Hello and welcome to another compelling article focusing on what anime fans have been talking about for a long time. It asks the question: Is Goku dead? Well, at the moment, he’s alive and kicking – good news for us Dragon Ball fans. Even if he were dead, he’d be brought back to life with the help of the Dragon Balls, as has been done before.
This time around, we are addressing another question: Has Goku been dead before? The answer is yes. It might be surprising for you, as he is the protagonist of the story and one of the most powerful characters in the series. However, the nature of the Dragon Ball series has always been kind to characters, bringing them back to life after their demise with the help of the Dragon Balls or through other means. These deaths have always added a greater sense of drama, skillfully presented by the creators of the Dragon Ball series.
Now, let’s delve into the deaths of Goku and explore how many times he has been killed and in what fashion.
In this article, we will focus on the canonical deaths alone – deaths that happened in the canonical Dragon Ball series rather than in a different timeline. The number of canonical deaths is two. The first one occurred at the beginning of the Saiyan Arc when Goku’s brother, Raditz, came to Earth to find out about his brother. In doing so, he attempted to recruit Goku to his side for the attack and conquest of other planets. When Goku refused, Raditz tried to kidnap Gohan. However, Kid Gohan unleashed unbelievably shocking power, and Goku joined the fight. Together, they grabbed Raditz, and Goku ordered Piccolo to throw a Special Beam Cannon that pierced through both of them, resulting in their deaths. Goku was later brought back to life with the help of the Dragon Balls.
The second death occurred later in the Cell Saga. In this saga, Dr. Gero created an android named Cell seeking revenge against Goku for his involvement in the defeat of the Red Ribbon Army. An intense battle ensued between the two, and Cell attempted to self-destruct to destroy the entire world. Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport himself and Cell to King Kai’s planet, where he used his own self-destruct technique, defeating Cell but ensuring Goku’s death. Goku chose to remain dead for some time. Later, with the help of the Old Kaioshin, he was brought back to life in the Majin Buu arc to defeat Super Buu.
Although these are the canonical deaths, Goku has also died or been killed in other timelines. We will cover those non-canonical deaths in the next article, so stay tuned. Keep your eyes locked on the next one.
