Dragon Ball fans fail to understand Gohan's influence in the series and it's saddening

Modified Feb 20, 2025 07:00 GMT

Dragon Ball fans still fail to understand what makes Gohan tick as a character (Image via Toei Animation).

Dragon Ball has a lot of iconic characters, and one of the most misunderstood continues to be Gohan. This is either because of the franchise's inconsistencies when writing him, or the expectations fans have regarding his role in the story. The recent Super manga one-shot was a testament to that, with his characterization as Goten and Trunks' inspiration to become superheroes quite divisive.

It was stated in this new manga chapter, which was drawn and penned by Toyotaro, that Gohan's superhero persona not only inspired his younger brother and Trunks but also the two Gammas and Dr. Hedo. This emphasizes Gohan's kind and selfless nature in Dragon Ball while also reviving some debates regarding who he is as a character and what he should be moving forward.

Disclaimer: This article contains spoilers for the series. Any opinion expressed here belongs to the author and the people quoted, not Sportskeeda.

The recent Dragon Ball Super one-shot highlights the debate about Gohan's character once again

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It was shown in the most recent Super one-shot, which is chapter 104 of the manga by Toyotaro, revealing that Gohan was the one who inspired Goten and Trunks to become superheroes. This is clear when realizing that their outfits look quite similar to the one he wore in the original series, the Great Saiyaman, coupled with the fact that he motivated the Gammas and Dr. Hedo.

While this had a generally positive reception from fans, it continued to generate debates again because other fandom sections rejected this comedic sentai approach to his characterization. This goes back to the original manga and his Great Saiyaman run in the Buu saga, which started the long-running discussions of who he is and what he should be in the franchise.

There is no denying that Gohan never fully recovered from losing the leading character role in the Buu saga to Goku, with author Akira Toriyama, Toyotaro, and Toei Animation all having different interpretations moving forward with his characterization. This was further emphasized with the 2022 Super Hero film, with his Beast transformation being perceived as either a glorious return to form or a nostalgia act to win over the fandom's favor.

More reactions online

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Compared to how Vegeta and Goku have been treated in most media of the Dragon Ball franchise, Gohan's role has been a lot more chaotic, without a clear vision of who he is. Some want him in a much more central role, while others want him to be in the background, fully accepting his life as a scholar and caring for his family.

All of this harkens back to the character's victory over Cell, which initially had Toriyama view him as the new main character but struggled to make it work. This has led to many discussions regarding whether he should be a more lighthearted character, a more serious one, and what makes him different from his father and Vegeta.

"Damn they really made Gohan Peter Parker," someone on X said.

"Gohan is the best person you could ever meet in fiction. A great dad, son, husband, brother, idol, hero, role model and more. He is just the goat. Be like Gohan," someone else said.