For a series built around massive battles and universe-shaking transformations, Dragon Ball actually keeps Goku’s family surprisingly straightforward and simple. While the franchise has introduced countless gods, rivals, timelines, and alternate continuities over the decades, the core Son family remains one of the emotional anchors of the story. From Grandpa Gohan’s kindness to Pan carrying the family legacy into the future, Goku’s lineage reflects how much the series values connection alongside combat.
Even longtime fans occasionally need a refresher on how everyone in Goku’s family fits together, especially since characters like Bardock, Gine, and Pan became far more important in later entries such as Dragon Ball Super. Fortunately, the family tree itself is much simpler than the franchise’s sprawling lore. At its center is Goku, whose influence ties together generations of Saiyans, Earthlings, and hybrids across the entire franchise timeline.
Grandpa Gohan is Goku’s adoptive grandfather, who originally found the baby Goku alone in the remains of a small ship. Grandpa Gohan decided to raise Goku as his own, and his influence helped shape Goku into the kind but powerful man he would someday grow up into.
Grandpa Gohan was unfortunately killed when Goku transformed into his Great Ape state by looking at the Full Moon, an accident which Goku doesn’t really remember all that well.
Despite being dead before the story begins, Goku does get to reunite briefly with Grandpa Gohan when the latter is chosen as a fighter on behalf of the Fortuneteller Baba. Grandpa Gohan is shown to be proud of Goku’s progress, and Goku would go on to name his firstborn son after him.
Bardock and Gine are Goku’s biological parents. Bardock was a Saiyan warrior who lived on Planet Vegeta with his wife Gine, who was too kindhearted to be a warrior herself and retired from the role. Bardock was considered a low-class warrior, but was surprisingly powerful in spite of this.
Bardock went on missions as part of the Frieza Force, destroying civilizations so that the planets they lived on could be sold. Bardock and Gine had two sons: Raditz, the elder, who was sent out on assignment with Vegeta at a young age, and Kakarot (Goku).
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Bardock was suspicious when Frieza called all the Saiyans back to their homeworld, and sent young Kakarot off into deep space as an “infiltration baby” in order to spare him the fate of their species. When Frieza destroyed the Saiyan homeworld, Bardock alone stood against him, albeit fruitlessly.
Later *Dragon Ball Super *material expanded Bardock’s role considerably, portraying him as more compassionate than earlier Saiyan warriors. His decision to save Granolah and protect Kakarot added extra emotional weight to Goku’s origins and further separated Bardock from the ruthless reputation of Saiyans in the past.
Raditz is the eldest son of Bardock and Gine, and thus Goku’s older brother. While he bears a resemblance to Gine, he did not inherit her kind heart; instead being a cruel and sadistic warrior.
He was informed of Bardock’s plan to send Kakarot to Earth, and eventually decided to visit this planet and meet his younger brother, since they were among the few surviving Saiyans. Having grown up as Goku, however, Kakarot was not the warrior Raditz expected to find.
Goku and Raditz fought, with Raditz kidnapping Goku’s son Gohan to try to force him into working together. Goku and Raditz’ fight eventually led to both their deaths, and while Goku would go on to be revived by the dragon balls, Raditz never was.
Son Goku is the main hero of Dragon Ball. First found as a mysterious baby with a tail, he was raised by a man known as Grandpa Gohan until he passed away after a terrible accident.
Goku found himself alone and ended up tagging along with Bulma at the start of Dragon Ball, kicking off decades of adventure. Goku would later be revealed to be a Saiyan, a type of alien being originally believed to have been sent to Earth to conquer it.
Goku would go on to marry a woman named Chichi and have two children, Gohan and Goten. Goku is capable of many transformations, including his Great Ape form, various levels of Super Saiyan, and his current ultimate technique, Ultra instinct, which allows him to wield the power of a god.
Chi Chi is Goku’s wife and the mother of his two children. Chi Chi and Goku originally met as children, at which time Chi Chi developed an intense crush on Goku, which he didn’t really understand or reciprocate.
Goku agreed to make her his bride, but didn’t even know what the word meant at the time. They met again at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, at which time Goku didn’t even recognize her. After defeating her in the tournament, Chi Chi revealed her identity to Goku, and Goku honored his earlier promise, proposing to Chi Chi then and there.
Goku and Chi Chi would marry, and then go on to have a son, Gohan, who looked quite a lot like his father when he was younger. They would later have a second son, Goten. Chi Chi often disapproves of Goku’s adventuring and wishes he would find a normal job. This manifests as emphasizing the importance of studying to her children, and growing angry when they get caught up in Goku’s antics.
Son Gohan is Goku’s eldest son and brother to Goten. Gohan is introduced at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z at about the age of four. He is the first half-human/half-Saiyan in the series, and is said to have incredible combat potential.
After his father and uncle are killed fighting each other, Gohan is taken in by Piccolo, who intends to train the boy in the ways of martial arts and prepare him for the arrival of the other Saiyans in a year.
Gohan and Piccolo develop a close relationship in Goku’s absence, and he sees Piccolo as something of a surrogate father.
Gohan eventually balanced both family life and his career as a scholar, though he repeatedly returns to battle whenever Earth is threatened. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero also pushed Gohan back into the spotlight by introducing his powerful Beast transformation. Gohan would later grow up and marry Videl, going on to have a daughter of his own, Pan.
Son Goten is Goku’s youngest son and the younger brother of Gohan. He is a close friend of Vegeta’s son, Trunks, and the two are almost always seen together, particularly in later series.
When Majin Buu threatened the Earth, Goten and Trunks were forced to become its defender, fusing together into the warrior Gotenks. Gotenks wielded some incredible powers, but ultimately wasn’t enough to defeat Majin Buu on his own.
In the current timeframe of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Goten is a teenager who doesn’t seem to have any romantic interests. As a result of years of peace, Goten is also a bit out of practice as a warrior, as seen with their failed attempt at fusion during the Cell Max fight.
Pan is the daughter of Gohan and Videl, and thus the granddaughter of Goku. Pan is first seen in the epilogue of Dragon Ball Z, and is shown as a baby in Dragon Ball Super. She’s approximately 3 and a half years old at the time of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and is already able to fly using Ki, showing her great potential.
Pan is a major character in Dragon Ball GT, secretly accompanying the de-aged Goku on their mission to retrieve the Black Star Dragon Balls.
According to GT, Pan has descendants going down several generations, eventually resulting in the birth of her great-great-grandson, “Goku Jr.”, 100 years after GT. It’s never clarified who Pan marries or the names of her children, however.
Depicted in *Dragon Ball GT’s *last episode and in the true last point in *Dragon Ball’s *timeline, the *A Hero’s Legacy *special, Goku Jr. is the last known descendant of Goku.
Goku Jr. is the great-great-grandson of Pan, making him pretty far removed temporally from his iconic ancestor.
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In A Hero’s Legacy, Goku Jr. is shown to be quite different from his famous ancestor, as he’s shown to be far more timid and even-tempered. Goku Jr. would eventually meet Goku’s spirit in a touching scene that serves as an excellent capstone to Dragon Ball’s* ***story and the legacy of Goku’s family line.
Since Dragon Ball GT exists separately from the current Dragon Ball Super continuity, Goku Jr. is not considered part of the Dragon Ball franchise’s main canon timeline. Even so, many fans still view his appearance as one of the series’ most emotional endings.
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From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.