TV-Series
Description
Kaioh-sama, also known as the North Kai or King Kai, is a deity who oversees the North quadrant of Universe 7. His small, dense planet, which has a gravity ten times that of Earth, sits at the end of the long, winding Snake Way in the Other World. He lives there with his pet monkey, Bubbles, and a grasshopper-like creature named Gregory (who appears primarily in the anime). Early conceptual sketches by Akira Toriyama show that the character could have been very different, with initial designs portraying him as a sumo wrestler or basing his appearance on a frog or a panda bear.
In terms of personality, Kaioh-sama is eccentric and possesses a strong, though often misguided, love for comedy. He considers himself a master of jokes and expects anyone seeking his training to make him laugh before agreeing to teach them. His humor is famously terrible, yet he delivers his puns and observations with a sense of pride. Despite his goofy and sometimes immature demeanor, he possesses great wisdom, a strategic mind, and centuries of experience. He is a figure of genuine authority, though he is not above bickering or gloating to his fellow Kais from other quadrants.
Kaioh-sama's primary motivation is the protection of his designated area of the universe, but his character is also driven by more personal and petty concerns, especially in Dragon Ball Super. He originally served as a wise and powerful mentor, but after his death, his motives shift slightly towards a desire to regain his living status and escape the ridicule he faces from his peers. He is also deeply attached to his personal possessions, particularly his small planet and his car.
His role in the story is that of a mentor and a source of exposition. He is best known for training the hero Son Goku after his death in the battle against Raditz. Under Kaioh-sama's tutelage, Goku mastered the planet's intense gravity, learned two signature techniques: the Kaio-ken, which multiplies the user's power and speed in short bursts, and the Spirit Bomb (Genki Dama), an attack that gathers energy from surrounding life forms and matter. He also later provided training to other fallen Z-Fighters like Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu. Beyond training, Kaioh-sama acts as a long-distance observer, using his telepathy to watch battles on Earth and other planets, often providing crucial commentary and strategic advice to his former students.
Kaioh-sama shares key relationships with several characters. His relationship with Goku is central; it is a dynamic of master and student that evolves into a frustrating friendship. Goku respects him as a teacher but frequently annoys Kaioh-sama by ignoring his advice, eating all his food, and using his small planet as a training ground without much consideration. This strain becomes more pronounced in Dragon Ball Super, where Kaioh-sama is often bitter towards Goku for repeatedly forgetting to wish him back to life. He also interacts with the other three Kais of the universe, with whom he has a sibling-like rivalry. They openly mock him for being killed by Goku's decision to teleport the self-destructing Cell to his planet, a humiliation that continues to bother him.
In terms of character development, Kaioh-sama has a notable trajectory. He begins as a powerful and mysterious god and martial arts master. His death during the Cell Saga marks a major change; while he continues his duties in the afterlife, he gains a halo and becomes a source of comic relief due to his tragic yet absurd demise. In Dragon Ball Super, his development is largely comedic. He becomes more of a nagging bystander, his frustration growing as Goku achieves godly levels of power without his help, all while he remains dead. His pleas to be revived are played for laughs, contrasting his former status as a revered deity with his current state as a forgotten and irritable ghost.
Regarding his notable abilities, Kaioh-sama has several unique powers. He is a skilled martial artist with a power level estimated to be around 3,500. He is a master of telepathy, able to communicate with anyone across the universe and even link others to his telepathic network. He can also use a form of telekinesis and materialize objects out of thin air. He invented the Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb techniques, though he himself never mastered them fully, being astonished when Goku was able to do so. Despite his power, he is not a frontline fighter by the time of Dragon Ball Super, as the scale of battles has far surpassed his own physical capabilities.
In terms of personality, Kaioh-sama is eccentric and possesses a strong, though often misguided, love for comedy. He considers himself a master of jokes and expects anyone seeking his training to make him laugh before agreeing to teach them. His humor is famously terrible, yet he delivers his puns and observations with a sense of pride. Despite his goofy and sometimes immature demeanor, he possesses great wisdom, a strategic mind, and centuries of experience. He is a figure of genuine authority, though he is not above bickering or gloating to his fellow Kais from other quadrants.
Kaioh-sama's primary motivation is the protection of his designated area of the universe, but his character is also driven by more personal and petty concerns, especially in Dragon Ball Super. He originally served as a wise and powerful mentor, but after his death, his motives shift slightly towards a desire to regain his living status and escape the ridicule he faces from his peers. He is also deeply attached to his personal possessions, particularly his small planet and his car.
His role in the story is that of a mentor and a source of exposition. He is best known for training the hero Son Goku after his death in the battle against Raditz. Under Kaioh-sama's tutelage, Goku mastered the planet's intense gravity, learned two signature techniques: the Kaio-ken, which multiplies the user's power and speed in short bursts, and the Spirit Bomb (Genki Dama), an attack that gathers energy from surrounding life forms and matter. He also later provided training to other fallen Z-Fighters like Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, and Chiaotzu. Beyond training, Kaioh-sama acts as a long-distance observer, using his telepathy to watch battles on Earth and other planets, often providing crucial commentary and strategic advice to his former students.
Kaioh-sama shares key relationships with several characters. His relationship with Goku is central; it is a dynamic of master and student that evolves into a frustrating friendship. Goku respects him as a teacher but frequently annoys Kaioh-sama by ignoring his advice, eating all his food, and using his small planet as a training ground without much consideration. This strain becomes more pronounced in Dragon Ball Super, where Kaioh-sama is often bitter towards Goku for repeatedly forgetting to wish him back to life. He also interacts with the other three Kais of the universe, with whom he has a sibling-like rivalry. They openly mock him for being killed by Goku's decision to teleport the self-destructing Cell to his planet, a humiliation that continues to bother him.
In terms of character development, Kaioh-sama has a notable trajectory. He begins as a powerful and mysterious god and martial arts master. His death during the Cell Saga marks a major change; while he continues his duties in the afterlife, he gains a halo and becomes a source of comic relief due to his tragic yet absurd demise. In Dragon Ball Super, his development is largely comedic. He becomes more of a nagging bystander, his frustration growing as Goku achieves godly levels of power without his help, all while he remains dead. His pleas to be revived are played for laughs, contrasting his former status as a revered deity with his current state as a forgotten and irritable ghost.
Regarding his notable abilities, Kaioh-sama has several unique powers. He is a skilled martial artist with a power level estimated to be around 3,500. He is a master of telepathy, able to communicate with anyone across the universe and even link others to his telepathic network. He can also use a form of telekinesis and materialize objects out of thin air. He invented the Kaio-ken and Spirit Bomb techniques, though he himself never mastered them fully, being astonished when Goku was able to do so. Despite his power, he is not a frontline fighter by the time of Dragon Ball Super, as the scale of battles has far surpassed his own physical capabilities.