[DISCLAIMER: I am not an experienced writer. If I make some horrible mistakes that my word processor does not pick up, I apologize. Also I want to note that I do not do a full series synopsis, I only clue in on important details to unraveling the puzzle that is a character’s color pie alignment. Enjoy]

Goku from Dragon Ball



Today we are going to be looking at one of the most iconic anime protagonists of all time, Goku! However, instead of skipping directly to Dragon Ball Z Goku, I thought it would be better to analyze the character from the beginning. So that’s just what we’re going to do.

Sharpen your skills: Before we begin, what do you think Goku might be? Before reading on, if you’re interested in seeing how your color pie skills stack up, give it some thought. Feel free to tell me what you thought or maybe even still think afterwards in the notes section!

In the beginning: Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball starts out with Goku living in the wilderness, living on his own. In the first scenes of the first episode, his personality is laid out pretty quickly. Goku strolls around the forest greeting and interacting with nature. After returning to his home, he punches the log into firewood, and figures out he’s hungry. He swings on vines to an apple tree to have a snack, before On his way back, he gets hit by a car, and not knowing any better, assumes it’s a monster attacking him.

These few scenes all capture who Goku is very well, and at Goku’s core, he is definitely Green. All of these scenes show Goku following his instincts, as well as respecting the ecosystem and the inhabitants, and being perfectly pleased with how his world is. This trend with him respecting the world, clearly obeying survival of the fittest, and not wanting to change it fit Green perfectly. However, right after the scene with the car, his interaction with Bulma, and his want for adventure start to develop small parts of him that are not yet defined in his character yet. While he does show some signs of Red, it’s not there enough to be a big part of his personality…yet.

Turning Point:

As Goku’s first journey begins, his core values do change as his knowledge of the world and his social activity increases. While as a whole, he does stay an innocent child most of the series, as the series goes on, his ignorance of how the world is outside of his wilderness upbringing becomes less of a core part of his personality.

However the biggest change is when he begins making friends and learning more about martial arts. This starts to unlock all sorts of Red deep down inside. As he begins to gain friends, he shows fierce loyalty towards them, wanting to protect them. At the same time, the inner Saiyan inside of him starts to spark, giving him a fierce competitive desire. He wants to get stronger, not just for himself, but to compete and protect his friends. He is passionate about this, and while gaining power is usually put as Black, in reality he’s not wanting more power for selfish reasons. In this series, he loves adventure, and is looking to grow both physically and spiritually. He wants to compete. He wants to thrive. His body is telling him that he must become strong. This is a Red belief.

Throughout the rest of the series, he develops more power through training, gains many rivals, and defeats them all(for the most part). He makes friends, doesn’t understand enemies, but will do anything that requires a good time. After gaining his red attributes, he does not show any more growth throughout the show.

Verdict: During Dragonball:

Goku is Red 60%/Green 40% [Gruul]

While he does help other people during the series, it’s mostly out of his own instincts and want for adventure/competition. During the series he doesn’t have a sense of morality or amorality yet. He just wants to be free. This keeps him away from white/black. He does not realize it until DBZ, but the Saiyan blood fuels him with instincts and desires he does not yet understand. However it’s not only that, but his upbringing, clear respect for nature, and playfulness of a child. He seeks adventure, and while not smart, his instincts and emotions guide him wherever he needs to be.

Alignment:

However this is not the end of the analysis, as there’s always more to a person’s motive. There’s a large difference in character between someone who is pure White and good, and pure white and evil. So during each character analysis, there will be an alignment character using D&D alignment grid.

So what is Goku? Well luckily it’s a pretty quick analysis. Goku during his adventure is all over the place, doing what he feels like doing, wanting to have a good time. During this time he comes across many challenges, and gets many requests to help. During those times, he is a protector.

That’s about as clean cut CHAOTIC GOOD as it gets.

He clearly has good intentions, but has no desire to be anything be free. He will run around without pants, saving the world, as long as he has fun doing it.

Final Verdict:

Child Son Goku during the events of Dragon Ball is…

CHAOTIC GOOD GRUUL

However this is not the end of his story! How does the events of Dragon Ball Z change him further? Well, that’s for another day.

Remember for quick analysis or color pie related questions, feel free to drop me a question. See you next time!

EDIT: From my first post I’ve already learned. Don’t do multiparters. I guess I’ll go ahead and debunk Naya (During DBZ) right now.