Chi-Chi is the Ox-King's daughter, Goku's wife and the mother of Gohan and Goten. She first appears in chapter 11 of the manga, released in February 1985, as a little girl in a bladed helmet running away from a dinosaur. She grows into the strict, fiercely protective mother everyone remembers, one of the most prominent and most debated female characters in the series.
Who she is
Chi-Chi is the princess of Mount Frypan, where she lives with her father, who trained under Master Roshi in his youth. She practices martial arts too, and as a girl fights in a style close to that of the Turtle School. Her debut outfit, a swimsuit-like costume with a helmet, is borrowed from Pola, the heroine of an earlier Toriyama story, Pola & Roid.
As a child she is shy and sweet; as an adult she becomes the classic "tiger mom", determined to keep her kids away from fights and close to their textbooks. She is also one of the very few people who can make Goku nervous.
Her story across the series
- Dragon Ball: after an awkward run-in with Yamcha, she meets Goku, who gives her a ride on his Flying Nimbus. He promises to marry her when she grows up, convinced that a "bride" is something to eat. Her father's castle is surrounded by a magical fire, and the two go to Master Roshi for help. Years later Chi-Chi enters the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament without revealing who she is, faces Goku and reminds him of the promise he had completely forgotten: Goku, being a man of his word, announces in front of everyone that he will marry her.
- Dragon Ball Z: she wants Gohan to become a scholar and explodes every time her son is dragged into battle. She is widowed after Goku's sacrifice against Cell and raises Gohan and baby Goten, born shortly afterward, on her own. In the Majin Buu saga she distrusts Videl at first, then changes her mind on learning the girl is rich. She confronts Majin Buu herself and slaps him; he turns her into an egg and crushes it. The Dragon Balls bring her back.
- Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super: in GT she has a minor role and, like almost everyone, is possessed by Baby. In Super she pushes Goku to get a job, and he ends up farming; in the alternate future, Chi-Chi and Goten are killed by Goku Black, which sends present-day Goku into a rage.
She also appears in shrunken form in Dragon Ball Daima.
Abilities
Chi-Chi is no front-line warrior, but as a girl she holds her own: at the 23rd tournament she makes the main bracket and faces Goku. At her debut, her helmet carries a blade she uses to behead the dinosaur chasing her. Later on she is the one who teaches Goten the basics of martial arts.
| Moment | What happens |
|---|---|
| Debut | Meets Goku near Mount Frypan |
| 23rd tournament | Faces Goku and gets her marriage proposal |
| End of Dragon Ball | Married to Goku |
| Cell saga | Widowed; Goten is born |
| Majin Buu saga | Killed by Buu and revived |
Relationships
- Goku is the husband she loves and scolds, often rightly, for his long absences.
- Gohan is the firstborn she would rather see at university than on a battlefield.
- Goten is her second son, raised with far more freedom.
- Videl is her daughter-in-law, welcomed first with suspicion and then with enthusiasm.
- The Ox-King is her father, gruff only on the surface.
Why she matters: our take
Chi-Chi divides fans like few other characters. Some see her only as the wife who yells; others point out that in a series full of irresponsible fighters she is the one adult worrying about bills and homework. Both readings have a point.
The real pity is that the feisty girl of the early volumes is sidelined so quickly. Still, without Chi-Chi, Goku would be a far less interesting character: every one of her outbursts reminds us how much his love of fighting costs his family.
Did you know? In a 2003 interview Toriyama admitted, laughing, that he was not especially fond of Chi-Chi: at one point he no longer wanted to draw her and, almost as a punishment for himself, decided to marry her off to Goku so he would be stuck drawing her forever.
Trivia
- In the Latin American Spanish dub she is called Milk.
- In Japanese she was voiced by Mayumi Shō until early Z, then by Naoko Watanabe; in Funimation's English dub by Laura Bailey as a child and Cynthia Cranz as an adult.
- Jamie Chung played her in the live-action film Dragonball Evolution (2009).