Son Gohan (孫悟飯) is the first son of Son Goku and Chi-Chi. He was born sometime after Goku defeated Piccolo in the Tenkaichi Budōkai. Gohan was raised by his mother to become a scholar, but the numerous threats encompassing the safety of his friends and family brought out Gohan's warrior talents. In the Dragon Ball Z anime, he will ultimately be trained by Master Piccolo and later by his father, in the hopes of becoming a great defender of planet Earth. 🌍
At the peak of his power, he surpassed the power of Vegeta and even his father. Eventually, Gohan would marry Videl, with whom he would have a daughter, Pan. In Dragon Ball Super, he is ultimately one of the ten fighters chosen to fight in the Tournament of Power to save Universe 7 from destruction.💣
In Piccolo's judgment, Gohan's childhood was pampered, which explains why he was initially unable to cope with the harshness of the wilderness. In particular, as a child, Gohan and his family slept early, which prevented Gohan from undergoing the Great Ape transformation during the full moon.
So why isn't Gohan a warrior like the others? What are his character traits? Let’s find out without further delay in our Ultimate Guide!
PERSONALITY OF SON GOHAN
As a child, due to his sheltered upbringing, Gohan was portrayed as a shy child. He is very pacifist. He doesn't like violence much, thus lacking Saiyan combativeness. Throughout his journey (and with the help of C-16) , Gohan learned to fight when necessary and tap into his power, preferably using it to save his loved ones. 👨👨👧👦
Gohan has good relationships with his friends and family, forming a surrogate father/son relationship with Piccolo , an uncle/nephew relationship with Krillin as well as a loving husband/father relationship with Videl and Pan. 👨👨👧
He became an incredibly intelligent character as his mother constantly made him study, leading him to become a scholar . Although generally good-natured, if pushed to his limits, Gohan can explode into a state of rage and fight his opponent until they cannot fight back (a fact he acknowledged in his fight with Cell), proving that he is still a Saiyan at heart. 🦾
GOHAN APPEARANCE
Gohan's appearance has changed quite a bit throughout the Dragon Ball series, rivaling Bulma's character. Her common traits are light skin to match her mother and black hair, inherited from both her parents. As a child, Gohan has the distinction of being the only half-Saiyan to be born with a Saiyan tail. 🐒
Early on, Gohan wore a simple Chinese-style outfit, a yellow top with green pants, with the kanji Son written on the front. He had a red hat with a gold lining, and attached to the top of it was a 4-star crystal ball , in which Goku believed the soul of his grandfather (of the same name "Son Gohan") resided.
His childhood outfit will change several times, he will adopt a gi similar to that of his father, then the Ma symbol on his back in addition to a sword, then a gi similar to that of Piccolo, then later, a jacket of fight. His hair also changes, adopting a mullet cut throughout his childhood, before opting for a bowl cut during his adventures on Namek . Until the androids in the Cell Games arc, Gohan again adopted the mullet cut. ✂️
At the age of 9, Sangohan changed with the times. He grew in size, his physique becoming much more muscular, which further cemented his Saiyan heritage . During his training in the Room of Spirit and Time , Goku cut Gohan's hair into a new cut resembling his own spiky style, and Gohan adopted a new variation of the battle jacket. When the time came to compete in the Cell Games , he once again adopted Piccolo's gi, with the additions of weighted armor. 🛡️
As a teenager, Gohan once again experienced another growth spurt. His lack of training , however, seemed to have impacted his physique to some extent, as he appeared to be very skinny during his early high school years. Then his hair was cut again, with a high school outfit which was a white shirt with a black vest, orange pants and black shoes. On his jacket he wore his school badge . ⭐
He later adopted the outfit of his alter ego, the Great Saiyaman, this outfit consisted of a black jumpsuit, a green gi, a black belt, gloves and white boots, the latter covered with a armor. A helmet was used to conceal his identity, replaced by a cloth when he was to compete in the Tenkaichi Budōkai . He also had another variation of Piccolo's gi. 🥋
When Gohan's potential was fully unleashed, he would re-undergo some minor physical changes. His muscle mass increased and his eyes narrowed like when he is a Super Saiyan . His face also became sharper and more serious. During his battle with Majin Boo , Gohan, out of respect for his father, adopted the same style of gi that Goku wore, the Awesome Turtle school gi without the symbol. 🐢
After Boo's defeat, Sangohan began wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and cut his hair into a cut resembling a shorter version of his hairstyle when he was 9 years old. During the movie Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of "F" , Gohan wore a green tracksuit. At the end of the series, Gohan will undergo one final change; cutting the bangs that framed her face. ✂️
Are you lost in the meaning of Kanji? Read our article on our TOP 10 Kanji in Dragon Ball to discover them in more detail! 🉐
GOHAN APPEARANCES IN DRAGON BALL
Due to his importance in the Dragon Ball saga and his close relationship with Son Goku, the main character of the series, Son Gohan will make numerous appearances in each of the Dragon Ball arcs and films . We have brought together his most notable presences:
SAIYAN ARC
Son Gohan and his father Goku visit Master Roshi at Kamé House, where Krillin and Bulma were also present. Goku introduces them to Gohan. Unexpectedly, a Saiyan named Raditz shows up to them and after punching Goku, he kidnaps Gohan in order to force his brother to join their quest to conquer planets, threatening to kill Gohan if he does not kill 100 humans on next day. Raditz then flies away with Gohan until the next day. 👶🏻
ARC MAJIN BOO
7 years have passed since the battle against Cell and during this period of peace, Gohan abandons his training to focus on his studies. After spending years learning and being tutored at home, Chi-Chi decided to send Gohan to Satan City High School .
On his way to high school, he witnesses a bank robbery and decides to stop it, using his Super Saiyan transformation as a disguise. After returning to normal, he casually meets Videl for the first time. 🏩
During his time in high school, Gohan tries as much as possible to act like a normal teenager to avoid being discovered as the so-called golden-haired boy, but he will spark some curiosity after performing feats unnatural for a human . After leaving school and on his way home, Gohan will be followed by Videl because of his suspicious actions. 🕵🏻♀️
SAGA OF THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION
Six months after the battle against Majin Boo , Gohan will propose to Videl. Gohan and Videl later move into a house built by Videl's father, Mr. Satan, to live together. Then after most of the Z-Fighters team was defeated by Beerus, Gohan will power up and attack Beerus . Using Majin Buu as a weapon, Beerus pushes Gohan away.
Before Beerus attempts to destroy Earth after defeating Oolong, Goku intervenes and asks Beerus to give him time as he has found a way to locate a Super Saiyan God - by summoning him through Shenron . 🐲
Shenron will reveal that the SSJ God is a legendary transformation that is achieved when noble-hearted Saiyans fuse their power together. Gohan and the other Saiyans will try to transform Goku but they fail. Growing tired of waiting, Beerus begins to prepare his attack to destroy the planet. 💥
Videl will then tell Gohan that he is going to become a father. However, the celebrations are interrupted as the Haikaishin loses patience. Gohan, with his wife and the other Saiyans attempt the transformation again and will then succeed in transforming Goku into Super Saiyan God. ⚡
“F” RESSURECTION ARC
Six months have passed since the battle between Goku and Beerus . Meanwhile, Gohan and Videl's child is born, a girl named Pan. 👧🏻
She will grow up like a normal little girl, with Saiyan blood. Moreover, she will be the heart of controversy in the family because ChiChi will declare that she will not let Pan become a warrior, no matter how much some people like her grandfather Mr. Satan . 🥋
Did you like seeing Gohan grow over the Dragon Ball seasons? So honor the half-saiyan with this Son Gohan Collector Figure !
GOHAN TRANSFORMATIONS
GIANT MONKEY
Due to his Saiyan heritage, Gohan was born with a tail, making him the only hybrid character in the series with this. As such, he possessed the ability to transform into a giant ape , and once transformed his power was increased tenfold. 🐵
This form is Gohan's least used transformation , and he has only been seen transforming twice: once under the influence of the full moon, and again under a Genkidama. When Vegeta cut off Gohan's tail for the last time, the half-Saiyan lost the ability to transform into a giant ape. ⚔
SUPER SAIYAN
Gohan obtained the Super Saiyan transformation by training with his father in the Hall of Spirit and Time. Gohan achieved the form with greater ease than his Saiyan peers at the time due to inheriting a large number of cells from his father, Goku. 🧬
When he first achieved the form, Gohan struggled to maintain it and quickly returned to his base state, physically exhausted. Some time later in the Temporal Room, Gohan was seen transforming into SSJ and using it to train. However, when he returned to baseline, he was still tired. Gohan would later master the Super Saiyan form, resulting in Super Saiyan 4th grade. 🔥
SUPER SAIYAN GRADE 4
When his father realized the inherent weaknesses of the higher grades of the Super Saiyan form and concluded that mastery of the base form would be more advantageous in combat, Gohan followed his father's model and thus achieved this state. This would become Gohan's "default" SSJ state, as Super Saiyan grade 4 is an enhanced Super Saiyan transformation, not a full-fledged transformation.
Despite Gohan's accomplishment in successfully mastering his SSJ state as a natural state, being away for a period of time had left him unable to use this form as well as he once could. However, this form was still enough to defeat Shisami and Ginyu. Using his ki as a beacon for his father, Gohan overexerted himself to the point of falling physically unconscious. 🍃
SUPER SAIYAN 2
Son Gohan was the first Saiyan in the series to reach the Super Saiyan 2 stage, doing so at the age of 9. He awakened this transformation for the very first time during his battle with Cell . What finally drew Son Gohan into a state of rage was the destruction of C-16, the latter angering the latter. 😡
In addition to having longer, spiky hair, Son Gohan develops a significantly larger muscle structure and gains a fiery aura that features occasional flashes. This was the power that Son Goku had briefly identified during his experiments with Son Gohan in the Room of Mind and Time, leading him to believe that Gohan was the only one who could defeat Cell. After training from Piccolo , Gohan regained access to the Super Saiyan 2 stage and was able to fight his master, despite Piccolo's increase in power. 👊🏻
In the initial depiction of the DBZ saga, Son Gohan appears to have undergone a significant alteration in terms of personality. Although he is stated to be a pacifist, Son Gohan gains incredible confidence through his battle against Cell , to the point that he even begins to ignore the advice of members of the Z-Fighters team, who had asked him to 'quickly finish off the super android; instead, he chooses to prolong the battle as long as possible, in order to make Cell suffer for his past actions. 🩸
This course of action will lead to Son Goku's demise , as Cell proceeds to destroy him after realizing he is no match for Gohan, marking another change in his behavior, who suddenly begins to regret not not having defeated Cell at the beginning . Subsequently, Son Gohan shows greater control over his emotions while encompassing the Super Saiyan 2 form in his uses following it, as seen during his battles with Dabra .
GOHAN ULTIMATE
Son Gohan is the only user of this power-up. In this state, Gohan unleashes his full potential, far surpassing the capabilities of his previous transformations. In this form, Gohan effortlessly surpasses the power of enemies such as Majin Boo , a creature that even Gotenks could only match using his Super Saiyan 3 form, showing Ultimate Gohan's complete superiority over the final Super Saiyan form . 🦾
Before Vegeta became enraged, Gohan was the first of the Z-Fighters team to touch Beerus, although the Hakaishin then quickly did Gohan's job. After regaining this form and with additional training, Son Gohan's power completely eclipsed Son Goku's SSJ1 and 2 form, who will fight with his Super Saiyan Blue form, but he will not compete against the Super Saiyan Blue Kaiōken form.
This is therefore Gohan's strongest state, designated by Piccolo as the "real" Gohan. But without training, Gohan loses access to his full power, and therefore to this power-up. He can be restrained through training, seen at several points after the incident against Majin Boo . 📚
PURE POWER OF GOHAN
As a Saiyan, Gohan is naturally calm, he uses ch'i, learning to release his Kikoha at an even younger age than his father; when he was only 4 years old, when he was training in the desert. Gohan's aptitude for ch'i developed over time and he became the youngest of the Z Fighters to know how to fly. Piccolo will teach him a variety of techniques such as Masenkō , which capitalizes on the use of ki. He will also learn to detect ch'i at an equally young age, and will carry these abilities into adulthood. 📖
CREATION OF SOUND GOHAN
The name "Gohan" is a homophone for gohan (御飯), the Japanese word for "cooked rice" which also refers to meals in general, which continues Akira Toriyama 's pattern of food naming. In Mandarin, the reading 悟飯 is homophonous for 午飯(wǔfàn) , meaning "lunch". 🍜 🍚
According to Toriyama, he originally included glasses or a jacket in the character's clothing, and usually, his hair is spiky as seen in the final design. Gohan was also supposed to replace his father Son Goku as the main protagonist after the Androids arc and the Cell arc, but ultimately, the author decided not to do so, letting Goku go about his intellectual pursuits while offering us impressive fight scenes from time to time. 😉
ANECDOTES ABOUT GOHAN
- Gohan appears ambidextrous ; he is perfectly comfortable holding a baseball bat with his left hand, but he uses drumsticks with his right hand. ✍🏻
- Gohan is the only Saiyan/Human hybrid to have a tail. 🐒
- While Gohan claimed he wanted to be a scholar in the original Japanese version of the anime as well as the English and Japanese versions of the manga, he claimed he wanted to be an orthopedist in the original Funimation version.
- Gohan holds the record for the shortest death and resurrection in the series' history. In Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of "F" , Gohan was technically killed by Frieza when the latter stopped his heart. Piccolo revitalized him by restarting his heart with a short burst of ki, and he was then fully revived by a Senzu Bean.
- In the 18 Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie trailer, Gohan was a Super Saiyan in front of Beerus. In the actual film, his transformation was changed to Ultimate Gohan .
- In Dragon Ball Super, it was revealed that Trunks had become a Kaiōshin apprentice , due to his training by Shin and Kibito, and was given healing abilities. Gohan, who underwent the same training, did not recognize or mention such abilities.
JOIN THE RANKS OF THE GREAT SAIYAMAN!
Due to his great altruism and his powerful consideration for his family and friends, Gohan is a central character in the Dragon Ball series. He was able to capture the attention of fans thanks to his power coupled with a touching sensitivity. So if you're of the same opinion as us, don't hesitate to tell us in the comments what touched you the most about this character!
