Gohan Could Have Become the Protagonist

During the Cell Saga in Dragon Ball, Gohan becomes not only a promising character, but one beloved by audiences. No wonder many fans were disappointed by seeing him become a regular high school student in the Boo saga (although the Great Saiyaman deserves a bit more love).

When transforming into Super Saiyan 2, Gohan reached a level that, back then, was unmatched. This has led many to believe he should have become the Dragon Ball protagonist from that point out, especially considering Goku died in a way that seemed like passing the baton to his son.

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The Strongest Man in the World?

In the Saiyan Group arc, Dragon Ball began teasing that Gohan was more powerful than he looked, despite lacking his father’s fighting spirit. Gohan has been more like a nerd than a fighter. Raditz is the first one to feel Gohan might be powerful, as his scouter identifies an immense power level in him. In the middle of the battle between Raditz and Goku, Gohan gets infuriated when his father is just about to be killed, and flies straight into Raditz’s chest, injuring him.

After Goku dies, Piccolo starts training Gohan, and also seems to feel he has a great hidden power. The show keeps hinting at Gohan’s potention, as if it’s building his journey into becoming the strongest warrior. But it’s only in the Cell Saga that we see all his might, as he officially surpasses his own father when he becomes the first character to transform into the Super Saiyan 2 form. It seemed back then that Gohan would be the new protagonist to the series.

However, what happens next is that Goku retrieves his position as the “strongest man in the world” and the series’ main character after training with King Kai in his afterlife, as he seemed to be somewhat bothered that his son was able to reach a power level previously unknown to everyone. As for Gohan, he stops training and goes back to his studious life, something that, honestly, has always been on par with his character.

Readers Loved Gohan Back Then

Given the events that take place during the Boo Saga, some might wonder if they misread anything when thinking that Gohan was about to become the series’ protagonist. But any person who created expectations for Gohan was not alone: he actually topped the first popularity poll for the manga in 1993. Back then, the Android Saga was being serialized. Gohan received over 50,000 while Goku ranked at #2, with over 48,000 votes, so they were pretty close to each other.

While he dropped a few positions in later polls, he remained in the top 10. He also seems popular among international fans, as he is featured in good positions in recent international polls too.

Akira Toriyama Felt It Was Wrong

Gohan always loved to study — that we all know. But he also indeed overcame his fear of fighting during the Android Saga. So, wouldn’t it be possible for Gohan to both study and train? Well, actually, it would. He had a training arc, he had character growth, he overcame his challenges. How did he end up “receding”?

Simply put, Toriyama didn’t feel it was right. He stated in an interview that he actually intended to put Gohan in the leading role, which explains why many people feel he was about to become the new main character. But he felt that Goku was best suited for the role.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero Brings That Old Gohan Back

While Toriyama didn’t change his mind about who should be the protagonist, he admitted that Gohan is the strongest character in the series. The most recent Dragon Ball movie attempts to show it, while not forgetting the role that Toriyama placed him in during the Boo Saga.

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Gohan and Piccolo are in the leading roles (they make a great team), and we get to see once again Gohan’s true potential. By the end of the movie, Gohan once again reaches an unmatched power level, leaving no doubt that he is indeed the strongest man in the Universe. To be honest, it suits him best to be this type of unmatched warrior who actually just unleashes his powers when he is really needed. Don’t mess with his family.

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