Highlights
- Gohan’s potential was shown early on in Dragon Ball Z, breaking out of a Saiyan pod to injure Raditz.
- Gohan’s transformation into Super Saiyan 2 was a significant cultural moment in the series.
- Gohan’s new transformation in Dragon Ball Super’s Super Hero movie finally puts him back in the spotlight.
Over the years, Gohan has done a lot to be considered the favorite character of many fans of the Dragon Ball series. He is also a character whose entire life fans have seen since his first appearance in the franchise when he was only 4 years old until now, as a fully grown adult with a young daughter of his own. For the longest time, Gohan had pushed his fighting career to the side to focus on his family and becoming a scholar.
However, he wasn’t always like this. Despite always wanting to achieve this in his life, Gohan has often been on the front lines when it came to saving the Earth along with his fellow Z-Fighters. His strength and potential are some of the greatest in all of Dragon Ball, due to which he has often been the one to make the difference in a fight, so let’s take a look at Gohan’s greatest moments in the series.
Gohan Shows Power At A Young Age
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 5, “Gohan’s Rage” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
May 24, 1989 |
|
Story Arc |
Raditz Saga |
Gohan was first introduced into the series as Goku’s young son, whom most viewers of the franchise thought nothing of due to his innocent and unassuming appearance. His age made him the target of Goku’s evil brother Raditz, who proceeded to kidnap the boy in an effort to lure out his father, which he succeeded in doing. However, he had no idea about the latent power within Gohan, which let him break out of the Saiyan pod and greatly injure Raditz.
Stop hurting my daddy!
Significance
This was a great moment for fans who may rewatch the series from the beginning, as this was the first instance of Dragon Ball showing Gohan’s near-limitless potential. Fans now know him as the legendary fighter whose strength comes from the union of his human and Saiyan genes, but few remember that this was something that Akira Toriyama had hinted at from the very start of Dragon Ball Z.
Gohan Surpasses Goku & Reaches Super Saiyan 2
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 185, “Awakening” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
May 12, 1993 |
|
Story Arc |
Cell Games Saga |
After seeing the wanton harm and destruction that Perfect Cell had been causing, Gohan was already at a tipping point. However, only after Cell’s merciless killing of the peace-loving Android 16, Gohan would change the future trajectory of the franchise, becoming the first person to ascend beyond a Super Saiyan. Upon becoming a Super Saiyan 2, Gohan put the beating on Cell and gave the world the hope it needed to persevere.
It’s not enough dad. He deserves to suffer more.
Significance
There are very few instances, even in the biggest series, that transcend the limits of simply being important moments into being significant cultural ones. Gohan’s transformation into the universe’s first Super Saiyan 2 was exactly this, as fans hold it as one of, if not the series’, greatest and most significant moments. It was also the first complete transformation that the other Saiyans would strive to achieve themselves, changing the landscape of strength in Dragon Ball.
Gohan Surpasses Goku’s Super Saiyan 3
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Z, Episode 262, “Unlucky Break” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
April 26, 1995 |
|
Story Arc |
Majin Buu Saga |
Majin Buu was a villain that far eclipsed any that came before him in all of Dragon Ball canon, prompting Goku to turn into a Super Saiyan 3 just to match him. Though this power was great, it was eventually overshadowed by Gohan’s unique form; Mystic or Ultimate Gohan, who proved to be far superior to even Super Buu, an even stronger and far more evil version of the villain.
Fight you? No, I wanna kill you.
Significance
Ultimate Gohan is important for many reasons, such as having his full potential unlocked by the Kais and giving the heroes a moment of brief reprieve and success against the villain. This form was important even later on in Super, but, unexpectedly, its most significant moment came when it was absorbed to form Ultimate Buu, a state that made Majin Buu a threat greater than anything before. The only way to defeat this power-up was for Goku and Vegeta to fuse into the ultimate warrior; Vegito.
Gohan And Piccolo In The Tournament Of Power
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super, Episode 118, “Accelerating Tragedy, Vanishing Universes” |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
December 3, 2017 |
|
Story Arc |
Tournament of Power Saga |
The Tournament of Power brought forward the most powerful characters in the entire multiverse to battle it out for survival. Due to this, the heroes fought against some of the strongest characters that have ever been shown in the series. Some of these characters offered a new way for the heroes to fight, more than just hitting harder or getting stronger. This is why this moment is so important for both Gohan and Piccolo.
Significance
This was a very pivotal fight for both of these characters because it gave them the perfect opportunity to showcase why they’re the smartest warriors from all of the Z-Fighters. Through their wit and immaculate teamwork, Gohan and Piccolo were able to eliminate very powerful threats from Universe 6 by working together.
Gohan Beast Awakens
|
First Appearance |
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero |
|---|---|
|
Debut Date |
June 11, 2022 |
|
Story Arc |
Super Hero Saga |
Dragon Ball Super has introduced many new and powerful transformations, especially for the main characters Goku and Vegeta, but others, such as Gohan, have usually been left in the dust. However, in the Super Hero movie, Gohan unlocks a transformation so powerful that, through his latent potential and rage alone, he is able to reach the ranks of Goku and Vegeta’s Divine Forms, effortlessly taking out Cell Max with only a few hits.
My goal is an ultimate form that no one has ever seen before!
Significance
This moment was significant for multiple reasons, the greatest of which was that it finally brought Gohan back into the spotlight along with Goku and Vegeta, something that fans had been wanting to see for ages. With this form, Gohan could serve as a far better protector and even fight alongside his father against villains who continue to get stronger and stronger.
Dragon Ball can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
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