Do you think Gohan would have made a good main character?

[The Monkey King]

Ah yes the old 'Gohan was supposed to be the main character in the Buu saga' discussion. Since we at Kanzenshuu are well informed thanks to the great and accurate information posted on this website we know that Toriyama didn't cave into Goku fanboys, it was his own decision to make Goku the main character once again.

Interviewer: And then the Cell arc ended. Did you think that everyone felt you would put Gohan into the leading role?

Akira Toriyama: I intended to put Gohan into the leading role. It didn’t work out. I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part.

But if Toriyama followed through with his original plan do you think Gohan would've made for a good leading character?

As for me I never really gave this much thought, being a Goku fanboy at heart I was glad Goku came back as the main character and Gohan got his chance to shine with his Elder Kai Released form. It was only after watching this Japanese opening a few days ago did I give it some proper thought.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xp4Fqywm ... 1g&index=2
(Dragon Ball Z - Opening 2 - Japanese)

Watching this opening convinced me that Gohan could've become a great main character for the show and could've filled Goku's shoes. Throughout the opening you see all the sides of Gohan: his goofy great saiyaman side, the hard working student and the badass warrior.

In the shot with all the Z-fighters with Gohan in the middle
http://s387.beta.photobucket.com/user/G ... a.png.html
I'm not thinking where's Goku? Instead I'm thinking Gohan really looks at home leading the Z-fighters and that he's earned the position to be there especially after all he's been through, beating Cell and making his dad proud.

I also appreciate the small appearences Goku makes in the opening, but the best part about them imo is that Goku has his halo and so is still dead. I think that would've been the ideal part for Goku to play, to be looking down at Gohan his successor and perhaps giving advice from time to time as Gohan goes from strength to strength.

It's kinda funny that the only Gohan to truly become Goku's successor is Future Gohan, maybe that's why he's my favourite character

Those are my thoughts on this subject, what are yours?

[DBZAOTA482]

The Boo Saga should have ended with Gohan getting into a gigantic battle against Bootenkiccolo akan to Goku vs. Freeza and he struggles with the decision of kill his friend, younger brother, and his mentor along with Majin Boo but Goku reminds him (or Gohan himself) to see through deception. Just about everything that followed in the actual product (potara, inside Boo, Kid Boo) was horrible, pointless writing.

[Ryuman]

It's hard to say really. If he did become the main character for the Buu arc, then would his character be the same? He could've been taken in a different direction, becoming more warrior like than nerdy student. If his character did play out the same way then I think there would be promise. We see him get into fun situations and I think his awkward naivety balances out the fact that he isn't as quirky as Goku. I do think it could all get a little dull unless the other characters really support him though.

Basically, with some tweaking here and there, I think it could work (But I'd still really want Goku to play a fairly prominent role up in the afterlife or something).

[MCDaveG]

You know, as a kid, I loved Gohan because of the Buu saga, most of all the characters. (Was Vegeta fan before)
He was the most badass (stopping that robbery in the beginning, having the spotlight on him, getting that powerup later).
He's cool character, if he's not in his boring and embarassing scholar and weirdo mood. But if I look on the whole Z. Nope. Liked him only when (as we now know) he was in the spotlight in Buu arc as a fighter, not for his casual character.
For me, Gohan is damn annoying persona in Saiyan arc and later as SSJ2 in Cell arc...... but I liked him a lot in Namek and most of the Android arc and those spots in Buu arc.
But Goku is Goku, making Gohan main character and then turn him away in favor of Goku was bad idea.

Remember remark of my friend, when we (familiar with french opening) saw the We Gotta Power for the first time: ''Pffff! Trying to make main character out of Gohan and then forget to change the opening after 20 episodes.....''

[Marco Polo]

I think it would have been good, really good! However, as far as the anime goes, I would really expect a title change. I would see this new Gohan-driven part of the series not as another part of "Dragon Ball Z" but rather as a third series -- "Dragon Ball (something else)". The manga would still keep the name "Dragon Ball" of course since that never changed at all.

It would have been great to see how Gohan as a main character interacts with the other Z fighters. Vegeta included. In the official story, Gohan became stronger than Vegeta twice but that really never seemed to bother Vegeta all that much as Vegeta was always just obsessed with someone else. More interactions between Gohan and Vegeta would have been interesting.

There would have been less plotholes in the Buu Saga without the out-of-universe need to always re-focus the story on Goku (which led to Goku making lots of stupid decisions in-universe).

Also the Great Saiyaman thing would perhaps have been more preeminent, giving the story slightly more of a "superhero story" aspect.

[B]

Would he really have been "the" main character, considering that was the end of the series? Dragon Ball stopped being about Goku's journey for a while, so I guess if Toriyama had decided to not end it at that point, Gohan could've seen some use. If the Buu arc is still the end, I don't think it makes much of a difference.

[Gaffer Tape]

From what we saw of it, I thought he already WAS a good main character, and I'm just baffled that Toriyama went through the trouble of setting all of that up, letting it play out for only 2 or 3 chapters, and then going, "Yeah.... that's just not going to work. Bring on the status quo!!!" Sure, it was a different Dragon Ball than we'd seen before, but that was what made it so good. It was actually different! It wasn't the same endless battle loop we'd been seeing for years up to this point. Gohan going to high school, seeing his powers through a completely different lens? That was awesome! And then it just stopped.

[Zarathustra]

Wow, watching that old intro brought back some great memories! To answer the thread title: yes, he would have been a brilliant hero.

The Boo Saga should have ended with Gohan getting into a gigantic battle against Bootenkiccolo akan to Goku vs. Freeza and he struggles with the decision of kill his friend, younger brother, and his mentor along with Majin Boo but Goku reminds him (or Gohan himself) to see through deception. Just about everything that followed in the actual product (potara, inside Boo, Kid Boo) was horrible, pointless writing.

Great post, it's something I have thought for a long time too - especially the Freeza comparison! Agree on the last bit, too..terrible writing there.

From what we saw of it, I thought he already WAS a good main character, and I'm just baffled that Toriyama went through the trouble of setting all of that up, letting it play out for only 2 or 3 chapters, and then going, "Yeah.... that's just not going to work. Bring on the status quo!!!" Sure, it was a different Dragon Ball than we'd seen before, but that was what made it so good. It was actually different! It wasn't the same endless battle loop we'd been seeing for years up to this point. Gohan going to high school, seeing his powers through a completely different lens? That was awesome! And then it just stopped.

Have to say I considered Toriyama's decision to just drop it before even trying it was quite ridiculous. Gohan in high school and how he interacted in the "real world" gave Dragon Ball a totally new perspective, would have loved to have seen more of that along with Gohan consecrating himself as Goku's successor. Shame, innit?

[Marco Polo]

Have to say I considered Toriyama's decision to just drop it before even trying it was quite ridiculous. Gohan in high school and how he interacted in the "real world" gave Dragon Ball a totally new perspective, would have loved to have seen more of that along with Gohan consecrating himself as Goku's successor. Shame, innit?

I liked how there were Earthlings again in this saga. The Saiyan/Namek/Android Sagas were severely lacking in normal people IMO. Early DB used to have tons of interesting normal people (and talking animals) but at some point the series became too self-centered on the Z Fighters.

[InfernalVegito]

No. He isn't hedonistic enough for me. I don't know if Son Gohan could be like that because usually he has doubts all the time and is quite hesistant. Son Goku on the other hand really loves what he does and never stops showing his ambition and vibrant enthusiasm for everything.

At least these traits are what I prefer in main heroes.

[Zarathustra]

Have to say I considered Toriyama's decision to just drop it before even trying it was quite ridiculous. Gohan in high school and how he interacted in the "real world" gave Dragon Ball a totally new perspective, would have loved to have seen more of that along with Gohan consecrating himself as Goku's successor. Shame, innit?

I liked how there were Earthlings again this saga. The Saiyan/Namek/Android Sagas were severely lacking in normal people IMO.

I always felt that the Boo saga had so much potential but it was just executed terribly. Subpar villain with a clichéd death, too.

[dbboxkaifan]

For the Cell arc he was, but only because Cell pissed him off seriously to the point of wanting to torture before death. That took a while.

Of all characters, Goku, Gohan, Piccolo and Kuririn, he'd be suitable to be the main character if Goku wasn't available. Piccolo already did his part previously on Dragon Ball, Kuririn... Kuririn's not very interesting and he's weak.

[Herms]

I think the inherent problem is that from his introduction up to the Cell Games, Gohan doesn't have too much of a character apart from "the kid with the potential to surpass Goku". So once he actually does surpass Goku, either you just end the story there (in which case he never really becomes the main character), or you continue the story and invent a new character hook for him...which is basically what Toriyama opted for, deciding that Gohan was in fact a little but insane and liked fighting evil-doers. In which case he's essentially not the same character as before, and much of his original appeal is gone. Which can work if you can come up with a new way for the character to be appealing, like when Goku grew up and effectively his appeal switched from him being "cute" to him being "cool". I guess with Gohan the switch didn't work out, or at least Toriyama didn't think so.

The other problem is that the whole idea of Gohan as "Goku's successor" doesn't quite work in practical terms. Goku's not like, say, Batman, with an established role or title that someone else can take up. He's not someone with a long term goal or agenda, someone whose work others can continue in his place. So him having a "successor" doesn't really make sense. Goku is just a guy who likes getting stronger and fighting strong opponents, neither of which are traits Gohan shares. So even to the extent that somebody could be Goku's successor, Gohan's not really a good fit for the job.

[Insertclevername]

Yes. Gohan, unlike his father, shows very human traits. He has to balance the responsibilities of both sides of his life; he is (albeit very underplayed in the story) romantically involved with someone; and he, at times, even doubts himself (something that drew me into his character as I too do the same). Through the earlier parts of the story, Gokuu worked perfectly, his light hearted attitude and genuinely unusual personality really meshed well with the tone of pre-Z. However, as the story went on, you see less and less of straight up Gokuu. When the series got more and more serious, more "deeper" characters started to take the spotlight. Sure Gokuu was still there but only for a handful of the major battles. By the time the Cell arc was in full swing, Gokuu was largely absent from what was going on. It's almost as if the series, in a way, out grew him. It needed protagonists that were more relate able to better mesh with more intense drama. If you compare Gohan's motivations when fighting compared to Gokuu's, you can see which one is more...fitting with the later arcs tone(remember, this is all subjective). Gokuu wants to fight strong opponents, first and foremost. Sure he wants to save his friends and family but it's not what drives him onwards. Works fine in early DB but when the stakes kept on getting higher, I the viewer (and reader) kept on finding Gokuu's slight detachment from real world responsibilities to be annoying.

A reason why I like Gohan as lead so much in the series really has to do with how other characters view him. In the Cell arc and even still in the Boo arc, Gohan has more to "prove". He has power, but in many ways he is the underdog. Although he may have beaten Cell, he is by no means looked upon as the "next Gokuu". People don't rely on him like they do his father nor do they believe that he can beat any villain. This, surprisingly, is his biggest draw.

The reason why I felt Gokuu got so boring as a lead was because everyone always counted on him. It gets even more blatant when Kuririn keeps on screaming "Where are you Gokuu!!!" all though out the Saiyan and Freeza arcs. To see Gokuu succeed is boring because at this point he has nothing to prove since everyone expects him to win. What fun is that?

By no means am I saying Gokuu was a bad protagonist or that he doesn't work, etc. All I am saying is that as a character, there are things that someone like Gohan can offer to the story in terms of depth that Gokuu cannot.

[Saiga]

Yes, I believe he would. Hell, he already did. Watching that opening makes me really said he didn't stay as a main character for long. I got reeeeal tired of Goku as the main character, Piccolo Daimao put it best: "Also, Gokuu post-Cell. Just stay dead, motherfucker, and let the next generation take over!"

I would have loved for Goku to stay dead, and Gohan to defeat Boo instead of getting absorbed. I would have been really happy with the Boo Arc if it went down that way. I think Toriyama did a really good job with his Boo Arc personality, and I think having him become Goku's successor would have been a great way to end the series. Cell arc wouldn't have been a good spot, because he was forced into it, got Goku killed, etc. But seeing him choose to step up to that and go into battle with Boo with confidence, and no need of last minute plot devices to win, would've been great.

As for Goku not needing a successor, he may not be Batman or have a formal role, but he is the de facto savior of Earth/Namek/what-have-you just have having done it multiple times. Gohan would just informally become the protector of Earth, ready to combat any threats that endanger it.

Also, I loved the Saiyaman arc filler. That's really saying something, because I fucking hated every single other instance of filler in the series. 'Cept maybe Kuririn vs Imperfect Cell.

[ABED]

I've always preferred Goku as the main character. There's something so charming about this naive mountain boy. I love that his power isn't just from a bunch of power ups and rage. He's a great fighter because he constantly pushes himself to his limits and exceeds them. Sure there are a number of elixers and power ups along the way, but it feels like he earned them. I just find him a more appealing character than Gohan. Lastly, I like ending the series with the character you start with. One of Toriyama's biggest problems was not giving his B-Team enough to do.

[Saiyan Femme]

He kind of was a 'main character' for a while, at the beginning of the Buu saga, and yeah he made for a good main character, I thought. Even in battle times, I think he would have done pretty well, if written properly.

It's too bad that AT didn't think Gohan fit the part. Definitely going to be different from Goku's brand of main-character, Gohan and Goku are very different people, can't have the same style. I would have liked to see Gohan be the main character from beginning to end in the Buu saga, but if AT couldn't possibly write it in such a way where Gohan didn't end up being a carbon copy of Goku, then let Goku be the guy again, I could've never tolerated the character-assasination necessary for Gohan to be quite literally the 'New Goku'.

At the end of the day, the only thing that bothered me was to have Gohan all build up to be the most powerful non-fused/absorbed individual in the universe, only to have him be completely MIA in the final showdown against the final villain of DBZ. I don't mind the shared heroism and protagonism, but this absolute removal from the ending action scene was just sad.

[Gaffer Tape]

The thing is, Toriyama did the right thing by making Gohan different from Goku. If he was just going to be a Goku clone, you might as well have just kept Goku. So I'm just not sure if that realization surprised Toriyama, or if the results were just not what he expected. The way the quote is worded, it could really go either way, I suppose.

[Marco Polo]

The other problem is that the whole idea of Gohan as "Goku's successor" doesn't quite work in practical terms. Goku's not like, say, Batman, with an established role or title that someone else can take up. He's not someone with a long term goal or agenda, someone whose work others can continue in his place. So him having a "successor" doesn't really make sense. Goku is just a guy who likes getting stronger and fighting strong opponents, neither of which are traits Gohan shares. So even to the extent that somebody could be Goku's successor, Gohan's not really a good fit for the job.

Goku's role was to protect the Earth and also to answer for the past Saiyans' actions. There are so many villains in the series that want to get revenge on the Saiyans or just on Goku himself. If one such villain comes to Earth and Goku is dead, they'd still want to kill Gohan (and Vegeta) and Gohan would have to fight.

[Fizzer]

I really wish Gohan had remained the main character. I get sick of Goku being the go-to guy for solving every single problem after a while. Goku should have stayed dead and let the other characters shine, he could have come back for his 24 hours or less, but then he should have been gone. It would be weird if Goku was the only good guy to permanently die, though, so I wouldn't mind if Yamcha and Ten had died too (to #20 and Kikoho respectively).

The Saiyaman filler is actually one of my favourite parts of the series, and I really like Goku's brief appearances in the opening and ending that just say "Yup, he's dead". The story would have been much better if Gohan had remained in the lead role, strongly supported by Vegeta, Kuririn, #18, Goten, Trunks and Piccolo.