It’s not as straightforward as you may think.
The Dragon Ball series isn’t set in one particular time period.
It allows itself to progress, which is why we start from the very first episode watching Goku as an immature child slowly grow up into an immature adult.
The passage of time and how it passes is somewhat tricky to analyse due to the sudden appearance of child characters which have a knock-on effect to the already established cast.
That being said, there are clear points in the franchise that set up an era for Goku and friends, but the short answer is, Goku is never one specific age.
How old is Goku in Dragon Ball?
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The little Saiyan explodes into Bulma’s life at the young, naïve age of 11 years old. The original Dragon Ball series follows Goku exploring the world and meeting what he’ll soon call family.
His age impacts the action and scenarios massively compared to later sequels which makes the show feel more like a slice-of-life comedy. After accompanying Bulma, Yamcha, Oolong and Puar to stop Emperor Pilaf and his forces from using the Dragon Balls towards world domination, Goku trains to prepare for the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament.
A three-year interim takes place, meaning he grows to the age of 15 before he can take part. Directly following the tournament is when the Piccollo arc takes place and another three years later is when it wraps, setting Goku up as an 18-year-old adult.
How old is Goku in Dragon Ball Z?
Dragon Ball Z is where the meat of the series takes place. Five years after the events of Dragon Ball, Goku is now 23. He’s now joined by his five-year-old son, Gohan.
Sadly, this is where we see Goku sacrifice himself in order to stop his evil half Saiyan brother, Raditz, from destroying the world. As the Z Fighters train on Earth for the arrival of Raditz’s superiors Vegeta and Nappa, Goku trains in the afterlife. Upon his resurrection through the Dragon Balls, Goku remains physically 23 but chronologically ages to 24 when he helps drive Vegeta from the Earth.
After defeating Frieza, Goku spends the next three years training once again for the arrival of the androids, landing him at 27. Several arcs later and many more world-ending opponents vanquished, Goku is forced to sacrifice himself once again, this time to stop Cell.
He remains dead for the next seven years until Elder Kai’s resurrection to defeat Majin Buu. The series experiences a 10-year jump which means Goku is (bear with us) 37 but chronologically 44.
How old is Goku in Dragon Ball GT?
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Dragon Ball GT opens five years later, shifting Goku to physically 42 but chronologically 49 years old. Emperor Pilaf steps in to complicate things even further after reverting him back to an 11-year-old while retaining his adult mentality.
The arc lasts for two years but GT doubles down with a special taking place a century into the future. After Goku merges with the Eternal Dragon, he recovers his adult physical form and though we don’t have an exact reference to work with, this would make him approximately 151 psychologically.
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