The Dragon Ball series is arguably one of the most beloved franchises in fiction and since it’s pretty hard to keep track of how old Goku is, we’ve done the work for you.
After all, fans do love knowing the minute details of their favorite anime characters such as their age, stats and special skills.
How old is Goku in Dragon Ball?
Goku is 11 years old when he is first introduced in Dragon Ball. He is 11 when he meets Bulma. He is 12 when he competes in the 21st edition of the World Martial Arts Tournament (WMAT).
We know that WMAT takes place every 3 years. In the series, he trains with Kami and Mister Popo to participate in the 23rd edition of the WMAT.
When he competes in the tournament after the rigorous training, using the info discussed above, he should be 18 years of age. He defeats King Piccolo in the tournament and marries Chi Chi in the end.
What is Goku’s age in Dragon Ball Z?
Goku is 23 years old in Dragon Ball Z.
In DBZ, we are introduced to Gohan, Goku’s son. From the dialogue interaction between the characters, we establish that Gohan is five years old, making Goku 23.
In the events of the Saiyan Saga, he sacrifices his life so that Raditz, the brother of King Piccolo, can be defeated.
The timeline gets a bit blurry since in Dragon Ball Z, Goku gets resurrected a year later. When he comes back to life, he should be 24 years old, chronologically anyway.
But it is said in the series that his body remains the same as when he died a year ago.
Following the events of the next major arc, a training phase commences which involves Goku, Vegeta, Gohan and the other characters.
The chronological duration of this arc is said to be three years, which makes our hero 27 years old.
Goku and Gohan enter the hyperbolic time chamber as part of their preparation for the Cell Games.
In the hyperbolic chamber, time-space works differently as compared to that on Earth. They spend one year in the chamber training for the games.
Logically, Goku should be 28 when he comes out from the chamber. However, on Earth, a year has yet to pass. This puts him right back at 27, the same age he was when he first entered the chamber.
In the next arc, Goku dies in the fight against Cell. He gets resurrected 8 years later by King Kai when the Earth is threatened by a formidable foe.
Chronologically, he should be 34. But since he died and time hadn’t passed for him, he still remains at 27.
After defeating Majin Buu, the series pulls a 10-year time skip to the epilogue of the anime.
Factoring in all we’ve said, we can calculate two things — at the end of DBZ, Goku’s chronological age is 44, but his physical body is only 37.
Age in Dragon Ball Super
Goku is chronologically 38 years old, while his body is at the physical age of 31 in Dragon Ball Super.
The events of Dragon Ball Super take place in the 10-year time skip between the Buu saga and the epilogue of DBZ. The story of DB Super starts 4 years after Kid Buu’s defeat.
What is Goku’s age in Dragon Ball Super: Broly?
Goku’s physical age is 31 years old and his chronological age is about 39 years old in DBS: Broly, a direct movie sequel to Dragon Ball Super.
The events of the movie take place five years after Majin Buu’s defeat, which is also one year after the start of Dragon Ball Super.
How old is Goku in Dragon Ball GT?
Goku is 49 years old (chronologically), but his physical body has only aged to 42 in Dragon Ball GT.
Dragon Ball GT is non-canon. This means that this show does not align with any of the events or the timeline of the original series.
Anything that happens in this series, like character deaths and progression, will not be counted as part of the original lore.
This show was released prior to Dragon Ball Super. The events of the anime take place five years after the epilogue shown in DBZ.
In the anime, Emperor Pilaf accidentally uses the Black Star Dragon Balls, leading to Goku reverting back to his 11-year-old self.
So now he’s essentially a 49-year-old man in an 11-year-old body. The remainder of the show takes place in a two-year period.
Hence, the show concludes at a time when he is in a 13-year-old body, while having chronologically aged 51 years.
In the epilogue of the show where events are taking place 100 years into the future, Goku merges with the eternal dragon and gets back his original form.
Thus, after the epilogue, Goku is 151 years old. However, it seems as if he is in his physical prime and does not look like a person who’s over a century old.
Age in Super Dragon Ball Heroes
Goku is 43 years old at the start of Super Dragon Ball Heroes (SDBH).
SDBH has been airing since 2018. Unlike most other anime though, the release schedule for it is a little bit uneven.
In a span of 4 years, there have only been 39 episodes. The series is basically promotional material for the game Dragon Ball Heroes that was released back in 2018. It does not air on TV.
Conclusion:
The Dragon Ball franchise is massive and has many twists and turns.
After all the timeline-morphing events and time skips that the show goes through, it’s rather hard to keep track of what Goku’s chronological age is in the series.
We hope our guide is helpful to fans like you who are curious about Goku’s age at varying points in the expansive storyline.
