Goku is the hero of Dragon Ball Z, the most powerful warrior on earth and the first to become Super Saiyan in over 1000 years. When the Saiyans arrive, Goku learns the mysterious secret of his own past: He is a Saiyan formerly named Kakarot. Goku was sent to Earth as a baby to grow up and destroy the planet, but a head injury as a child scrambled Goku’s programming. Instead of growing up to become a destructive super-warrior, he became innocent and pure of heart, fighting for good. Goku is peaceful, good natured, honest, loving to his family and friends, loyal, trustworthy, brave. If he has a weakness, it is his trusting nature. He always finds the "good" in people when others don't see it, though Goku’s enemies sometimes take advantage of his naive trust. He originally trained under Master Roshi and wears his symbol until he trains under King Kai. Then he wears King Kai's symbol. Goku grows up and marries Chi-Chi. Together they have two sons: Gohan and Goten.
Vegeta is a powerful Saiyan. He is a 'Super Elitist' and a prince, the son of King Vegeta, past ruler of the Saiyans. Vegeta and his comrade Nappa are two of the last surviving Saiyans. They come to Earth to destroy all life and sell the planet. Though physically smaller than Goku, Vegeta can power up to unbelievable levels destroying entire planets. He is a fierce rival of Goku's, striving always to seek power levels as high or higher than Goku and to reach Super Saiyan level. Ambitious and determined, Vegeta wants the Dragon Balls to gain immortality. He is determined to destroy Frieza. After the Namek Saga he fights on the side of the good guys and becomes the father of Trunks.
Named after his adoptive grandfather, Gohan is Goku and Chi-Chi's eldest son. He is idealistic, good and pure like his father. Gohan reveals his tremendous fighting potential when the earth is threatened. His heritage as part Saiyan and part human, make him stronger than if he were of one race alone. With Goku's departure to the next dimension and the eminent arrival of Saiyans stronger than Raditz, Gohan is key to the survival of Earth. Thus Piccolo, a former enemy of his father, joins forces with the good guys and trains Gohan for the upcoming battle. Over time, Gohan becomes friends with Piccolo, looks up to Piccolo and even wears similar clothing. Although initially a wimp, Gohan's training in the wilderness and subsequent fighting make him both brave and loyal. Following the fight on Earth, Gohan is determined to go with Bulma and Krillin to Namek to collect the seven Namekian Dragon Balls and help out his friends on Earth - especially since he feels he let them down during the fight on Earth. Gohan is key to the good guys success on Namek, risking his own life to save Dende, collecting Dragon Balls, traveling to see Guru who awakens a power sleeping within him, battling the Ginyu Force, etc. He will be the first to reach Super Saiyan 2 stage.
As a young boy, Krillin studied martial arts with Goku under Master Roshi. Originally he and Goku were fierce rivals, but now they are best friends. A short, bald warrior, Krillin provides comic relief in tense situations as he tries to keep up with Goku and some of the other more powerful warriors. A good fighter on his own accord, he's always there to help Goku. He can and has saved his friend's life more than once. In fact, Krillin unleashes an incredibly powerful energy blast shaped like a flying disk that can slice through mountaintops. Goku constantly encourages Krillin to have confidence in his own abilities as Krillin learns to be a remarkable fighter--that is, for an earthling. Loyal, courageous and dedicated to his friends, Krillin is willing to fight against the Saiyans even though he doesn't want to die and knows that he can't be brought back to life again by the Dragon Balls. Krillin and Gohan become very close friends through their adventures on Earth and Namek, and Krillin would do anything for Gohan.
Trunks is the son of Bulma, a headstrong technical genius, and Vegeta, one of the most powerful fighters in the Dragon Ball Z universe. His exact age is not certain, but he first appears in Dragon Ball Z in his mid to late teens. He is from the future and has witnessed a threat to Earth which cannot be stopped in that time. He has come back in time to try to save the Earth of his time, only to find our heroes in Earth facing their own peril. Much to the amazement of our friends, Trunks immediately turns Super Saiyan and defeats Frieza and King Cold. He gives Goku medicine to prevent his death from heart disease and tells them of Earth's coming predicament. The Z fighters immediately go into training, and Trunks returns to his own time. Trunks returns to our timeline again in the Android Saga to ensure that the androids do arrive on Earth. He is also born during this saga, so we have the opportunity to see him both as a teenager and a baby at the same time. He continues to exist as a boy and a teen until the end of the Cell Saga, when the older Trunks returns to his original timeline.
Goku is the hero of Dragon Ball Z, the most powerful warrior on earth and the first to become Super Saiyan in over 1000 years. When the Saiyans arrive, Goku learns the mysterious secret of his own past: He is a Saiyan formerly named Kakarot. Goku was sent to Earth as a baby to grow up and destroy the planet, but a head injury as a child scrambled Goku’s programming. Instead of growing up to become a destructive super-warrior, he became innocent and pure of heart, fighting for good. Goku is peaceful, good natured, honest, loving to his family and friends, loyal, trustworthy, brave. If he has a weakness, it is his trusting nature. He always finds the "good" in people when others don't see it, though Goku’s enemies sometimes take advantage of his naive trust. He originally trained under Master Roshi and wears his symbol until he trains under King Kai. Then he wears King Kai's symbol. Goku grows up and marries Chi-Chi. Together they have two sons: Gohan and Goten.
