Goku: Were-Monkey?

[Jamie]

I keep having people tell me that the character Goku (also called Gokuu, from the two cartoon series Dragonball and Dragonball Z) is a were-monkey. The main justification is mentioned on this page, though I've never seen Goku transform, so if he does, it's probably quite rare.
In Dragonball, Goku is a child and the main character. He is not human, and looks like a little boy with a monkey's tail. In Dragonball Z, Goku is an adult and either lacks the tail or keeps it in his pants.
In both series, he sometimes refers to himself as an "animal" and seems to be mildly ashamed that he is not a real human (though, mostly, he is cheerful).
As far as I can tell, this matches up with Japanese folklore about shapeshifting animals masquerading as humans with animal tails (such as the kitsune). However, I think Goku rarely, if ever, transforms (the entire series is extremely long, so watching it to see if Goku transforms is hard work).
So, is Goku a were-monkey? Is there anyone here who has seen more of the series? Has anyone ever seen him transform, or is he one of those annoying implied shapeshifters who technically have transformation powers, but never use them?

[Ink]

While I can find the reason to say yes, but I hesitate and say no. They're not completely 'human' and all together from a different planet. They do have a relation to the moon so they can be called "megapithicanthropes" (as Wikipedia states) and so in some sense they're like Weres. I personally wouldn't call them that though.

Weres are about being human and shifting into some animal. Namely a realisitc animal in my book but if you've got your heart set on a giant ape or monkey (Apes and Monkeys are two different things people). The fictional race of Saiyans are not 'human'. Though their cability to breed with humans aligns them as perhaps a species akin to us. The formal definition of species being a taxonomic group whose members can interbreed.

So they are 'like' and 'closely related' to the ideology of a Were creature -- however, while they are, perhaps, relation to the human species I personally don't want to constitute a Saiyan character as a Were. To me a Saiyan is a Saiyan and a step too far beyond human to be concidered Were, as are the forms they shift into, irregardless of their full-moon habit. Also to note -- once a Saiyan's tail is removed they lose the ability to shift.

It doesn't, to me, add up to call them Were's. They're Saiyans. And being able to transform is part of being Saiyan.

Additionally, the Oozaru, the creature they transform into, are not literal Apes or Monkeys, they're a made up animal, so there is no true nature they transform into. No true 'animal' just a 'well it looks like some sort of large primate, like King Kong's Cousin'.

Saiyans are just... Saiyans and they transform into Oozaru. To me that's all it means. Even if one takes the liberty to call them megapithicanthropes that doesn't make them a Were.

At least that's how my perspective reads.

Saiyan - Wikipedia

[Lupin]

Gokuu transforms a couple of times, actually, since his tail grows back when plot dictates. [spoiler]Until it's finally removed by Kami at the end of Dragonball [1] so that he can't transform anymore[/spoiler] But no, the Saiya-jin are aliens, so I really wouldn't count him as a were-monkey.
(click, then click again for bigness)







[1] What would be the end of the Dragonball anime the manga made no real distinction between DB and DBZ.

[Apharoh]

monkeys kick @ss! but r not as cool as gnomes

[Set]

I certainly don't consider Saiyans to be weremonkeys.

I've heard from several people that Goku is actually a variation of a monkey god, who would come to earth in the form of a human with a monkey tail.

[Vuldari]

Yes...NO...SortOf...


As has been said, Goku (aka. Kakarat) is a Saiyan...an alien from another planet. The Saiyan race is a warrior race with monkey tails and natural strength that is considered "superhuman" by earth standards, and is quite impressive around the rest of the DragonBall Universe as well.

It is a natural part of all Saiyans that when they look at a full moon (and are exposed to it's radiation...though looking at it seems to be the key factor) will transform into their second saiyan form, the Oozaru, which is a King Kong sized ape-like creature, which is not technically an ape at all, but the bestial form of a Saiyan...which happens to look almost identical to a giant Earth Ape.

...removal of a Saiyans tail makes them incapable of transforming.

Even though a Saiyans power increases while in their Giant form, they also loose almost all controll of themselves and will destroy everything in sight untill the moon goes down (or is blown up).

The Characters Goku, Vegita and Gohan all transformed into Oozarus at some point in the series, (and supposedly Vegita and Goku's late-father Bardock could both maintain controll in their transformed state, which was supposedly extremely rare for Saiyans), but ultimately, because a Saiyan could not resist transforming when they saw a full moon, and becasue the tail prooved to be a disadvantage in battle most of the time, every Saiyan character had their tails removed at one point or another. (also...the moon was destroyed at least once, if not two or even three times, and later resurected again each time, to stop them from transforming.)

Is an alien species that evolved with metamorphic abilities applicable to the term "Were-Monkeys"? ...that is open to individual interpretation, I guess.

I voted "maybe". ...sorta...kinda...

I've heard from several people that Goku is actually a variation of a monkey god, who would come to earth in the form of a human with a monkey tail.

The Character Goku, as well as the entire beginning to the Dragonball Manga/Anime series was Inspired By the ancient Monkey God Legends, but at no point in the series was goku represented as that Legendary figure, in the literal sense.

[Renorei]

Point of information: Even though Goku's tail is removed, he later regains the ability to transform. He even makes it to Super Saiyan Level 5, the top level a Saiyan can reach. Also, (I can't remember whether it's 4 or 5) one of the Saiyan levels requires one to TF into the Golden Oozaru, and then gain control of it, before you can move on to that level.

[Lupin]

Point of information: Even though Goku's tail is removed, he later regains the ability to transform. He even makes it to Super Saiyan Level 5, the top level a Saiyan can reach. Also, (I can't remember whether it's 4 or 5) one of the Saiyan levels requires one to TF into the Golden Oozaru, and then gain control of it, before you can move on to that level.

He gets his tail back before he gets the ability to go SSJ 4, but this is all in Dragonball GT, which isn't considered to be canon by anyone. (Which is good because it's all crap made up by the people from Toei.)

[Vuldari]

Point of information: Even though Goku's tail is removed, he later regains the ability to transform. He even makes it to Super Saiyan Level 5, the top level a Saiyan can reach. Also, (I can't remember whether it's 4 or 5) one of the Saiyan levels requires one to TF into the Golden Oozaru, and then gain control of it, before you can move on to that level.

He gets his tail back before he gets the ability to go SSJ 4, but this is all in Dragonball GT, which isn't considered to be canon by anyone. (Which is good because it's all crap made up by the people from Toei.)

5?!

Yes, he did grow back his tail in GT (supposedly to increase his strength, but that did nothing...untill he transformed again) to reach level 4 (not 5...there is no 5), but GT was absurd, and can really be ignored anyway.

Also, in the DBZ movie "Tree of Might", (which also was not technically cannon either, I believe), Gohan, Goku's first-born son, was manipulated by an Evil Saiyan who caused his tail to grow back and then transformed him into his Oozaru form...for no perticular reason but to cause chaos and destruction.

Adult Goku never transformed into the "Giant Monkey" form in the Cannon storyline. ...only as a child, untill his tail was cut off.

...curiously, though Gohan was born with a tail, no mention was ever made about young Trunks and Goten, and if their tails were cut off at birth, or they just never had them. ...or little Pan for that matter, (though, since she was only 1/4 Saiyan and 3/4 human, it would not be suprising that she passed up that inheritance).

[Renorei]

Eh...yeah, sorry, I got my numbers confused. Pretend I never said '5'.

[Shadow Wulf]

I bet you anything that later on thier going to have a super saiyan 5

AHHHHH, IM SUPER SUPER SUPER GOKU!!! AND MY HAIR IS 5 TIMES MORE BLOND THAN IT USE TO WHEN I FIRST BECAME A SUPER SAYIAN!! AND I GOT ENOUGH MUSCLES TO FINALY RIP OFF EVEN MY WHOLE PANTS!! WHICH IS WHY I NOW WEAR A SUPER ELASTIC ONE!!

[Lupin]

I bet you anything that later on thier going to have a super saiyan 5

Nope. GT was the last series, and that ended almost a decade ago. Toriyama has moved on to bigger (not really) and better things.

[Shadow Wulf]

Are you serouse!?! Just a few years ago they were giving brand new episodes!! Well I guess thier consider brand new here in america sence alot of anime are atleast 4 or 5 years old in japan.

[Morkulv]

It looks more like some kind of freakish werewolf with a monkey tail. Not a complete monkey.

[Celestialwolf]

He gets his tail back before he gets the ability to go SSJ 4, but this is all in Dragonball GT, which isn't considered to be canon by anyone. (Which is good because it's all crap made up by the people from Toei.)

Yeah. GT blows.
I'm a long time Dragonball Z fan, and I have to say the Cell saga is my favorite.
BTW, I'll bet most of you didn't know this was in the wolfsmilies:

Anyway, sure: Goku could be considered a were-monkey-I guess. He is Saiyan, but oh well.

And yes, I am finally back after a long absence from here. Hi!

[Searif]

Goku is an adult and either lacks the tail or keeps it in his pants.

got it cut off, only way to stop the transformations