Why Goku and Vegeta never seem to age in Dragon Ball: This is how creator Akira Toriyama explained it

‘Dragon Ball’ tells the story of Goku, a boy who had to grow up alone in the mountains after losing his grandfather in a tragic event that he only found out about many years later, growing up with companions such as Bulma, Master Roshi, Krillin and Yamcha, and then forming a family with Chi-Chi and having two sons, Gohan and Goten, and even a granddaughter! However, despite the passing of the years, it seems that Goku has remained young since he became a man in the third edition of the martial arts tournament he participated in just before the start of ‘Dragon Ball Z’. Why does Goku, like Vegeta, never seem to age? Akira Toriyama has the answer.

Why does Goku stay so young?

It seems to be a common trait of the Saiyan race that they are able to appear much younger than they actually are for much of their adult lives. This is evidenced by the youthful appearance of both Goku and Vegeta, even at 44 chronological years at the end of “Dragon Ball Z” and his encounter with Uub.

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This was explained by the saga’s creator, Akira Toriyama, in an issue of the magazine Dragon Ball Super Exciting Guide, in which he explained that the Saiyans have their own life cycle, different from that of humans, with much slower aging than usual: “Saiyans are a warrior race, so their aging slows once they reach an age suitable for fighting, and they maintain great strength for a long time,” Toriyama explained.

However, they don’t always stay young, because once they reach a certain age, they start to age more quickly: “However, their lifespan is not much different from Earthlings’, and when they reach a certain age, they rapidly grow frail,” the mangaka concluded a few years ago.

In this sense, Toriyama had already shown a nice illustration of Goku at an advanced age, if only as a curiosity, a simple wink to the fans.