Key Takeaways
- Goku is considered one of the best protagonists of all time in
Dragon Ball
, and fans can’t imagine the series without him. - Goku’s iconic quotes, such as his Super Saiyan 3 transformation announcement, are still remembered fondly by fans.
- Goku’s strength and determination make him a formidable opponent, as shown in his battles against Frieza and Jiren.
Dragon Ball is one of the most popular shonen series of all time, full to the brim with many iconic moments that many fans still remember fondly to this day. From the very start, Goku has played the role of a classic shonen protagonist who may be too goofy and dumb for his own good but still manages to save the day courtesy of his amazing strength.
Many people consider Goku to be one of the best protagonists of all time, even with all the fans who have a softer spot for his friend and rival, Vegeta. After all, Goku is the heart and soul of Dragon Ball, and most people can’t imagine Dragon Ball without this iconic protagonist at the helm of things, with some of the most iconic Goku quotes being fresh in the minds of many.
Updated on September 20, 2024, by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball is a shonen anime series that needs no introduction. The love that fans have for this series can’t be stated enough. Goku’s exploits are entertaining regardless of whether he’s a young child or a powerful Super Saiyan. Akira Toriyama shaped the childhoods of many fans with his work, and his presence is sorely missed. Despite being a clichéd shonen protagonist at times, Goku’s thirst for battle and zeal for improvement make him one of the most motivational characters in anime history. Throughout the series, Goku’s quotes have been legendary and lend an epic feel to the many iconic moments present in the series.
21 “So I Hate To Say It… For Me, There’s A Better Path To Power. It’s Not Love. It’s FURY!”
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 118: Accelerating Tragedy Vanishing Universes
- Goku’s powerful words before ascending to Super Saiyan Blue and smashing the Pretty Black Hole with a Kamehameha.
The Tournament of Power is full to the brim with some of the most iconic moments in Dragon Ball history, and it’s easy to see why some of the best Goku quotes come from this arc. A fight against a universe that uses the power of love has its epic moments, despite the goofy nature of the opponents’ powers.
After being trapped by a Pretty Black Hole from Universe 2, Goku commends the fighters for turning love into a source of power. However, his bold declaration leads to an epic moment where he uses fury to transform into Super Saiyan Blue and fire off a Kamehameha to destroy this attack and eliminate this universe.
20 “I’m Going To Finish This Right Now.”
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 116: Signs Of A Turnabout! The Autonomous Ultra Instinct Erupts!
- A legendary statement uttered before one of the greatest Kamehamehas in Dragon Ball history.
Watching Ultra Instinct slowly come into its own as one of the best forms in Dragon Ball Super is a treat to witness. Goku makes it a point to push himself during the final tournament, eventually engaging in a battle with Caulifla and Kale. When the two Saiyans from Universe 6 fuse, Goku is pushed to his very limit and unlocks the imperfect Ultra Instinct form once again.
Realizing that he couldn’t maintain this form for long, he decides to risk it all in a single Kamehameha and utters one of the most sinister Goku quotes of all time. Kefla was rattled, and brought her A-game to finish Goku off. She was almost successful with a final beam attack, only for Goku to skid on it with his energy and unleash one of the greatest Kamehamehas in the series.
19 *”Maybe You’ll Come Back Someday As… As A Better Person, I Hope. I’d Like That. Perhaps We’ll Have A Little One On One.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 286: Spirit Bomb Triumphant
- Goku says one final farewell before obliterating Buu with the Spirit Bomb.
While the Buu Saga may have experienced a rough start, things picked up with the advent of Super and Kid Buu. The latter was so powerful that he destroyed all of Earth right after his transformation, causing the Saiyans to get desperate as they escaped to the Sacred World of the Kai.
When Buu hunted them down, the Saiyans took him on in a battle for the ages. Vegeta realized that he was outmatched. He acknowledged Goku’s power in a cathartic moment for his character, while his rival got a much-needed boost from Shenron to unleash a Spirit Bomb for the ages. Goku’s quote right before he obliterates Buu is a beautiful sendoff to a villain who could have destroyed the entire universe. The moment caps off the final serious conflict of Dragon Ball Z on a high note.
18 “You Fool!”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 105: A Mighty Blast Of Rage
- Goku’s final words to Frieza at the end of their battle after the tyrant tries to get a cheap shot.
Fans of Dragon Ball Z got to see a side of Goku they seldom saw when he transformed into a Super Saiyan for the first time during his fight against Frieza. His anger and passion for battle triumphed over everything else, making for a tantalizing battle against Frieza where Goku’s rage helped him gain the upper hand against Frieza over and over again, before finally witnessing the fall of this emperor as he accidentally slices himself with his blade.
After begging for mercy and asking for help, Goku derides this man before finally giving in and letting the goodness in his heart dictate his decision-making. He offers Frieza some energy and flies away, only for his unthankful opponent to launch an energy beam at him. With these two words, Goku launches an energy attack of his own that destroys Frieza for good mere moments before Namek explodes.
17 “The Power Comes In Response To A Need, Not A Desire.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 156: Bow To The Prince
- Goku mentoring Gohan when trying to help him achieve this transformation.
After witnessing just how powerful Cell can be, Goku decides to train Gohan and help his child master the Super Saiyan form. It’s a strenuous moment for Gohan, who is put through the wringer by his father in sparring matches where he must find it within himself to reach his father’s level of power before attaining this legendary form.
Goku is smart about teaching Gohan, telling him the importance of this form and how it is accessed. Instead of Gohan trying to force this power out of him, it’s important for the young Saiyan to realize just how important it is for him to unlock this form if he wishes to stand a chance against Cell and save his family from this destructive bio-android.
16 “Goodbye, Vegeta.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 86: The End Of Vegeta
- An emotional goodbye to his rival after Frieza kills him.
Vegeta is a character who was introduced as a villain, only for fans to find out that his hateful nature was fueled by Frieza and his tyranny. While that didn’t justify his monstrous actions in the slightest, fans couldn’t help but empathize with his plight as he begged his rival to do what he couldn’t — kill Frieza.
As he bled out, Frieza added insult to injury by killing Vegeta in cold blood with a death beam. Goku’s respect for his rival is imminent, giving his body the burial he deserves and bidding farewell before focusing his attention on the villain who’d beaten down his friends and family without any remorse whatsoever.
15 “Your Energy Level Is Decreasing With Every Blow. In Fact, You’re Not Even A Challenge To Me Anymore.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 103: Pathos Of Frieza
- Goku destroys Frieza both physically and verbally at the end of their battle.
After turning into a Super Saiyan, Goku outclassed Frieza in every way, no matter how hard the manga tried to prove otherwise. Despite powering up and reaching the heights of his energy, Frieza failed to win against Goku after the energy of his punches decreased over the course of their climactic battle.
This is an observation that Goku himself makes, belittling Frieza in the process. The tyrant doesn’t take this taunt lightly, setting himself up for a cruel defeat once he uses his energy discs to try and slice Goku apart, only for this tactic to backfire on him.
14 “I’m Sorry That Took So Much Longer Than The Others, But I Haven’t Had Much Occasion To Practice This One. This Is What I Call A Super Saiyan 3.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 245: Super Saiyan 3?!
- Showing off his new form to keep Babidi and Majin Buu distracted while Trunks got the Dragon Radar from Bulma.
When Trunks is assigned the task of heading to Capsule Corp and getting the Dragon Radar, Goku realizes that it’s important to distract Babidi and Majin Buu until then so that Trunks can carry out his task without any diversions. This led to Goku giving a lesson regarding Super Saiyans, which ends something extraordinary.
After screaming his heart out for a long, long time, Goku showed off his powerful Super Saiyan 3 transformation. The line he uses to officially coin a name for this new state is iconic and a dialogue that many fans remember fondly to this day.
13 “TIMES TEEEEEEEN!”
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 39: A Developed “Time Skip” Counterstrike? Here Comes Goku’s New Move!
- Goku powering up his Kaioken multiplier in his Super Saiyan Blue form before taking on Hit.
Dragon Ball Super has brought with it its fair share of incredible moments that have become legendary in the Dragon Ball universe. The advent of godly forms was warmly received by the fanbase, and it helped that the spectacle of power present in this series has been incredible in every way. A great example of this is during the tournament between Universe 6 and 7 when Goku unveils a whole new level of power.
He manages to combine the power of the Super Saiyan Blue transformation with the Kaio-ken, making for an incredible moment that combines both new and old Dragon Ball in an incredible moment. Watching Hit get amazed at Goku’s power multiplying as everyone’s favorite Saiyan uses a 10x Kaio-ken to circumvent Hit’s time-skip makes for a great time indeed.
12 “The Truth Is… I Ain’t No Hero Of Justice Or Anything Like That… But Anyone Who Tries To Hurt My Friends… IS GONNA PAAAAAY!”
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 130: The Greatest Showdown of All Time! The Ultimate Survival Battle!
- A furious Goku rushes towards Jiren, who tried to hurt his friends to prove a point.
Goku’s fight against Jiren makes for one of the greatest battles in shonen history, with viewers loving the limits that Goku had to break time and time again to finally unlock his Ultra Instinct transformation. After outclassing Jiren in every way, the Pride Trooper loses his mind and decides to show Goku that his friends don’t matter by firing a powerful blast at his allies, which doesn’t sit well with the Saiyan at all.
The only thing more dangerous than Ultra Instinct Goku is an angry Ultra Instinct Goku, and this is definitely on full display when Goku loses his temper and unleashes a level of energy that is simply astounding. Even Goku’s body couldn’t handle the burden of Ultra Instinct, with his body ripping apart just when Jiren was about to be knocked out.
11 “You’re Gonna Regret Telling Me That, Zamasu… ‘Cuz Now I’m Mad, I’m Really Really Mad… And Now It’s Time… TO PAAAAAY!”
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 60: Into the Future Once Again – Goku Black’s True Identity Revealed!
- After Zamasu and Goku Black successfully provoke Goku to unlock greater reserves of his power.
The Future Trunks arc in Dragon Ball Super certainly started with a lot of promise, but the potential eventually fizzled out as power levels ended up being all over the place and how Zamasu was disposed of didn’t feel all that satisfying. However, there were still some great moments in the arc, with Goku’s anger being a great highlight.
Both Goku Black and Future Zamasu knew that the only way to understand how to make the most of the Saiyan body was to force Goku to transcend his limits, and the best way to do the same was to get Goku as angry as possible. They told him in detail about how Zamasu took over his body and killed his entire family, causing Goku’s power to swell up in rage as he unleashed a flurry of powerful attacks against these heinous villains.
10 “I Am The Hope Of The Universe. I Am The Answer To All Living Things That Cry Out For Peace.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 96: Explosion Of Anger
- The iconic Super Saiyan monologue.
Goku’s Super Saiyan speech is the stuff of legends. After losing his best friend, Krillin, his Saiyan rage triggered a transformation that left him miles ahead of Frieza in terms of raw power.
After his transformation, Goku gave a speech that has become the stuff of legends. Hearing him say “Son Goku” before roaring in power sends chills down the spines of every Dragon Ball fan.
9 “Even A Low-Class Warrior Can Surpass An Elite, With Enough Hard Work.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 30: Goku VS Vegeta
- Moments before their iconic battle.
Goku’s fight against Vegeta is a legendary clash that showed just how engaging Dragon Ball would be. The battle between these two Saiyans marks a confrontation between the Prince of all Saiyans and a lowly member of the warrior race.
Vegeta loves to bring class into the conversation, only for Goku to show him his place time and time again. While Vegeta ends up being stronger after transforming into a Great Ape, Goku still ends up getting the moral victory.
8 “I Think I Know How To Get That Smirk Off Your Ugly Mug. I’m Going To Renovate Your Face.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 275: Deadly Vision
- Goku getting angry at Super Buu before their battle.
The advent of Super Buu is pretty surprising, with this diabolical character eating anything and everything in existence to gain power. This irritates Goku to no end, who simply had enough of his smug attitude.
Before their battle, Goku comments that he would love to beat Super Buu to a pulp and make him realize his mistake. It’s how he utters this chilling line that shows just how focused Goku was when it came to taking Super Buu out.
7 “I Guess Name-Calling Is Your Only Attack Because You’re Too Weak To Challenge Me Any Other Way.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 104: Frieza Defeated!!
- The ultimate insult to Frieza, who responds with two energy discs that end up backfiring.
During his battle against Frieza, Goku realized he was slowly getting the upper hand. No matter how much Frieza powered up, he wasn’t any match for Goku.
That being said, Frieza never gave up on an opportunity to call Goku a monkey. This prompted Goku to utter this iconic line, shattering Frieza’s ego in the process.
6 “You Had The Fiery Will Of A Saiyan. Please Share That With Me Now, Because I Need It.”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 86: The End Of Vegeta
- Goku’s final words to Vegeta on Namek before burying him.
Goku arrived too late to the battlefield when Frieza was wreaking havoc, with Vegeta being disposed of by the tyrant. This led to a memorable moment where Vegeta pushed away his pride and spoke to Goku like an equal, crying in the process before passing away.
While burying Vegeta, Goku speaks at length about his rival and how much he respects him. It sets the stage for the battle between Goku and Frieza, which ends up being an incredible spectacle.
5 “It’s You Who Should Be Afraid Because Your Spree Of Hatred Will End At The Hands Of A Saiyan Like You’ve Always Feared!”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 102: Duel On A Vanishing Planet
- Goku lashing back at Frieza during their battle.
The Saiyans were a battle-hungry race that got powerful with each battle. This worried Frieza, who felt that this race would outclass him in power after a point.
He destroyed the entire planet to prevent this feat from occurring but missed out on one notable child who ended up coming back to end his tyrannical reign. It was a poetic end to his rule, and Goku summed it up pretty well.
4 “Release It, Gohan, Release Everything. Remember The Pain He’s Caused, The People He’s Hurt. Now Make That Your Power!”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 191: Save The World
- Motivating Gohan during his iconic beam clash against Cell.
Cell was a homicidal maniac who needed to be taken down. Only Gohan had the potential to eclipse this bio-android’s strength, and he managed to enhance his strength after unlocking the power of an Ascended Super Saiyan.
During his iconic beam clash against Cell, Goku willed his son on from beyond the grave with some powerful words. He reassured him that the planet wouldn’t be blasted to smithereens, and Vegeta’s timely interruption led to Cell finally breathing his last once and for all.
3 “And This… Is To Go Even Further Beyond!”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 245: Super Saiyan 3?!
- A famous line said moments before Goku turns Super Saiyan 3.
The Super Saiyan 3 transformation is one of the greatest moments in Dragon Ball Z. Watching Goku scream his lungs out before unlocking this awe-inspiring form made for a great time.
His monologue before this moment is still remembered fondly by fans to this day. While the Super Saiyan 3 form was used sparingly across the series, watching it in action is still a blast to this day.
2 “How Many People Begged For Their Lives Before You Killed Them!? Did You Show Mercy When I Asked You To Spare My Best Friend Krillin?!”
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 104: Frieza Defeated!!
- Goku’s anger bursts out after Frieza begs him for mercy following his defeat.
Watching Frieza beg for mercy from the monkey he was taunting for the longest time was immensely satisfying. Of course, Goku didn’t buy this act at all.
He wanted to humiliate Frieza and promptly shut his pleas down by highlighting his opponent’s hypocrisy. It’s a powerful moment that shows just how angry and full of rage Goku was after turning into a Super Saiyan for the first time.
