Reason why Gohan didn't use SSj2 against Dabra/Boo?

[Ketchup_Revenge]

I was recently watching the Bobbidi arc and of course any discussions about it come into my head during this time, and I began thinking about why Gohan didn't use SSj2 against Dabra and Boo's ball. I'd always thought that he was reluctant to use it because of him possibly believing that his compromised behavior indirectly resulted in Goku's death during the Cell arc, but I believe I'd been over thinking it a bit.

Simple reason to this could be that he was too weak to. He'd lost a lot of ki when he was attacked by Yamu and Spopavitch, and maybe hadn't recovered it all when he faced Dabra, despite Kabito's help. Same with Boo.

[Son_Gohan]

Even if Kibito hadn't completely restored his energy, he still consumed a senzu bean afterwards.

[Ketchup_Revenge]

Even if Kibito hadn't completely restored his energy, he still consumed a senzu bean afterwards.

He hadn't consumed one before his fight with Dabra. I did forget about the pre-Boo one though.

[freezamite]

It was simply because Toriyama re-thinked the whole scenario. The same reason why KaiohShin was ultra powerful during the tournament, and turned into a useless fighter at Babidi's ship.
It's as easy as that. There is no explanation of why Gohan lost his SSJ2 form other than Toriyama changing his mind.

[Mystic Gohan]

He either needs a lot of time like at the budokai or he needs to be really mad. He didn't have either against Dabura,

[freezamite]

He either needs a lot of time like at the budokai or he needs to be really mad. He didn't have either against Dabura,

No, he controlled the SSJ perfectly during the budokay. And Darbura didn't attack him by surprise or anything, plus he could unleas the SSJ later in front of Bu.
Toriyama simply wanted Gohan to be less than a SSJ2 like he made Kaiohshin a weakling at the same time.

[Mystic Gohan]

He either needs a lot of time like at the budokai or he needs to be really mad. He didn't have either against Dabura,

No, he controlled the SSJ perfectly during the budokay. And Darbura didn't attack him by surprise or anything, plus he could unleas the SSJ later in front of Bu.
Toriyama simply wanted Gohan to be less than a SSJ2 like he made Kaiohshin a weakling at the same time.

We are talking about SSjin 2 not SSjin are we not?

[Kaboom]

We know that Super Saiyan forms take practice to be able to ascend at will. We know Gohan hasn't been training much, if at all, during the last seven years. Badabing, there's your answer.

Now, I'm not saying he needs practice to transform at all. Obviously he was capable of it at the tournament. But we saw what happened; he needed to take considerable time to gather up his energy and pull it off, to the point where the audience was getting impatient. So like Mystic Gohan said, the easiest explanation is that he either needs A) time and effort, or B) to use anger as a shortcut to go Super Saiyan 2. Without practice, he can't just BAMF up into the state at the drop of a hat like we saw Goku and Vegeta do a little later.

[freezamite]

He either needs a lot of time like at the budokai or he needs to be really mad. He didn't have either against Dabura,

No, he controlled the SSJ perfectly during the budokay. And Darbura didn't attack him by surprise or anything, plus he could unleas the SSJ later in front of Bu.
Toriyama simply wanted Gohan to be less than a SSJ2 like he made Kaiohshin a weakling at the same time.

We are talking about SSjin 2 not SSjin are we not?

Yes, yes, my fault. Put a 2 after every SSJ I wrote so the sentence has the sense I intended to express.
SSJ2 was a dominated transformation during the Budokay, and it was impossible to reach during the Babidi's ship sub-saga, so its pretty obvious to me that it hasn't any coherency on it.
Gohan wasn't mad against Kibito and Videl was fine by then, so "rage" is not a valid reason for me to justify that SSJ2 transformation Gohan had.

Now, I'm not saying he needs practice to transform at all. Obviously he was capable of it at the tournament. But we saw what happened; he needed to take considerable time to gather up his energy and pull it off, to the point where the audience was getting impatient.

The transformation was in fact really fast.The audience got impatient because of the chat they had before, but he goes from base to ssj2 in an instant!

[mattymoron]

I don't really think Dabura was strong enough to warrant it. I'd place him at the same level of strength as Perfect Cell had displayed up through the fight with Goku at the Cell Games. Not Super Perfect.

[Saiga]

But he was Super Saiyan 2.

[Mystic Gohan]

@Freezamite: Gohan needs either rage or a lot of time to unlock his SSjin 2 transformation. In the budokai, he had plenty of time to turn into a SSjin 2. The crowd became impatient by how long he was taking, so it is clear he took quite a bit of time to do his transformation. Against Dabura, he didn't have a lot of time, and he wasn't angry. That is why it appears that he was a SSjin against Dabura.

[dprez]

I don't think he could find the power. He simply could not access the power to become Super Saiyan 2, for whatever reason, mentally or physically. He was blocked from it somehow, it seams... But he is not like Vegeta or Goku.

Gohan is human, an can be stunted by emotion positively or negatively quite easily. In this case, he was unable to access his "full power", which requires ( at least for Gohan ) a certain mental state. At the 25th Budokai, he was able to, afterward, he was not. The moment seamed to certainly call for it, in yet he wouldn't, or rather, he couldn't.

[Son_Gohan]

Gohan hesitated to transform at the Budokai because he was worried about getting kicked out of school. That's the only reason it took so long.

Kibito just asked for Super Saiyan, not a form above that. When Gohan finally makes his decision to go through with it, he takes it a step further and becomes SSJ2 in an instant, he wasn't planning on doing it from the start.

[Mystic Gohan]

Gohan hesitated to transform at the Budokai because he was worried about getting kicked out of school. That's the only reason it took so long.

Kibito just asked for Super Saiyan, not a form above that. When Gohan finally makes his decision to go through with it, he takes it a step further and becomes SSJ2 in an instant, he wasn't planning on doing it from the start.

He turned into a SSjin instantly once he thought he had to. It took him longer in his SSjin 2 form.

[dprez]

I think it was for a deeper reason, rather than ease of access. It wasn't as easy as it was back at the Tournament for Gohan to become Ssj2.

I think it was because of Videl.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

We don't know how he powered-up during his fight with Dabra. It was off-panel. For all we know, Dabra could've sat there and waited for him to reach his strongest level, which makes sense considering he was okay with fighting all 3 of the Saiyans alone. Right before Boo is released, Dabra was sitting right there smiling as he powered-up, so it's not like Gohan had to hurry up and transform there. And while Gohan wasn't entirely accustomed with the form, I don't think that means all of his transformations have to be sustained like that. Goku wasn't used to the Super Saiyan 3 form, which is why it took awhile--and then it became a 1 panel change right after that.

Gohan was angry, but he wasn't as angry as he was back then, like he says. Goku wanted him to be what he was during the Cell Games--an unstoppable force, of course. All he'd need to defeat Dabra is the power he displayed some hrs ago if the best Dabra can do is equal Super Saiyan Gohan. Does he need to be as angry as he was back then to transform into a Super Saiyan 2? The Budokai shows us that he doesn't, so...

I don't think there's any real reason why he wouldn't turn into a Super Saiyan 2 other than PIS, which is seen throughout the Boo saga, lol.

[dprez]

His anger steamed from the near death of his future lover, wife, and mother of his children, Videl. Of course, he did not see her as that at the time, but in his heart he did love her, and became furious for the first time since his battle against Cell. Afterword while facing Dabura and Boo, he knew Vegeta and his father far surpassed his power, due to their training and his slacking. He was no longer the only option for the saving of the world. It seams he wasn't able to use all of his power against Boo. It does seam strange that he didn't give his all, but it actually makes sense.

Clearly does Toriyama display Gohan as a super saiyan 2 against Kibito, and yet not a single other time do we see him in this way.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

His anger steamed from the near death of his future lover, wife, and mother of his children, Videl. Of course, he did not see her as that at the time, but in his heart he did love her, and became furious for the first time since his battle against Cell. Afterword while facing Dabura and Boo, he knew Vegeta and his father far surpassed his power, due to their training and his slacking. He was no longer the only option for the saving of the world. It seams he wasn't able to use all of his power against Boo. It does seam strange that he didn't give his all, but it actually makes sense.

Gohan seemed perfectly fine about it it once Videl had that senzu. He had no reason to be angry at that point. He pulled Super Saiyan 2 out simply to show off; there was no reason for him to display it in front of Kibito. There was, however, reason for him to use it against Dabra--especially since Dabra's defeat was needed to restore both Piccolo and Krillin. Gohan actually was angry before fighting Dabra again, but not like he was at the Cell Games.

Also, Goku and Vegeta were fighting an equal battle at that point, so it actually was on Gohan to make a difference at that point.

Clearly does Toriyama display Gohan as a super saiyan 2 against Kibito, and yet not a single other time do we see him in this way.

I don't think anyone's disputing that. The idea of Gohan restraining himself when it matters in comparison to when it doesn't just seems silly. And, of course, Vegeta complaining about Gohan being weak when he's not even fighting at his best...along with Goku believing Gohan still might have a chance to win. All of that seems to ignore the fact that he's potentially strong enough to crush Dabra with no trouble.

[dprez]

Which is why it's strange. It was only a short time after his tournament transformation, but his rage towards Videl's beating still could've been fresh in his mind back then, and these strange new guys certainly must have something to do with it.

Why he did and then didn't later doesn't seam so perplexing to me.

And, of course, Vegeta complaining about Gohan being weak when he's not even fighting at his best...along with Goku believing Gohan still might have a chance to win. All of that seems to ignore the fact that he's potentially strong enough to crush Dabra with no trouble.

On the contrary, it seams to me that Gohan is in fact able to defeat Dabura easily with a power he is not yet using. Thus Vegeta becomes frustrated and Goku states he still has a chance.