The Dragon Ball Super manga has admitted that the franchise mishandled Gohan, until the half-Saiyan was finally redeemed in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. A comment made by Beerus in chapter #101 of Dragon Ball Super confirms that Gohan failed to leave an impression on the God of Destruction, at least until he unlocked his new Beast Form.
In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Gohan’s Beast Form is triggered when he expresses rage at Piccolo’s supposed death. The half-Saiyan warrior then uses his new transformation to defeat Cell Max and reunite with Pan, whom he believed was kidnapped. While the power-up goes unexplained in the film, it’s implied later that the Beast Form is only attainable due to his human heritage.
Even Akira Toriyama stated that Gohan Beast is the hero’s unique transformation and that it’s the result of his many awakenings as a child. However, before this latest power-up, Gohan failed to stand out, as Beerus himself admits in chapter #101 of Dragon Ball Super.
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Gohan Beast Is The Hero’s Strongest Transformation So Far
In the early days of the Dragon Ball series, Gohan is set up as a successor to his father, Goku. The half-Saiyan plays a major role in Dragon Ball Z, where he undergoes intense training and fights against powerful enemies, such as Perfect Cell. However, his impressive achievements are undermined in Dragon Ball Super, where he is cast aside in favor of Goku and Vegeta. Despite fighting cosmic-level threats in the past, Gohan’s fighting skills and instincts become rusty, and he is easily defeated by mediocre fighters. It’s only when his daughter is threatened that the scholar returns to his warrior roots and achieves a new form.
Beerus comments on how he doesn’t remember Goku having a son are more than a small moment of levity in the chapter. Pointing out that Gohan never left an impression on him, despite the fact that he fought in the Tournament of Power, is almost the series’ way of admitting that Gohan’s potential has been wasted until now, and that it’s time for him to shine again as a warrior stronger than even Goku and Vegeta, as the latter remarks in the same scene.
As a brilliant fighter who quickly achieves the Super Saiyan 2 form and a warrior whose strength is constantly acknowledged, Gohan’s lack of development in Dragon Ball Super was disappointing. While the series has tried to redeem him with the Beast form, the new story arc needs to build on that exciting premise and not forget about Gohan again. The new transformation is an excellent way for Gohan to rediscover his true potential and to remind fans of Dragon Ball Super of what he is capable of.
The Dragon Ball Super manga is available from MANGA Plus and Viz Media. The anime is available on Crunchyroll.
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