How to Draw Goku Step by Step (Easy Chibi Version)

Spiky black hair pointing in every direction, an orange gi and a fist held high: that's enough for any Dragon Ball fan to recognise the Saiyan hero. Below I show you how to draw Goku step by step in a chibi style, with a huge head and a tiny body, which is far easier than a muscular action pose. This is my simple fan-art version for practice, not official artwork, so you can relax about matching the show line for line.

In every step image, fresh lines appear in blue. Anything you already drew turns gray, and the pale blue helper shapes disappear in step 11.

Quick overview
⏱️ Time: about 35 minutes, including coloring
🎯 Level: easy, with a slightly tricky hair step
✏️ Steps: 12
🥋 You'll draw: a full-body chibi Goku in his orange gi, one fist raised

Saiyan Sketch Kit: Pencil, Pen and Orange

• A pencil you can press lightly (HB or 2B)
• A clean eraser for the guide lines
• A black pen or fineliner for the final outline
• Markers or pencils in orange, blue and black, plus a peach skin color
• A darker orange for the shady side of the gi (optional)
• A sheet of paper turned upright, since he's taller than he is wide

Any orange works, but a warm, slightly reddish one looks closer to his gi than a pale yellow-orange.

How to Draw Goku Step by Step

Step 1: Draw a head circle, a center line and the ground

Start with a big circle in the upper half of the paper. In chibi drawings the head is nearly as tall as the whole body, so don't be shy with it. Run a straight line down through the middle and finish it at a short flat line near the bottom, which is where his boots will stand.

💡 Tip: Leave a good strip of empty paper above the circle, because the hair will climb high above it.

Step 2: Add a body oval and stick lines for the limbs

Just under the head, sketch a small oval for the body. It should be less than half as wide as the head. Then add the pose as stick lines: one arm bending down at his side, the other bent up with the hand near his cheek, and two short legs reaching the ground line.

💡 Tip: Bend the raised arm at a clear corner; a straight stick up reads as waving, not a fist pump.

Step 3: Sketch a hair oval and an eye line

Goku's hair is wider than his head, so a wide oval around the top of the circle helps a lot. It marks how far the spikes can reach. Then draw a level line across the lower half of the head for the eyes.

💡 Tip: Make the hair oval much wider than it is tall; that's what gives his head its famous fan shape.

Step 4: Draw the round face and the ears

Trace the lower part of the head circle for the face, rounding the chin softly. You only need the bottom half or so. Put a small C-shaped ear on each side at eye level, then two short lines under the chin for the neck.

💡 Tip: Keep the chin round and wide; a pointy chin makes him look older and less cute.

Step 5: Draw the tall spiky hair

This is the step that makes him Goku, so take your time. Work around the hair oval, drawing big pointed spikes that go up on top and out to the sides, with one low spike sweeping out over each ear. Across the forehead, draw a zigzag of shorter bangs, letting the middle one hang a little lower. A few curved lines inside show where spikes overlap.

💡 Tip: Make every spike a different size and tilt; identical spikes turn the hair into a crown.

Step 6: Draw the arms, the fists and the wristbands

Follow the stick lines with a tube on each side. The lowered arm curves gently down to a round fist at his hip. The raised arm goes out to the elbow, then bends up to a fist beside his cheek. Close to each fist, draw a wide band across the wrist, and add short knuckle lines on the fists.

💡 Tip: I draw arms before the gi top because they sit in front of it, which saves erasing later.

Step 7: Draw the gi top, the undershirt and the belt

Draw the gi from shoulder to shoulder, with the sides going straight down behind the arms. Under the chin, a V shape shows the blue undershirt, and a curve below it shows where the gi wraps over. Across the waist add a band for the belt, a small square knot in the middle and two short ends hanging down.

💡 Tip: Tilt the two belt ends slightly apart so they look like they're hanging loose.

Step 8: Add baggy pants and boots

His pants are short and puffy in this style. Draw them wider than the gi at the hips and split them into two legs with a small gap at the bottom. Below, draw two chunky boots with toes pointing slightly outward, plus a curved line near the top of each boot where the pants tuck in.

💡 Tip: Rest both boot soles on the ground line so he doesn't look like he's floating.

Step 9: Give him big eyes and eyebrows

Sit two tall ovals right on the eye line, with roughly one eye's width between them. Inside each, leave a big round shine near the top and a tiny one below, both on the same side. Short, thick brows go just under the bangs. A gentle arch keeps him friendly.

💡 Tip: Bigger eyes placed lower on the face push the drawing toward cute; try it and compare.

Step 10: Draw the grin, the nose and the cheeks

Below the eyes, a tiny hook is all the nose you need. Under it, draw a wide open grin: a shallow curve on top and a deeper curve below. Add a strip of teeth along the top edge and a small tongue at the bottom. Two flat ovals on the cheeks finish the happy look.

💡 Tip: Center the grin under the nose; even a small shift sideways makes the face look lopsided.

Step 11: Ink the outline and erase the guides

Go over every keeper line with your pen, but leave out the circle, the ovals and the stick lines. Most beginners rush the hair here, so I slow down on the spikes and pull each one from its base toward the tip. When the ink is dry, erase all the pencil.

💡 Tip: Turn the paper as you ink the side spikes so your hand always moves in a comfortable direction.

Step 12: Color your Goku

Fill the hair black, or very dark gray if you want the inside lines to stay visible. The gi top and pants are orange, with a darker orange on the right side and at the hem. Everything else in his outfit is blue: undershirt, sleeves, belt, wristbands and boots. Skin is a soft peach, a little darker just under the hair, with pink cheeks and a dark red mouth.

💡 Tip: Color the blue parts last, after the orange is dry, so the two colors don't bleed together.

Spiky Hair Troubles and Other Goku Slip-Ups

• Hair that's too small. If the spikes barely leave the head, he looks like any spiky-haired kid. Push the outer tips to the edge of the hair oval.
• A body as big as the head. That breaks the chibi look. Keep the body oval small and the legs short.
• Spikes that all match. A row of equal triangles looks stiff. Mix tall spikes with short ones, and wide with narrow.
• Forgetting the blue at the neck. The little V of undershirt is a big part of his outfit. Draw it before you color the gi.
• Eyes placed too high. High eyes make the face look long. Keep them on the line in the lower half of the head.

Powering Up Your Goku With New Poses

Once this one feels comfortable, try changing the hands first: open the raised fist into a thumbs-up, or cup both hands at his side. Yellow hair and teal eyes turn the same lines into a powered-up version. Younger kids can skip the knuckles. If you like the big-head style, the chibi drawing tutorial is a natural next step, and the easy anime drawing step by step lesson gives you another character to practice.

Free Goku Coloring Page and a Printable Drawing Guide

Want to color before you draw? The free Goku coloring page comes with the clean outline, a small finished example and a key showing which color goes where. The step-by-step guide PDF fits all 12 steps and tips onto a few pages for Letter or A4 paper.

📱 On a phone? Tap a download button, then open the file and choose Share → Save to Files or Print. On a computer, the PDF opens or saves straight to your Downloads folder.

Twelve Goku Stages Stacked on One Pin

Dragon Ball Drawing Questions I Hear Most

What is the easiest way to draw Goku?

Draw him as a chibi. A large round head and a small body need far fewer lines than an adult action pose, and the hair alone makes him recognisable.

How do you draw Goku's hair?

Sketch a wide oval around the top of the head first. Fill it with big spikes of different sizes going up and out, then add a zigzag of short bangs across the forehead.

What colors do I need for Goku?

Orange covers the gi and pants. Blue goes on the undershirt and the small extras like the belt and boots. Add black for the hair and a peach skin tone.

Is this drawing good for kids?

Yes, children around 7 and older usually manage it. The hair spikes take the most patience, so younger kids may want a grown-up to sketch the hair oval first.

Pencil ready? Circle first, then as many wild spikes as you dare. 🥋✏️

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