How Gohan Unlocked the Beast Mode, Explained

While Goku is the main character of Dragon Ball, many fans believe that Gohan should have taken his place at some point in the series, especially when he was a teen. Toriyama once revelaed in an interview that he had indeed thought about making Gohan the protagonist of Dragon Ball, and prepared the grounds to do so, but later changed his mind.

Some may disagree, but the path that Gohan follows after the Cell Tournament is more in line with the character that he has always been. That said, not becoming the protagonist doesn’t mean not being able to surpass the others in terms of power. Even though Gohan hasn’t stepped into the spotlight, the story suggests at many points that he’s the most powerful warrior in the universe — and Beast Mode is proof of that.

Related

Dragon Ball: Gohan Could Have Become the Protagonist

At some point in the Dragon Ball series, it seemed Gohan was about to become the main character. So why didn’t he?

What Is Gohan’s Beast Mode?

A Transformation Unique to Gohan

Beast Gohan, Final Gohan or Ultimate Gohan is a form that, as of the time of writing, is exclusive to Gohan in the Dragon Ball Super universe. However, in the game Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, other characters have custom Beast forms.

In Beast Mode, Gohan’s hair grows a bit, similar to his SSJ2 transformation, but his eyebrows are not gone. His hair and his eyebrows turn white/platinum, and his eyes turn red. He also manifests a tremendous power.

When Gohan Unlocks the Beast Mode?

Gohan first unleashes this transformation in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, when he thinks that Cell Max killed Piccolo with a powerful attack, meaning that, as with other transformations, Gohan unleashes this form primarily because he is insanely angry and emotionally reactive.

Although he stated in Dragon Ball Super that he wanted to achieve an unseen ultimate form, Gohan is not usually the kind of character who reaches new heights by simply training. He is usually only able to unleash his full power when he is under emotional stress.

According to Toriyama, Beast Mode is like unleashing the wild beast inside you, so this is believed to be Gohan’s ultimate form – of course, this is Dragon Ball, so another even more powerful transformation could be introduced at any point.

Is Final Gohan a Canon Form?

It depends on what you consider to be canon. Since most fans consider — or considered, before Daima — that Dragon Ball Super, including the manga, to be the canon sequel to Dragon Ball Z, then yes.

Dragon Ball Super manga introduced Beast Gohan in Chaṕter 99 (“Son Gohan’s Ultimate Awakening!”), while adapting the Super Hero arc, turning the movie canon into the Super timeline, meaning that he first awakens in this form in the manga, just as he does in the movie.

Piccolo later helps him to learn how to control the Beast Mode in the manga. This transformation is also said to be unique to Gohan’s potential, and thus different from other Saiyan transformations. It is also confirmed that it is not a divine form.

Could Someone Else Achieve Beast Mode?

Beast Mode is said to be exclusive to Gohan due to his traits. However, in Dragon Ball, bloodline (mostly which race a character belongs to) plays a role in a character’s potential. If Gohan can do it, it’s possible his daughter Pan will be able to at some later point.

Dragon Ball Super

Release Date

2015 – 2018

Showrunner

Tatsuya Nagamine

Directors

Tatsuya Nagamine

Writers

Tatsuya Nagamine, Akira Toriyama

• 
•