Goku Was Originally Going to Be a Cyborg Before Dragon Ball Z Made Him An Alien

Goku is an alien of the Saiyan race in DBZ, but based on Akira Toriyama’s ‘prototype’ of Goku in a previous series, it seems he was nearly a cyborg!

While Dragon Ball Z has always been a series that included prominent cyborg and android characters (17, 18, Cell, and even Frieza), no one ever thought Goku would be on that list. Goku is famously a Saiyan, an alien from Planet Vegeta, but originally, Goku was going to be a cyborg. At least, based on Goku’s ‘prototype character’ from a series Akira Toriyama created before Dragon Ball – one that looks like a nearly shot-for-shot storyboard of what Dragon Ball would become.

In the first few chapters of the classic Dragon Ball by Akira Toriyama, readers are introduced to Goku as a young child, wandering through the woods looking for food. Previously, Goku came to Earth in a spaceship and was found by his adoptive father, Gohan. Following Gohan’s tragic death, Goku was left by himself, only for Bulma to come across him during her personal adventure to find all the Dragon Balls.

Bulma shoots Goku when she first meets him, only to learn that he is impervious to bullets. Afterward, the two teamed up to find the Dragon Balls together. This was the origin of Dragon Ball, which laid the groundwork for other iconic developments, including the revelation that Goku was an alien of the Saiyan race. And, as one can clearly see by comparing narrative notes, every step of Goku’s early Dragon Ball journey was first taken by his ‘prototype’, Tongpoo.

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Goku is a reflection of Tongpoo, who is a cyborg!

Akira Toriyama’s ‘prototype’ manga that predates (and holds a striking resemblance to) Dragon Ball is called The Adventures of Tongpoo. The series features the main character, Tongpoo, who arrives on a deserted planet and meets a girl named Plamo. The two proceed to go on adventures together, which eventually leads them into conflict with a villainous alien who shoots Tongpoo multiple times with no effect. It’s at that point that Tongpoo reveals himself to be a nearly indestructible cyborg.

The Adventures of Tongpoo is available to read in chapter 14 of Akira Toriyama’s Manga Theater from Viz.

Right off the cuff, the similarities to early Dragon Ball are obvious. Tongpoo’s arrival on Earth mirrors Goku’s almost exactly, as does his introduction to Plamo (a prototype of Bulma). Indeed, Plamo shoots Tongpoo upon meeting him, just like Bulma when she met Goku. Plus, the character designs are nearly identical between Tongpoo and kid Goku, as are the plot points of the initial respective storylines. It’s fair to say that The Adventures of Tongpoo was where Dragon Ball truly began, meaning it seems Goku came extremely close to being a cyborg just like his ‘protype’, Tongpoo.

Toriyama Regularly Used Androids & Cyborgs in Dragon Ball, Just Not with Goku

The Adventures of Tongpoo’s influence is still greatly felt in Dragon Ball canon!

While Akira Toriyama clearly decided not to make Goku a cyborg like his ‘prototype’, Toriyama didn’t abandon android and cyborg characters entirely in Dragon Ball. Not only were the aforementioned 17, 18, and Cell androids (with Cell technically a ‘bio-android’), robotic characters have been a mainstay from the start. The fan-favorite Android 8, for instance, is the one that taught Goku how to show mercy to his enemies, and his first appearance was within the first hundred chapters of the original run – and he was just one of the many androids that would be introduced during that time.

Androids and cyborgs have always been a part of Dragon Ball, and apparently, that’s because Akira Toriyama has a soft spot for them in his storytelling. So much so, in fact, that it seems Goku himself was nearly a cyborg before Toriyama decided to make him an alien in Dragon Ball Z, as indicated by Akira Toriyama’s first ‘Goku’, Tongpoo.