I'll be perfectly honest, I really don't like Gohan (or Broly).

[Izanagi]

First thing's first, sending my respects to Akira Toriyama and may he rest in peace. His legacy and his creations will be remembered fondly by millions for decades.

With that aside, I just want to say in lieu of Super Hero and Broly, I really, really dislike modern Dragon Ball's writing style. I know this post will most likely come off as controversial, but I wanted to get that out of my system, because Gohan and Broly encapsulates everything I dislike in Dragon Ball's writing style and power escalation. Goku lives and breathes training. Goku was not born as strong as the Gods just because. Neither did Vegeta for that matter, and he's a fighting prodigy who was considered the pinnacle of Saiyan power (at least at the time the original manga was written), who even as a little boy was already far stronger than the King, but after meeting Goku, he learned and acknowledged the value and importance of proper training and keeping up with your training because otherwise you'll be surpassed by others who do keep their training up. Those two have been grinding practically their entire lives, and the results showed.

Even villains like Freeza after his beatdown from Goku put in the work to achieve his power. Other villains, like Cell, are frustrating because they never worked hard. That’s why it's so satisfying for them to fail.

I dislike Gohan and Broly so much, they're my least favorite characters in the entire series. I don't like them and I think their "hidden potential" gimmick is fucking lame and contradicts Dragon Ball's core theming of hard work and self-improvement. "Oooh he got mad so now he’s powerscaled above everyone else!!" Gohan and Broly are worse than the Androids in this regard, I'm sorry if my wording may sound too extreme, but I just don't like the way their characters are written. They eat asspulls for breakfast and their continued existence are the opposite of "training and hard work." You can go back to the early stages of Dragon Ball and see how putting in work is always the answer. It was even one of the main themes of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. The very reason why Muten Roshi wants Goku and Kuririn to participate in the tournament is for them to LOSE and learn that you always need to improve because sooner or later you'll meet someone stronger.

Before the "Gohan is by far the strongest" that Toriyama pulled out of nowhere in the Cell arc, his potential was never a major focus in the story. Sure, there was the WTF factor of what happened in the Raditz fight, but even after training he wasn't the strongest fighter alive, Piccolo was. Even with rage boosts, he couldn't do anything to Nappa and at best stall an extremely weakened Vegeta for a few moments. Go into the Namek arc. Gohan got his potential unlocked and even with a rage boost, he managed to knock 2nd form Freeza down, with no actual damage dealt. Besides that, he was a complete deadweight, that came along Kuririn because, besides wanting to help his friends, he had to, since no one else could.

Then comes the Cell arc, Gohan was a complete non-factor until his training in the Room of Spirit and Time. He did absolutely nothing relevant in terms of power and there was no build up to how powerful he would become throughout the arc. If he really were meant to take the role as the main character, there would be more build up towards it. That's just writing 101. The power escalation Toriyama did was SO big, he had to completely change Gohan's character into a pacifist reluctant hero that would go on and define his entire character for the entire series, something that's never happened at all in his other rage boosts. And even then, when things got hard because he fucked up, he still wanted to give up without even trying, Goku had to tell him to man up.

Skip to the Majin Boo arc where Gohan's pacifist characterization continues, he has severely slacked off and went from being stronger than Cell to being weaker than Cell and getting destroyed after doing fuck all for 7 years. Then, he goes to the Kaioshin planet to train and this could've been the perfect opportunity for Gohan to learn the importance of training and not getting complacent even in times of peace, but that's never been the case and here comes the biggest bullshit power up in the original manga; he gets all his power unlocked, he becomes by FAR stronger then SS3 Goku, who's been training non-stop for 7 years... So did Vegeta, who sort of became a laughing stock in terms of power balance compared to the top dogs of the arc... Or Gotenks, completely shitting on one of the coolest gimmicks of the arc and making it damn near pointless if Vegetto wasn't a thing, just from sitting on his ass for 24 hours.

And the worst part about "Ultimate Gohan" is that he doesn't have ANY drawbacks at all. No energy drain like SS3, no time limit like fusion, no nothing. He's just the strongest because he's Gohan. Why do you think he couldn't catch an earring? Because Toriyama realized how hard he screwed up Gohan's character and the power escalation, that's why he brought Goku and Vegeta for the final battle. Even Goku saving Dende and Mr. Satan is a consequence of that, because Gohan would've thrashed Boo so hard it would be a terribly anticlimactic ending to the arc. Besides, it's not like he needed to save Dende for Dragon Balls, since the Namekian ones are there readily available.

That goes without mentioning Gohan's new form and it doing more damage to his character than it benefits him. There was absolutely no set-up for "Gohan Beast." More than that, it's antithetical to how Gohan's "Ultimate" deal is supposed to work, having all his dormant power condensed into a single state where he doesn't need flashy forms anymore.

So yeah, I really don't like Gohan, or Broly for that matter. I find their whole existence is getting undeserved power-ups to let them catch up cheaply and has a lot more actual relevance than training. What made Goku a good character is his indomitable drive for training hard. He trains non-stop to achieve his power, it's the beauty of his character. Vegeta too.

[Trouser]

I know this post will most likely come off as controversial

Not really, there's actually a really big number of fans who thinks the same way about Gohan or Broly. I agree with everything you said. Gohan being the strongest, when most of the time he is slacking off, is the most outrageous thing in the whole series (power levels wise).

[Cure Dragon 255]

First thing's first, sending my respects to Akira Toriyama and may he rest in peace. His legacy and his creations will be remembered fondly by millions for decades.

With that aside, I just want to say in lieu of Super Hero and Broly, I really, really dislike modern Dragon Ball's writing style. I know this post will most likely come off as controversial, but I wanted to get that out of my system, because Gohan and Broly encapsulates everything I dislike in Dragon Ball's writing style and power escalation. Goku lives and breathes training. Goku was not born as strong as the Gods just because. Neither did Vegeta for that matter, and he's a fighting prodigy who was considered the pinnacle of Saiyan power (at least at the time the original manga was written), who even as a little boy was already far stronger than the King, but after meeting Goku, he learned and acknowledged the value and importance of proper training and keeping up with your training because otherwise you'll be surpassed by others who do keep their training up. Those two have been grinding practically their entire lives, and the results showed.

Even villains like Freeza after his beatdown from Goku put in the work to achieve his power. Other villains, like Cell, are frustrating because they never worked hard. That’s why it's so satisfying for them to fail.

I dislike Gohan and Broly so much, they're my least favorite characters in the entire series. I don't like them and I think their "hidden potential" gimmick is fucking lame and contradicts Dragon Ball's core theming of hard work and self-improvement. "Oooh he got mad so now he’s powerscaled above everyone else!!" Gohan and Broly are worse than the Androids in this regard, I'm sorry if my wording may sound too extreme, but I just don't like the way their characters are written. They eat asspulls for breakfast and their continued existence are the opposite of "training and hard work." You can go back to the early stages of Dragon Ball and see how putting in work is always the answer. It was even one of the main themes of the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai. The very reason why Muten Roshi wants Goku and Kuririn to participate in the tournament is for them to LOSE and learn that you always need to improve because sooner or later you'll meet someone stronger.

Before the "Gohan is by far the strongest" that Toriyama pulled out of nowhere in the Cell arc, his potential was never a major focus in the story. Sure, there was the WTF factor of what happened in the Raditz fight, but even after training he wasn't the strongest fighter alive, Piccolo was. Even with rage boosts, he couldn't do anything to Nappa and at best stall an extremely weakened Vegeta for a few moments. Go into the Namek arc. Gohan got his potential unlocked and even with a rage boost, he managed to knock 2nd form Freeza down, with no actual damage dealt. Besides that, he was a complete deadweight, that came along Kuririn because, besides wanting to help his friends, he had to, since no one else could.

Then comes the Cell arc, Gohan was a complete non-factor until his training in the Room of Spirit and Time. He did absolutely nothing relevant in terms of power and there was no build up to how powerful he would become throughout the arc. If he really were meant to take the role as the main character, there would be more build up towards it. That's just writing 101. The power escalation Toriyama did was SO big, he had to completely change Gohan's character into a pacifist reluctant hero that would go on and define his entire character for the entire series, something that's never happened at all in his other rage boosts. And even then, when things got hard because he fucked up, he still wanted to give up without even trying, Goku had to tell him to man up.

Skip to the Majin Boo arc where Gohan's pacifist characterization continues, he has severely slacked off and went from being stronger than Cell to being weaker than Cell and getting destroyed after doing fuck all for 7 years. Then, he goes to the Kaioshin planet to train and this could've been the perfect opportunity for Gohan to learn the importance of training and not getting complacent even in times of peace, but that's never been the case and here comes the biggest bullshit power up in the original manga; he gets all his power unlocked, he becomes by FAR stronger then SS3 Goku, who's been training non-stop for 7 years... So did Vegeta, who sort of became a laughing stock in terms of power balance compared to the top dogs of the arc... Or Gotenks, completely shitting on one of the coolest gimmicks of the arc and making it damn near pointless if Vegetto wasn't a thing, just from sitting on his ass for 24 hours.

And the worst part about "Ultimate Gohan" is that he doesn't have ANY drawbacks at all. No energy drain like SS3, no time limit like fusion, no nothing. He's just the strongest because he's Gohan. Why do you think he couldn't catch an earring? Because Toriyama realized how hard he screwed up Gohan's character and the power escalation, that's why he brought Goku and Vegeta for the final battle. Even Goku saving Dende and Mr. Satan is a consequence of that, because Gohan would've thrashed Boo so hard it would be a terribly anticlimactic ending to the arc. Besides, it's not like he needed to save Dende for Dragon Balls, since the Namekian ones are there readily available.

That goes without mentioning Gohan's new form and it doing more damage to his character than it benefits him. There was absolutely no set-up for "Gohan Beast." More than that, it's antithetical to how Gohan's "Ultimate" deal is supposed to work, having all his dormant power condensed into a single state where he doesn't need flashy forms anymore.

So yeah, I really don't like Gohan, or Broly for that matter. I find their whole existence is getting undeserved power-ups to let them catch up cheaply and has a lot more actual relevance than training. What made Goku a good character is his indomitable drive for training hard. He trains non-stop to achieve his power, it's the beauty of his character. Vegeta too.

FUCK SHIT DAMN MY really long post got eaten up! I agree massively with this post I love Gohan still because he has so much more going for him than just a power level but if he hadnt he would legit be the worst character in the entire manga...

...until I realized all I love about him REALLY ISNT IN THE MANGA! All I love comes from FILLER! I dont think its filler but I guess this INDEED does make him the worst character in the MANGA. But a very worthwhile one in the anime.

[GokuHater]

I don't think this is controversial, quite the opposite, many people think this way.

I myself liked Gohan and AT THE TIME of his inclusion he actually was an original character in DB.
Everyone loved fighting, everyone trained, everyone bettered themselves in that regard.
But Gohan? Gohan was a scared/timid child who dislikes fighting but somehow had it in him to let all hell break lose when he lost his temper.
This was quite exciting and new and his character arc culminated in Cell games, even if the build up was poorly done through the arc itself.

So what went wrong? The idea of a "pacifist" child, who dislikes fighting but has great power in him anyway was a one hit wonder and milking it caused this idea to lose all it's merits.

Like you said, the moment Gohan didn't fight for 7 years but then got a massive power up due to an old man dancing was poorly thought out. One day training with Piccolo before ToP was laughable nad so was the reason why Gohan unlocked Beast.

They cannot decide what to do with Gohan and it's a pity as his character started to be a tool to use when someone needs a quick and easy power up even if other times they make him a "scholar".

[GTx10]

I disagree. Even in real life you could train in something and achieve Ultra Instinct levels of skill. But then their are people with zero proper training who match you or even surpass you. Gohan is that naturally skilled/in bred talent kind of person.

He just needs a catalyst for his skills to flourish (anger) where as Goku can turn on and off his fight button like (snap) that. Plus it's not like he and Broly will stay top dogs for long if/when the story continues. Piccolo gets "@ss pule power ups as well and nobody complains about. Which power up did Piccolo earn through self training?

Go on I'll wait.

[Cure Dragon 255]

I disagree. Even in real life you could train in something and achieve Ultra Instinct levels of skill. But then their are people with zero proper training who match you or even surpass you. Gohan is that naturally skilled/in bred talent kind of person.

He just needs a catalyst for his skills to flourish (anger) where as Goku can turn on and off his fight button like (snap) that. Plus it's not like he and Broly will stay top dogs for long if/when the story continues. Piccolo gets "@ss pule power ups as well and nobody complains about. Which power up did Piccolo earn through self training?

Go on I'll wait.

This post is mega interesting, because of how nuanced it is, I wanted to respond that Piccolo doesnt get to kill any villains despite these power ups, but I realized Gohan's kill count is just as low at 1, I think Piccolo SHOULD be hated if the premise that "Characters that get bullshit power ups" was true and or objective.

[BootyCheeksJohnson]

I like Gohan in concept, (a fighter who hates fighting in a world of martial artists and super villains) but he was never my favorite character in the story. PlagueofGripes made a really solid video on his issues with Gohan as a character and why he felt that Gohan doesn't work as a lead character.
https://youtu.be/1kja1c6jlOs?si=M0iF2cBYhDGMSdDn

Personally I feel that Gohan's biggest flaw is that he's just not as fun a character to follow as Goku. Gohan's personality (especially in the manga without Toei's filler stories to pad for time) was kinda blah and really lacking compared to Goku.

[GTx10]

I disagree. Even in real life you could train in something and achieve Ultra Instinct levels of skill. But then their are people with zero proper training who match you or even surpass you. Gohan is that naturally skilled/in bred talent kind of person.

He just needs a catalyst for his skills to flourish (anger) where as Goku can turn on and off his fight button like (snap) that. Plus it's not like he and Broly will stay top dogs for long if/when the story continues. Piccolo gets "@ss pule power ups as well and nobody complains about. Which power up did Piccolo earn through self training?

Go on I'll wait.

This post is mega interesting, because of how nuanced it is, I wanted to respond that Piccolo doesnt get to kill any villains despite these power ups, but I realized Gohan's kill count is just as low at 1, I think Piccolo SHOULD be hated if the premise that "Characters that get bullshit power ups" was true and or objective.

Thanks for liking my post. I appreciate that. It's a logical conclusion that if Gohan is the king of bull crap power ups then what does that make Piccolo? Goku had a bull crap power up when he drank the 2nd real holy water let's not forget about Vegeta gaining SS4 without effort.

But everyone dunks on Gohan alone? It seems like Gohan dislike more so than actual facts. Sometimes anyway.