Despite Akira Toriyama’s sad demise at the age of 68, Dragon Ball continues to set a notable example for many new-gen animes. An entire generation grew up watching Goku and Vegeta’s legendary rivalry that captivated several fans to the renowned anime. Not to forget that Goku’s first transformation into SSJ1 still ranks as one of the most iconic moments in the anime’s history.
Owing to Dragon Ball‘s immense popularity in the community, Toriyama perfectly showcases every character’s shining moments. From Goten-Trunks SSJ3 transformation to Gohan Beast, every Dragon Ball character has left a lasting impression on the audience.
Despite Goku generally stealing the spotlight in the anime, our beloved protagonist isn’t considered the strongest, with Gohan Beast’s transformation surpassing both Kakarot and Vegeta. Surprisingly, a new theory reveals the secret behind Gohan’s immense power, and it’s not his Saiyan heritage.
Dragon Ball Theory Unveils the Hidden Source of Gohan’s Incredible Strength
Throughout the series, Dragon Ball never hesitates to showcase Gohan’s immense strength, surpassing the likes of Goku and Vegeta. After the end of the Cell Saga, Toriyama had to cripple Gohan’s character as it was restricting the plot progression. Back during the Room of Spirit and Time, Goku noticed Gohan’s hidden potential and trusted him to take down Super Cell.
Many fans believe Gohan’s incredible strength is linked to his heritage, as he was the first Hybrid Saiyan introduced in the series. However, the recent fan theory unveils the hidden source of our beloved character’s strength to be Chi-Chi, not Goku’s Saiyan genes. The theory states:
Think about it… Chi Chi was a nagging and irate adult. Much more so than average. Sure, Bulma was a spoiled loud mouth but jeez.. Chi Chi was insanely angry. Gohan consistently had a rage boost that Goku even acknowledged it and was so confident with that potential that he had Gohan fight Cell.
Only true Dragon Ball Z fans are aware of Chi-Chi’s angry temperament. The Chi-Chi personality, which some may find irritating, could be the hidden source of Gohan’s strength. We know that emotions play a vital role in increasing Saiyan’s strength, and since Human-Saiyan Hybrids are more emotional than Saiyan, Toriyama highlighted Gohan as the strongest character in the series.
However, we don’t see Goten and Trunks on the same level as Gohan, which puts this revelation into question. Although we can say Future Trunks also achieved remarkable feats, comparing him to Gohan’s caliber is a bit of a stretch. Thus, the aforementioned theory seems more convincing as Gohan could have inherited Chi-Chi’s anger genes unlike Goten, which gave our beloved character several rage moments resulting in powerful transformations such as the Gohan Beast.
Why Frieza is the most iconic rival in the entire Dragon Ball franchise
Akira Toriyama introduced several antagonists in the Dragon Ball franchise, but none has left a lasting impression among the audience as Frieza. Frieza has been the most iconic villain in the Dragon Ball series, earning a special place in the hearts of fans. Interestingly, the legendary mangaka once shared his insights on Frieza’s character. He added:
I came up with Frieza around the time of the Bubble, and the land shark was the worst person of all. So I made him the #1 land shark in the universe.
For Goku’s character development, the mangaka needed to introduce a stronger character and none of the villains met the criteria at that time. Thus, stronger opponents beyond Earth were needed to be introduced, leading to the rise of Frieza. Not to forget, Toriyama showcased the iconic SSJ1 transformation during the clash between Frieza and Goku, which makes Frieza the most memorable antagonist who faced Goku’s full wrath.
You can read Dragon Ball Z on Viz Media and watch the anime on Crunchyroll.
