 136)

Goku faced off with Great Demon King Piccolo, who had come to personally punish him for what he'd done to Tambourine, but found himself no match for the Demon King. He was taken to within inches of his life by the mighty overlord and was saved only by Yajirobe intervening and carrying him to safety.

(Tale 144)

It wasn't long before Goku scrambled back up Karin Tower and drank the Super Water of the Gods, a mysterious liquid that draws out the true power of the one who consumes it. Having drunk his fill, Goku challenged Great Demon King Piccolo, who had been rejuvenated thanks to the Dragon Balls. The two seemed evenly matched as a ferocious onslaught of attacks raged forth, but it was Goku's turn to emerge victorious. His body beaten, bloody, and broken, he launched himself skyward at the Demon King with a one-handed Kamehameha and with one mighty punch, blew a gaping hole straight through the villain's chest. Goku had saved the world from the terror of Great Demon King Piccolo.

(Tale 161)

Goku then went off training with Kami, and by the time he returned with his sights set on the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, he'd grown into a handsome young man.

(Tale 167)

He made light work of his anonymous first-round opponent with a Shockwave and proceeded to the next, but when he realized that he'd actually just defeated Chichi, the girl he'd promised to marry all those years ago, he swiftly made good on his word and the young pair tied the knot!

(Tale 171)

In the second round, Goku opted to remove the weighted clothing he'd been wearing for training and took things up a gear, allowing him to brush off Tenshinhan's Shishin-no-Ken (Four Bodies Technique) and proceed to the grand finals. His opponent was Piccolo, otherwise known as Majunior, who Great Demon King Piccolo had spawned in the moments before his unsightly death. A fight of epic magnitude ensued that blasted the arena to bits. In a last-ditch effort to claim victory, Goku dodged Piccolo's assault with Buku-jutsu (the Levitation Technique) and crashed back down upon him, launching Piccolo out of bounds and securing Goku his first ever Tenkaichi Budokai title!

(Tale 193)

First Appearance

"Dragon Ball" Tale 1

Tenkaichi Budokai Results

21st Tournament: Runner-up
22nd Tournament: Runner-up
23rd Tournament: Winner

Family

Grandpa Son Gohan
Chichi
Gyumao

Trivia

A hand in marriage, or a handful of food?!
When Goku was a boy, Chichi was dead set on becoming his wife, telling him, "I'll bet my father would give you my hand," to which Goku unassumingly replied, "Whatever he wants to give me...I'll be sure to come an' get!"
However, it turns out that the young and unworldly Goku always thought that she was talking about giving him something to eat!

(Tale 171)


→Preview: Next week's character's connection to Goku begins with his own father!

*All comic images are from the Japanese version.

©BIRD STUDIO/SHUEISHA

SHARE
  1. Share on X

This site includes machine-translated texts. Please be aware that you might find some unusual expressions that are difficult to understand.

NEWS LIST

Related Articles