Dragon Ball 10 Things About Gokus Childhood That Make No Sense

There’s a lot to love about Goku’s youthful adventures, yet there’s also just as much from this chapter in his life that raises some questions.

Few franchises can find Dragon Ball’s tremendous level of popularity, let alone be able to maintain it for several decades. Dragon Ball is but one of hundreds of shonen series, but Goku’s engaging journey reaches incredible places, and it’s helped the character become one of the genre’s most beloved heroes.

It’s impressive how Dragon Ball spanned Goku’s entire life and continued to show his development as a martial artist. Goku is at his strongest when he’s an adult, but Goku’s early years make up the bulk of the original Dragon Ball series. There’s a lot to love about Goku’s youthful adventures, yet there’s also just as much from this chapter in his life that raises some questions.

10 He Survives On His Own After Grandpa Gohan’s Death

When the original Dragon Ball series begins, Goku has a nomad-like lifestyle where he lives in isolation. Goku explains that he was raised by a kindly old man named Gohan, who took him in as his own. Unfortunately, circumstances intervene, and Goku’s unusual background leads to Grandpa Gohan’s passing. Goku is a strong fighter, but he’s still just a child with extremely minimal real-world experience, so it’s surprising to see that he’s been able to survive on his own before he meets Bulma.

9 He And His Dragon Ball Didn’t Become A Target Earlier

Dragon Ball’s adventure truly begins once Goku heads off with Bulma to locate the remaining Dragon Balls. The whole reason that she runs into him is that her Dragon Radar detects Goku’s Four-Star Ball. This Dragon Ball is Goku’s lasting memory behind his Grandpa Gohan, but considering the importance of these orbs, it’s quite strange that Bulma is the first to come to his door looking for it. This contrivance is necessary for the anime’s story to begin, but Bulma is far from the only one aware of the Dragon Balls and their powers.

8 How Closeted His Upbringing Has Been

Kid Goku is a very entertaining character because he’s a fun mix of naïve and dangerous. Goku is an inherently trusting individual, but a lot of his innocence comes from how he’s grown up alone in the mountains, hidden away from the real world.

This clash is usually for a source of comedic relief, like with Goku’s ignorance towards gender and the female sex when he meets Bulma. However, Goku’s totally nonplussed when he encounters dinosaurs, robots, and other fantastical social concepts. His knowledge of the world is wildly inconsistent.

7 He Doesn’t Know How To Count

Adult Goku still feels like a child in many ways, but he’s at least able to function as a society member. Kid Goku is more of a remedial case, and it’s fascinating to see which general fields confound him. Counting seems to be such a hurdle since he initially tells Bulma he’s 14 when they meet, only for it to be revealed later at the World Martial Arts Tournament that he was actually 12 since he’s not good with numbers. However, Goku has no trouble understanding numerals with the Four-Star Ball and other tasks that he fulfills.

6 His Monstrous Appetite And How It Is Sustainable During Travel

There definitely seems to be a trend between powerful shonen heroes and those with enormous appetites, and Dragon Ball’s Goku is no exception. Goku’s immense appetite stays with him throughout his entire life, but it’s present right from the start of Dragon Ball when he showcases just how big his average meal can be. Goku always seems hungry, yet once he hits the road with Bulma, he’s forced to adopt a more on-the-go lifestyle. Goku is barely shown eating huge feasts, and the Capsule Corp. meal substitutes Bulma provides also seem like a shoddy alternative.

5 He Doesn’t Question His Tail

There is plenty of anime series that blur the lines between a real-world and an environment full of fantastic creatures. Dragon Ball indulges both of these areas and freely has dinosaurs roam the land, or anthropomorphic animals move about the city. Goku is a very inquisitive child, and he questions many of the new things that he encounters, yet he seems to take his atypical tail for granted.

Goku encounters stranger things during his youth, but, surprisingly, he doesn’t have an explanation for his tail that he’s convinced himself of for all of these years.

4 No One From Planet Vegeta Comes For Him Earlier

Admittedly, the real reason Saiyans don’t come to claim or exterminate Goku during the original Dragon Ball is that Akira Toriyama hadn’t yet figured out that part of the story. Goku has special powers, but the circumstances around his heritage are a mystery until Dragon Ball Z. The sequel anime immediately begins with the rest of Goku’s kind coming to Earth to clean up their mess. There’s no reason provided for why it suddenly happens during Goku’s adulthood, and it makes more sense to happen when he’s a child, hot on the heels of Planet Vegeta’s destruction.

3 He’s Not Frightened By The Ghosts And Monsters He Fights

Dragon Ball has a wide cast of characters, and Fortuneteller Baba is a unique individual who doesn't get much attention after the original anime series. Fortuneteller Baba pits Goku and friends in a tournament of her own that features supernatural characters like a vampire, mummy, devil, invisible man, and Goku's grandfather's ghost. Dragon Ball is full of the unusual, but the severity of these characters is a major shift, and it seems like Goku or Krillin should be more in disbelief over the existence of these monsters.

2 His Great Ape Form Somehow Hasn’t Destroyed His Home

Goku doesn’t learn that he’s a Saiyan until Dragon Ball Z, but his Great Ape transformation is a tenet of the original Dragon Ball series. This side of Goku remains an unstable and mysterious aspect of his character, but the Great Ape’s immense size has led to a lot of destruction, like with Pilaf’s castle or the events that led to Grandpa Gohan’s death. Goku has presumably seen the full moon during his time alone before he meets Bulma, so, surprisingly, his home hasn’t been demolished from his Great Ape state.

1 His Ability To Casually Take Gunfire

Dragon Ball makes it clear from the start that Goku isn’t just a normal child. He’s strong and has a tail, but Bulma’s first meeting with him also ends in gunfire. Bulma shoots Goku, only for him to be fine from the attack. This starts the series’ running trend of how Saiyans and other strong individuals can withstand gunfire. However, this defense only seems present when it’s convenient. Goku faces many similar situations without the same resilience, and it leads to other inconsistencies based on what’s later able to hurt him in the other Dragon Ball series.