Why exactly are hybrids stronger?

[SonGokuh]

More specifically, why does Gohan have the potential to be stronger than everybody else? I can somewhat understand why Goten and Trunks are as powerful as they are. The explanation that they had more potential than their fathers because their fathers had already broken the Super Saiyan barrier by the time of their conception, always made sense to me in a fantastical way. Gohan, on the other hand, was conceived when Goku's power level had yet to break 400.

Now I know the short answer given for Gohan's tremendous potential is simply that he is a halfbreed, but WHY is this? In the film adaptation of Blade, the titular character is portrayed as a dhampir. This means he has qualities of vampires and humans. He lacks a vampire's greatest weakness (sunlight), although I think he is more sensitive to light than the average person, but maintained their strength. While he is not immortal, he ages slowly and has the potential to live for centuries. This is one example where the halfbreed theory making a character stronger makes sense. Blade clearly has the best of both worlds.

Additionally, in the real world, mutts or potcakes as we call them here are generally tougher than purebred dogs because they are less susceptible to diseases or infections that certain breeds have no defense against because they haven't mixed. This is a real life example of genetics in action.

Now, back to Gohan. The manga and television series have both clearly illustrated how VASTLY superior the Saiyans were when compared to humans. They were generally tougher, MUCH stronger, faster, and (arguably) possessed greater willpower than the human fighters. These facts CANNOT be denied. The Saiyans were better than the humans in almost every way so why should Gohan have vastly more potential than anyone else? If anything he should have less than Goku when you seriously think about it. His human genes brought NOTHING to the table. Blade's human genes nullified his vampiric weaknesses. Mixed breed dogs (I think) possess certain traits inherited from other breeds that fortify their immune systems.

As I conclude, I reiterate the FACT that Saiyan potential clearly outpaces human potential, so Gohan's mysterious potential remains a mystery to me. Perhaps Gohan is simply special, or Toriyama-san simply wanted it that way, but could someone give me a GOOD reason for his mind boggling potential? And don't simply say each generation is more powerful than the one before it. I'm sure if Roshi were still in his prime and underwent the training Krillin, Tien and the other humans underwent he would have been just as powerful (if not more-so) as they were.

[rereboy]

Goten and Trunks, being half breeds themselves, even have more potential than Gohan has.

They achieved and mastered Super Sayan by themselves at the age of 7 with no real training, just light training and by messing around.

Gohan, by that same age, had already trained intensively for years and been in many life or death situations and was no where as powerful as they were, not even during his rage outbursts.

So, I think that the conclusion is simple.

Human-saiyan hybrids are simply stronger than normal saiyans due to the mysteries of Dragon Ball genetics.

Also, due to the same mysteries of Dragon Ball genetics, for some reason, if the saiyan is very strong or has already achieved the SSJ state, he will produce human-saiyan hybrids extra strong that will easily achieve SSJ.

Trunks of the Future probably didn't have that same ease with SSJ because in his time, when he was conceived, Vegeta hadn't achieved SSJ yet, even though he achieved it before the androids showed up. In the main timeline, because of Trunks' warning, he trained more and achieved it earlier. So, he was already SSJ when Trunks of the main timeline was conceived.

[Herms]

The Earthlings were always shown as being instinctively much better at actually manipulating ki than the Saiyans, able to raise , suppress, concentrate, and sense it, whereas Saiyans despite their "fighting sense" were completely baffled by all this, and Goku and Vegeta only picked up these skills by visiting Earth. And outside of Vegeta, the Saiyans kind of sucked at techniques. Raditz's most impressive attack is firing a blast from each hand, Nappa's got that mouth blast, though Vegeta's fairly impressive with his Kamehameha knock-off, Power Ball, and Kienzan-ish thing. Meanwhile, Yamcha's got fully maneuverable ki blasts and Kuririn's firing blasts that he bends at will and can split up into multiple blasts that each independently home in on a different target. Maybe Saiyan/Earthling offspring inherit this skill with ki.

Also, it seems that Earthlings have a much wider range to their powers than Saiyans. Raditz is apparently as weak as home-brewed Saiyans come, but he's not really that much weaker than Vegeta was at the time. Certainly the difference between them is nothing compared to the gulf between ordinary Earthlings like the infamous farmer and the likes of Kame-sennin or Tao Pai Pai. So in a certain sense the potential of Earthlings really is greater: the extent to which they can develop their powers is greater, but they have infinitely less power to start off with than Saiyans, so they don't get as far. And even so, through training and the Great Elder's power-up, an Earthling like Kuririn was able to surpass every pure-blooded Saiyan in the last 1,000 years not named "Goku" or "Vegeta". Perhaps mixing Earthling and Saiyan blood combines Saiyan raw power with this sort of Earthling potential.

[Nikkolas]

I don't think either of the brats have more potential than Gohan. Oh sure, they were born with a higher level of power but that doesn't say anything for what they will become. Vegeta and all the human characters show quite plainly that there is a plateau of power that you will reach and that's it for you. You can start off really strong but what good is that if your natural limit is lower?

I think Gohan has the most to grow and I don't see either of the little cretins growing as strong as him when he was "Ultimate Gohan."

As for if hybrids are stronger, I think it just has to do with parentage. Goku and Vegeta were two of the most gifted and powerful Saiyans to ever live. There's nothing to say Raditz or Nappa could boink an Earth chick and they'd produce Gohan-level fighters.

[ggf31416]

I believe that as humans are so weak (even compared with earth's animals like gorillas):
1) Their bodies use the little strength and ki they have more efficiently than saiyans
2) To compensate for their reduced strenght they have a more intense fight-or-flight response than saiyans, which combined with extreme emotions or proper training would result in strength/ki bursts.

[Bussani]

Perhaps mixing Earthling and Saiyan blood combines Saiyan raw power with this sort of Earthling potential.

This is what I've always thought. Humans obviously have something special hidden inside them, and mixing whatever that is with whatever Saiyans have somehow sets it lose in really obvious ways.

[TheDevilsCorpse]

Perhaps mixing Earthling and Saiyan blood combines Saiyan raw power with this sort of Earthling potential.

This is what I've always thought. Humans obviously have something special hidden inside them, and mixing whatever that is with whatever Saiyans have somehow sets it lose in really obvious ways.

Not to mention the whole Earthlings have a much wider array of emotions, plus the Shonen spirit of increased power over friends in danger type stuff.

[Sorata]

I really doubt hybrids are stronger than pure blooded Saiyans. The manga didn't state it in any volume. Getting stronger at a faster rate isn't equal with being stronger or one's potential.

The explanation that they had more potential than their fathers because their fathers had already broken the Super Saiyan barrier by the time of their conception, always made sense to me in a fantastical way.

I think they didn't have more potential. Achieving SSJ didn't change their genes in some magical way (or strenghten their sperm). I'm no biology expert but they need to actually transform their body to become different than their normal state is. So for this theory:

already broken the Super Saiyan barrier by the time of their conception

to be plausible it would require from Goku and Vegeta to actually be in their SSJ state during the impregnation. I don't think that they were so perverted Also going by this theory Gohan shouldn't be able to achieve SSJ cause he was conceived when Goku's body was far far away from SSJ thus "the SSJ gene" couldn't be passed on.

[Eire]

Medical nerd mode on.
How many hybrids have we seen? Not enough to make a proper research.

to be plausible it would require from Goku and Vegeta to actually be in their SSJ state during the impregnation.

Sperm used to fertilization must be produced about 72 days prior to sexual intercourse that lead to it. So no SSJ sex.

I know that SSJ fetish is quite popular among FF writers but it seems to have nothing to do with that- unless we assume that in SSJ's spermatogonia chromatids hold hands and preform a dance of joy to honor it's owner with proper descend.

[Michsi]

While there is no clear evidence, a lot of people, icluding me, believe that Goten was conceived during that 10 day break when Goku was in permanent SSJ state.
In fiction, that may be enough to explain Goten's power,although that doesn't explain Trunks case.

[Piccolo Daimao]

While there is no clear evidence, a lot of people, icluding me, believe that Goten was conceived during that 10 day break when Goku was in permanent SSJ state.

Yeah, that always seemed like the perfect time that Goten would have to be concieved, and better fit the whole "Goku left a son behind when he died at the Cell Games" (not that it didn't fit before, but, I dunno how to explain it, it has more impact). But apparently the chronology doesn't fit, and Goten would have to have been concieved earlier.

[Michsi]

While there is no clear evidence, a lot of people, icluding me, believe that Goten was conceived during that 10 day break when Goku was in permanent SSJ state.

Yeah, that always seemed like the perfect time that Goten would have to be concieved, and better fit the whole "Goku left a son behind when he died at the Cell Games" (not that it didn't fit before, but, I dunno how to explain it, it has more impact). But apparently the chronology doesn't fit, and Goten would have to have been concieved earlier.

While Piccolo and his super sensitive hearing was around?

[Piccolo Daimao]

While there is no clear evidence, a lot of people, icluding me, believe that Goten was conceived during that 10 day break when Goku was in permanent SSJ state.

Yeah, that always seemed like the perfect time that Goten would have to be concieved, and better fit the whole "Goku left a son behind when he died at the Cell Games" (not that it didn't fit before, but, I dunno how to explain it, it has more impact). But apparently the chronology doesn't fit, and Goten would have to have been concieved earlier.

While Piccolo and his super sensitive hearing was around?

That would be hilarious.

[Eire]

The question is if he was aware of meaning of that strange noises that he could hear.

[Piccolo Daimao]

The question is if he was aware of meaning of that strange noises that he could hear.

Piccolo: Er...Son...what are you doing in there?
Goku: Just...warming up. Go off somewhere and train with Gohan. I'll be there in 15...ARGH...half an hour.
Piccolo: O...K... [/quote]

[Piccolo Daimao]

The question is if he was aware of meaning of that strange noises that he could hear.

Piccolo: Er...Son...what are you doing in there?
Goku: Just...warming up. Go off somewhere and start training with Gohan without me. I'll be there in 15...ARGHHH...half an hour.
Piccolo: O...K...

[Dabooyaka]

Blade ages like a human, not a vampire, i just thought i should say that.
On topic. I have no idea why...LOL..

[Eire]

2nd scenario: What is he doing to his woman? She screams in pain! Goku, do with her whatever you want but not whenever you want! The fights in your family are the last thing we need! I'm coming!

[Michsi]

Damn ,I was actually writing my own scenario but then chose to better not. Then I see you people

This thread in danger of heading of into a whole different direction.

On a serious note: I think he knows about the act, which would make him hearing this all more hilarious.

[Eire]

Luckily he isn't a gossiper.

Seriously: I think he treated it like we see mating animals- nothing special, funny noises and moves, but it has nothing to do with us.