How rich was Goku over the series or does he just do things for free?

[keyz05]

Has anyone noticed the economy of the Son family to see how much they earn over the series or does Goku & family do things for free?

[Gog]

He most likely doesn't even work at all. So no I wouldn't imagine him to

[TheDevilsCorpse]

Goku usually gives away any money he manages to earn, and I don't think he stuck around to collect his winnings from the 23rd Tenka'ichi Budokai (if there even were any, after the way it ended). Afterwards, they survived on Gyumao's wealth for most the series. It started to run dry around the Boo Arc, pushing the family to start farming shortly after (JSAT/Super).

Then you get into the 100 million zeni Satan gave them at the start of Super, ending with various shenanigans likely draining that (spending it on Goten's schooling, to "properly" feed Pan, Goku destroying their house, etc). Now we're back to Goku farming, so they're probably still "poor" even though they'll never truly hurt for money with Bluma and Mr. Satan around.

[mabalia]

Kid Goku didn't know the value of money, so he didn't care for it. Adult Goku knows the value of money, but still doesn't care for it much, as long as he has food on his table. Chichi is the person that worries about it as she's aware of the bills they have to pay, so she instigates Goku to work.

About the prize money for winning the 23rd tournament, it's in character for Chichi to push Goku to collect his money so they could live of it for a while.

[Kendamu]

Kid Goku didn't know the value of money, so he didn't care for it. Adult Goku knows the value of money, but still doesn't care for it much, as long as he has food on his table. Chichi is the person that worries about it as she's aware of the bills they have to pay, so she instigates Goku to work.

About the prize money for winning the 23rd tournament, it's in character for Chichi to push Goku to collect his money so they could live of it for a while.

I'm not really sure what sort of bills they have to pay living near Son Goku's childhood home in the middle of nowhere, though. Going by the driving episode of Z and the first episode of Super, I'd gather that most of the money goes toward groceries (foodstuffs that can't simply be hunted and gathered) and the super expensive private education Chichi provided Gohan (and wants to provide for Goten).

[mabalia]

Kid Goku didn't know the value of money, so he didn't care for it. Adult Goku knows the value of money, but still doesn't care for it much, as long as he has food on his table. Chichi is the person that worries about it as she's aware of the bills they have to pay, so she instigates Goku to work.

About the prize money for winning the 23rd tournament, it's in character for Chichi to push Goku to collect his money so they could live of it for a while.

I'm not really sure what sort of bills they have to pay living near Son Goku's childhood home in the middle of nowhere, though. Going by the driving episode of Z and the first episode of Super, I'd gather that most of the money goes toward groceries (foodstuffs that can't simply be hunted and gathered) and the super expensive private education Chichi provided Gohan (and wants to provide for Goten).

Electricity bills, clothes (kids grows up as they age and they'll need new clothes), new furnitures for the new baby, new furnitures as they grow up to be kids and later teens, educational material for their study, they have bills in a grocery store and Chichi said in a super epidode it was expensive (for some variety of food, they have to buy it in a grocery store). And I think I may forget other kinds of bills. That's basic domestic economy.

But it's canon that for a while Son family was helped by Ox King, maybe in the time that Goku was training for the androids (3 years) and after he dies (7 years).

[Kendamu]

Electricity bills, clothes (kids grows up as they age and they'll need new clothes), new furnitures for the new baby, new furnitures as they grow up to be kids and later teens, educational material for their study, they have bills in a grocery store and Chichi said in a super epidode it was expensive (for some variety of food, they have to buy it in a grocery store). And I think I may forget other kinds of bills. That's basic domestic economy.

But it's canon that for a while Son family was helped by Ox King, maybe in the time that Goku was training for the androids (3 years) and after he dies (7 years).

Yeah, but do they really have electricity wired to them over power lines all the way from the far off land of East City? I figured they had some kind of generator or something to power their TV and lightbulbs.

As for Gohan's clothes, that's a good point, really. I can't imagine them being super expensive, though, when he's spending so much time wearing clothes he made himself or clothes that Piccolo made with his Clothes Beam.

I had already mentioned educational materials and groceries.

It's hard to imagine Song Goku and Chichi living the "basic domestic economy" life when Goku seems happy to just hunt and gather for their food, firewood, and other such basic survival needs that he's extremely well-versed in. Even Gohan is able to survive on his own! If not for Chichi's obsession with high-end education, I doubt they'd need money at all. They'd all probably just be living off the land entirely.

[mabalia]

Electricity bills, clothes (kids grows up as they age and they'll need new clothes), new furnitures for the new baby, new furnitures as they grow up to be kids and later teens, educational material for their study, they have bills in a grocery store and Chichi said in a super epidode it was expensive (for some variety of food, they have to buy it in a grocery store). And I think I may forget other kinds of bills. That's basic domestic economy.

But it's canon that for a while Son family was helped by Ox King, maybe in the time that Goku was training for the androids (3 years) and after he dies (7 years).

Yeah, but do they really have electricity wired to them over power lines all the way from the far off land of East City? I figured they had some kind of generator or something to power their TV and lightbulbs.

As for Gohan's clothes, that's a good point, really. I can't imagine them being super expensive, though, when he's spending so much time wearing clothes he made himself or clothes that Piccolo made with his Clothes Beam.

I had already mentioned educational materials and groceries.

It's hard to imagine Song Goku and Chichi living the "basic domestic economy" life when Goku seems happy to just hunt and gather for their food, firewood, and other such basic survival needs that he's extremely well-versed in. Even Gohan is able to survive on his own! If not for Chichi's obsession with high-end education, I doubt they'd need money at all. They'd all probably just be living off the land entirely.

For the first 4 years of his life Gohan didn't have any contact with Picolo. Son family lives the simple life, but even simple life has costs. Remember the beginning of the Buu arc about how Chichi was worried about their financial situation, she was happy for Gohan and Goku to fight the tournament for the prize money and she was glad that Gohan has a rich girlfriend , because Ox King is broken-down and can't help them anymore. You talk like they didn't live in a house but in the forest without any kind of comfort.
So I disagree with you and I think the lack of money is a source of worry, at least to Chichi is. And I think Goku is more domesticated now after marriage, I don't think he'd left the warm of his house to sleep in a forest with rains and mosquitoes.

[Kendamu]

They lived in a house right next to Son Goku's house he lived in as a child where money wasn't a requirement for him to survive. He's shown, as an adult, to engage in fishing for their food like it's what they regularly do. Son Gohan also knows how to survive off the land with zero money (or shelter!). That probably contributed greatly to stretching 500,000 Zeni over a period of about sixteen years.

I'm not saying they didn't have to consider the things you're taking into account. It's obvious they needed more money in the Boo Arc. However, what I'm saying is that it doesn't seem like they need a whole lot to last them quite awhile. This is even more solidified in the fact thst that Toriyama thinks of Zeni as a rough equivalent value to Yen. That means Son Goku, Son Gohan, Chichi, and (later) Son Goten lived off of like $5000 USD for about sixteen years thanks to their lifestyle.

Yeah. Stuff costs money, but the Son family sure knows to how pinch pennies!!

[TheDevilsCorpse]

They lived in a house right next to Son Goku's house he lived in as a child where money wasn't a requirement for him to survive.

Your catchphrase is "Read the damn manga!", but I don't believe the two houses are ever shown together outside of the anime. =P

The Daizenshu #4 geographical dictionary map thing places the two a fair distance apart. (Grandpa Gohan's house is #2, and Goku's house is #4.)

[mabalia]

Grandpa Gohan lived a different lifestyle than modern Son family lives. He's a hermit, he doesn't have much social interaction (he raised Goku and wrote a letter to his sensei Roshi, and that's it), lived in a small house without electricity and few furnitures, he didn't need money. He was already a really old man.

Let's see what could Son family do with 500,000 Zeni. First they needed to buy a house and theirs at the beginning of DBZ was partially a capsule house and partially a constructed one (Goku's construction skills could've been utilized here, as this was a skill he learned when he was trained by Roshi). In the time Yamcha was a bandit, he was after capsules hoi poi because they were expensive, so we have a notion that a capsule house takes a lot of money, plus the construction material. Over time their house changed, so more money was spent. And they have a car and they'd need fuel for it, so more money was spent to buy and to keep it. These costs plus the other ones I already mentioned can make money disappear.

It's probable the 500,000 Zeni lasted until the return of Goku from Yardrat, because it's around this time we saw Chichi complaining that Goku never worked to earn money since they got married. But Goku had to train for the androids, he really didn't have the time to work, so the Son family was helped by Ox King, who was still rich at the time.

And yeah fish and meat they find in Mount Paouzu helps a lot but they have other kinds of bills to pay.

[Kendamu]

They lived in a house right next to Son Goku's house he lived in as a child where money wasn't a requirement for him to survive.

Your catchphrase is "Read the damn manga!", but I don't believe the two houses are ever shown together outside of the anime. =P

The Daizenshu #4 geographical dictionary map thing places the two a fair distance apart. (Grandpa Gohan's house is #2, and Goku's house is #4.)

I remember them being right next to each other for some reason. Maybe I'm just crazy.

[floofychan333]

Goku hates getting any recognition for his wonderful work in saving the earth so he doesn't make any money. He could easily be Mr Satan but he prefers to just let Mr Satan get away with scamming the entire population.

[Akyon]

You know, I actually really feel for Ox King.

He supported his daughter, and three saiyans for years on his own wealth. Seeing how much Goku can eat in a single sitting and knowing the cost of the ingredients the guy has spent a ridiculous fortune keeping them in a manner of which they are accustomed. I sure hope the Son family appreciated his sacrifices.

Ox King is the unsung hero of Dragonball.

[Marugoto]

Well the guy murdered innocent people and horded his stolen wealth on top of a flaming mountain. Not sure if he would make a better role model than Goku.

[Nejishiki]

Goku hates getting any recognition for his wonderful work in saving the earth so he doesn't make any money. He could easily be Mr Satan but he prefers to just let Mr Satan get away with scamming the entire population.

I think it's more accurate to say he doesn't particularly care about recognition. It's not as if he's gone out of his way to avoid spotlights. Goku, & by extension the rest of the martial artists, lacks desires of wealth. They've all lived from the land at one point or another for the sake of their lifestyle, too. Chi-Chi herself isn't bothered by Mr. Satan's antics, I don't think. She's the main character seeking additional funds (for the sake of advanced education). The closest she's come to acknowledging Mr. Satan is when she discovers his daughter is wealthy & interested in her son. Aside from that, there's no light pointed towards Mr. Satan being villainous for taking Gohan's credit. I'm not saying you can't be bothered by his shamelessness, just that the characters themselves don't lose sleep over what he does.

[mabalia]

You know, I actually really feel for Ox King.

He supported his daughter, and three saiyans for years on his own wealth. Seeing how much Goku can eat in a single sitting and knowing the cost of the ingredients the guy has spent a ridiculous fortune keeping them in a manner of which they are accustomed. I sure hope the Son family appreciated his sacrifices.

Ox King is the unsung hero of Dragonball.

I agree. And he's always by his daughter's side in moments of distress, supporting her the way he can. When people talk about exemple of good fathers usually Krillin and Gohan are cited and they forget Ox King.

I like to think that a part of the money Mr. Satan gave Goku, Chichi utilized to repay Ox King for all the past years he helped them, especially now that he's boken. I'm sure Goku wouldn't mind and approve of this decision. But that's just a nice headcanon.

Well the guy murdered innocent people and horded his stolen wealth on top of a flaming mountain. Not sure if he would make a better role model than Goku.

He joined the ex-villains club alongside Vegeta and Picolo.

[floofychan333]

Goku hates getting any recognition for his wonderful work in saving the earth so he doesn't make any money. He could easily be Mr Satan but he prefers to just let Mr Satan get away with scamming the entire population.

I think it's more accurate to say he doesn't particularly care about recognition. It's not as if he's gone out of his way to avoid spotlights. Goku, & by extension the rest of the martial artists, lacks desires of wealth. They've all lived from the land at one point or another for the sake of their lifestyle, too. Chi-Chi herself isn't bothered by Mr. Satan's antics, I don't think. She's the main character seeking additional funds (for the sake of advanced education). The closest she's come to acknowledging Mr. Satan is when she discovers his daughter is wealthy & interested in her son. Aside from that, there's no light pointed towards Mr. Satan being villainous for taking Gohan's credit. I'm not saying you can't be bothered by his shamelessness, just that the characters themselves don't lose sleep over what he does.

They should feel cheated. How would you feel if you poured your life into something and some idiot came and took all the credit?

[Gog]

Goku hates getting any recognition for his wonderful work in saving the earth so he doesn't make any money. He could easily be Mr Satan but he prefers to just let Mr Satan get away with scamming the entire population.

I think it's more accurate to say he doesn't particularly care about recognition. It's not as if he's gone out of his way to avoid spotlights. Goku, & by extension the rest of the martial artists, lacks desires of wealth. They've all lived from the land at one point or another for the sake of their lifestyle, too. Chi-Chi herself isn't bothered by Mr. Satan's antics, I don't think. She's the main character seeking additional funds (for the sake of advanced education). The closest she's come to acknowledging Mr. Satan is when she discovers his daughter is wealthy & interested in her son. Aside from that, there's no light pointed towards Mr. Satan being villainous for taking Gohan's credit. I'm not saying you can't be bothered by his shamelessness, just that the characters themselves don't lose sleep over what he does.

This man here gets it. Goku, and the Z fighters don't care about any recognition, that's why Mister Satan can do whatever he wants, and Goku won't slam him against a wall and whisper dangerously to him that he doesn't want stealing his spot light. besides that being completely and 100% out of character, Goku and his gang just don't care.

[Nejishiki]

Goku hates getting any recognition for his wonderful work in saving the earth so he doesn't make any money. He could easily be Mr Satan but he prefers to just let Mr Satan get away with scamming the entire population.

I think it's more accurate to say he doesn't particularly care about recognition. It's not as if he's gone out of his way to avoid spotlights. Goku, & by extension the rest of the martial artists, lacks desires of wealth. They've all lived from the land at one point or another for the sake of their lifestyle, too. Chi-Chi herself isn't bothered by Mr. Satan's antics, I don't think. She's the main character seeking additional funds (for the sake of advanced education). The closest she's come to acknowledging Mr. Satan is when she discovers his daughter is wealthy & interested in her son. Aside from that, there's no light pointed towards Mr. Satan being villainous for taking Gohan's credit. I'm not saying you can't be bothered by his shamelessness, just that the characters themselves don't lose sleep over what he does.

They should feel cheated. How would you feel if you poured your life into something and some idiot came and took all the credit?

This isn't about me though. I'm explaining the attitudes of other people. You may feel that they should feel cheated but we see that Goku clearly doesn't care or mind. It's not about losing credit or reorganization on their end. They weren't seeking that anyway. You can't be upset about something you weren't striving for in the first place.