Gohan's Intelligence

[James R. Cadwell]

I've often seen people refer to Gohan as a genius or at the very least, exceptionally intelligent -- but is he actually that much smarter than Goku?

Personally, I've always thought that Gohan simply benefitted from intensive studies beginning at an early age, and was just book-smart as opposed to being truly intelligent and quick-witted. He always seemed, IMO, to be fairly obtuse and made a lot of stupid decisions even when the logical course of action was apparent.

[Jerseymilk]

Really? I always assumed that that was naivety on Gohan's part. I've always found him extremely perceptive and smart. Just look at him with Kuririn. It's clear that Kuririn ain't the brains of the pair.

[James R. Cadwell]

Really? I always assumed that that was naivety on Gohan's part. I've always found him extremely perceptive and smart. Just look at him with Kuririn. It's clear that Kuririn ain't the brains of the pair.

What has Gohan done that was exceptionally perceptive and intelligent?

[Jerseymilk]

It was Gohan that pointed out that the Androids might not have any "ki" to sense. It was also Gohan who noticed along with Piccolo, that something was wrong with Goku when he was fighting #19, and he was the first to make the connection that it was the heart virus.

[James R. Cadwell]

It was Gohan that pointed out that the Androids might not have any "ki" to sense.

That's true, but that also seems intuitive. I don't really consider that exceptional.

Gohan might be smarter than most of the other characters, but I don't think he ever really demonstrates intelligence beyond the average.

It was also Gohan who noticed something was wrong with Goku when he was fighting #19, and he was the first to make the connection that it was the heart virus.

That's not really an example of exceptional perceptiveness though. It was pretty clear that Goku was having problems during his fight with #19, and I assume that everyone knew that Goku was supposed to die from a heart virus three years after returning to Earth, so the fact that Gohan was the first to reach the correct conclusion is really more of a testament to the stupidity of the others.

(Besides, wasn't Gohan the only one who knew that Goku didn't take the cure Trunks gave him? The others might have just assumed that Goku did take the medicine and that his problems during that fight were related to #19's ability to siphon away energy.)

[Jerseymilk]

It was Gohan that pointed out that the Androids might not have any "ki" to sense.

That's true, but that also seems intuitive. I don't really consider that exceptional.

Gohan might be smarter than most of the other characters, but I don't think he ever really demonstrates intelligence beyond the average.

I still disagree with you on this one. I think it's a pretty smart conclusion for an eight year-old to come too. If it was intuitive, well then Goku would have been the first one jumping up saying it. As for the your point about Goku's heart virus, I'll give to you, since well, it's true. I myself upon first viewing that scene thought the others were pretty stupid for not noticing that Goku was having difficulties fighting #19.

[Zackarotto]

Bulma = brains. Gohan = potential. That's how I see it.

He's booksmart, but he's nothing special anywhere else. Just to defend my clan, though, he was only 8 years old (not my math, but I trust it). The heart virus stuff has just pure stupidity on everyone elses behalf.

[James R. Cadwell]

I still disagree with you on this one. I think it's a pretty smart conclusion for an eight year-old to come too. If it was intuitive, well then Goku would have been the first one jumping up saying it.

That's true. I suppose "intuitive" may have been the wrong word to use. My point was that the concept of "artificial humans" not possessing any "ki" isn't exactly a huge leap in logic, assuming that the connotations of the original Japanese term have the same implications as the English translation. It seems like a theory any reasonably intelligent person might come up with given a few minutes to think about it. I don't think it demonstrates that Gohan is exceptionally smart.

[Zackarotto]

Good points, but you're forgetting that he was only eight. Aren't little eight year old children too busy learning how to add 1 or 2 digit numbers to grasp the concept of ki?

[James R. Cadwell]

Good points, but you're forgetting that he was only eight. Aren't little eight year old children too busy learning how to add 1 or 2 digit numbers to grasp the concept of ki?

Given how much experience Gohan had with sensing and using "ki", I would assume that he's as familiar with it as the average eight year old is with his sense of sight or hearing.

[Mugenmidget]

Good points, but you're forgetting that he was only eight. Aren't little eight year old children too busy learning how to add 1 or 2 digit numbers to grasp the concept of ki?

Amen.

Besides, he was the one to come up with a superhero persona, gotta give him some creativity points at the very least.

[Zackarotto]

Given how much experience Gohan had with sensing and using "ki", I would assume that he's as familiar with it as the average eight year old is with his sense of sight or hearing.

He would have had to grasp the concept during his training with Piccolo to originally pick it up. Of course, his potential might have helped there as well.

Amen.

Thanks.

[Gohan-kun]

Gohan was able to do something at age 5 that Vegeta couldn't do, which is mask your ki.

He was 9 during the Cell saga by the way.

[Jerseymilk]

No he wasn't, exactly. At the time that the Androids first came, he was still eight. He turns nine in the few days just before the Cell Games. So while you're right about the later period of the Cell Games, you're incorrect for the Android saga and the beginning of the Cell Games.

[PsyLiam]

I'd wager that he also had a vocabulary far higher than, well, pretty much any 4 year old on the planet. (Or any five year old who spent half of his fifth year alone, and the other half with a moody, not-overly-talkative alien).

I don't care how "booksmart" you are, you have to be pretty intelligent to be able to speak like an adult at that age. He's 5 furing the Namek saga, right? He's very mature sounding for someone of that age, don'tcha think?

[Jerseymilk]

I think he is and yes he's five during that time.

[MyVisionity]

I'd thought that he was 9 going on 10 during the Android Saga, and had his tenth birthday just before the cell games. Because was he not 6 goin on 7 when Trunks arrived, 5 during Freeza, and 4 at Raditz?

[James R. Cadwell]

I'd wager that he also had a vocabulary far higher than, well, pretty much any 4 year old on the planet. (Or any five year old who spent half of his fifth year alone, and the other half with a moody, not-overly-talkative alien).

I don't care how "booksmart" you are, you have to be pretty intelligent to be able to speak like an adult at that age. He's 5 furing the Namek saga, right? He's very mature sounding for someone of that age, don'tcha think?

I considered that, and my conclusion was that he actually got dumber over time. He clearly had an above-average intelligence when he was a young child, but he was a bumbling idiot by the time he was seventeen. I figured he just matured intellectually very quickly and had the mental capacity of someone several times his age at five -- he just never really went farther beyond that level.

[Jerseymilk]

I don't think he was a bumbling idiot at all! As I said, I believe his personality has a lot of naivety and you're confusing that with being an idiot.

[TripleRach]

Gohan never struck me as being overly intelligent at age 4 or 5, but I guess it's been a while since I've been around kids that age. For the most part, I've always pictured him as having some book smarts, but very lacking in the common sense department. He's still probably a lot smarter than most of the other main characters, but I don't think he has anything on, say, Buruma.

Just my two cents.