WARNING: The following article contains major spoilers from the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film. Read ahead at your own discretion!

Gohan, the son of Goku who was named after the kind and gentle Grandpa Gohan. A scholarly prodigy whose innate power could even surpass Goku and Vegeta. And it all comes from his sudden explosive rage sprouting from his deep urge to protect/save those around him.

That emotion erupted once again in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero while witnessing a blackened out Piccolo on Cell Max’s palm. His earns started ringing followed by a “SNAP”. The young Saiyan then proceeded to transform in a very similar fashion to Super Saiyan 2.

Some fans don’t like it while others appreciate the idea as it gives Gohan a platform to fight in Universally threatening battles along side with his dad.

In this piece, I’ll thoroughly explain Gohan Beast form conceptually from various sources (like the Light Novel), how it makes sense for his character scientifically while connecting with previous arcs, some philosophical and historical parallels, and a hint of his power.

Without further ado, let’s get ready to rummbbbbllle!

How did Gohan achieve this form in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero?

Gohan activates his Beast mode when he sees an almost lifeless Orange Piccolo falling from the sky, landing on Cell Max’s palm (just like how Goku caught Nappa in the Saiyan Saga).

The sequence of events which followed shows Gohan experiencing the exact same shock when Perfect Cell smashed Android 16’s head with his foot. The rage filling up his entire body spewed out at once as Gohan screams to power up to a brand new transformation.

Toriyama comments on a new form, stating that the name Gohan Beast is given to signify the awakening of the beast within.

There’s a lot to uncover about Gohan’s new form so I’ll talk about it one by one.

For starters, the seemingly “repeated-ness” of Gohan’s character arc.

Does he want to fight or not? Why isn’t he the MC yet?

For decades, the fandom has been debating about the whole “Gohan was sidelined for Goku after the Cell Saga” and it still goes on till today. Well, there’s some truth to that. Toriyama himself admitted that he tried to put the half-Saiyan in the lead but realized he wasn’t suitable.

It’s pretty clear you cannot continue a battle Shonen story if the MC isn’t that interested in fighting. That is clearly mentioned in in the Anime, Manga and games repeatedly & enunciated by Toriyama in several interviews. The following is one of them.

Nozawa:
Gohan and Goten both have Goku’s blood, and have that sort of cuteness somewhere in them. Especially how Gohan-kun hates fighting, yet respects his father.

Toriyama:
But Gohan must have it rough, in that he wants to be a scholar, but instead he has to fight. While drawing, I was always thinking, “He’s different from his father; he must truly hate fighting.”

Akira Toriyama × Takao Koyama × Masako Nozawa roundtable discussion, 18 May 2004

Some fans apparently dislike Gohan for desiring to be a scholar/family man. I don’t really understand their urge to turn him into Goku 2.0 because he’s fine the way he is. But will he find a good balance?

One cannot help feeling the sheer excitement when Gohan actually becomes serious. I couldn’t help but grin at that devilish smile he mustered while observing Cell Max charging his big-ass Ki blast.

Fans want that Cell Saga cold hearted Gohan once again & in their eyes, the authors are having trouble figuring out the path he should take. This made fans to ask the following question:

Is Gohan going through repeated character arcs again and again?

Bruh, Gohan regressed in this movie by going through the same character arc of “remembering the need to train after slacking off”. How many times will that happen?

The thing is, Gohan only trains when it is necessary (ie., when the Earth or his family are in danger). He relies too much on Goku and Vegeta to clean up the bad guys while he focuses on what he loves – evolutionary biology.

Even in the Moro arc, Gohan decided to join in the action only when he realized that Goku and Vegeta aren’t on Earth yet. In Chapter 53 of the Manga, notice how he removed his glasses and became serious only after that realization.

If they were present, he probably wouldn’t have joined the fight. That’s why Goku apologized later for making Gohan fight.

After the victory against Moro, Gohan’s reliance on the Saiyan duo grew even further, so much so that he began slacking off again. But is it really his fault?

It’s natural to slack on something which you don’t like. Even we become lethargic when it comes to studying or working… So don’t just blame only Gohan for this normal human behavior.

Even during the Cell Games, Gohan wasn’t planning on duking with the Android. He thought that his father would take care of things all by himself and go back home peacefully.

So even during the early days, Gohan was relying on his dad to save him and the others. But that has changed in the ending of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

The character development for Gohan in this film is, not blindly relying on Goku and Vegeta for saving the day all the time and learning to stick up even when the others are around.

We’ve seen in the Manga that he begins to train consistently again post Resurrection: F but not as much as Piccolo wants him to do. That’s why Piccolo arranged for Pan to get kidnapped for Gohan to unleash that fighting spirit.

In the future, Gohan may not exactly train as hard his father but, he’d keep on it as enforced by Piccolo, thereby becoming the leader of the Earth’s defense force.

But was this form foreshadowed anywhere before its appearance or did Toriyama pull it out of his ass?

Was Gohan Beast Form foreshadowed anywhere before the film?

Not only is Gohan Beast Form hinted in the Dragon Ball Super Anime but his fight with Cell Max from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is also indirectly teased. There’s a lot more thought put into these projects than you think.

The filmmakers took the open plot points in the Dragon Ball Super Anime and addressed them in the film.

Gohan’s evolution to a new form is hinted at in Dragon Ball Super Episode 90 where Goku tests Gohan’s regained sense of power in preparation for the Tournament of Power.

In reply to Goku’s question “You aren’t gonna use Super Saiyan?”, Gohan says the following:

And this is exactly what Gohan achieved in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero to the dot.

The Shueisha Mirai Bunko version of the film’s Light Novel, penned by Sui Ogawa, states that “Ultimate Gohan surpassed his limits and awakened his ‘ultimate’ form”.

Translation of the above is as follows (courtesy of Kanzenshuu Wiki editor jrdemr/Zénpai):

A dazzling light enveloped the vicinity for a moment, and the resulting shockwave startled Cell Max.

“…”

With a furious expression on his face, Gohan’s hair was now dyed silver and standing upright.

That hair also stretched longer than usual, as if to show his overflowing power.

His pupils had an almost transparent red tint. He had finally awakened his ultimate form, a form that surpassed even the limits of “Ultimate Gohan”.

Translator’s notes: the “ultimate” in “Ultimate Gohan” (written アルティメット, “arutimetto”) is different from the other “ultimate” in this sentence (究極, “kyūkyoku”)

Remember his Demon-like smile while Cell Max was charging up a huge ball of Ki? Doesn’t seem like the studious, well-mannered young adult you saw in the Great Saiyaman arc huh?

There’s some background information for that (including the Light Novel’s description, which I’ll mention later).

During the Saiyan Saga, Piccolo trained Gohan to be remade in the former’s image. At that time, Kami still referred to Piccolo as evil, despite the change Gohan was beginning to have on him. In other words, Gohan was raised and toughed up by Demon King Piccolo himself.

Both Kami and Piccolo realized that Gohan’s power is crucial to keep the Earth safe (Refer DBZ Chapters 11 & 13).

And the Namekian warrior reiterated that again in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Piccolo (to Gohan): If you put your mind to it, you could be the strongest in this world. Let me see your true power. Believe in yourself, and cut loose! And use it to save the world!

It’s interesting to see how Piccolo initially used power and wishes to cause havoc on the Earth but now using the same tools to save it, thanks to Gohan’s association. And Gohan was infused with that fighting spirit and demon-like aura to protect the Earth, thanks to Piccolo.

Inevitably, they both used their apparent demonic instincts in a purified way to save the Earth.

Notice how Whis’ instructions to Goku in the Moro and Granolah arcs are similar as well. Each character in the series is undergoing their own unique evolutions defined by their core characteristics.

The DBS Anime also teases Gohan Beast vs Cell Max in Episode 74 where Gohan faced against a Kaiju version of Barry Kahn, a famous movie star who was possessed by an Alien parasitic criminal “Watagash”.

In a two-part Anime original Episodes featuring Gohan’s rise as a film star, he and Videl meets Barry Kahn, the man who was chosen to play as Great Saiyaman in the film “Great Saiyaman vs. Mr. Satan”. However, things got a little rough as Barry developed an enmity towards the half Saiyan as the latter’s wife rejected the actor.

Watagash saw the hatred building up and took the opportunity to take down one of Earth’s mightiest heroes by taking over Barry’s body.

The plan of action he took is exactly what Magenta and the Red Ribbon Army decided to lure Gohan into their clutches in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero – Kidnap Pan.

In both the episode and the movie, Gohan’s motivation to transform into a Super Saiyan and beyond is seeing Pan in trouble. He always had the safety of his family as his top priority. That’s also one of the prime reasons he even agreed to fight in the Zeno Expo (Anime) & the Tournament of Power.

The episode showed the confrontation between Kaiju Barry Kahn vs Gohan, paralleling Gohan vs the giant Cell Max in the film.

The half Saiyan was initially losing but after hearing Videl and Pan’s scream in motivation and what the state of his family would become if he lost, he turned into a Super Saiyan and got the W. The motivation was again, similar for Gohan in the film where he transformed into his Ultimate form after hearing Pan’s apparent cry in pain.

Funnily enough, the episode hinted at the prospects of making a movie with Gohan fighting a big Kaiju monster in the big climatic battle. The director for the Mr. Satan film called it “the greatest film ever made”, much like how Toei advertised Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

The final connection between the Anime and the film comes in the form of Pan’s recognizing Gohan as her one and only Super Hero.

In the film, She looks up to him so much so that she’s ready to get kidnapped just to activate her father’s protective instincts and the “SNAP” & in the Anime, Gohan knows that if Pan is watching her dad in action, he can’t afford to disappoint her. So he has no choice but to give it his all.

Now that I’ve established the notion that Gohan Beast form and the film’s plot didn’t come out of thin air, let’s talk about the form itself and how it fits into Gohan’s core character.

The hidden meaning behind Gohan Beast

In short, the form of Gohan Beast is the result of the half Saiyan surpassing his Ultimate form by looking deep within his subconscious, unleashing the “beast within”. The awakening is fueled by looking at his identity and tapping into his fighting sense for the sake of protection.

What do I mean by looking deep into one’s subconscious?

Each character has intrinsic traits that define who they are. And their instincts reflect them.

Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Broly – each one of them defined by their innate characteristics (either inherited or acquired). The end goal might be the same for all (to become stronger/strongest) by chalking down their own pathway (with some guidance, of course).

For Goku, Whis has laid down the blueprint. Where he is now and where he needs to be. The thing he needs to figure out is using his own identity to carve out his own path to get the same outcome as Whis. A path to become Angel-like.

The same instructions applies for Vegeta as well but for a path to become like a destroyer while embracing the identity of the Saiyans (not their genocidal tendencies).

Piccolo used the pride (identity) of his race to achieve his Orange tinted form (Orange Piccolo) with the help of the Dragon Balls, which is the most treasured artifact of his race.

Gohan? He’s a hybrid: half-human half-Saiyan. Vegeta, in the Saiyan Saga, stated that mixing Saiyan and Earthling blood results in a powerful hybrid. He and Goku have implied on many occasions that Gohan’s potential surpasses those of the Prince and the son of Bardock.

• In DBS Episode 30 & Manga Chapter 6, Vegeta says that “It’s OBVIOUS that Gohan has the greatest potential amongst us all”
• Goku confirms this in Episode 78 by saying that his son has “great instincts and incredible power locked up in him”. Later on in Episode 90, Goku realized that he has no better partner to train with than Gohan.

The “Dragon Ball Man Choco Super” Wafer Illustrations backside descriptions tells us a similar story and more.

“Strongest Warrior”? Stronger than Goku, Vegeta and Black Frieza? I’ll come back to that later.

Daizenshuu 4 describes half Saiyans as “having an outstanding battle sense, but not having a fondness for battle like a pure Saiyan”. Instead, it seems that the violent temperament of the Saiyan has been relaxed through their Earthling blood.

What is the path for Gohan? To become more Gohan-like? Who is Gohan? A human? A Saiyan? A warrior? A family man? A scholar? He’s all that and more. What are these great instincts that Goku spoke of?

• The urge to protect/save someone in trouble
• The joy of battle and killing (once he snapped)
• To focus on something while completely ignoring everything else

The first two are inherited from his human and Saiyan blood. The last one is clearly his father’s genes. Gohan literally left Piccolo to pick up Pan from school while he’s engrossed in his research.

The instinct to protect someone is the strongest of these. It functions as a catalyst for him to become enraged enough to fight, as well as the motivation to practice and maximize his potential. The second point is reliant on the first.

The first time he ever snapped was during the Saiyan Saga where Gohan couldn’t bear hearing his father screaming in agony. He had one thing running in his mind: “No matter what happens, I have to save my dad”.

Notice how he charged in without thinking about anything (including his own safety) other than saving his dad. That is how an instinct is ideally utilized – “without thinking”.

Additionally, The red aura around Kid Gohan too is similar to Gohan Beast’s.

This is because Toriyama created Gohan Beast based on the awakening image from his childhood, meaning that this way of a power jump is intrinsic to Gohan. He shares this similarity with Broly as well but his Hybrid nature could push him to even greater heights. Hence, the author teases another form for the Earthly Saiyan in the future.

Just like with Broly, Gohan’s timid & kind-hearted nature dissipates when the urge to protect crosses all boundaries, resulting in a mental “SNAP”.

Its symptoms are clearly outlined in the Anime & Manga.

Gohan shows no mercy to his targets. He violently killed the Cell Jrs. in the Cell Games Saga and later in the Buu Saga, he desired to kill Majin Buu than just fight him.

To these scenarios, Piccolo couldn’t even believe it was the same timid cry-baby Gohan he once left in the mountains to fend for himself. Note that the Namekian is the only one who knew the boy more than anyone. And even he was flabbergasted.

Why did he react like that?

Because Gohan usually never intents to harm or kill anyone. And he said so himself.

Right after he rose from being tossed aside by Perfect Cell, Gohan, while disliking the taste of blood in his mouth, says he doesn’t want to kill anyone, including the green-tinted Android. Having a mindset of a pacifist, he’d like to avoid bloodshed as much as possible.

So why did he change?

The “SNAP” is the result of Gohan’s emotions being at their peak. In Chapter 12 (page 13) of Dragon Ball Z, Piccolo states that the half Saiyan’s power is let loose ONLY when he goes berserk. If he’s trained to harness and use that power at will, he CAN become the greatest fighter EVER.

This is because he has both Saiyan and human blood flowing in his veins. But how does that help?

Every living entity (even Saiyans and humans) has this thing called emotion, and it manifests itself in many ways depending on the situation. Rage, grief, and joy are some of these manifestations, and they can translate to incredible power (as stated by Merus in DBS Chapter 52).

However, Saiyans are not that emotionally surcharged because they’re a warrior race. According to Toriyama, most Saiyans are cold-hearted and of simple thoughts. They are individualists with cold hearts (thereby not able to generate that many S-Cells). That means that using emotional triggers to develop massive amounts of power, such as a Super Saiyan, is extremely rare (as confirmed by Toriyama again).

Humans, on the other hand, are emotionally charged beings capable of deep love and attachment. When they lose something important to them, their fury and anguish erupt like a volcano, releasing massive reserves of power deep within.

That’s why the “SNAP” is important. The way Gohan transforms into his beast form isn’t just a repetition of the past. It’s a fundamental principle within Gohan’s DNA that acts at the time of need. And when it happens, the huge inflow of S-Cells take over Gohan’s brain, making him more Saiyan like.

This is confirmed in the Shueisha Mirai Bunko version of the film’s Light Novel while describing Gohan’s smile while Cell Max was charging his Ki Ball.

Translation of the above is as follows:

He realized that Cell Max was starting to conjure a ball of massive energy in his right hand.

That dark ball, expanding before his eyes, became so massive that it started to cover the very surface of the Earth.

Generating a gigantic vortex, the debris in the vicinity were being rapidly sucked up by the gravity pull of Cell Max’s ball of ki.

“…”

But Gohan was not fazed.

Quite the contrary, he even started to show a grin on his face.

Was this perhaps caused by his instincts as a Saiyan, who were so famously fond of battle? In the blink of an eye, Cell Max compressed the energy of his massive ball of Ki.

It was just big enough that he could lift it in his right hand, but the ball had such gravitational pull that it could be equated to an all-engulfing black hole, and it was absorbing energy from its surroundings, raising its power ever higher.

In short, Gohan is a hybrid who get stronger extremely quickly by mixing the Saiyans’ thirst for combat with a gentle yet emotionally charged human heart.

This is also backed up by actual biology, as confirmed by evolutionary biologist and a long time Dragon Ball fan, Yudai Okuyama in an interview published by the Dragon Ball Official site. According to him, Gohan is an ideal example of the phenomenon known as ‘heterosis’ at work.

Heterosis or hybrid vigor is a term used to describe when a hybrid offspring benefits from the biological advantages of both their parents and ends up stronger than them—basically, getting the best of both worlds.

As for Gohan, you could propose that his strength is the result of heterosis. However, manifesting this phenomenon isn’t all that simple—it’s often the case that both parents need to possess particularly strong advantageous traits.

But this raises a key question in the minds of Manga readers.

Didn’t Gohan say in the T.O.P arc (Manga) that he won’t use his Saiyan side anymore?

To give more clarity on Gohan’s statement in DBS Chapter 39, Ian from Kanzenshuu provides a more accurate translation:

“オレはサイヤ人としてではなく、1人の人間として進化する道を選んだ / I choose to evolve as my own person.” (Lit. “I choose to keep evolving as an individual, not a Saiyan.”)

Translator’s notes: Going with “human” (implication “Earthling”) winds up feeling a bit too literal, causing some issues in Dragon Ball and with Gohan specifically. Namely inventing a conflict between his heritages when he’s originally just getting at choosing his own martial-arts path. Gohan is rejecting reliance on Saiyan genes/Super Saiyan in this scene, but he isn’t really really offering the Saiyan-Earthling dichotomy in Japanese.

This, again, reaffirms the notion that he wants to grow by going through a different path which mirror his fundamental nature.

Common sense would tell us that Gohan not utilizing his Saiyan-genes would be a waste. The fact that he’s getting stronger rapidly while fighting Kefla is a clear indication of Saiyan cells in action.

The Anime also reaffirms this.

While combating against Lavender in the Zeno Expo, Gohan used his Saiyan’s combat abilities and human intellect to the full extent by calmly gauging his opponent’s movements and striking when he gets the chance.

When Gohan seems to be getting overpowered, the Supreme Kai offered him some Senzu Beans. But the young prodigy refused and insisted on fighting using his own strength. This is a symptom of Saiyan pride, as noted by Vegeta during a similar situation in the battle between Goku and Perfect Cell.

As Gohan gets beaten up further, Goku reassures the others that, the more son is backed into a corner, the harder he bounces back. Another Saiyan trait confirmed by Whis in the Moro arc.

As explained before, the urge to survive and protect not only comes from his Saiyan side but fuels it as well.

Goku and Chichi have incredibly strong traits.

But don’t forget Piccolo’s upbringing, which carved the way to Gohan’s intense desire to survive and protect.

Do you recall how the Namekian in the Saiyan Saga abandoned the half-Saiyan to fend for himself? Well, that training method isn’t a fictitious concoction.

Developmental psychology expert Dr. Toshihiko Endou (a prof interviewed in the Dragon Ball Official site) describes Piccolo’s methodology as “Cognitive Apprenticeship” wherein the Master simply exists to support the student’s natural growth, rather than giving precise set of principles.

According to him, Piccolo realized that Gohan possess exceptional levels of self-control and only chose to interact with him in such a strict and intimidating way because of that.

Gohan being an extremely resilient child was most likely another important factor.

—What exactly do you mean by “resilient”?

Prof. Endou: The psychological meaning stems from the word’s original meaning, which describes a material’s ability to return to its original shape after receiving and absorbing an external force. In psychology, we use it to describe one’s mental fortitude or sometimes their ability to adapt to stressors, but in either case, Gohan is undoubtedly an exceptionally resilient young boy.

Piccolo leaving Gohan in the wilderness and subjugating him to grueling training was a result of him seeing Gohan for the resilient child he was.

—So in addition to Piccolo’s guidance, Gohan also had the natural ability to endure Piccolo’s training.

That resilience certainly comes from his Saiyan side (just like how Bardock refused to give up until he beat Gas in the Granolah arc). The notion to survive and protect is “beast like”, hence the name Gohan Beast. This is Gohan’s inner instincts in full fledge.

But even Goku has the urge to protect and survive, like all animals. So how is Gohan Beast any different from him? How did his new form change him?

The answer is found in Dragon Ball Super Episode 88, which covers an important development for Gohan. He tried to artificially psych himself up by worrying too much about his family’s well-being but Piccolo explained that these feelings should bolster rather than constrain his fighting spirit.

As a result, the Namekian advised him to become a true warrior by utilizing these latent emotional reserves as the foundation for his motivation to battle. But, like he always does, Gohan must concentrate on estimating his opponents’ power and fighting tactfully.

In addition, Piccolo also notes that Gohan’s greatest flaw is that he doesn’t finish the job and leaves his guard open. He didn’t finish off Cell or Buu because he was too arrogant.

However, Gohan did close the deal with Cell Max as he did not let his arrogance cloud his judgement and unleashed the most powerful Special Beam Canon to quickly finish it off, mirroring Future Trunks.

This truly is a different mindset from Saiyans like Goku and Vegeta, who love to prolong their battles by testing themselves from various angles. This showcases how Gohan is beginning to mature and awaken in DBS Super Hero film as a character.

Speaking of awakening, a lot of fans were concerned about Gohan’s seemingly endless supply of “latent power” within. The repetitive nature of Gohan’s awakening seems to put them off. Let’s address that.

How many times will Gohan “awaken”?

Depending on his amount of training. The reserve of untapped power expands when he actively trains. Since he’s soft-natured and doesn’t go all out all the time, a specific trigger is required to push out his latent power.

For instance, Gohan’s power rose from 1 to 710 and 1,307 during the encounter with Raditz. Note that Gohan hadn’t trained at all until Piccolo picked him up (as confirmed in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot). His power rose to 981, thanks to his 1st round of training. After Piccolo died, Gohan’s emotions broke free, rising his power to over 2,800 while charging the Masenko (more than twice the power he mustered to headbutt Raditz).

Grand Elder Guru’s awakening ritual raised his power to a whooping 10,000. A full on power charge to unleash the Masenko doubled his power to 20,000. Then a fight to the death battle with the Ginyu Force (along with a Zenkai boost) took him to a level of 200,000.

The 2nd awakening happened in the form of SSJ2 after a year of training in the Room of Spirit and Time. The 3rd one took place after training for a World Tournament and giving the Z-Sword a couple of swings.

See the pattern?

The power would have had more time to lie dormant than usual during the gap in training, making the awakening even more powerful.

Additionally, the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot video game suggests that only portions of Gohan’s hidden power were unlocked during the Namek & Buu Sagas. So yeah, there’s a lot more hidden oomph within that Crouching Tiger.

But why didn’t Gohan transform when Moro almost killed Goku in the Manga?

It’s because he knew his father would bounce back somehow or the other and clench the final victory.

After the Buu Saga, peace prevailed on Earth for around 7 years. Since then, Gohan was reluctant on training hard like his dad and developed a habit of blindly relying on him in case trouble arises. He and the others used to wait for Goku and Vegeta to save the day, that is until Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Piccolo was getting annihilated by a villain who, according to the half Saiyan, could give even the Saiyan duo a run for their money.

So, a powerful opponent, no Goku and Vegeta, Piccolo almost dying, Pan & Videl would die if nobody succeeds, so… yeah. Appropriate triggers were in place for the inevitable.

Is Gohan Blanco Canon?

Fans love to compare Canon material to fanfiction and Gohan Beast isn’t an exception. I’m sure you’d heard the words “Gohan Blanco” mentioned while you scroll down Instagram or Twitter.

For those who don’t know, Gohan Blanco is a fan made transformation wherein the young half breed indeed glows white. He’s famous in the Latin American fandom for being the son of El Grande Padre (Evil Grand Priest) and grandson of El Grande Abuelo (Good Grand Priest) in a different multiverse. There, he is currently the Prince of the Saiyans and the ruler of the multiverse.

The question is, did Toriyama really make Gohan Blanco Canon?

Not really. Actually, the form’s white hair and red eyes resemble the Kanzenban-colored version of SSJ Goku by Toriyama.

Now that I’ve touched upon the science behind Gohan Beast form, let’s get into the philosophical side by examining the Vedic/Hindu inspirations behind Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, specifically the Ramayana. You’d be surprised how much Gohan and Lord Ram share in common!

Denoting the parallels between Gohan & Lord Ram

Note: I’m not comparing fictional characters with those of historical personalities. I’m merely pointing some “fun-fact” like commonalities with the intention of appreciating both.

• Both Gohan and Lord Ram were prophesized by Demi Gods (Kami / Devatas & Rishis) that they’ll be the ones to vanquish the dangers facing the people of Earth and be on the forefront to lead their armies.

• Gohan is no God but both he and Ram share a similar urge of doing everything possible to save and protect their loved ones. They channel their stored up anger and led it out on those who take away their most treasured possessions.
  • Ram fought an entire war to get back Sita from the clutches of Ravana
  • Gohan sacrificed his left arm in order to save Vegeta from Perfect Cell’s Ki Blast & agreed to participate in the Tournament of Power to protect Videl & Pan

• Gohan & Ram are righteous enough to change their “targets”
  • The young Saiyan influenced Piccolo (a demon) into fighting for the good side and shedding off his father’s demoniac qualities
  • Ram had such an effect on Ravana’s brother Vibhishana (a demon) that he left his kingdom to join Ram’s army

• Both are well-mannered, righteous, and soft hearted but fight only when necessary. They’re considered role models and Super Heroes in their own tales for their strong sense of justice.

• Gohan was left in the wilderness to survive for over 6 months & Ram was exiled into the forest for 14 years and forced to survive with wild fruits, huts and twigs.

• Both were trained by persons who started off on the wrong path but later changed due to the influence of their pure-hearted long term rivals
  • Gohan was whipped into shape by Piccolo who was later changed for good thanks to him and Goku
  • Lord Ram was trained under the expert hand of Sage Vishvamitra, who challenged and beaten by Vasiṣṭha Muni

• Gohan was taken away by Piccolo for training in order to defeat the Saiyans & Ram was “taken away” from his parents by Vishvamitra to liberate the Sages from the torture of the Demon Tataka

• Both had loving brothers who looked up to them a lot (Goten & Lakshmana)

• Their wives (Videl & Sita) are the daughters of the wealithiest families around (Mr. Satan & King Janaka)

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero parallels the Ramayana a lot more than I initially realized. Even from observing their basic plot points, you can tell how much they have in common.

• Gohan fights Cell Max, a reconfigured version of an old Nemesis (Perfect Cell), along with Orange Piccolo & the rest of the gang to save the world. In a similar fashion, Lord Ram confronts Ravana, the reincarnated version of his old enemy (Hiranyakashipu) along with Hanuman and the Vanaras to relieve the people of Lanka from their imprisonment.

• Cell Max was a Kaiju Android created by Dr. Hedo to rule the world from the “clutches” of Capsule Corporation. Ravana wanted to rule the 3 worlds by defeating the current ruling parties. His lust ordered him to Kidnap Sita, which invited the wrath of Lord Rama. The demon also grew larger during the final battle against the incarnation of Vishnu.

• Both the main characters waged war & unleashed their fighting spirit against their enemy to rescue Pan & Sita (respectively), who were kidnapped.

• Mother Sita clearly told Hanuman that she can easily break out of her jail and kill Ravana but she’s merely playing an act of seemingly crying for help just to set an example that the husband should do anything to rescue his wife. Similarly, Pan too portrayed a dramatic play of seemingly crying for help so that her father Gohan can come rescue her, becoming the Super Hero she wants him to be.

The story of Dragon Ball are inspired from Chinese and Indian tales that shape up Toriyama’s characters that we know and love today.

The whole of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero parallels the Ramayana in a lot more ways than I’ve described so far. I’ve touched upon the parallels between Orange Piccolo & Hanuman in another post so do check it out!

Now, we’ve come to the stage where I have to discuss Gohan Beast’s strength. (God I hate power scaling but a man’s gotta do what he has to do).

How powerful is Gohan Beast?

In terms of mere power levels, I think it’s safe to say that Gohan Beast has joined the ranks of the Divine by surpassing the likes of Jiren, Broly, Super Saiyan Blue Goku/Vegeta (as crazy as it sounds) but not any of the Gods of Destruction or Angels.

My personal ranking of the characters of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero are as follows:

Gohan Beast > Completed Cell Max > Broly > Incomplete Cell Max > Orange Piccolo ~ Broly Film PSSB Goku & Vegeta > Ultimate Gohan > Gamma 1 & 2 > Piccolo Potential Unleashed > SSJ Gohan.

Again, when solely looking at power level alone and nothing else, Gohan Beast (as he was in Super Hero) could even tank Black Frieza, Ultra Instinct Goku, Ultra Ego Vegeta, Granolah & Gas

However, things would change when analyzing from an overall perspective (you know, including factors like speed, psyche, stamina, knowledge, Ki control, etc.).

From that perspective, Gohan Beast could lose in a fight against the above mentioned Manga characters.

But how the hell is Gohan Beast so damn strong? He didn’t even train much and he’s suddenly became one of Dragon Ball’s strongest character? Bro wasn’t even in the Broly movie!

There’s a lot to talk about regarding that topic and If I type everything here, the word count for this article would cross 12000+. Therefore, I’ll explain in greater detail in another article.

Final thoughts

Gohan is one of the most intriguing characters in the series and it’s no wonder why so many fans are attracted to him.

He’s like that silent studious school kid who suddenly erupts when bullied – aka the silent killer. As stated numerous times, yes he doesn’t like to fight but when he does, he can legit pull the “Call An Ambulance But Not For Me” savagery.

An interesting thing which Toriyama pointed out is he ain’t sure what Gohan’s design going to be if he transforms again. Now it could be just an humble admission to the uncertainty of Gohan’s future but it clearly gave an open room for further powerups.

Gohan doesn’t look that interested to fight at the End of Z, even not that psyched to enter in the Budokai Tenkaichi. So it’s probably going to be after that would he get another boost.

Overall, I think Gohan Beast is great! It’s the next Ultimate Form based on his fundamental identity. When it comes to these kind of moments, It ain’t planned. Goku did sense it in the Cell Games Saga but, he wasn’t sure how much longer it’d continue. He did motivate his son to fight to the end by saying “Don’t you want to be a scholar right?”

All of this culminated in DBS Episode 90 where Goku says the best training partner wasn’t the folks in other Universes but the person standing right beside him.

Some fans felt it being underwhelming while others thought it was the best thing that happened to the half Saiyan in years. To me, as long as it stays true to his core character, I’m looking forward to see how Gohan and his real father mentor will push each other as the leaders of Earth’s defense force.

What do you think of Gohan Beast? Let me know in the comments below!

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