Gohan didn't go SSJ2 when attacking Boo's ball?

[dbzfan7]

I can see the points on both sides but I wonder why he didn't. He seemed to be able to at the tournament after Videl was fine. Even so I feel Spopovich is a poor trigger if that's why SSJ2 was possible then. The end of the world and everyone being killed (including Videl) is not enough to get him to go full power. It seems ridiculous to me. I know he can't tap into his rage but SSJ2 should be possible. This was also the time where toriyama changed the SSJ design for Gohan into one bang which made distinguishing both forms even harder.

[Piccolo Daimao]

I personally think that he did briefly transform into a Super Saiyan 2 when he powered up to fire that Kamehameha at Majin Boo's shell, which makes sense out of Kaioushin's statement to Kibito that he didn't see how powerful he was because he was dead. The reason that there was no lightning sparks is the same reason that there were no lightning sparks when Gohan and Cell powered up for their final Kamehameha duel at the Cell Games. Either there is no reason, it's artistic/dramatic licence, or the massive aura just concealed them or blew them away.

[dbzfan7]

I personally think that he did briefly transform into a Super Saiyan 2 when he powered up to fire that Kamehameha at Majin Boo's shell, which makes sense out of Kaioushin's statement to Kibito that he didn't see how powerful he was because he was dead. The reason that there was no lightning sparks is the same reason that there were no lightning sparks when Gohan and Cell powered up for their final Kamehameha duel at the Cell Games. Either there is no reason, it's artistic/dramatic licence, or the massive aura just concealed them or blew them away.

That would make more sense then him randomly not powering up for a reason that is worse then the injury of Videl.

[Son_Gohan]

A thread such as this will always come down to whether you believe a SSJ2 can exist in the absence of lightning or not.

The one thing that's without doubt though is Gohan clearly showing to give it all he had into that Kamehameha, interpret that as you will.

[Zephyr]

When Gohan transformed at the tournament, it took him a bit.

When Buu was about to be released, time was most certainly a factor. Gohan probably tried desperately to put all he had as a SSj1 into his blast, knowing that it would be too late to do anything by the time he transformed to SSj2.

That's how I interpret the situation, at least.

[TheMightyOzaru]

I can see the points on both sides but I wonder why he didn't. He seemed to be able to at the tournament after Videl was fine. Even so I feel Spopovich is a poor trigger if that's why SSJ2 was possible then. The end of the world and everyone being killed (including Videl) is not enough to get him to go full power. It seems ridiculous to me. I know he can't tap into his rage but SSJ2 should be possible. This was also the time where toriyama changed the SSJ design for Gohan into one bang which made distinguishing both forms even harder.

Your forgetting though, would Gohan think about Videl when incorporating "everyone"? Plus you have to realize that Toriyama kind of left a lot of inconsistencies in the Buu saga. Gohan relying on anger past the Budokai could very well be PIS. It would certainly make a lot of sense since Piccolo is Gohan's best friend yet doesnt use his anger at the fact that Piccolo got stoned XD against Dabura. Honestly Gohan's power is full of inconsistencies throughout the Buu saga. Heck look at the cover of the new Movie coming out in 2013. Toriyama is supposedly working on it yet look at SSJ Gohan. Last I checked Gohan was incapable of going SSJ after his mystic power up =/. I honestly try not to make too much sense out of Post Budokai Gohans power inconsistencies.

[Kaboom]

Even if he did manage to push himself up to Super Saiyan 2 to attack Boo's shell, the better question would then become why he downgraded back to Super Saiyan 1 afterwards, especially if the risk of having to fight Majin Boo was now a factor.

[Saiga]

Even if he did manage to push himself up to Super Saiyan 2 to attack Boo's shell, the better question would then become why he downgraded back to Super Saiyan 1 afterwards, especially if the risk of having to fight Majin Boo was now a factor.

That's easy, he used up too much energy in the Kamehameha.

[Kaboom]

From one attack? Even after he just a few minutes before ate a Senzu?

Meh. As viable an explanation as anything else, I suppose.

[Saiga]

From one attack? Even after he just a few minutes before ate a Senzu?

Meh. As viable an explanation as anything else, I suppose.

It doesn't seem so peculiar to me, if he was packing as much power into the attack as he could.

[Ketchup_Revenge]

I never understood this either. But I've always perceived it as that once you learned how to do a transformation, you were stuck with that knowledge, and you were able to do it afterward however long you were able to do it physically. This explains how Gohan was able to transform into a Super Saiyan 2 again after Cell returned (I don't really think he was pissed off enough for it to be his hidden reserve in all honesty) and also how he was able show it to Kabito.

As for the Boo's Ball thing, I honestly never understood why he didn't go SSj2. When he powers up for the Kamehameha in the manga, he has no bolts in his aura signaling that he was still simply SSj.

However, I don't honestly believe if Toriyama's portrayal of ki auras is as consistent as people may believe. On a slightly unrelated topic, In his parody series Neko Majin, we see Super Saiyan Goku fighting Neko Majin, but Toriyama clearly drew bolts in his aura even though the design of his hair and his over-all demeanor puts him at just Super Saiyan. I understand that was supposed to be a parody, but why change the design of the Super Saiyan? Unless if Toriyama decided that at that time, Goku's standard Super Saiyan pumped out so much ki that he now had bolts in his Super Saiyan aura. I'm not sure if I consider Neko Majin canon, but it's just a theory.

[Dr. Machismo]

Didn't Toriyama say that Gohan was Super Saiyan 2 when he fought Dabura, but he forgot to draw the sparks?

Maybe that applies here?

[hleV]

Didn't Toriyama say that Gohan was Super Saiyan 2 when he fought Dabura, but he forgot to draw the sparks?

No.

[Dr. Machismo]

Didn't Toriyama say that Gohan was Super Saiyan 2 when he fought Dabura, but he forgot to draw the sparks?

No.

Nah, I'm confident he did. It was in an interview.

[Super Saiyan Turlast x4]

Sounds like the other interview where he says Super Saiyan Gotenks is stronger than Super Saiyan 3 Goku in the "Super Otaku" magazine. But on the real, it's just a fake rumor. Gohan was stated to be a Super Saiyan 2 in Dabra's bio in the Daizenshuu, tho, so there's that.

[Enbi]

I'm pretty sure he's also stated to be regular SSJ in another entry...

[Saiga]

I'm pretty sure he's also stated to be regular SSJ in another entry...

No, he isn't. There is one Daizenshuu that says he uses the SS2 form as an adult in volume 3X (the Budokai) instead of 3X+ like it does for forms that appear after that point, but they also do the same for his Ultimate form which appears after the volume it debuts in (They have it listed as 41 when it should be 41+ since Gohan appears as Ultimate in 42 as well). So it's inaccurate.

[Mystic Gohan]

Daiz shouldn't take importance over the manga, and interpret it as you'd like, Gohan's aura is that of a SSjin.

[lash]

The reason would obviously be due to faulty writing. But if you want an in-universe reason, perhaps Gohan felt SSJ was enough to destroy the ball(Boo's ki hadn't swelled up yet). Gohan increased his force in the middle of the Kamehameha too. Maybe if the ball hadn't jumped up towards the end, and Gohan felt he needed more power, he would have gone SSJ2 if he found his current efforts weren't working.

[Bussani]

Nah, I'm confident he did. It was in an interview.

Unless you can produce this interview, I'm afraid I'll have to assume it's a rumor or you're mistaken. We've had dozens of threads on the subject and never once have I heard of this interview.

If it exists, I'd not only be surprised, but pretty happy for such a concrete comment, too.