Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

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Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 12:34 am

Let me preface by stating that Gohan (ALL versions) is my favorite Dragon Ball character (besides Piccolo). I believe that he is greater than the sum of his parts. That said, he goes through many dynamic changes throughout the series, and for the sake of length I'm only including arcs that were presented in some shape or form in the original manga (so no anime-only sagas like Garlic Jr., no Super or GT). I'm giving a brief summary on what I like about each version of Gohan, while settling on my favorite. If you like Gohan, feel free to list yours below! :thumbup:


Saiyan Saga
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Gohan goes through hell in the Saiyan arc. He goes from being a pampered, sheltered toddler to being kidnapped by an evil uncle, having his father killed, being kidnapped by an evil-ish green man, and then is subjected to living and training in the wilderness for nearly a year. Obviously the anime adds a LOT to this development, as we actually see Gohan surviving on his own, learning (more) about loss, helping others, and having to make the decision to run back home where it's safe, or continue training for the Saiyans. There's his bonding with Piccolo, and despite his fear, he comes through in the end in reflecting the Spirit Bomb back at Vegeta. I love this stage of Gohan and how complete his arc is here. Toriyama brilliantly makes him the polar opposite of Goku in all except for kindness and purity. The rage boosts make for some of the sagas most thrilling, fist-bump inducing moments. Yet Gohan is still a scared little kid once the Saiyans arrive, another aspect of the writing I loved since he's only 5 at that point.

Namek/Ginyu/Frieza Saga
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This Gohan has come out of a terrible battle with the Saiyans all the stronger. It is his determination to bring his mentor Piccolo back to life that spurs him on, especially since he in part feels responsible for his death since Piccolo sacrificed himself for him. While Gohan still feels fear against the likes of Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, and Frieza, he doesn't hesitate to jump into action. Save for perhaps Future Gohan, this stage of Gohan is the most soldier-like of them all. Once again, unlike Goku, he's not fighting for love of the fight, but primarily for his loved ones (the first full saga where Goku fought for his loved ones over his love of the fight was the King Piccolo saga). While it is uncomfortable seeing Recoome breaking a 5-6-year-old's neck, Gohan's valiance here is a character-defining moment. He knows he stands no chance, knows that he's going to his death, but he fights anyway because he knows it's what his Piccolo and Goku would do.

Original Future
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Future Gohan has the most similarities to Gohan of the Namek/Ginyu/Frieza arcs. He no longer has his father (although frankly much of his fighting was done waiting for his father to arrive to the battlefield), nor the rest of his family or friends, save for Bulma. He's a mentor to her son, Trunks, with all his limited knowledge and strength. Despite not being anywhere close to the strongest version of Gohan, and even knowing the odds are heavily stacked against him, he follows the example of his father(s), even fighting one-armed against the androids. Again, like Namek saga Gohan before him, Future Gohan is a soldier through and through.

Android/Cell Saga
SSJ Full Power
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Here I'm talking about the main stages of Gohan people remember from this point. So, a big draw of SSJ Full Power Gohan for me is the full Piccolo attire, down to the cape. But the other aspect of him I love is his calm. It truly feels like the (somewhat tense) calm before the storm; unfortunately, as powerful as Gohan is in this form (already having surpassed Goku), it was only meant to serve as a stepping stone to the rage-fueled SSJ2. Gohan doesn't have his father's fighting spirit, but if he did, one can only imagine how epic SSJ Full Power Gohan vs Cell could have been, even though SSJ2 was needed to ultimately defeat Cell. Gohan's pacifist nature here is a bit annoying, but it's in-line with who his character would be if he never had to fight, and I suppose his training in the RoSaT made him realize that.

SSJ2
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Easily the point in Gohan's arc that the most has been said about. I'll just say that in addition to looking cool, it was great to see Gohan really cut loose on his enemies. That said, he was a bit too bloodthirsty for me, and unfortunately fooled around with Cell too long, leading to Goku sacrificing himself and Cell coming back more powerful than before. As evidenced during the beam struggle, despite being the most powerful to-date, Gohan here is probably the least sure of his actions that he's been since the Saiyan saga. For all this form's display of power, the fight of Gohan vs. Cell isn't very dynamic apart from the beam struggle. Despite that, this stage of Gohan still feels like one of the most powerful characters in all of Dragon Ball, despite characters in GT and Super being many times stronger.

Great Saiyaman/World Tournament/Babidi Saga
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Seven peace-filled years after Cell's demise, we find a Gohan who has not been training, and thus is not as strong as he was against Cell. I LOVE this version of Gohan. Whether people like it or not, the Gohan presented here is truly who Gohan is, without having to fight threats to the Earth. He's still pure, kindhearted, and is goofy, which makes sense considering he's 16 and hasn't grown up around any kids his age, nor has he had anything resembling a normal childhood. He's also essentially the man of the house and is now a big brother. Gohan's Great Saiyaman antics were the first time he really got to fight independent of the influence of Piccolo or his father (or any of the Z Fighters), and the whole thing feels very much like Peter Parker/Spider-Man, which I relish. Gohan's interactions with his classmates were also fun to see. I'm not sure I would've wanted this to remain the template for Dragon Ball, but I loved this rare glimpse at a peaceful time and what it meant for Gohan. It was also a joy seeing him training Goten, and later, Videl.

Eventually we have Gohan's fight vs. Dabura, who is said to be around the same or stronger than Super Perfect Cell. The point is, Gohan is rusty. While many fans (including Gohan diehards) lament this, I love this arc for Gohan, simply because it's relatable. Many people at some point in their lives find themselves being (in some ways) a shell of their former selves. Sometimes, you have to dig deep to find that part of yourself that you thought no longer existed. I always loved the moment right before Goku's fight with Majin Vegeta, where he tells Gohan to remember how it was when he fought against Cell, telling him that power is still within him, or something of that nature.

Buu Saga
Potential Unleashed
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Gohan at this point made a huge impression on me when I first watched these episodes in the anime as a kid. It was striking seeing Gohan wearing Goku's gi again, and his eyes were sharper. The sight of Gohan walking boldly toward Buu, much akin to Goku walking toward Nappa, was stunning. I'll never forget my first time witnessing the beatdown and the trash talk Gohan delivered to Super Buu. However, the downfall of this stage of Gohan was the same cockiness and lack of urgency that was present with SSJ2 Cell Saga Gohan...which makes me doubt that he possessed true confidence. Rather, he was overly sure of himself because he knew Super Buu was no match for his power going into the fight. Unfortunately, when Gohan dwarfs an opponent in power, it goes to his head, and that combined with his lack in battle sense resulted in his failure here. Add to that the underwhelming way Gohan unlocked his hidden potential, leaving this stage of Gohan as a bit of a mixed bag.

Despite my ranking below, I'm a fan of all versions of Gohan. All of them touch on different aspects of the character; it's just that the ones I have at the top represent what I love most about him, and the ones near the bottom are the aspects I love the least. My love for Gohan doesn't necessarily correlate to how powerful he is or isn't.

Favorite to Least Favorite:
1. Namek/Ginyu/Frieza Saga
2. Saiyan Saga
3. Great Saiyaman/World Tournament/Babidi Saga
4. Original Future
5. SSJ Full Power (Cell Saga)
6. SSJ2 (Cell Saga)
7. Potential Unleashed (Buu Saga)
Last edited by Demon Prince Piccolo on Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:51 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by MasenkoHA » Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:11 am

1. Saiyan Saga Gohan
2. Namek saga Gohan
3. Great Saiyaman/Boo era Gohan
4. Dragon Ball Super Gohan
5. Jinzoningen saga Gohan
6. Dragon Ball Z revival movies Gohan
7. Dragon Ball GT Gohan

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by PurestEvil » Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:23 pm

1. Namek Gohan
2. Saiyaman/Buu Gohan
3. Future Gohan
3. Saiyan Gohan
4. Cell/SSJ2 Gohan
5. Modern/DBS Gohan
6. GT Gohan
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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:45 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:11 am 1. Saiyan Saga Gohan
2. Namek saga Gohan
3. Great Saiyaman/Boo era Gohan
4. Dragon Ball Super Gohan
5. Jinzoningen saga Gohan
6. Dragon Ball Z revival movies Gohan
7. Dragon Ball GT Gohan
Counting GT and Super, I'd probably put GT at the bottom as well. I'd put Super Gohan in a similar spot as well I think. Glad to see others who find Saiyan, Namek, and Great Saiyaman/Buu-era Gohan more interesting that his Cell-era counterpart.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:56 pm

PurestEvil wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 1:23 pm 1. Namek Gohan
2. Saiyaman/Buu Gohan
3. Future Gohan
3. Saiyan Gohan
4. Cell/SSJ2 Gohan
5. Modern/DBS Gohan
6. GT Gohan
Love seeing Namek Gohan and Saiyaman/Buu Gohan so high. I'd have GT at the bottom. I think I agree with your placing for Super Gohan, as well, although I really like him in the modern era.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by BWri » Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:13 pm

I'm not the biggest Gohan fan. As a matter of fact I mostly disliked him from the very beginning, but now I find myself liking the character much more.

1. Pre-25 TB Gohan is peak Gohan for me. He even had his own unique gi. He had a fun and interesting life and was also a superhero. I wish we had gotten more of this Gohan.

2. 25 TB - Pre-Ultimate Powerup Gohan - This is basically the Gohan that powered up to SSJ2 against Kibito (great visual moment) and who later fought Dabura and Majin Buu in his Great Saiyaman costume (what remained of it at least). I mean, it's the same as the previous Gohan, maybe a little stronger thanks to training, but visually this Gohan is absolutely yoked and the GS costume is a great looking combat costume. And his fight with Dabura was an underrated gem as were his interactions with Shin.

3. Early Android Arc Gohan (post 3 yrs training) - This Gohan had a great look. Probably Gohan's best pre-SSJ look. And this is after 3 years of intense training with Goku and Piccolo so his skills were probably as sharp as ever. For someone with this pedigree, Gohan seemed surprisingly weak in comparison to Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, and Piccolo though perhaps he was as strong or stronger than the other Saiyans in base form but simply lacked the SSJ transformation.
Also, its a shame he didn't fight more. After training with Goku in the RoSaT, Gohan seems to discard his old moveset. This would have been a great final showing for the Masenko in the original manga. I wanted to see what a pupil of the Demon and Turtle schools could really do.

4. Saiyan arc Gohan - I mostly enjoy the post training version but his whole arc was done really well, from start to finish. I'm just not a big fan of characters like Gohan, weak characters cursed with great strength. But I can't deny he was a great character at this point.

5. Namek - I mostly enjoyed his saving of Dende and his fights with Recoome, Guldo, and Ginyu-Goku. I'm still not a fan of his power-ups vs Frieza but its no big deal. The bowl cut and Saiyan armor weren't my faves for Gohan, but it at least added some variety. Brilliant merchandising decision backed up by the story or vice-versa! I did use the costume a lot in Budokai #1

6. Filler Gohan - I actually will include the Garlic Jr. arc. I kinda hated that Gohan got all the kills in this arc but you can't deny that he was a hero through and through from start to finish. It was a great transition for him into the role of hero but was ultimately undone by the Cell arc in which he once more had to transition into the role of hero and seemed to struggle with it much more.

7. Awakened Gohan (SSJ2) - It was neat to see this brutal alternate side of Gohan's personality. It doesn't make a ton of sense to me since its just played straight and never really addressed afterwards. Like, is Gohan naturally some cruel and twisted fighter due to the traumas he's dealt with or is this a darker aspect of his psyche amplified by his transformation and the power granted therein? Or is it something else entirely? All interesting questions but the series doesn't really seem interested in diving into such an interesting topic. Gohan just gets over it and saves the day. This Gohan would rank higher if this aspect of his personality was actually addressed.

8. Super Gohan - DBS Gohan started off really badly but he has moments of interest here and there. His main problem is he feels like a shell of his former self most of the time. But the highs of the character are great such as his fights with Lavender, Obuni, and the universe 6 Namekians; his mini-training arc with Piccolo, his team ups with Piccolo and with characters like #17 and Frieza, and even the fun filler episodes he tends to have. His lows balance that out though such as his sad defeat and torture at the hands of Frieza and no one really caring to keep him in the loop. I'm hoping the new movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero nails what makes this Gohan great. Maybe then he'll go higher up in the Gohan rankings.

9. SSJ Gohan Full Power (Cell Games) - This Gohan would rank higher but his pacifist nature comes out of nowhere to me. I grew up with the anime so I had seen him kill all of Garlic Junior's goons with no hesitation. But between the anime and manga Gohan does possess one kill to his name already. So with the manga, this side of him makes a little more sense. It still feels overstated at the point to me, so I could never really get into this Gohan. It was also the fact that despite his power, he lacked screen presence in this form. And his fight with Cell was not exciting at all. This was probably the most boring fight featuring a Super Saiyan at this point in the series. An accolade it's kept with me until Super, I think.

10: Ultimate Gohan (vs. Buu) - The epitome of talk shit, get hit. Visually, this Gohan looks impressive, so much so that you'd be forgiven for expecting much more from the character than 1 fight that he immediately loses. I guess it's 1 and a half fights, but still. His powerup feels like the most asspull powerup in the franchise, at least it did at the time. And outside of some badass quips and posturing, he didn't show much of a personality. Feels like more of a Gohan identity crisis. If the Super anime didn't contextualize this as good as it did during episode 88 then I would consider Gohan to be one of the more poorly written characters in the franchise because he really feels like 2 characters crammed into one sometimes.

And if you call someone a retard in a fight which is an insult that used to imply they were dumb beyond reason, then I at least expect you to not do things worthy of such an insult yourself. The only thing keeping this Gohan from dead last is the fantastic voice work of Kyle Hebert. He had some top tier delivery during this part of the story such as the moment Gohan shared with Goku before leaving the battle with Buu and how he respectfully asked Kibito for Goku's gi.
Hell, Sean Schemmel too. Great scene!

Last. GT Gohan - This one would have been better if he just got more screen time and moments to develop. He was mostly just used as a prop but he did have an iconic moment with Piccolo. Why does Piccolo always have to die for Gohan to have these moments :lolno: That said, it was a powerful moment.
Big fan of the characters of Dragon Ball, all of them, especially formerly prominent sub-characters. -__-

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:29 pm

^Very interesting analysis @BWri, especially since you're not the biggest Gohan fan. I found myself nodding my head to a lot of your points. I almost included early Android arc Gohan specifically, but I sort of bunch him with Namek Gohan in terms of personality (just being a few years older). It also was a great, distinctive look for him. The Garlic Jr. saga is probably my least revisited point in DBZ, but you're right, Gohan was THE hero in that arc; if you're watching anime-only, it does make his pacifist turn against Cell more confusing, and his victory against Cell less impactful.

I'm pleasantly surprised to see a lot of positive takes on Great Saiyaman/pre-Ultimate Gohan. Ironically, I used to feel he was one of the weaker aspects of the Buu arc and that Ultimate Gohan was one of the best. Now, my opinion has completely reversed lol. The unique gi was another plus; it was just great seeing Gohan be wholly his own person here, despite not being at his "coolest" or strongest. And yes, the Great Saiyaman gi looked incredible in his fight against Dabura; I used that gif because it's one of my favorite visual moments of the anime.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by MasenkoHA » Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:34 pm

Demon Prince Piccolo wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:45 pm
MasenkoHA wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:11 am 1. Saiyan Saga Gohan
2. Namek saga Gohan
3. Great Saiyaman/Boo era Gohan
4. Dragon Ball Super Gohan
5. Jinzoningen saga Gohan
6. Dragon Ball Z revival movies Gohan
7. Dragon Ball GT Gohan
Counting GT and Super, I'd probably put GT at the bottom as well. I'd put Super Gohan in a similar spot as well I think. Glad to see others who find Saiyan, Namek, and Great Saiyaman/Buu-era Gohan more interesting that his Cell-era counterpart.
I think people put Cell saga Gohan on a pedestal because of the Cell Games but for the vast majority of the arc he does next to nothing. He was far more involved in the Namek saga than he was in Cell.


Also while I like the Cell Games do I am not a fan of the hedgehog hair he was sporting for most of the arc.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:40 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:34 pm
Demon Prince Piccolo wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 2:45 pm
MasenkoHA wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 11:11 am 1. Saiyan Saga Gohan
2. Namek saga Gohan
3. Great Saiyaman/Boo era Gohan
4. Dragon Ball Super Gohan
5. Jinzoningen saga Gohan
6. Dragon Ball Z revival movies Gohan
7. Dragon Ball GT Gohan
Counting GT and Super, I'd probably put GT at the bottom as well. I'd put Super Gohan in a similar spot as well I think. Glad to see others who find Saiyan, Namek, and Great Saiyaman/Buu-era Gohan more interesting that his Cell-era counterpart.
I think people put Cell saga Gohan on a pedestal because of the Cell Games but for the vast majority of the arc he does next to nothing. He was far more involved in the Namek saga than he was in Cell.


Also while I like the Cell Games do I am not a fan of the hedgehog hair he was sporting for most of the arc.
Lol, I like the hedgehog-do, but I liked the added maturity to his look once he cut it (that and the haircut was a nice homage to his father). And you're right, Gohan isn't a proactive player at any point in the Cell Saga. He was treated moreso like a hidden weapon that was being manipulated throughout the plot/saved up for the last minute. He had no agency. It almost feels like he was an afterthought after Trunks, Vegeta, and Goku couldn't beat Cell; it doesn't really feel like the entire Android arc was leading up to him being The One.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Mr Perfect Cell » Sat Aug 28, 2021 6:03 pm

1. Saiyan Saga Gohan
2. Future Gohan
3.Android saga/Cell games Gohan
4. Namek/Frieza saga Gohan
5. GreatSaiyaman/Babidi/Buu saga Gohan
6. DB GT Gohan
7. DBS Gohan

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Bridgeman » Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:12 pm

I don't really have a list. Gohan during the Cell saga is one of my favorite characters. Also, I know it's not part of the list of options, but I love Gohan in Bojack Unbound.

You'll notice the only two times I really love Gohan is when he goes ruthless killer mode. But him vs Cell is one of the most badass moments in DBZ, if not the most.

I strongly dislike Gohan at any point after Cell. He became weak, Great Saiyaman is stupid, and even when he was given power to fight Buu, he got outsmarted like a chump. The funny thing is, Gohan is supposed to be a genius, and Buu in his form at the time had about half a braincell, barely enough to form coherent sentences.

Future Gohan is pretty cool, but we don't see that much of him... Actually, I wonder why Gohan's hidden potential never really manifested in Future Gohan. Maybe it couldn't be triggered without Goku around.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:58 pm

Bridgeman wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 7:12 pm I don't really have a list. Gohan during the Cell saga is one of my favorite characters. Also, I know it's not part of the list of options, but I love Gohan in Bojack Unbound.

You'll notice the only two times I really love Gohan is when he goes ruthless killer mode. But him vs Cell is one of the most badass moments in DBZ, if not the most.

I strongly dislike Gohan at any point after Cell. He became weak, Great Saiyaman is stupid, and even when he was given power to fight Buu, he got outsmarted like a chump. The funny thing is, Gohan is supposed to be a genius, and Buu in his form at the time had about half a braincell, barely enough to form coherent sentences.

Future Gohan is pretty cool, but we don't see that much of him... Actually, I wonder why Gohan's hidden potential never really manifested in Future Gohan. Maybe it couldn't be triggered without Goku around.
Gohan is an intellectual genius, but I'm not sure he's a fighting genius. I'm not a fan of how he blew the fight against Buu, but he most likely would've done the same against Cell if not for the moral support from Goku in the afterlife. He doesn't seem to know how to handle utterly outclassing his opponent without becoming cocky and making dumb decisions.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Bridgeman » Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:15 pm

Goku was there tho, he gave him all the pats on the back he possibly could have. But when it boils down to it, they sat on their ass for hours to unlock his potential only for Gohan to gloriously screw it up. What you said plays a part in it, sure, but what also plays a part is Gohan just becoming lax and soft after Cell. After killing Cell he was at the height of his power, the strongest guy around, and the designated protector of Earth with Goku no longer around. Yet he submitted to the normie life.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:32 pm

Bridgeman wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 8:15 pm Goku was there tho, he gave him all the pats on the back he possibly could have. But when it boils down to it, they sat on their ass for hours to unlock his potential only for Gohan to gloriously screw it up. What you said plays a part in it, sure, but what also plays a part is Gohan just becoming lax and soft after Cell. After killing Cell he was at the height of his power, the strongest guy around, and the designated protector of Earth with Goku no longer around. Yet he submitted to the normie life.
That's not wrong, but I still chalk it up to Gohan, who never truly possessed a fighter's spirit, getting 7 whole years of his life where he didn't have to prepare for a new enemy. Despite all the villains that had showed up, it seems like the idea at the time was that Cell was the ultimate enemy, and that once he was gone, that was it. Sure, it would have been logical to train, but I tend to cut him some slack here since this is ultimately who Gohan is at his core.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Bridgeman » Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:18 pm

He may not have the same fighting spirit as a pure Saiyan, but neither did Future Trunks. Yet he got shit done and was prepared when he needed to be. Gohan had been in tough situations regularly up until that point. And like Vegeta said, peace time is no excuse to stop training. There's always eventually going to be another threat.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:57 pm

Bridgeman wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 10:18 pm He may not have the same fighting spirit as a pure Saiyan, but neither did Future Trunks. Yet he got shit done and was prepared when he needed to be. Gohan had been in tough situations regularly up until that point. And like Vegeta said, peace time is no excuse to stop training. There's always eventually going to be another threat.
Exactly. Future Trunks is the way he is because that Gohan witnessed his family and friends/allies all die, except for Bulma. The present Gohan didn't witness all of his family and friends killed, and he didn't grow up in a post-apocalyptic war zone, so he doesn't have that same urgency to train. Future Trunks didn't get to experience 7 years of peace; Gohan did, ironically thanks to Future Trunks. It makes sense for Vegeta to feel so strongly because Vegeta has grown up with a warrior mentality since day one; even Goku doesn't train out of urgency to defend the world, just because he wants to be stronger. Gohan has never had that ambition, either, nor has he ever had Vegeta's mentality.
The story of DRAGON BALL starts from the moment Goku met Bulma. I don't really mind the Z, so long as it's understood that it's not the true beginning of the story.

I actually prefer the Goku vs Tenshinhan and Goku vs Piccolo Jr. rivalries to the Goku vs Vegeta rivalry.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Bridgeman » Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:01 am

I just think it's a shame the time skip happened immediately after Gohan reached SSJ2. I would've loved to see a bit more of SSJ2 Gohan at that age, perhaps eventually getting better mastery over it. What we see at the world tournament, tho many people seem to love it, is merely a shell of what he was against Cell.

It doesn't help that the first thing we see of older Gohan is Great Saiyaman. I don't understand how he unironically thinks that outfit and posing is cool. Maybe he sustained long term brain injury when Recoome kicked the shit out of him, or something. It's hard to take anything else from him seriously after that.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by PurestEvil » Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:29 am

Bridgeman wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:01 am It doesn't help that the first thing we see of older Gohan is Great Saiyaman. I don't understand how he unironically thinks that outfit and posing is cool. Maybe he sustained long term brain injury when Recoome kicked the shit out of him, or something. It's hard to take anything else from him seriously after that.
That’s...the joke? Especially considering how he had little to no exposure to regular social life, let alone fashion trends...
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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Bridgeman » Sun Aug 29, 2021 9:25 am

PurestEvil wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:29 am
Bridgeman wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 3:01 am It doesn't help that the first thing we see of older Gohan is Great Saiyaman. I don't understand how he unironically thinks that outfit and posing is cool. Maybe he sustained long term brain injury when Recoome kicked the shit out of him, or something. It's hard to take anything else from him seriously after that.
That’s...the joke? Especially considering how he had little to no exposure to regular social life, let alone fashion trends...
Idk, even if it’s supposed to be a joke, I don’t like that dieection for Gohan. I like serious Gohan.

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Re: Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

Post by Yosheets » Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:02 pm

1. Future Gohan
2. Cell Saga Gohan
3. Freeza Saga Gohan
4. Saiyan Saga Gohan
5. Ultimate Gohan
6. Professor Gohan (LOL)
7. Great Saiyaman Gohan

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