With almost 900 episodes spread across seven different series,Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ballfranchise has changed since its anime debut in 1986. The series started with an orphaned kid, Goku, training to be the best martial artist in the world and has evolved to Goku being part of an alien race that fights beings from across the galaxy and the multiverse. AlthoughDragon Balllaid the groundwork for this overarching story,Dragon Ball Zdefined the shōnen genre(comics targeted towards adolescent boys and young men) and inspired other popular anime series likeOnePieceandNaruto. As influential as the franchise has become,the series has not moved past its main character, Goku.
InDragon Ball, audiences grew to love Goku for his silly innocence and bold determination to be one of the best fighters in the world. He cares deeply for his friends and will protect them at all costs. With his warm nature and ability to see the good in people, many of his foes have eventually become allies with him when protecting the universe. ByDragon Ball Zand onwards, he reaches limitless power levels and unlocks new transformations that young fans try to recreate with their imagination. How much angrier and more powerful can he get? Is strength equal to character growth? While it’s amazing to see how far he’s come as a fighter,Goku’s development as a character inDragon Ball Zhas hit a hard stop. Even as an adult,Goku still has a childlike way of thinking that isn’t fun to watch anymore, especially as the lead of a franchise.Dragon Ball Zhad a way to move on from Goku, but he was too beloved of a character to sideline.
Toriyama noted he wanted to make Gohan the leading role, but said “he was ultimately not suited for the part” compared to Goku. But it’s clear that Toriyama was laying the foundation for a passing-of-the-torch moment from Goku to Gohan.Dragon Ball Zsees Goku (Masako Nozawa) all grown up and raising a son, Gohan (Nozawa), with his wife, Chi-Chi (Mayumi Shō). Chi-Chi doesn’t want Gohan to be a fighter like his father and has him prioritize school instead. But when Goku’s brother, Raditz (Shigeru Chiba), kidnapsGohan, he shows early signs of being one of the strongest fighters in the franchise. As Goku and Piccolo train with Gohan throughout the series, they see a power within him that could far surpass their own. When two more Saiyans, Nappa (Shōzō Iizuka) and Vegeta (Ryō Horikawa), arrive on Earth to use the Dragon Balls, Gohan and Piccolo are left to fight them untilPiccolo jumps in front of a blast to protect Gohan. With Goku and Piccolo, two of Gohan’s father figures, sacrificing themselves for Gohan, the story could’ve shown the power of Gohan’s rage. But because Goku is the main character, he swoops in at the last moment to save the day. Yes, it’s a cool moment, butit takes away what could’ve been a defining moment for Gohan.
Later in the series,one ofDragon Ball Z’s best villains, Cell(Norio Wakamoto), hosts a fighting tournament to prove that he’s the strongest being on Earth. Goku volunteers Gohan to take him on all on his own, seeing thatGohan can become stronger than him if pushed to the limit. In one of the most unforgettable moments of the entireDragon Ballfranchise, Gohan goes beyond a Super Saiyan transformation and takes out Cell’s underlings, the Cell Jrs. When Gohan has the upper hand, Cell fights dirty and plans to blow up the planet. Goku sacrifices his life to teleport Cell away and gives Gohan one last word of confidence to defeat Cell once and for all, setting the stage for Gohan to be the new lead protagonist. But,fans loved Goku so much that they didn’t want to see him go.
‘Dragon Ball Z’ Kept Bringing Goku Back
As much as Goku is a beloved character, passing the torch to Gohan was a perfect way to continue the series after Goku died during the Cell Games. He had died early on inDragon Ball Zduring the battle with Raditz and was brought back to life once, thanks to the Dragon Balls. As perDragon Balllore, people can only be resurrected once using the Dragon Balls, soGoku’s death during the Cell saga should’ve been permanent. Following the Cell saga,Dragon Ball Zhad a major time jump, showing Gohan in his late teenage years attending high school. The world had a long stint of peace, so aside from his school life, Gohan spent his days fighting crime as the Great Saiyaman, a symbol of peace for Earth. But the Great Saiyaman arc lacked what madeDragon Ball Zso memorable: grandiose fight scenes. With its lighter atmosphere and comedic storylines, it was more of a return to form forDragon Ballthan what some of thebestDragon Ball Zarcs had to offer.
In the finalDragon Ball Zarc, the Majin Buu saga, Gohan goes through special training with Elder Kai (Reizo Nomoto) and unlocks his most powerful form yet: Mystic Gohan. It’s written to be even stronger than Super Saiyan, but his appearance doesn’t change much — a sign that this transformation isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. When Super Buu (Kōzō Shioya) easily defeats Mystic Gohan and absorbs, it’s up to Goku once again to save the day, even though he was dead. Because of the fans' love for Goku, he was given 24 hours to be on Earth at the beginning of the arc. But when he unlocked his Super Saiyan 3 transformation, which was much cooler-looking than Mystic Gohan, his time was cut short. Then, he shows up yet again, Elder Kai gives his life force to Goku so he can return to Earth and defeat Buu.This brought the beloved character back to be the hero, but despite the fan excitement around Goku’s return, it felt like too manynew elements were being introduced in the finalDragon Ball Zarcto explain why Goku had to come back, making his previous deaths feel more hollow. It’s a shame this much effort wasn’t put into Gohan’s arc when he was already primed to be the franchise’s new hero.
10 Actors Who Are Perfect Casting To Play Goku
We can’t wait to see these actors go Super Saiyan!
FollowingDragon Ball Z, Gohan was featured less and less in the subsequent series:Dragon Ball GT,Dragon Ball Super, andthe latestDragon Ball Daima. The franchise went on to highlight Goku and Vegeta while the other characters were background fodder. However,the latest film,Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, proves that Gohan is capable of leading his own project ashe unlocks a powerful new transformation never seen before in the franchise. After decades of playing catch-up to Goku and Vegeta’s power levels, Gohan Beast is the first time since Gohan reached Super Saiyan 2 that he seems more powerful than them. In Chapter 103 of theDragon Ball Supermanga, when Goku goes Ultra Instinct and spars with Gohan Beast, Gohan lands a hit on Goku even though Ultra Instinct is meant to automatically dodge enemy attacks.Gohan surpassing a divine power like Ultra Instinct is one of the coolest moments from the franchiseand should be adapted into animation for moreDragon Ballfans to experience.
If one of thebestNarutomovies isBoruto: Naruto the Movie, which passes the torch to Naruto’s son, then it’s not impossible to believe that Gohan could be the new face of theDragon Ballfranchise. Gohan has some of the best moments inDragon Ball Z, but there are so few and far between to be at the top of people’s minds. The creative team can try to make Gohan’s series and see how fans respond. If it doesn’t work, at least they can say they tried their best to give one of the bestDragon Ballcharacters a chance. SinceDragon Ball Daimais comparable toDragon Ball GTin terms of being a side story, it’s time the next mainline series letGohan take his rightful place as the leading character.
Dragon Ball Zis streaming on Crunchyroll in the U.S.
Dragon Ball Z
