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Goku from Dragon Ball and Superman in DC have often been compared by power-scaling anime fans, especially in light of their respective feats in their individual media. However, popular notions regarding Goku being inspired by, or straight-up being a ripoff of Superman, has been debunked by the original mangaka himself.
Fans took to Twitter to remark on the similarities and differences between the two characters. Superman is a superhuman alien from the West whose origin remains rooted in his spectacular feats on Earth after he escapes from his dying planet. Similarly, Goku's origin lies in a similar tale, although fans attribute the Saiyan's initial formulation from a source far older than Western comics.
Twitter user debunks idea that Dragon Ball's Goku was inspired by Superman, hinting at Chinese myth for same
Twitter user @BLubrun tweeted that the Dragon Ball protagonist was inspired by Superman, which they claimed that the "writer said it himself." Such a quote was in response to his own idea that:
"They weren't raised the same way, lol. Goku live a similar lifestyle like superman."
However, such a assumption was promptly discarded by people in the comments section, who believe that the idea is erroneous. Instead, they hinted at the author's own admission of turning to Chinese folklore, namely the story of the Monkey King to posit the relevance of Goku's powers. Evidently, fans had varied responses supporting this claim.
As such, the user took to admitting the role of Wukong for Goku in Dragon Ball while re-inforcing Superman as a contributory aspect.
Why do discussions comparing both Goku and Superman arise?
Despite the fact that Superman's origin is well known for its influence on popular culture, it is still important to analyse his past. A baby named Kal-El was launched into space by a rocket after being born on the doomed planet Krypton in the hopes that he would survive the world's destruction, which occurred a short while later.
Eventually, the infant's spacecraft crashed-landed in a Kansas cornfield, and the youngster was adopted by the loving Kent family. Kal-El, now Clark Kent, swiftly made it known that he possessed superhuman prowess. After establishing a credible secret identity, Clark relocated to the city of Metropolis to write for the Daily Planet newspaper to maintain a regular human life.
Similar to Superman, Goku (or his birth name, Kakarot) was born on the doomed planet Vegeta and, like Superman, managed to escape its annihilation by spaceship in Dragon Ball. Additionally, Kakarot would crash-land on Earth and be adopted by his fictitious grandfather Gohan. Kakarot would be raised by Gohan for a while. Gohan dubbed the child Goku during this period and started teaching him martial arts.
However, all of this, came to an end when Goku accidentally squashed Gohan while changing into a big ape after gazing at a full moon. After losing Gohan, Goku was left to fight for himself in the woods until he came across Bulma, a young girl searching for a dragon ball, which marked the beginning of the original Dragon Ball arc.
