Favorite to Least Favorite Stage of Gohan: Analysis and Ranking

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

Post by BWri » Sun Aug 29, 2021 12:29 pm

Demon Prince Piccolo wrote: Sat Aug 28, 2021 3:29 pm 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.
Yeah, he was actually cool to me, despite Goku and Vegeta constantly talking s*** about him. He lost some power but still had the bulk of it and was actually his own unique character. The rest of the arc just had nothing else for him for whatever reason.

Since I forgot Future Gohan, I'd put him at 3rd on my list, so it'd go:
1. Pre-25 TB Gohan
2. 25 TB - Pre-Ultimate Powerup Gohan
3. Future Gohan
4. Early Android Arc Gohan (post 3 yrs training)
5. Saiyan arc Gohan
6. Namek Gohan
7. Filler Gohan (Garlic Jr.)
8. Awakened Gohan (SSJ2)8. DBS Gohan
9. SSJ Gohan Full Power (Cell Games)
10. Ultimate Gohan (vs. Buu)
11. GT Gohan

I like future Gohan but it's strange to me that he went off to die alone instead of laying low and surviving to fight them later when Trunks was stronger. It's obvious now, that if they trained together longer, they could have defeated the Androids with no problem since Trunks was able to do it with the power he gained in the past. Also strange that he never coordinated a strategy to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to bring back Piccolo/Kami.

But other than that, I love Future Gohan as a mentor character. The crazy power scaling of the franchise nearly undermines his legacy, but ultimately he left a fantastic lasting impression as a tragic hero and mentor. His death made Trunks a better man and sadly mimicked Piccolo's sacrifice and later Vegeta's.
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 sunsetshimmer » Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm

1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
"I will concede that your feelings are worthy of the mightiest of Saiyans. However, there is more to my power than just this. Before you die, I will show it to you. This is the difference in power, between the primitive Saiyans and the evolved Tsufruians." ~Baby Vegeta

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

Post by NitroEX » Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:38 am

The Good
Future Gohan

- My personal favourite. I think it's pretty self-explanatory as to why but aside from the obvious, I've always found his design quite fascinating as he represented Toriyama's earliest idea of an adult Gohan, so in a sense, he's more of a prototype with a personality closer to the heroes he idolized (Piccolo and Goku). As a one-off with a clear ending to his story, he also has the added benefit of never being compromised or lessened (as far as his character goes) by future material.
Saiyan arc Gohan
- Overall, probably the best defined character arc Gohan had in the manga/anime, it's a great evolution from a whining toddler to a promising new warrior. Bonus points for Piccolo's death being one of the best emotional moments in the series.
Cell Games Gohan (post RoSaT)
- Definitely the most iconic version with the SS2 design being a favourite for many. Only problem is the weaker character arc not being as defined as it should have been, but the father-son bond is decent and the payoff to the battle is great.
Z Movie Gohan 3 (movie 10)
- Toei threw us a bone here, we get a decent fight featuring Boo arc Gohan in arguably his best outfit. The family Kamehameha was also a nice touch.

The Flawed
Early Boo arc Gohan/Great Saiyaman
- A decent beginning to a new version of the character. He had some good moments at the tournament and with Dabura but ultimately gets no payoff and ends up feeling like everyone's punching bag. In the case of Spopovich, not getting redemption was particularly damning as the story failed to justify the beating Videl got. The Saiyaman persona was a bold and unexpected addition but is quickly abandoned and forgotten about. It just ends up feeling somewhat pointless by the end as it was never revisited in any way for the rest of the arc.
Ultimate Gohan
- A unique transformation for Gohan, and while I like this on paper it's lacking in a few ways, specifically, I think a new technique would have helped him stand out and breathe life into his upcoming fight. Toriyama clearly intended for this to be Gohan's coming of age moment and I think this could have worked if there was at least more of a personal feud between him and the Boo he was facing but there just wasn't enough of a build-up. Videl was underutilized in this area too and could have made this more personal had she gotten more involved rather than put in the sidelines. On the positive side, I did enjoy the Piccolo side of Boo being used against him and his Goku gi was cool... Until it became his default look and lost most of it's significance as a result.
Garlic/Android arc Gohan (pre-RoSaT)
- One of my favourite versions but mostly for superficial reasons. I like the look and appreciate that he still had less of a pacifistic personality as it helped to make him feel driven. I do feel there might've been a missed opportunity to delve more into his reaction to Trunks' revelation about him from the future, that should really have been a catalyst to affect his personality moving forward. Also, it would have been better if there was some foreshadowing of his eventual meeting with Cell.
Z Movie Gohan 4 (movies 12 to 13)
- A bit too much overreliance on Saiyaman for my liking but the Videl/Saiyawoman pairing is a nice touch. At least he gets to keep the Ultimate power up and look strong, though he's strangely weaker than SS3 Goku it seems.
Namek Gohan
- Wasn't a fan of the haircut or the Saiyan armour. I mostly remember him as a perpetual victim here. Not a good time for Gohan but the character growth was necessary.
End of Z Gohan
- Acceptable endpoint with most of it kept vague enough to infer whatever we want. Basically amounts to a more mature and nerdy version yet retains a sense of dignity at least, and he doesn't seem to be robbed of Ultimate (yet). His outfits balanced the fine line of nerdy yet stylish while not falling into the trap of all-business like the suit look from GT. The colour scheme was also just all-around better than that of his casual DBS outfits.
Z Movie Gohan 1 & 2 (movies 1 to 9)
- Gohan at his most generic, essentially just the character on autopilot. It was a nice change to see him in Goku's gi for the Bojack movie but largely forgettable otherwise. At least he was still kept a prominent member of the team.

The Ugly
BoG Gohan

- Demoted to mostly a one-note character. It's unclear if Ultimate was forgotten about as he chooses to battle without Super Saiyan yet uses it later (the first instance possibly being a last-minute animation fix). No effort was put into the outfit this time but that's more acceptable given the nostalgic nature of the film. More Saiyaman shoved in but doesn't really serve a purpose and feels like a pointless retread. Overall, a step back as a character.
GT Gohan
- Gohan at his blandest. He's really just a guy in a suit now but at least he wasn't used mostly for comedy (yet). Also had Ultimate form seemingly forgotten as Super Saiyan was used early on again. The demotion here does admittedly feel more acceptable because of the time skip and introduction of SS4 but it's still a total waste of a character as he gets barely any interaction with his own daughter.
DB Super Gohan
- Same issues as BoG and RoF but with more silly father and nerd comedy thrown in, basically a Flanderization by this point. The character's lowest points in battle are drawn out for dramatic effect compared to the films which increase the sense of dignity loss, although at least in this case it does lead to a revelation for improvement. Ultimately though, it's short-lived and hollow as there's no grand redemption, the story just resets to the status quo. As far as looks go it's mostly bad too, bland work clothes for the most part.
RoF Gohan
- Tracksuit outfit, a definite contender for his worst look. Given a slightly more prominent role than BoG yet he's further depowered and seems to lose SS2 on top of Ultimate. Also needlessly gets crapped on by first form Freeza. Totally irredeemable version of Gohan which verges on character derailment. I'm sure the haters loved this version.

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

Post by Bridgeman » Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:36 am

sunsetshimmer wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm 1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
So you like Gohan at his best when he's left out of the action and a book nerd who's too weak to defend what's important when push comes to shove? Any particular reason for that?

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

Post by Koitsukai » Mon Aug 30, 2021 1:45 pm

1- Namek Gohan (he starts to come out of his shell)
2- Cell Games Gohan (finally, a lead)
3- Buu arc Gohan (living up to his potential)
4- Saiyan arc Gohan (he is cute and all, but I really hated how scared he was)
5- Great Saiyaman Gohan (funny enough, cute, dumb, clueless)
6- BoG Gohan (a funny, dumb little Gohan)
7- ToP/Moro arc Gohan (nice comeback)
8- GT Gohan (Professor Gohan)
9- DBS Gohan -U6 arc, FT arc- (In GT at least he fought)
10- RoF Gohan.

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

Post by MasenkoHA » Mon Aug 30, 2021 2:54 pm

Bridgeman wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:36 am
sunsetshimmer wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm 1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
So you like Gohan at his best when he's left out of the action and a book nerd who's too weak to defend what's important when push comes to shove? Any particular reason for that?
Is it possible Sunsetshimmer likes high school age Gohan for his characterization and not for his “video game stats”? :O :O

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

Post by sunsetshimmer » Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:56 pm

Bridgeman wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:36 am
sunsetshimmer wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm 1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
So you like Gohan at his best when he's left out of the action and a book nerd who's too weak to defend what's important when push comes to shove? Any particular reason for that?
I like Gohan when he can be himself. I don't care about his power. Never did.
The best DBS episode for me was when Future Trunks visited Gohan and was shocked how different he is but then realized he'd want to have such life himself and just sit with Bulma and eat a dinner peacefully. Also, how is being one of the most powerful fighters in universe "being weak"? The only time when they went too far was in RoF saga.
"I will concede that your feelings are worthy of the mightiest of Saiyans. However, there is more to my power than just this. Before you die, I will show it to you. This is the difference in power, between the primitive Saiyans and the evolved Tsufruians." ~Baby Vegeta

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

Post by Demon Prince Piccolo » Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:03 pm

MasenkoHA wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 2:54 pm
Bridgeman wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:36 am
sunsetshimmer wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm 1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
So you like Gohan at his best when he's left out of the action and a book nerd who's too weak to defend what's important when push comes to shove? Any particular reason for that?
Is it possible Sunsetshimmer likes high school age Gohan for his characterization and not for his “video game stats”? :O :O
Bingo. Hence my ranking as well lol. Gohan at his high school age/a scholar is the most sure of himself he's ever been as a person. Plus it doesn't erase what came before, as fans seem to think. Part of why I love early Buu saga Gohan so much, aside from the arc itself, is that he's found a way to be happy despite all that has happened in his life.
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 » Mon Aug 30, 2021 9:17 pm

sunsetshimmer wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 5:56 pm
Bridgeman wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 11:36 am
sunsetshimmer wrote: Sun Aug 29, 2021 5:04 pm 1. Buu saga Gohan (except Ultimate)
2. GT Gohan
3. DBS Gohan (except RoF and ToP)
4. Future Gohan
5. Saiyan saga Gohan
7. Ultimate Gohan
8. Namek Gohan
9. Ressurection 'F' Gohan
10. ToP saga Gohan
11. Cell saga Gohan

I really hate Cell saga SSJ2 Gohan
So you like Gohan at his best when he's left out of the action and a book nerd who's too weak to defend what's important when push comes to shove? Any particular reason for that?
I like Gohan when he can be himself. I don't care about his power. Never did.
The best DBS episode for me was when Future Trunks visited Gohan and was shocked how different he is but then realized he'd want to have such life himself and just sit with Bulma and eat a dinner peacefully. Also, how is being one of the most powerful fighters in universe "being weak"? The only time when they went too far was in RoF saga.
Totally agreed. Gohan's "weakness" later on is overstated. I love that moment in DBS with Future Trunks and Gohan as well. And yep, RoF was the only time I've actively disliked Gohan's role and "lack of power."
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 » Tue Aug 31, 2021 12:34 pm

NitroEX wrote: Mon Aug 30, 2021 8:38 am The Good
Future Gohan

- My personal favourite. I think it's pretty self-explanatory as to why but aside from the obvious, I've always found his design quite fascinating as he represented Toriyama's earliest idea of an adult Gohan, so in a sense, he's more of a prototype with a personality closer to the heroes he idolized (Piccolo and Goku). As a one-off with a clear ending to his story, he also has the added benefit of never being compromised or lessened (as far as his character goes) by future material.
Saiyan arc Gohan
- Overall, probably the best defined character arc Gohan had in the manga/anime, it's a great evolution from a whining toddler to a promising new warrior. Bonus points for Piccolo's death being one of the best emotional moments in the series.
Cell Games Gohan (post RoSaT)
- Definitely the most iconic version with the SS2 design being a favourite for many. Only problem is the weaker character arc not being as defined as it should have been, but the father-son bond is decent and the payoff to the battle is great.
Z Movie Gohan 3 (movie 10)
- Toei threw us a bone here, we get a decent fight featuring Boo arc Gohan in arguably his best outfit. The family Kamehameha was also a nice touch.

The Flawed
Early Boo arc Gohan/Great Saiyaman
- A decent beginning to a new version of the character. He had some good moments at the tournament and with Dabura but ultimately gets no payoff and ends up feeling like everyone's punching bag. In the case of Spopovich, not getting redemption was particularly damning as the story failed to justify the beating Videl got. The Saiyaman persona was a bold and unexpected addition but is quickly abandoned and forgotten about. It just ends up feeling somewhat pointless by the end as it was never revisited in any way for the rest of the arc.
Ultimate Gohan
- A unique transformation for Gohan, and while I like this on paper it's lacking in a few ways, specifically, I think a new technique would have helped him stand out and breathe life into his upcoming fight. Toriyama clearly intended for this to be Gohan's coming of age moment and I think this could have worked if there was at least more of a personal feud between him and the Boo he was facing but there just wasn't enough of a build-up. Videl was underutilized in this area too and could have made this more personal had she gotten more involved rather than put in the sidelines. On the positive side, I did enjoy the Piccolo side of Boo being used against him and his Goku gi was cool... Until it became his default look and lost most of it's significance as a result.
Garlic/Android arc Gohan (pre-RoSaT)
- One of my favourite versions but mostly for superficial reasons. I like the look and appreciate that he still had less of a pacifistic personality as it helped to make him feel driven. I do feel there might've been a missed opportunity to delve more into his reaction to Trunks' revelation about him from the future, that should really have been a catalyst to affect his personality moving forward. Also, it would have been better if there was some foreshadowing of his eventual meeting with Cell.
Z Movie Gohan 4 (movies 12 to 13)
- A bit too much overreliance on Saiyaman for my liking but the Videl/Saiyawoman pairing is a nice touch. At least he gets to keep the Ultimate power up and look strong, though he's strangely weaker than SS3 Goku it seems.
Namek Gohan
- Wasn't a fan of the haircut or the Saiyan armour. I mostly remember him as a perpetual victim here. Not a good time for Gohan but the character growth was necessary.
End of Z Gohan
- Acceptable endpoint with most of it kept vague enough to infer whatever we want. Basically amounts to a more mature and nerdy version yet retains a sense of dignity at least, and he doesn't seem to be robbed of Ultimate (yet). His outfits balanced the fine line of nerdy yet stylish while not falling into the trap of all-business like the suit look from GT. The colour scheme was also just all-around better than that of his casual DBS outfits.
Z Movie Gohan 1 & 2 (movies 1 to 9)
- Gohan at his most generic, essentially just the character on autopilot. It was a nice change to see him in Goku's gi for the Bojack movie but largely forgettable otherwise. At least he was still kept a prominent member of the team.

The Ugly
BoG Gohan

- Demoted to mostly a one-note character. It's unclear if Ultimate was forgotten about as he chooses to battle without Super Saiyan yet uses it later (the first instance possibly being a last-minute animation fix). No effort was put into the outfit this time but that's more acceptable given the nostalgic nature of the film. More Saiyaman shoved in but doesn't really serve a purpose and feels like a pointless retread. Overall, a step back as a character.
GT Gohan
- Gohan at his blandest. He's really just a guy in a suit now but at least he wasn't used mostly for comedy (yet). Also had Ultimate form seemingly forgotten as Super Saiyan was used early on again. The demotion here does admittedly feel more acceptable because of the time skip and introduction of SS4 but it's still a total waste of a character as he gets barely any interaction with his own daughter.
DB Super Gohan
- Same issues as BoG and RoF but with more silly father and nerd comedy thrown in, basically a Flanderization by this point. The character's lowest points in battle are drawn out for dramatic effect compared to the films which increase the sense of dignity loss, although at least in this case it does lead to a revelation for improvement. Ultimately though, it's short-lived and hollow as there's no grand redemption, the story just resets to the status quo. As far as looks go it's mostly bad too, bland work clothes for the most part.
RoF Gohan
- Tracksuit outfit, a definite contender for his worst look. Given a slightly more prominent role than BoG yet he's further depowered and seems to lose SS2 on top of Ultimate. Also needlessly gets crapped on by first form Freeza. Totally irredeemable version of Gohan which verges on character derailment. I'm sure the haters loved this version.
Great analysis! I'll say that Namek Gohan is my favorite in spite of the haircut lol; in terms of attitude, I put him up there with Future Gohan. I also like Super Gohan once the TOP rolls around; I liked that he he was no longer cocky in battle. I'm a big fan of Great Saiyaman/early Buu saga Gohan; ironically I find the letdown to be the way his potential is unlocked later in the Buu saga.
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 SlashHaiden » Wed Sep 08, 2021 7:40 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
Very much so agree.

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