They say that behind every great man is a great woman, and, though this could be construed as a bit sexist, it holds true for Goku and Chi-Chi in Dragon Ball. While Goku has trained and fought to save the world over and over, Chi-Chi has been there to keep him in line and make sure their sons grow up to even better men. She’s also been pretty supportive at times—when she’s not yelling at him for being somewhat neglectful as a husband and father.
They’re not exactly the most normal couple—he’s a demi-god-like alien warrior, and she’s a princess from Fire Mountain—but they’ve made it work over the years. The relationship between Goku and Chi-Chi spans almost as long as Dragon Ball itself, and, with how long the two have been an item, there are a lot of things fans might have forgotten about the couple.
Updated on March 21st, 2022 by Tanner Fox: Goku and Chi-Chi are certainly an odd couple; wed as the result of a semi-insincere promise, the two Dragon Ball characters never really seem to be on the same wavelength. Goku is rarely present, Chi-Chi is always scolding him, and it’s been hinted that the two haven’t ever kissed despite having had children together.
Still, there’s something strangely genuine about Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship. They share a kind of indescribable love that only seems to work out in Shounen anime. In spite of the weirdness of their lives, Goku and Chi-Chi find a way to make it work.
They Were Engaged When They Were Little
Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship has never been normal, and things were pretty weird right off the bat. When Goku first met Chi-Chi, they were only kids. Chi-Chi quickly fell in love with Goku, who was completely oblivious to her feelings. When Chi-Chi and Goku talked about getting married and having a family, something the Ox-King was happy to set up, Goku agreed, but it was only because he thought marriage was something to eat.
But, this naive mistake didn’t deter Chi-Chi’s feelings, and she took the proposal to heart. Chi-Chi would hold on to her feelings for Goku and the “promise” he made, thinking they were engaged to be married. However, this arrangement wouldn’t come through for a while—not until they were both quite a bit older.
Fulfilling A Promise
Due to Goku’s naivety, he thought that marriage was a food. Because of this, and because of his huge appetite, Goku was quick to make a promise to Chi-Chi that they would get married. Chi-Chi held on to this promise, and, when they were older, she approached him once more to follow through on their plans for marriage.
The two reunited in the ring of the World Martial Arts Tournament, and, during their match against each other, Goku admitted to Chi-Chi that he thought marriage was something to eat. But, Goku is a good-natured person, and he made a promise, so he officially proposed to Chi-Chi in the middle of their match, and she agreed.
They’ve Never Even Kissed
Though we’ve seen Chi-Chi peck Goku on the cheek when they reunited as adults, fans have never seen them lock lips. In fact, there is reason to believe it’s never happened behind closed doors. In the Future Trunks saga of Dragon Ball Super, Goku and Vegeta witnessed Trunks feed Mai a senzu bean while she was passed out, chewing it up and passing it from his mouth to hers.
In response to this lip contact, Goku was surprised and confused, to which Vegeta asked if he’d done something like that before. Goku said no, and Vegeta was shocked, saying “but you’re married!” Goku didn’t know what the two things had to do with each other, leaving Vegeta even more shocked. Of course, this isn’t indisputable evidence that they’ve never kissed, as it could also imply that Goku thought the act of sharing the senzu bean was weird.
Goku Totally Forgot About Chi-Chi
Though Goku eventually remembered Chi-Chi and gave her an official proposal, the events leading up to this were not quite as romantic. In fact, when Chi-Chi first approached Goku after all those years, he didn’t even recognize her. Not only that, he didn’t even remember the promise he made either, a fact that Chi-Chi was quick to yell at him for.
To be fair, Chi-Chi never reintroduced herself properly after all those years, and Goku’s not exactly the smartest guy in the world, so it’s fair to say that he didn’t forget about her on purpose or out of any sort of malice. Luckily, he made up for things by following through on the promise he forgot, and the two have been together since.
Their Wedding Wasn’t In The Original Manga
With all the drama out of the way, Chi-Chi and Goku were officially engaged, and, even though Goku was still rather naive in the ways of love, he clearly cared for Chi-Chi by the time they got married. Viewers actually got to see their wedding in the last episodes of Dragon Ball. However, fans might not know that these episodes were filler and didn’t appear in the original manga.
In these episodes, Goku and Chi-Chi are getting ready to get married, when a fire breaks out in the Ox-King’s castle. Desperate to save Chi-Chi’s mother’s wedding dress, which he was saving for the wedding, the Ox-King is trapped in the fire, and Goku and Chi-Chi head out to find the bansho fan in otherworld, where they run into Grandpa Gohan. The fire is eventually put out, and Goku and Chi-Chi have their wedding.
Chi-Chi’s Frustration With Goku
This one might be obvious, but Chi-Chi yells a lot—usually at Goku. It may seem abrasive, but Goku is an absent and negligent father and husband at times, usually more preoccupied with training and fighting. As a result, Chi-Chi tends to yell at him quite often, usually to get him to put at least a fraction of the effort he puts into fighting into being a good dad.
However, all this yelling doesn’t mean that Chi-Chi hates her husband. In fact, if anything, it shows that the cares about him. It might seem like she’s trying to change him, but, really, she’s just reminding Goku of his family who loves him and that there are other ways to protect and love them aside form training to protect them.
Goku Admires Chi-Chi’s Firey Personality
Speaking of Chi-Chi’s yelling, it’s actually part of the reason that Goku likes her. In Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta reveals that Saiyans love strong-willed women, an instinct that is somewhat hard-wired into Saiyan males. This fact was presented after Goku explains that part of the reason he’s been with Chi-Chi all these years is because he enjoys her feistiness.
Chi-Chi is a strong-willed, fiery woman who isn’t afraid to push for what she wants, especially when it comes to dealing with Goku, resulting in the aforementioned yelling. Yet, even though Goku is afraid of his wife at times, he still enjoys her feisty energy, most likely because of a mix of his Saiyan biology and the fact that he respects strength regardless of what form it takes.
They Are Both Royalty
Vegeta is the prince and eventual king of all Saiyans, thus making Bulma the queen of Saiyans by the time of the Majin Buu saga. But, they aren’t the only royal couple in the world of Dragon Ball. Not everyone will remember that Chi-Chi is the daughter of the Ox-King, meaning she is a princess, heir to her father’s throne and treasures. This makes Goku a prince and possible future king of the Ox kingdom.
That is, if all the treasure didn’t hadn’t been destroyed. Though there isn’t a kingdom left, Goku and Chi-Chi are technically royalty, though they don’t live like it. Goku has to work the fields to provide for his family as a radish farmer in Dragon Ball Super, and it’s not exactly a life of luxury.
Rare Displays Of Affection
Goku and Chi-Chi aren’t really seen acting like a married couple all that much; they don’t kiss, they don’t do things together, and they don’t even have a date night. Yet, they both very clearly care about each other deeply—they just have trouble showing it. Chi-Chi is very proud of her husband for saving the world, but she doesn’t always express it, and Goku clearly gets angry whenever a villain attacks or threatens his family.
Though they have trouble showing their love for each other, there are moments in the franchise where we see how much they care about each other. For example, when Goku recovers from his heart virus, they two have a heartfelt reunion, embracing lovingly. The two also showed great affection for each other when they reunited at the beginning and end of the Buu saga.
The Mystery of Goten
In Dragon Ball Z, Goku meets Goten for the first time at the World Martial Arts Tournament, but it’s not clear if this was also the first time that Goku knew about Goten. If it was, then both Goku and Chi-Chi were pretty terrible about communication while Goku was dead. Goku could clearly communicate with his family through King Kai, but he didn’t do so for seven years, and, if he did, one would think Chi-Chi could at least mention that they had a second kid.
Good thing Goten doesn’t resent his father for his absence, and it seems like Goku makes up for it at points during Super. But, this isn’t the only weird thing about Goku and Chi-Chi’s second son, since his conception has some weird implications. Goten was conceived when Goku was staying in Super Saiyan before the Cell games, which is just plain crazy to think about.
Goku Is Scared Of Chi-Chi
As much as Goku seems to like his wife’s feistiness, he also seems to fear it, though this might tie in with the fact that Goku respects strength and Chi-Chi has the strongest will in all of Dragon Ball. Regardless, Goku has been shown to be afraid of Chi-Chi on multiple occasions, sometimes cowering when she starts to raise her voice at him.
The funniest part about this is that Chi-Chi is not the strongest fighter in Dragon Ball by any means. Sure, she’s a trained martial artist and even taught Goten how to fight, but she’s not a powerful warrior. This is why it’s so hilarious that Goku, who has faced down super-powerful aliens, androids, and even gods, is afraid of his wife yelling at him.
Feats of Strength
One of the funniest parts about Goku being afraid of Chi-Chi is the fact that he’s essentially a demi-god with immense strength and power. In fact, sometimes Goku has trouble controlling his strength around Chi-Chi, especially as Goku gets stronger and stronger throughout the course of the Dragon Ball franchise.
In two infamous instances, Goku put Chi-Chi in danger because he doesn’t know his own strengths. When he gets back from space, he accidentally pats Chi-Chi on the back so hard that she goes flying through a wall and splits a tree in half. Later, when Goku recovers from his heart virus, he and Chi-Chi reunite, and Goku lovingly throws her in the air. It was a bit too high, however, as Chi-Chi is rather disoriented when she lands back in his arms.
Their Weird First Date
When Goku and Chi-Chi were little, they went on a few “dates,” though neither of them were really old enough to know what a date actually was. In a filler arc of Dragon Ball Z, Chi-Chi tells Gohan about her first date with Goku, their shared naivety leading to a rather unconventional date.
Chi-Chi, having a vague idea of a date, described it as the guy choosing the most pleasurable thing and convincing the girl to do it together. As dirty as that might sound, Goku took it another way. Since Goku loved fighting from a young age, he thought fighting was the most pleasurable thing, and the two spent their first date sparring all day. Even though it wasn’t what Chi-Chi had in mind, she still looks back fondly on their “first date.”
Their Different Approaches To Parenting
In the very first episode of Dragon Ball Z, Goku introduced his old friends to his son, Gohan, who Chi-Chi doesn’t want to be a fighter. However, various circumstances lead Gohan to become a martial artist, though Chi-Chi still makes him hit the books. In Dragon Ball Super, Gohan has made a name for himself as a scholar.
Gohan sort of serves as an example in Goku and Chi-Chi’s differences and similarities in parenting styles. Both clearly want the best for Gohan, but what they define as “best” is sort of different. Chi-Chi obviously wants Gohan to be a smart, hard-working member of society and forces him to study to achieve that goal. Goku, on the other hand, wants Gohan to be a strong fighter, though he’s been known to agree with Chi-Chi about studying from time to time.
The Lovey-Dovey English Dub
There have been various dubs throughout the course of Dragon Ball Z‘s broadcast in North America. In one of the versions, Goku’s personality was modified a bit. The translators thought that Goku’s obsession with fighting made him seem selfish, so they made him more like Superman, a powerful defender of justice who cared deeply for those around him.
Because of these changes, Goku and Chi-Chi’s relationship seems a bit more affectionate than it does in the other versions. In this version, Goku uses terms like “honey” and “babe” when talking to Chi-Chi, though some of these instances are in non-canon films. Goku even said “I love you” to Chi-Chi when he tells her he is alive again and gets to stay with her and their family, Meanwhile, in dubs like Kai, Goku just asks why his wife is crying at his revival.