Dragon Ball: 10 Times Goku Was Willing To Sacrifice His Life (2024)

Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ballis as successful todayasit was when the seriesfirst premiered decades ago. There’s a simple enough shonen formula in place that drives Dragon Ball forward, catering towards extreme situations where Goku and his friends are able to demonstrate their strength in unbelievable ways.

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Dragon Ball has grown increasingly exaggerated and loves to create spectacleswhile pushing its limits. Goku has an almost unhealthy level of dedication to his role as a hero. It’s frequently been proven that the Earth needs Goku, yet there are several occasions wherehe'sbeen willing to sacrifice himself in exchange for the greater good.

10 He Becomes Necessary Collateral Damage To Take Out Raditz

Dragon Ball Z kicks off in an extremely confrontational manner when Goku and Piccolo are suddenly forced into their first allianceagainst a considerably more powerful threat. Raditz pushes both Goku and Piccolo to their limits and his power forces some quick thinking on the duo’s part. It’sdecided that Piccolo’s Makankosappo is strong enough to take out Raditz, but they can’t get him to stay still. Goku sacrifices himself to hold his Saiyan brother in place so that Piccolo’s attack takes them both out in the process.

9 He Remains On Planet Namek To Finish His Fight Against Frieza

There have been some very suspensefulfights over the course of Dragon Ball, but the showdown between Goku and Frieza on Planet Namek is still considered one of the series’ defining battles. There’s a true sense of finality to as Goku and Frieza come to blows on a volatile planet that’s minutes away from destruction. Goku is repeatedly told to flee so that he can survive, but he stays on task because it’s too important to not fight Frieza.

8 The Stress He Puts His Body Through With Blue Kaioken Variations

Goku and the rest of Dragon Ball’s charactersknow tons of powerful techniques and transformations, yet some of these abilities are so intense that they run the risk of ruining the user’s body. The Kaioken's strength and speed upgrade is described with a caveat right from when Goku first learns it from King Kai.

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Goku develops a X10 Blue Kaioken upgrade against Hit, but he mentions that it only has a 10% chance of working and would otherwise kill him. The consequences don’t kill Goku, but he suffers from Delayed Onset Ki Disorder.

7 His Instant Transmission Gambit With A Self-Destructing Cell

Goku’s teleportation-esque Instant Transmission maneuver has been able to assist him on numerous occasions, but one of his most important uses of this skill involves the battle with Cell. Cell, in a desperate bid to take out the competition along with him, triggers a self-destruct sequence in himself. Wasting no time, Goku uses Instant Transmission to take Cell off of Earth and transport them to King Kai’s Planet. Goku understands that he won’t be able to return back to Earth in time to survive, but he’s at least able to save the Earth.

6 He Hires Hit To Assassinate Himself

Dragon Ball Super brings a wide range of compelling new characters into the canon through the advent of many alternate universes. Universe 6 receives a lot of attention and it’s where the prolific assassin, Hit, comes from. Hit is officially a rival to Goku and Universe 7, but he’s also become a reluctant ally at the same time. A rewarding mystery plays out when Hit reveals that he’s been hired to assassinate Goku. Hit won’t reveal who has hired him, but Vegeta deduces that Goku actually hired him on himself, to guarantee that Hit doesn’t hold back in their fight.

5 After The Defeat Of The Shadow Dragons When He Absorbs The Dragon Balls

Endings are never easy and the respective Dragon Ball series have often struggled when it comes to how they choose to wrap up their larger story. The final arc in Dragon Ball GTinvolves the deadly Shadow Dragons who force Goku and company to re-examine their relationship with frivolous Dragon Ball wishes.

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The defeat of these monsters results in Goku’s strange decision to disappear with Shenron& the Dragon Balls, transcending to something greater. It’s a sacrifice that’s not fully explained, butsymbolic of Goku’s integral connection to the Dragon Balls.

4 He’s Willing To Engage With Beerus Through Blows That Could Destroy The Universe

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Every Time Goku Died In Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball has a tendency to introduce unprecedented levels of danger right when it seems like Earth has settled into a comfortable place of solitude. God of Destruction Beerus’ arrival is an important turning point for Dragon Ball that results in Goku’s ascension to Super Saiyan God for the first time. This God-level power in both Goku and Beerus comes at a price. There are such extreme shockwaves from the collision of their punches that it’s said the universe will be destroyed after three direct punches. Goku attempts to nullify the effects, but he still forges ahead.

3 When He Gets Universe 7 Involved In The Tournament Of Power

Martial arts competitions are nothing new forDragon Ball, butSuper’s anime concludes with a colossal battle royale between the strongest fighters from across the multiverse, the Tournament of Power. None of these universes are too enthused about participation since Zeno makes it clear that the losers face the risk of their whole universe being raced. The whole Tournament of Power is unnecessary in the first place and it’s something that Goku nudges into fruition. Universe 7 manages to survive the ordeal, but things could have gone very differently.

2 His Decision To Stay In The Afterlife And Not Get Revived By The Dragon Balls

This particular situation may seem like it’s splitting hairs since Goku is already dead at the time, but a refusal to be revived really isn’t any different than a sacrifice. The wish-granting Dragon Balls have fortunately allowed many tragic deaths to be reversed, but when the heroes attempt to resurrect Goku for a second time, he denies the wish and chooses to remain deceased. This sacrifice is made because Goku believes that his presence on Earth only invites more danger. It’s a very selfless decision, even if he does ultimately return to the land of the living.

1 He Gives Moro A Second Chance In Battle And Allows Him To Merge With The Planet

Dragon Ball’s Goku is an incredibly well-defined character and the audience is often able to predict how he’ll act in battle, even when his decisions can be frustrating. Goku frequently looks for the good in his opponents and tries to foster rehabilitation and reform whenever it’s possible.Goku adopts this strategy with Moro, which turns out to be an exercise in poor judgment and almost costs him his life. Moro’s final attack involves him merging with the planet and putting its stability at risk. This grim possibility only arises because of Goku’s earlier misguided compassion.

NEXT: Dragon Ball: 10 Deaths That Could Have Been Avoided