Dragon Ball: Why did Goku marry Chi-Chi? Explained

Dragon Ball is not a story that focuses on romance. However, some connections from the series have created a buzz amongst fans - such as the one between Krillin and Android 18 or the one between Vegeta and Bulma. Moreover, the most hyped link is between the main character, Goku, and his wife, Chi-Chi.

These two characters met at the beginning of the original Dragon Ball and, even today in Super, they are still a married couple. Therefore, it makes sense that people who are not familiar with the lore don't know how Goku got married to Chi-Chi, especially considering how he has never shown romantic interest in anyone. However, the manga itself gives an explanation regarding that.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the Dragon Ball series.

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Dragon Ball series: Goku and Chi-Chi had decided early they would get married

Goku has always been shown as someone very driven to improve himself in martial arts throughout Dragon Ball, although a lot of fans have noticed that he has never shown a lot of romantic interest in other characters, even in the original series. Therefore, people are beginning to wonder why Goku got married to Chi-Chi, although the story itself does explain it.

Chi-Chi is the princess and daughter of Ox Satan, meeting Goku and his friends at the beginning of the series, with the main cast saving their home from a very dangerous fire. It was during this period that Goku and Chi-Chi got to know each other and the little girl grew fond of him, which is why she asked the protagonist if they could get married when they grow older.

Goku accepted without knowing what marriage was and believing that was a type of food. They met each other once again in the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai, now both being older and Goku didn't recognize her at first.

They faced each other in the quarterfinals, with the Saiyan eventually remembering his promise of marriage and they tied the knot once the original Dragon Ball ended after defeating Piccolo Jr.

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Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship throughout the years

Chi-Chi and Goku in Super (Image via Toei Animation).

As mentioned earlier, the Dragon Ball series has never been a story focused on romance and there are several examples of that approach by author Akira Toriyama, although that didn't stop the mangaka from getting Goku and Chi-Chi together.

However, while it can be argued that this was the best way to introduce Gohan into the series, it also generated a lot of debate surrounding this relationship.

A lot of fans have felt that Goku and Chi-Chi's relationship is a bit chaotic, especially considering how the former is almost never around, at least when it comes to the Z portion of the series.

Although it is worth pointing out that most of the times he wasn't present at home were a direct result of him trying to protect the Earth and the universe, which is something that was very important.

Furthermore, Goku has shown time and time that he cares for his family when he has been around, which the Super portion of the story showed a bit more, such as having him do farm work to make money for them or getting enraged at Goku Black for killing the Chi-Chi and Goten of a different timeline.

While he is not a normal person when it comes to social interactions, he does care about his wife.

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Final thoughts

Goku promised Chi-Chi that they were going to get married when they were kids at the beginning of the Dragon Ball series and he fulfilled his promise during the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. And they have been going strong as a couple ever since.