Plots that came to you in a flash of a second.

[Cure Dragon 255]

It just occurred to me but Gohan getting drunk and almost killing Videl and unborn baby Pan made me realize I would love a Steven Universe Future style plot where the PTSD and trauma do get to the seemingly kind and happy go lucky hero. Now dont get me wrong, I HATE Steven Universe Future and it's shittier than shit. But Gohan going through the same if written better could be compelling and not yet another "Gohan slacks off and then has to train to gain all his power again."

[Zephyr]

What if the Super manga uses Gohan's PTSD to explain Beast

[Cure Dragon 255]

Um... How about no? I meant a serious exploration of PTSD, that it actually affects Gohan and makes him irritable and prone to anger. Not just his PTSD being an excuse for Yet Another Transformation.

[Zephyr]

I don't think a serious exploration of PTSD and the development of a new technique have to be mutually exclusive.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I was about to object and then realized you are correct. It really doesnt undermine the premise at all. One thing I would add is that this form really would be genuinely dangerous, and Gohan REALLY could lose his sanity if it takes over permanently. It would take a lot of support from the supporting cast to help Gohan be himself again.

[Dr. Casey]

In media, anger and rage issues are portrayed less frequently with trauma-inflicted characters than any of the other classical symptoms of PTSD/CPTSD. They seem to focus more on the anxiety cluster of symptoms than anything else. Nightmares and emotional flashbacks are nigh-ubiquitous and characters that are emotionally numb are also common, but I can't think of many examples of characters being irritable or prone to rages (I'm sure there's a lot of counterexamples, but the anger cluster of symptoms is still probably in last place compared to other examples of the most common symptoms - the hyperarousal symptom is a lot more likely to be depicted by characters being jumpy than aggressive).

[Majin Buu]

Um... How about no? I meant a serious exploration of PTSD, that it actually affects Gohan and makes him irritable and prone to anger. Not just his PTSD being an excuse for Yet Another Transformation.

A serious exploration of something as deep and complex as PTSD is the most un-Dragon Ball thing Dragon Ball could do (Dragon Ball as established by Toriyama at least). And frankly, I'm not confident that Dragon Ball could pull that off without issues even if it wanted to.

[Zephyr]

I was about to object and then realized you are correct. It really doesnt undermine the premise at all. One thing I would add is that this form really would be genuinely dangerous, and Gohan REALLY could lose his sanity if it takes over permanently. It would take a lot of support from the supporting cast to help Gohan be himself again.

Almost like the Beast of Darkness in Berserk.

[WittyUsername]

In media, anger and rage issues are portrayed less frequently with trauma-inflicted characters than any of the other classical symptoms of PTSD/CPTSD. They seem to focus more on the anxiety cluster of symptoms than anything else. Nightmares and emotional flashbacks are nigh-ubiquitous and characters that are emotionally numb are also common, but I can't think of many examples of characters being irritable or prone to rages (I'm sure there's a lot of counterexamples, but the anger cluster of symptoms is still probably in last place compared to other examples of the most common symptoms - the hyperarousal symptom is a lot more likely to be depicted by characters being jumpy than aggressive).

Ironically, Steven Universe Future actually does depict the rage aspects of PTSD.

[Cure Dragon 255]

Um... Isnt anyone else going to suggest ideas that came in a flash? Anyone?

[LoganForkHands73]

I've had a few shower thought story ideas that have come and gone, but I tend to be more of a workshopper. The actually decent ideas come about from idle discussions with the lovely fellas on this forum, then I go away, eat some pringles, and rapidly brainstorm all of the details. My favourite was probably an imagining of a ground-up, modernised adaptation of Tree of Might that fleshed out Tullece's meetings with his squad before he encountered Goku. The plot also gave Broly something quite interesting to do (let's just say Vampa isn't a very nutrient-rich planet). It was fun to think about ironically because I don't have a huge attachment to that movie or Tullece as a character, so I could run wild without being too weighed down by the source material.

A few years ago, I also made a thread discussing a version of the Tournament of Power involving different franchises, focusing on the kinds of teams that would be recruited in a specific universe. Some good sports came up with some brilliant teams! That was another example of a really basic idea that was much more fun to flesh out.

Anyway, about PTSD Gohan. I think we've all idly wondered if the heroes have picked up any mental scars from their adventures; Gohan and Kuririn tend to get the most speculation on that front, mainly thanks to the anime. Gohan's first Super Saiyan transformation in the ROSAT was basically triggered by his lingering guilt and trauma, and the Super filler arc about the shapeshifting fear forest (or whatever was going on) confirmed that Kuririn is severely traumatised by his many past deaths. However, as said earlier, these are not deep dives into the very complex topic of post-traumatic stress and only present the usual surface level "'Nam-style flashbacks" mental baggage. This is a lame trend across all media, not just Dragon Ball - it's rare to see the more destructive and painful sides of PTSD.

[JulieYBM]

Gokuu's ultimate enemy appears: a person made of ink that requires zero shading and detail, they're simply a black outline completely inked in. Gokuu becomes ill any time he tries to fight them and ultimately tricks them into getting a job at a weekly comic magazine where they suffer for the rest of their lives.

[MasenkoHA]

Um... Isnt anyone else going to suggest ideas that came in a flash? Anyone?

Goku challenges the Flash to a race and wins because he's Goku

[Dr. Casey]

There's this penguintruth idea from 2009

What they should really do is have a comically serious movie special about a completely irrelevant character dying of something, take the whole movie mourning them, people arguing, fights breaking out over relationships, folks institutionalized for depression. Really extreme seriousness that's way over the top. Like, Goku gets a drinking problem over it, even though it was an extremely minor character.

Meanwhile, the character is in the afterworld insisting that they'll be brought back by the Dragon Balls, but nobody bothers to wish them back, even though they clearly can. In fact, the characters gather the Dragon Balls and wishes for something else entirely.

They need to pick a character who nobody gives a damn about. Like the turtle. Or the Budoukai announcer.

[Majin Buu]

There's this penguintruth idea from 2009

What they should really do is have a comically serious movie special about a completely irrelevant character dying of something, take the whole movie mourning them, people arguing, fights breaking out over relationships, folks institutionalized for depression. Really extreme seriousness that's way over the top. Like, Goku gets a drinking problem over it, even though it was an extremely minor character.

Meanwhile, the character is in the afterworld insisting that they'll be brought back by the Dragon Balls, but nobody bothers to wish them back, even though they clearly can. In fact, the characters gather the Dragon Balls and wishes for something else entirely.

They need to pick a character who nobody gives a damn about. Like the turtle. Or the Budoukai announcer.

I love this idea. Using overwrought melodrama for comedic effect is something Toriyama would do (especially the part about making the deceased character someone nobody cares about); and it would be a great tongue-in-cheek way to address complaints that Dragon Ball is too light-hearted now.

[Wrigglything]

I'm thinking that maybe there's a villain who decides to mentally screw Goku and Co by reminding them about their biggest regrets and bringing some of their horrible actions to the forefront, manifesting into powerful and zombified personifications of those mistakes. This can particularly be useful for Vegeta and maybe the Androids and Piccolo (though I doubt they would be focused on as much).

Its probably nothing more than a few episodes and it definitely falls under edgy fanfic level, but I think with some Toriyama wit it could help make it still fit into Dragon Ball without it being too out of place and grim.

[PurestEvil]

The Dragon team faces an invasion of aliens that defeat their enemies by afflicting them with venom and toxic gas. These aliens are also trained fighters that can hold out their own against the protagonists while also using sneaky tactics to undermine them.

[Godo]

I would love to see Goku being found by Dr. Briefs in the woods (the plot can be that he is researching the energy signature of the Dragon Balls, and by doing so, finds Goku).
This results in Goku moving with him to Capsule Corp., growing up alongside Bulma and continuing his training and adventures as usual.
But the result would be a much more educated and knowledgeable Goku.
He would of course continue his training and adventures much like before. But maybe he wouldn't be pure of heart anymore?
An idea I have is that he joins Raditz, not by killing 100 humans, but by his own volition as he is grown up with a thirst for scientific knowledge and knows that going to space will lead to a lot more discoveries, as well as provide him with stronger opponents.
I could see the saiyans doing guerilla warfare on Freeza's bases, diminishing his military power bit by bit, as a tactic for weakening Freeza before the final showdown. This would lead to the whole lot being stronger.
An interesting facet of the story would be that Goku would be taught about Saiya-jin training and near-death powerups, whilst the others would be trained in ki control and martial arts. Maybe this would lead to them becoming exponentially stronger and being ready to take on Freeza.
Someone could still become a Super Saiya-jin, since purity of heart doesn't seem to be an obligatory factor.