Dragon Ball: Goku's Influence On Modern Shonen Protagonists (2024)

Dragon Ball is usually at the top of the list whenever it comes to the list of influences a Shonen mangaka had on their own story. Akira Toriyama somehow made a world that is filled to the brim with such wonder and allure that it has defined the childhoods of millions of children across the globe over almost 40 years. The most influential aspect of this world, however, comes in the form of its protagonist, Son Goku.

Ever since his appearance in the original Dragon Ball series, fans have essentially grown up with this character, as they have been watching him in different stages of his life. As such, since the original series was released back in 1985, Goku's popularity and influence have stretched to almost every corner of the industry, where most Shonen protagonists are modeled after him in some way. So, let's check how Goku's influence has stood the test of time.

Goku's Personality Is Infectious

One of the things that endears Goku to fans of the series the most is just how contagious his personality is. Though he comes across as aloof and, often, stupid, his naivety and good-natured disposition are just so lovable that fans of the series can't help but fall in love with him! The popularity of Dragon Ball was so great that many of Goku's personality traits became widespread in the industry.

Naturally, Goku is an extremely approachable and kind-hearted individual, which is seen in almost every Shonen protagonist who came after him. While he certainly wasn't the first one to embody this trope, the incredible popularity of the series is what made this widespread, to the point where the creators of some of the biggest franchises in the industry, Eiichiro Oda of One Piece and Masashi Kishimoto of Naruto, to name a couple, have outright stated the influence of Goku and Dragon Ball had on their own characters and world.

Though Goku himself owes much of his story to the legend of Sun Wukong, his influence as the kind, lovable fool has inspired the likes of Luffy and Naruto, even going to modern anime with protagonists like Tanjiro and Yuji. Goku also embodies hard work and determination, yet another trait that can be seen in all these characters as well.

Moreover, one of Goku's defining traits is that he is very stupid and naive, but never in a way that makes him a liability, but just to add humor to his character. Most of the other characters that have been mentioned also have this tendency to be aloof and carefree and need their teammates' help to reign them in, and another similar characteristic in them is being gluttonous warriors that can eat pretty much everything ever put in front of them!

Discipline And Self-Improvement

Despite Goku being incredibly carefree about pretty much everything else, his primary motivation in life is to always get stronger, due to which he is always training. His love for training stems from a desire to improve himself and get stronger so he can always protect his loved ones from any danger, while also breaking past any limits that are imposed on him.

While not as central to others as it is to Goku, the need to get stronger is quite a popular desire among these Shonen protagonists. This is also mirrored in how these characters are usually disciplined in one way or another to hone their bodies to perform at their optimal levels. The main reason remains the same as Goku's; to protect their loved ones and those who cannot do so themselves.

A Strong Sense Of Justice

See Also

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Goku is someone who is always propelled to do the right thing, no matter what. While this is more of a trope that exists within almost every single protagonist ever, anime is generally more black or white about what is morally acceptable or not. While it does make for characters that aren't especially nuanced, they are portrayed as being good people objectively, which is something Goku definitely falls under.

By simple virtue of him being one of the first anime characters to ever do this, this became an integral part of his personality. As such, his influence on other characters also included his unwavering sense of justice, which almost always saw him on the right side of any given conflict. While not necessarily a good thing, it helps by making the character one who fans objectively see as correct.

Places his loved ones above all else

Goku's sense of justice also includes a powerful love for his friends and family, to the point where he cannot stand anything bad ever happening to them. As seen with his first-ever transformation into a Super Saiyan, Goku will lose it if his friends are ever put in danger, which is a very common trope among Shonen protagonists. Luffy can be used as an example again, since the wellbeing of his Straw Hats is the most important thing to him.

While generally lovable and chill characters who wouldn't hurt a fly, putting their loved ones in danger is enough to make them rage and fight seriously, and when this happens, the enemy is often defeated. While most of these traits can be chalked up as being those of a typical Shonen protagonist, they were undoubtedly made popular with Goku and the influence that Dragon Ball had on the world!

Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.

Dragon Ball Super

Action

Adventure

Release Date

July 5, 2015

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

131