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As the deuteragonist and later tritagonist of Dragon Ball Z, Gohan has had quite the ride as a character developing during of Z and Super. Some fans haven't exactly been too kind to Gohan over the years, as a kid, teen, or adult. The complaints vary from he whines too much so he's useless, to the writing ultimately making him a letdown.
These ignore that throughout Dragon Ball Z, Gohan has had several epic moments that ultimately ended up saving the day. Whether it's his rage at Raditz cracking his ribs and armor, to his defeat of Cell, this article will catalog 10 times Gohan proved he was the real protagonist across the Dragon Ball franchise.
Disclaimer: This article will contain Dragon Ball Z and Super spoilers, up to and including the recently released movie. Any and all opinions therein are strictly those of fans and the author.
Gohan's 10 biggest moments in Dragon Ball Z and Super
1) Cracking Raditz's armor
It may be considered a minor moment by some fans in the grand scheme of things. However, Gohan raging himself out of a space pod, headbutting, and cracking Raditz's armor at the young age of four in Dragon Ball Z was already a sign he'd be something special.
Considering that moment was foreshadowing the immense amount of power he had innately, and that it likewise gave Goku and Piccolo enough time to kill Raditz, Gohan's journey started here.
2) Surviving Piccolo's training
Gohan was thrust into fighting at the age of four and then kidnapped and forced into what can charitably be described as "training from hell" by Piccolo. Not only was he hardly given any aid, but he was verbally berated from day one despite having barely any fighting experience at all. It does ultimately aid him in several respects: learning to fly, how to fend for himself, etc.
The fact that Gohan didn't end up traumatized as a result of that in Dragon Ball Z is already astounding. Even further, in Dragon Ball Super he asks Piccolo to put him through that training again as a result of his power loss from the seven-year gap between the Buu Saga and Super.
3) Surviving the Saiyan Saga and Namek
This deserves some recognition here. The rest of the Z fighters were absolutely destroyed by either the Saibamen or Nappa. Gohan, and Krillin, surviving long enough for Goku to reach them and help is nothing short of miraculous. Not to mention, Gohan managed to stagger Nappa which is amazing since not even Chaotzu sacrificing himself did that.
As for the Namek saga, that was a similar bloodbath. Krillin died, Vegeta was tortured to death and then killed, Piccolo was beaten to within an inch of his life, Dende died, and Bulma was always a hair's breadth away from death. Gohan managing to survive without the need of the Dragon Balls deserves some credit, as does him outsmarting Vegeta several times.
4) Being the first to reach Super Saiyan 2
This is a flash forward to Dragon Ball Z's Cell Saga. Gohan was the first among the Z fighters to reach Super Saiyan 2. That means it was before Goku, who is wildly considered the first Super Saiyan in the series pre-Broly. After training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan was ready to fight Cell.
Achieving Super Saiyan 2 helped kill Cell, but couldn't have been done without the training or Android 16's sacrifice. It's just too bad this led to an immediate sadistic streak in Gohan, which led to Cell trying to blow himself up, Future Trunks' death, and another one of Goku's deaths.
5) Killing Cell. Twice.
Killing Cell is arguably seen as Gohan's pinnacle of excellence. It's where Gohan unleashed all his power at once and finally obliterated Cell with arguably the best Kamehameha in Dragon Ball history. This didn't just happen in Dragon Ball Z, it also happened in Dragon Ball Super.
In the Super Hero film, Gohan achieves another transformation state and puts an end to the reborn Cell Max following Piccolo taking what looked fatal. However, instead of history repeating itself with the Kamehameha again, this time Gohan used the Special Beam Cannon aka Piccolo's signature move.
6) Achieving his scholarly dreams
This is more of a personal moment for Gohan. Gohan was never truly into the fighting like his dad was, and did want to follow his mom's wishes for him to get a good education. That, and having a normal life after so much death, trauma, and pain as a kid counts for a lot in a series normally about fighting.
While this leads to the rather funny, and cringeworthy, Great Saiyaman part of his life, it must be stressed that this was Gohan's one time his life was "normal" by real-world standards. Plus, he got a girlfriend in Videl and later became a father after the Majin Buu saga of Dragon Ball Z.
7) Becoming a father
Goku becoming a father was a milestone for Dragon Ball, as it was nearly unthinkable that he'd make a good father. Gohan becoming a father, however, was a milestone for Dragon Ball Z and their respective characters. The fact that Gohan ended up being a great father to Pan speaks volumes about his heart.
There's also the fact that his family was his motivation to restart his training again, despite being a pacifist. It's not a backslide, or even becoming more like Goku, it's just Gohan having a reason to start training back up again. He likewise trains with Piccolo again, strengthing their relationship into them being family instead of a harsh mentor/apprentice.
8) Taking down Captain Ginyu
For someone who didn't train for years, Gohan had a great showing against Frieza's forces alongside the rest of the Z fighters in Dragon Ball Super. Though he did have problems with this, meaning his heart stopped and Piccolo had to help, when Ginyu got involved Gohan basically destroyed him in Super Saiyan form.
While the other part that some people hate is that Gohan was rendered nearly useless, his powering up to the fullest helped to get Goku and Vegeta back to Earth to help. This helped to finally defeat Frieza and ultimately did kickstart Gohan's further development as a fighter down the road.
9) His showing in the Tournament of Power and the leadup to it
If Gohan got derailed according to some during the Majin Buu through Ressurection F Sagas of Dragon Ball Z and Super, Super's Universal Survival and later Tournament of Power saga helped revamp Gohan's power and fighting. During the leadup, Gohan had been training with everyone and matched blows with Super Saiyan Blue Goku.
He even regained his full potential after the prior tournament. During the Tournament of Power, Gohan was elected captain of Universe 7's team and had several impressive showings including defeating several people. His highest point was arguably the fastest of the Pride Troopers, Dyspo, while working alongside Frieza. Everyone, even Frieza, praised Gohan's cunning and abilities.
10) Ultimate Gohan/Beast Gohan
Gohan's transformations have much more staying power than most others that aren't Super Saiyan and above. Ultimate Gohan was unlocked in the Majin Buu Saga and most certainly helped against Super Buu, even if he couldn't quite finish off Super Buu.
Ultimate Gohan would absolutely help in other instances, especially when Gohan returned to it in Super and matched blows with Goku. There are many, however, that are glad Gohan got a better transformation and transformation state with Beast. This was unlocked at the tail end of the Super Hero movie, and he finished off Cell Max with it.
The fact that Gohan has pretty much been a main character since the start of Dragon Ball Z despite not being in focus all the time makes it whenever he shows off a delight. There have been plenty of complaints that Toriyama is spinning his wheels with Goku and Vegeta being the stars, but Gohan hasn't been forgotten.
In other words, Dragon Ball Super has started to turn things around for Gohan after the Buu saga waylaid him. If there are any agreements, disagreements, or forgotten moments, readers are encouraged to detail them in the comments.
