Gohan literally broke the Dragon Ball manga (No, we're not kidding)

Dragon Ball and the story behind the infamous Gohan manga panel (Image via Toei Animation).
Dragon Ball and the story behind the infamous Gohan manga panel (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball Super has recently gained a lot of attention in the manga community since it showed Beast Gohan, which was his latest transformation in the 2022 Super Hero movie. While most fans agree that it was necessary for Gohan's character to go back into the spotlight in a somewhat consistent manner, the Beast form is still divisive among the fanbase because of its execution and design.

When it comes to the design, there is an interesting story that took place during chapter 99 of the Dragon Ball Super manga. As Gohan was using his Beast form, which has him sporting long and spiky hair, there was a panel that went viral.

His hair was breaking the top of one of the panels, which garnered several reactions online.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series


Infamous panel of Beast Gohan in Dragon Ball Super chapter 99 is fake

When chapter 99 of the Super manga was first leaked, there was this image online of Beast Gohan breaking one of the lines of the panel which went viral, and had a lot of people commenting on the character's hair. However, it is worth pointing out that the panel is fake and was drawn by a fan, with the shape of Gohan being a direct reference to a moment in that chapter when he is looking at Piccolo falling from the sky.

The panel has become somewhat popular these days because of the comedic approach, especially since the original manga had kid Goku doing something similar during a fight. While it would be a nice touch to have, the panel isn't real, although it did lead to some discussions regarding Beast Gohan's design in the series.

Some fans have argued that the hair is too long and exaggerated, which doesn't feel very natural since in some angles it looks as tall as Gohan's entire body. Furthermore, other fans feel that is too similar to the character's iconic Super Saiyan 2 form when he was fighting Cell, thus leading to the assumption that it was an attempt at nostalgia and fanservice.


The reception of Beast Gohan

Beast Gohan in the Super Hero movie (Image via Toei Animation).
Beast Gohan in the Super Hero movie (Image via Toei Animation).

Most Dragon Ball fans wanted Gohan to have a prominent role in the series once again and move away from the constant cycle of ups and downs, which is something that the Super Hero arc has attempted to accomplish with the Beast form. It seems that the character's days of inconsistency are now in the past as he is now poised to be a permanent feature in the main events, although the way it was accomplished has been very divisive.

A lot of fans have felt that the Beast form didn't have a lot of build-up or justification for existing and that it was just a plot device to boost Gohan's strength to a point where he could compete with Goku, Vegeta, and other powerful characters.

In that regard, there is the criticism that Gohan seems to have skipped the hard work other characters went through to reach that level, which is why there is some criticism regarding that transformation.


Final thoughts

The image of Dragon Ball Super manga chapter 99 of Gohan's hair breaking one of the panels was fake and wasn't part of the series. It was drawn by a fan as a joke and has gone viral because most people thought it was an official panel in the manga, which has turned that image into something infamous online.


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