Another Look at Justin Chatwin as Goku in Dragonball
By Nix | May 11, 2008 (11:52 pm) | More: Dragonball (2009) Movie
Here’s another look at Justin Chatwin playing Goku in James Wong’s upcoming “Dragonball” movie. Yes, you know, the movie where some people are really looking forward to, but it seems like a lot of other people are really looking forward to boycotting. Or at least, that’s the impression I get from all the comments in the “Dragonball” threads. Oh well, like it or not, it’s coming, kids. Here’s Goku doing something with his hands that involves a white ball-ish thingie.
The pic originates from DBTheMovie, who writes about it:
Dragonball-live posted what appears to be our first look at Justin Chatwin as Goku. The scan was said to be taken from Shonen Jump #24 in Japan.
Sour Mikan informs me that the scan is from Weekly Shonen Jump Issue 24 which is available officially this Monday.
He also has a translation of the writings, too, in case you really want to know. Here’s the pic itself:
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BULLSHIT!!!Steven Seagal....y the best of!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Van Damme,,,,is looser...dumb...FUCK YOU JEAN CLAUDE!!! 
But 99.9% of the world's population think that saiyan look asian 
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does he look as confused as we are about him playing goku?
he looks pretty damn good actually, just because its based on something doesnt mean the movie should be like it in every way. some things just dont look good in live action.
imagine if wolverine wore yellow spandex and was 5′3 in the movies.
or lara craft having big boobs while doing all those stunts.
now imagine… piccolo with green skin or goku with big hair in live action… now thats gotta suck XD
Well you have some good points but i dont think they can really apply to this. First off Goku was not white, it was fairly clear that he was Japanese. Second the unique characteristics of each character of DBZ is what made it what it is. thats how people identified each one. everyone knew that Trunks had light purple hair, and Vegeta’s hair was like a cone, or that Master Roshi was a old creepy looking bald perv.
Anyways there are some anime that you can remake into something different and still call it the same name and there are others that you have to stick to the original. Remember that old live action movie they made of Popeye with Robin williams? What if he didnt have the freakishly big forearms or the one closed eye, would you still know he was popeye? Better yet they should have had Eddie Murphy play popeye.
I wonder….will goku have his tail in this movie? I just really really really REALLLLLLLY hope they don’t F*&k up Robotech cause then that would be unforgivable BLASPHEMY!!!!
no respect, no respect at all
“Fairly clear he was Japanese??” I have the ENTIRE DB / DBZ manga collection, and no where, ANYWHERE in ANY of the lengthy story does it mention that Goku is Japanese. Or even Asian. The world is a futuristic setting, and when dealing with a story that involves aliens, distinction between Earthly races seems pretty pathetic. Get over it.
goku was not japanese he was from another planet yes he wears japanese clothes and was raised in japan or somewhere but that doesnt mean thats his race his race is seyan and since hes from another planet that means he has no connection to the human race he turns into a monkey for cryin out loud. and plus they cant do dragon ball z word for word and make them loook exactly the same it would take years to make and to watch dragon ball,dragon ball z,and dragon bal gt takes at least a week or to to watch it all. infact it took a whole day to watch one season af draon ball z. so they have to change it up a little but it still has the same characters and the same moorals pretty much so stop complaining just wait and watch the movie when it comes out then decide if it sucks or not dont just assume it
Goku is not japanese!! He is a Saiyan which means he is from a differernt planet. it never said in the manga that he was japanese.
Come on, look at the cast and tell me not most of them are of asian orentation (japanese/Chinese/etc..), but oh no the directors/producers must have the main character as american. The manga series never says the characters are japanese, i agree on that; but then tell me why the directors/producers have seeked out to get a cast full of japanese actors ?
stop trying to distract me with lara’s big boobs while doing stunts…wait…what were we talking about here? i think thats a great idea, mayb she can fight a giant trampoline-monster. title can be: “Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Trampoline of Gravity’s End.”
wait i vaguely remember the topic now. movies that have done it right are iron man, xman(to a degree), spider-man (spandex), Conan, and few other…BUT this is looking as good as super Mario, Speed Racer, and the ghost rider(nick cage). i believe they could have done well, but they have veered too far from the source (and character selection). yes, lets have a white/spanish guy do a movie about a japanese mythos…oh wait: forbidden kingdom.
marketing > movie/story = fail
I don’t understand how someone could even compare Speed Racer to the Super Mario Movie. Actually Dragon Ball is based on the Monkey King, which I believe is Chinese Mythology if u want to get specific. And who said only Asians can direct movies based on their Mythology?
Specifically, Journey to the West - Chinese/Buddhist novel, rather good.
Also, I’m more concerned that in every picture Chatwin has absolutely no smile - Goku’s happy-go-lucky, not straight faced and sad-looking.
Except for Bulma, and perhaps Roshi, I have difficulty seeing these actors in these roles - and even then, Roshi is without facial hair (not a huge deal, but sorta sad) and Bulma’s hair is the wrong color. I was under the impression they were going to be more accurate, as far as hair goes.
Can’t really have an opinion due to the fact that he’s colored red and you can’t tell what he looks like.
Guess the Asians will be getting ready to teach Fox a lesson about giving other cultures respect, either through a boycott or something.
I just found out that Krillin and Tien will NOT be in the movie. I’m not sure if I’ll see it or not but the site I read it on is somewhere on Google just type in DragonBall Z movie(in case you don’t know that already). Keep in mind however that Krillin and Tien were not introduced for a while in the series and could appear in sequels. Obviously, Chiaotsu will not be in any of the movies and if he is I’ll laugh my ass off.
ALL i know is that the people palying dragon ball z persons they better be good beucase this is something that can make or break there carrer its something that dragon ball z fans have been waiting for since the series started the graphics n special effects better be the best beucase i dont want them to ruin something that has been prasied for many years!
Who knows, maybe this movie will surprise us all and it’ll kick ass… Or, atleast that’s what I’m hoping for. I never read the comics, but I watched the show growing up, and it was definitely part of my life. I look forward to seeing how this comes out, however nervous it makes me.
What he said
Ok,Im a huge dragon ball,dragon ball z and dragon ball gt fan.I was looking forward to this movie but then i saw who was playing goku.Goku is supposed to look strong,muscular and basically…cool.
justin chatwin looks not even close to looking like goku he is looks like he only has 1/400th the strength in one of goku’s fingers !!!!!! The cast dosent say “Dragon Ball” to me
yo board!
Justin chatwin has the hair…and its as close as its gonna get to goku in terms of being possible to replicate in real-life. Everything else about him (AS goku) sucks. I’m not a hater, it just does.Goku was muscular and jovial. This photo looks like a skinny kid who looks all angst-y.I realise also that goku was RIDICULOUSLY muscular..and to get that in real life is hard or near impossible, but at this rate, justin chatwin is making tobey maguires’ spiderman look hench and NO DBZ/SPIDERMAN fan would agree that spiderman is more muscular than goku.
Its like the casting team have NEVER seen dragonball/z/gt and are just geussing or worse saying a biiiig “F##k you” to akira toriyama (?) the creator of db/z/gt.
Anyone know what’s up with the Youtube trailers? There’s a real good one of Freiza.
Erm GOKU was never very big in terms of musels till after namek.. Even then his were small compared to vegeta and nappa…
So im not sure where yall think that he supposed to be ripped….
Oh man, did you watch the manga series, okey Goku was not entirely ripped, but this guy does not even come half way to resemble the muscle tone Goku had. Being realistic, a muscle tone like the actors from the movie “300″ would keep to Goku’s name.
“Erm GOKU was never very big in terms of musels till after namek.. Even then his were small compared to vegeta and nappa…”
Nappa was a freak. but PLEASE! thats jus not true.
1) when goku loses his shirt when fighting picollo
in the world tournamnet final in dragonball episodes 140-5(?) he looked PRETTY muscular to me! (MORE than chatwin)(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbEWGz1hmzI) sorry for the music video, but i was rushed. HE is not as ripped or as big, but still …WAAAY more than chatwin.
2) when goku lost his shirt..AGAIN…in fighting vegeta and then went on to do the double kaioken and more, he was…again VERY muscular/ripped. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvTgTOSyLPU) watch that, WAY more than chatwin and WAY before namek.
ok, when i first read and found out that Chatwin was going to be Goku i was a bit surprised and angry. i am a avid movie go’er and i’ve seen both movies that he is in (rentals) War of the Worlds and the invisable. in W.o.W with tom cruise he didnt play a big part (thank god) but i found him annoying to say the least and in the other movie invisable he just really didnt even hit the lead acting role for me. for him to be cast as a lead role to a beloved franchise like this is embarrassing to toriyama (the creater of DB franchise) and to those of you who are supporting him, im glad that your willing to give a barely mediocre actor the reigns to such a long lived franchise im watch him run it into the ground. This movie could have been much much better with there casting choices only silver lining are with the other characters. But seriously think about Chatwin as a lead actor. he just doesnt possess any of Goku’s traits. none whats so ever.
…Too many haters.
The thing is–they’re probably going to make the movie if you like it or not. I’m not saying it’s the best idea, because it seems like it’s headed for disaster, but Hollywood is about making money. I can almost bet that at least 80% of the people who are talking trash will still actually go to see it JUST to see it. Me included.
For any of you people that are into cars, everyone in the community despised the fact that Fast and the Furious 3: Tokyo Drift would be about drifting, mainly due to what that franchise represented and how it would affect the community itself. So many people were outraged, but guess what? All these people still watched it, and it wasn’t even that good.
Seriously, just wait till it comes out before you make your judgements. You all should know by now that it’s not about staying true to the series. It’s about money. Thats why I’m in college to be a film director. Who knows; maybe one day I could bring a franchise like this some justice.
For now, quit hating.
On the other hand, how about too many Hollywood worshippers?
Nice Statement Daniel. You’re 100% right. Good luck in becoming a film director.
1st I must say my number 1 pick for casting of Goku is Tony Jaa, dont you think?
im a fan of alot of martial arts movies and there is so many actors who are a much much much better fit for goku. example, the 3 main characters of Dragon tiger gate, any one of them would be suitable for goku, and other characters.
there names are Donnie Yen, Nicholas Tse and Shawn Yue. a link to the photo is right here. http://wp.peachjon.com/edition_2004_06/2006/07/dragon-tiger-gate-movie-review.html Check them out
looking at the casting this movie looks to be headed no where, as someone stated that goku is japanese, and Kame-hammy-hat made a statement that it doesnt say goku is japanese, it is pretty clear that goku is of asian ethnicity. the creators are japanese them selves, and normally they portay themselves. goku along with many other characters have black hair and wear asian style martial arts uniforms. not to be racist but caucasians do not have black hair. the best fit for goku along with mostly any other character in the dragonball series is someone of asian or spanish ethnicity.
Look im a big fan of dragonball,& dragonball z, gt i dont care too much for, but i am so looking forward to seeing the finish project. Some are trying to compare the sizes of the actors and saying goku looks to small or that he’s not asian, but in dragonball goku wasn’t that big at all and from watching dragonball it is hard to tell what they are even if it is “Japanese Animation”. You cant expect to find actors as big as a super sayain anyway that would be ridiculous & if we could i bet it would be some horrible acting… just wait for the outcome before judging the movie or the actors. GO dragonball GO!
People are not only judging that it sucks from the stray shots, they’re concluding it’s a giant bomb that will suck big time and get boycotted according to the official news Fox is releasing
I can’t wait to see the move although it won’t be the same as the anime but there will be fighting and kamehame waves:))).Everyone that thinks that this is stupid,he can eat sh…If he doesn’tlike it he won’t watch it:P
TO be honest, i DO hate the fact they picked chatwin….and i dont like how the movie appears, which is fair as DBZ is AWESOME and thats a high expectation/bar to reach especially as it is a live-action take on an anime which is unrealistic. But, there are clear things that people who have barely seen a few episodes would know and its like banging your head along a wall with glass embedded in it, its that painfull to see how they are getting it wrong.
I AM a hater, of this, i dont care about precedents about “blah blah, people bitched about this, but it turned out cool, so quit hating” . BUT i will go see it. of course i’ll see it, i’ll jus pay for another film and walk into the ” wrong screen”. I hope that this film WILL turn out cool, all im saying is based on the crap spoilers or whatever that are circulating……i dont think it will
chilllllllll boooooard
You’re a c*nt! Goku was skinnier than Chatwin.
sym
I don’t know how they are going to show Goku’s “whole dinner table; food munching” nature, good luck on this guy munching 100 plates of food in a minute.
I THINK GOKU SHOULD HAVE BEEN JASON SCOTT LEE!!
Row, you’re a f*cking idiot. Caucasians do have black hair.
interesting how the majority of the cast is played by asian, like it should be, but they have some white dude playing the main character..hollywood shouldve had a asian dude play superman in the future..
I think the fact is that this film will be pointed most at db/dbz/dbgt fans but its just gonna be too child’sh , db was child’sh but not as much as this will be, there was always a bit of bite in the anime but this just looks like its gonna b a remake or power rangers or smonething, looking forward to watching it at first but i ent impressed n think it will make a fool of all db series to date
He look better to do the vegeta caracter, hes got a more agressive look.
Hello!
With reference to the comment about the way ‘The Fast and the Furious’ was received by the street racing community; it’s because it’s part of who they are that’s being ripped off, and I totally understand that. It’s like when a band you like gets really famous and all of a sudden EVERYONE likes them and they don’t ‘belong to you’ any more, if you get what i’m saying. I love Dragonball, and I think that this film is not only JUST about making a bit of cash, and not about catering for Dragonball fans, but it’s like… they have to americanise it; make it all ‘Land of Hope and Glory’ and basically ruin the whole thing. Not to mention that it’ll be all mainstream and everyone’s gonna jump on the bandwagon like they do with everything. Boo.
Plus, James Marsters as Piccolo!? And Justin what’s his face as Goku? It’s not so much the look of the characters, it’s that they’re not gonna sound right. Sean Schemmel will ALWAYS be Goku… And how are they gonna do earth destroying explosions? The best thing about dragonball was how cheesy and naff it was, and it doesn’t look like that’s gonna come across in the films.
Saying that, you’re right… There’s about a 99.99999% probability that i’m going to go and see it. Aghrrr the self loathing!