How to Draw Goku: Easy 10-Step Anime Tutorial

Ready to bring your favorite Saiyan to life? This tutorial is designed for young artists and anime fans who want to master Goku’s iconic look. You’ll need a pencil, an eraser, and a steady hand to capture his signature spiky hair and determined expression.

10 Steps

🎯 Final Result

Full-color illustration of Goku ready for a battle.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Sketching the Intense Anime Eyes

Close-up of Goku's sharp anime eyes and eyebrows sketched in pencil.

Start by drawing two narrow, angled triangles for the eyebrows. Below these, sketch rectangular eye shapes. Add a partial oval inside each for the iris. Teacher's Tip: Keep your lines sharp and angular to capture that classic 'determined' anime gaze.

Step 2: Defining Facial Features

Goku's face showing the nose, mouth, and cheek shading details.

Add a small triangle for the nose and curved lines for the mouth and chin dimple. Use light, short hatch marks on the cheeks to suggest shadow. Teacher's Tip: Use a light touch for the nose; it should be subtle, not heavy.

Step 3: Shaping the Jawline

The outline of Goku's chin and jawline connecting to the face.

Trace a 'V' shaped line to define the chin and connect it to the sides of the face. Teacher's Tip: Ensure the jawline is symmetrical to keep the character looking balanced.

Step 4: Adding the Ears

Detailed sketch of Goku's ears on the side of the head.

Draw two curved shapes on the sides of the head for the ears, adding inner contours for detail. Teacher's Tip: Ears usually align with the top of the eyes and the bottom of the nose.

Step 5: Starting the Spiky Hair

Initial jagged spikes of Goku's hair being drawn on the head.

Begin the hair by drawing jagged, curved points radiating from the forehead. Teacher's Tip: Think of these as large, sharp triangles—don't make them too uniform!

Step 6: Building Hair Volume

Adding more volume and spikes to Goku's iconic hairstyle.

Continue adding more spikes, using long, sweeping curved lines that meet at sharp points. Teacher's Tip: Vary the size of the spikes to give the hair a more dynamic, natural look.

Step 7: Finalizing the Hair

The completed outline of Goku's spiky hair.

Close the hair outline with final jagged points. Ensure the shape is fully enclosed. Teacher's Tip: Check that your lines are clean before moving on to the neck and clothing.

Step 8: Drawing the Neck and Shoulders

Sketching the neck, shoulders, and tunic collar of Goku.

Extend two lines down from the chin for the neck, then add the shoulder lines. Draw a 'U' shaped collar for the tunic. Teacher's Tip: Use light shading lines to define the collarbone area.

Step 9: Adding Fabric Folds

Adding detail lines to show folds in Goku's clothing.

Add overlapping curved lines to the tunic to represent fabric folds. Teacher's Tip: Folds usually appear near joints or where the fabric bunches; keep them simple to avoid cluttering the drawing.

Step 10: Bringing Goku to Life with Color

The final colored drawing of Goku in his signature orange and blue gi.

Time to color! Use black for the hair, orange for the outer tunic, and blue for the inner layer. Teacher's Tip: Use a darker shade of orange in the folds to create depth and a 3D effect.