In the span of 40 years and counting, Akira Toriyama has introduced a tone of characters who have not refrained from flaunting their strength. The anime is full of names like Son-Goku, Vegeta, Lord Beerues, Frieza, Broly, Jiren and many more who have time and again made a breakthrough and ascended past their present selves.
Hence, one of the constantly looming questions around the fandom is who is the strongest character in the series. The fans believe that several characters can be strong contenders. However, when Toriyama-Sensei introduced Gohan, the elder son of Kakarot, to be his successor and the strongest Saiyan in the entire series.
Sadly, there was a change in plan because he stopped training and preferred to follow his mother’s dream of becoming a scholar. Thus, fans wondered what could have been had the mangaka not messed up Gohan’s storyline.
Akira Toriyama Made a Grave Error Following the Storyline of Son-Gohan
Akira Toriyama’s Dragon Ball Z is a Shonen series that became immensely popular for featuring a ton of superpowered battle sequences that made the viewers bite their nails in excitement. A rich storyline filled with suspense and thrill, along with several iconic transformations, made the show what it is today.
Talking about iconic transformation, one of the most phenomenal moments of the show was when Toriyama-Sensei decided to feature Gohan in the limelight in the Cell Games Saga. It was the first time in the series that someone other than Kakarot was going to defeat the main antagonist of the arc.
The saga felt extremely satisfying, and it felt that the torch of succession was being passed. Well, that’s what we all thought, but after the time skips, fans were disappointed as they saw a character completely different from what they had seen before.
Well, the Chosen One retired from fighting and preferred to be an intellectual. Though fans thought he’d get a glow-up in the Buu saga, they were wrong because he could not showcase his latent potential. However, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero decided to make a comeback with him as they showcased an iconic transformation, the Beast form.
As a result, a question has popped up in r/dragonball, where fans wondered if he could have achieved “SSB+ levels of power with SSSJ2 form if he kept training and participated in battles regularly?” And if he could have unlocked the same “Beast form” through sheer training only.
Well, if we keep the plot armor aside, then fans must remember that the Saiyans are a feral, warrior race that relishes battle. They enjoy a serious battle so much that they tend to genetically recover from a battle or even hard training, attaining a power surge.
This essentially suggests that the more a Saiyan trains or battles, the more powerful they will become. Hence, had he continued training, he would have tapped into even greater power because, had he kept training, he would be in a league of his own, where Fat Buu would have never been a major issue.
Moreover, the entire storyline would have changed because, being the strongest, Gohan would have been a more logical choice to fight Lord Beerus using the SSG form. He would have eventually unlocked the SSB form and potentially unlocked the UI alongside his father during the Tournament of Power Arc.
However, that’s not all, because he would have also unlocked the Beast form to harness even greater energy. Nevertheless, Akira Toriyama made a grave error as he decided to focus more on Kakarot and the Saiyan Prince. Consequently, the Beast transformation featured in the 2022 film was merely a stopgap measure, and potentially, he would never reach the same power level as the two Saiyans.
Gohan’s Different Ambition Will Lead To More Exclusive Transformations
Gohan’s Beast form is now considered to be one of the strongest transformations in the entire Dragon Ball universe. However, the transformation is considered to be vastly different from the transformation that fans are used to seeing, following its two protagonists, Goku and Vegeta.
However, it is assumed that there’s a reason that the transformation differs so much from the SSJ forms that we have seen growing up. Ever since the character was a child, he showcased different traits from other Saiyans, and he would even consider himself more human than a Saiyan.
Moreover, he is a Human-Saiyan hybrid, unlike Goku and Vegeta, who are pure Saiyans. But it is believed that his human side makes the transformation so powerful and unique. In chapter 39 of Dragon Ball Super, Gohan commented while fighting Kefla,
I’m not relying on my Saiyan blood anymore. I choose to keep evolving as a human, not a Saiyan. I’m not relying on my Saiyan blood anymore.
Although Toriyama-Sensei confessed to making Kakarot’s son the new hero of his magnum opus, the idea never came to life. Nevertheless, fans hope that they see more of Gohan.
Dragon Ball Super can be streamed on Crunchyroll.
