What if Grandpa Gohan didn't die?

[FabuVinny]

On my way to work today, the radio was talking about how different the world would be if we didn't have the moon. The implication in Dragon Ball is obvious considering they blow it up a couple of times: No moon means no Ōzaru. That's not really a major change since Vegeta made his own fake moon and Pilaf would find a way to fail anyway. But there is one impact that got me thinking... What would the story be like if Grandpa Gohan wasn't stepped on before the series began?


How would he react to Bulma's appearance? He was a lady pleaser so he'd probably let her have his Dragon Ball. I think Goku would still travel with Bulma. Seeing Goku's behaviour would make him decide the boy needed to see a little civilisation. He could even tag along for the first story arc. (Before anyone calls creepy, I'll simply say that he doesn't strike me as blatent as Roshi and Toriyama has even had a mix of older and younger characters travel in other stories.) Gohan would probably have some teasing comments regarding Chi Chi's interest in Goku.


Gohan was Roshi's best student until Goku shows up. We see that when he fights as an equal with a Goku who had beaten Tao Pai Pai. This gives him the power to join the fighting until the Piccolo arc but he would become as irrelevant as Roshi in the Z-era. As for the Tenkaichi Budokai, Roshi would have an easier time using Gohan as Goku and Krillin's opponent in the first tournament. If Goku had his canon fight with Gohan at the same point of the series somehow, there would still be a satisfying character arc with Roshi competing in the second tournament.


Would Gohan die later on? Absolutely! But he'd just be brought back by the Dragon Balls. He did say he was happy in heaven in the series but that was after being there a while and most people don't actually get a choice. (Goku only refused to come back from blowing up Cell after they had asked the wish and Gohan isn't more powerful than Shenlong.)


Naturally, we'd also know Goku's first son by a different name.


Tell me your thoughts!

[Gyt Kaliba]

Huh. This is actually a fun question that I don't think I've ever seen considered before, though I'm sure it has been.

What would the story be like if Grandpa Gohan wasn't stepped on before the series began? How would he react to Bulma's appearance? He was a lady pleaser so he'd probably let her have his Dragon Ball.

I think he'd probably still give Bulma the Dragon Ball and send Goku with her, yeah. He'd probably require more actual convincing than Goku did, but in the end he'd see that this could be something really good for Goku to do. Also, having spent more time training with Gohan, Goku would be even stronger at the start of the series.

Now, here's another question though - would Gohan not have seen Goku transform at all, and Goku would still have his tail? Or would it be just that he SURVIVED his encounter with the oozaru, and has either removed Goku's tail to prevent it from happening again, or just forewarns Goku (and chiefly Bulma) even more against him seeing the moon.

I think Goku would still travel with Bulma. Seeing Goku's behaviour would make him decide the boy needed to see a little civilisation. He could even tag along for the first story arc.

That's where I begin to see it a little differently. For some reason, I don't see Gohan traveling with them, at least the whole way. I think he'd want to send Goku out into the world on his own for him to 'learn his own way', and watch over Goku from afar. I'm sure Bulma would have some kind of video phone or something, given the high level of technology, that Goku could call Gohan on every night or something. Despite Goku's general lack of family values later in life, I feel like as a kid and with his Grandpa he'd be a little more normal in that regard.

Gohan would probably have some teasing comments regarding Chi Chi's interest in Goku.

And that would be where the phone could come in handy. Goku could call up Grandpa Gohan, tell him he's just met Gyu-mao and Roshi, and the best reunion ever would occur.

Gohan was Roshi's best student until Goku shows up. We see that when he fights as an equal with a Goku who had beaten Tao Pai Pai. This gives him the power to join the fighting until the Piccolo arc but he would become as irrelevant as Roshi in the Z-era.

That's where the change of Gohan still being alive is a little harder for me to figure out. Would he take part in the first tournament? Maybe he'd compete and lose in the preliminaries, to Jackie Chun, to already amp up the challenge of that foe for Goku. Heck, maybe by doing that, Yamucha wouldn't have to be sacrificed and start his pitiful spiral downward from there. For the Red Ribbon arc, would Gohan just return home or hang out with Roshi? Or maybe he'd go along with Goku to get the Dragon Balls in the hopes of getting his heirloom back as well.

Or...and this is me really reaching, maybe Gohan doesn't take part in the tournament, and instead looks for the Dragon Balls while Goku trains with Roshi and heads to the Tournament (perhaps he was supposed to be back in time for it, so there's this background thing of 'where is he' throughout the Tournament), then sends a 'distress call' to Goku and the others, and that's how Goku gets mixed up in the Red Ribbon Army debacle.

For the Baba arc...I can't even begin to guess how that part would play out, since Gohan being dead and coming back for that is a pretty major component. The only thing I can think of there is, maybe Gohan dies at some point during the Red Ribbon material (maybe Tao kills him as well as Bora, and Goku is faced with a difficult decision of who to bring back? Though that would require him not knowing about, or this changing it to where, the wishes can only bring back one person...).

After that it's almost even harder for me to guess what would happen. Whether he'd compete in the second Tournament as well, how much of a factor he'd play in the Daimao arc (he could do some great exposition there alongside Roshi, having already heard a secondhand account of this story maybe), much less the Piccolo Jr. arc. I'm almost afraid that, once he became simply background space, he'd get dropped like Lunch did, since Toriyama would already have his 'pervy old man' character in the form of Roshi. On the other hand, he'd be the 'father-in-law' role for Chi Chi, and Gyu-mao was never dropped, so...who knows.

Naturally, we'd also know Goku's first son by a different name.

Not necessarily, Goku could still name his son after his grandfather. It just wouldn't be quite as big of an 'aww' moment.

[Rocketman]

On my way to work today, the radio was talking about how different the world would be if we didn't have the moon. The implication in Dragon Ball is obvious considering they blow it up a couple of times: No moon means no Ōzaru.

Blowing up the Moon means the end of the world.

[Strife1]

Blowing up the Moon means the end of the world.

Not in Dragonball. They were fine without a moon for months, if not, years at a time.

I feel like the story would've been a lot different. Goku and Gohan would be a lot more willing to let Bulma have the ball. If Goku did the whole thing with picking up the car, she might ask him to come along, fore the sake of extra muscle. Gohan would stay behind, and we wouldn't see him around for a long time. Goku would train with Roshi after telling him about Gohan, Krillin would aslso come along they'd fight at the budokai, where Roshi may ask Gohan to secretly participate. They'd look for the dragonballs again blah blah blah. Roshi and Gohan would die during the King Piccolo saga, but possibly take out Drum and Tambourine. Krillin might still be alive and him, Yamcha, Tien, and Goku would all help take out King Piccolo. They would wish back everyone who died. I think Gohan would end up being killed once again by Piccolo Junior. this would possibly alter the fight with Raditz, because goku might be a lot less likely to work with Piccolo. Goku would get killed and then Raditz would take/train Gohan and destroy the earth. Dragonball would be sweet, Dbz wouldn't really exist.

[dbzfan7]

There would be no Dragon Ball story.

[the joy]

I would have loved to see Grandpa Gohan in the different Tenkaichi Budokai, probably replacing Mutenroshi. It would also mean a way stronger Goku cause he would have trained with his Grandpa much longer. Goku didn't even know how to count so he probably died when Goku was still a young child.

[Kingdom Heartless]

I would have loved to see Grandpa Gohan in the different Tenkaichi Budokai, probably replacing Mutenroshi. It would also mean a way stronger Goku cause he would have trained with his Grandpa much longer. Goku didn't even know how to count so he probably died when Goku was still a young child.

Does anyone know if his death is included on the timeline?

[the joy]

Does anyone know if his death is included on the timeline?

No, theres no canon sources of when he died.