Son_Gohan wrote:Many Chinese stories of legend have written about Buddhist/Daoist/Qigong practitioners isolating themselves from earthly experiences for prolonged periods of time for the purposes of spiritual cultivation. When their training is complete, they become more attuned to nature and exhibit the passive/yin qualities just as Gohan had. In Gohan's case, he had become extremely yin as a result, and was consciously suppressing his yang side/Saiyan nature. Considering that Dragonball itself is based on the Chinese story Journey to the West and employs the concepts of chi/qi/ki, I think it's likely Toriyama would be aware of these spiritual concepts and may have been the idea he was going for with Cell Games Gohan.
This is something that I wanted to put into words, but didn't know how exactly to tie it into the story. Far East teachings/disciplines are commonplace in Japan and most kids over there in that region of the world (I assume) are exposed to and grow up with those concepts as a base from very early on. DB/Z was created and intended almost exclusively for a Japanese audience back then, and what may be considered questionable by Western views, only comes naturally to those familiar with those concepts. In other words, they
knew what the narrative was doing with Gohan, and didn't need a walk-through provided. Chi/ki force and the aura that surrounds us are just another day in the life over there, while it was a foreign concept to the West for the longest time, and still is to the oblivious many. Those concepts had no explanation throughout the series either.
Son Gohan was also to serve as a role model, for the younger audience watching/reading. The actions of a character can have an effect on young minds. Previously, Gohan had retaliated out of extreme cases of necessity against much stronger foes, and also because collecting the DB's on Namek was the end goal. During the Cell Games, not only was Gohan on equal footing with this new threat, but he was 1-up over on him in raw strength. Where's the necessity to fight/kill? There's nothing out of character about reading an opponent and attempting to work in another option with a level head. Gohan had just been exposed to Cell for the first time, and he shrugged off Cell's fighting ability while he watched his dad go all-out on him. Not to mention that Cell had just swatted him around a bit and sent him into a rock formation -- to which Gohan calmly shrugged off before changing the direction of the conflict. Cell hadn't killed anyone at that point. Verbal threats weren't enough to provoke Gohan, or dig into his deepest emotional core.
I view
DB and the earlier arcs of
Z as having training wheels provided, which served to acclimate the viewer/reader into understanding how that world functions and understanding how it affects characters that we
literally watch grow up. Gohan is gentle, but has immeasurable potential--->only fights out of extreme necessity--->time passes by--->trains in complete isolation for an extended period, removing influences--->emerges much more powerful and disciplined, while maturing in all ways--->Enjoys and relaxes with family--->Meets Cell for the first time--->Cell doesn't impress--->Gohan attempts peaceful resolution, reaffirming his gentle nature.
The training wheels were off in this arc, imo. The viewer should know if they have been following along the way. Gohan was kept in the background for a reason. Forget about the one line-of-dialogue plastered on the screen. There's a message in this story. Apply your critical thinking skills if need be. Piece it together. It's natural for some. Have fun, and enjoy the story. I dare say, the deepest arc in all of the
DB story... but not without some flaws (as was in previous arcs). Like a fine wine, gets better with age.
That would be a fun classroom discussion. :p
