Son Gohan (孫悟飯) is the first son of Son Goku and Chi-Chi. He was born shortly after Goku’s victory over Piccolo at the Tenkaichi Budōkai. Gohan was raised by his mother to become a scholar, but the many threats that endangered his friends and family revealed his fighting skills. In the Dragon Ball Z animated series, he was trained by Master Piccolo, and then by his father, in the hope that he would become a great defender of planet Earth. 🌍
At his peak, he surpassed Vegeta’s power and even that of his father. Eventually, Gohan marries Videl and they have a daughter, Pan. In Dragon Ball Super, he is selected as one of ten fighters to participate in the Tournament of Power to save Universe 7 from destruction.💣
In Piccolo’s opinion, Gohan had a privileged childhood, which explains why he wasn’t initially confronted with the harshness of life in the wild. In particular, as a child, Gohan and his family went to bed early, which prevented him from undergoing the Great Ape transformation on full moon nights.
So why isn’t Gohan a warrior like the others? What are his character traits? Find out now in our Ultimate Guide! 🔥PRODUCTS OF THE MOMENT🔥
PERSONALITY OF HIS GOHAN
As a child, due to his sheltered upbringing, Gohan was described as shy. He is a pacifist and dislikes violence, which explains his lack of Saiyan combativeness. During his journey (and with the help of C-16), Gohan learned to fight when necessary and to draw on his power, preferably using it to save his loved ones. 👨👨👧👦
Gohan maintains good relationships with friends and family. He has a surrogate father/son relationship with Piccolo, an uncle/nephew relationship with Krilin, as well as a loving husband/father relationship with Videl and Pan. 👨👨👧
He became an incredibly intelligent character thanks to his mother’s constant education, which led him to become a erudite. Although he’s usually in a good mood, when pushed to the limit, Gohan can explode with rage and fight his opponent until he can’t fight back (a fact he recognized during his fight with Cell), proving that he’s still a Saiyan at heart. 🦾
APPARENCE OF GOHAN
Gohan’s appearance has changed greatly throughout the Dragon Ball series, rivaling that of Bulma. He has light skin, inherited from his mother, and black hair, inherited from both his parents. As a child, Gohan was the only demi-Saiyan to be born with a Saiyan tail. 🐒
In his youth, Gohan wore a simple Chinese-style outfit: a yellow top with green pants, with the kanji Son written on the front. He also wore a red hat with gold lining, and a 4-star crystal ball attached to the top, in which Goku believed the soul of his grandfather of the same name, “Son Gohan”, resided.
His outfit as a child has changed several times. He adopted a gi similar to his father’s, then the “Ma” symbol on his back, along with a sword. Then he wore a gi similar to Piccolo’s, and later a combat jacket. His hair also changed, adopting a mule haircut throughout his childhood, before switching to a bowl haircut during his adventures on Namek. Until the Cell Games, Gohan once again adopted the mullet haircut. ✂️
At the age of 9, Gohan underwent another physical transformation. He grew taller and his body became much more muscular, reinforcing his Saiyan heritage. During his training in the Hall of Spirit and Time, Goku cut his hair to adopt a new haircut resembling his own, with erect spikes, and Gohan wore a new variant of the battle jacket. When it came time to compete in the Cell Games, he once again adopted Piccolo’s gi, with weighted armor added. 🛡️
As a teenager, Gohan experienced another growth spurt. However, his lack of training seemed to have an impact on his musculature, as he appeared very lean during his early high school years. His hair was cut again, and he wore a school outfit consisting of a white shirt, black vest, orange pants and black shoes. He wore his school’s insignia on his jacket. ⭐
Later, he adopts the outfit of his alter ego, the Great Saiyaman, consisting of a black jumpsuit, green gi, black belt, white gloves and boots, the latter with armor. He uses a helmet to conceal his identity, which he replaces with a rag when participating in the Tenkaichi Budōkai. He also possesses another variant of Piccolo’s gi. 🥋
When Gohan’s potential is fully unleashed, he undergoes some minor physical changes. His muscle mass increases and his eyes narrow, as when he’s in Super Saiyan. His face also becomes sharper and more serious. During his fight against Majin Boo, Gohan adopts the same style of gi worn by Goku, the Genius Turtle school gi, but without the symbol. 🐢
After Boo’s defeat, Gohan starts wearing a pair of thick-rimmed glasses and cuts his hair in a shorter style, resembling his hairstyle when he was 9 years old. During the film “Dragon Ball Z: F’s Resurrection”, Gohan wears a green tracksuit. At the end of the series, Gohan undergoes one final change: he cuts the bangs that used to frame his face. ✂️
If you have any questions about the meaning of the kanji, check out our article on our TOP 10 Kanji in Dragon Ball to find out in detail! 🉐
APPARITIONS OF GOHAN IN DRAGON BALL
Due to his importance in the Dragon Ball saga and his close relationship with Son Goku, the series’ main character, Son Gohan appears in many Dragon Ball arcs and movies. Here are some of his most notable appearances:
ARC SAIYAN
Son Gohan and his father Goku visit Master Roshi at the Kame House, where Krilin and Bulma are also staying. Goku introduces Gohan to the others. Unexpectedly, a Saiyan named Raditz appears and after attacking Goku, he kidnaps Gohan to force his brother to join their quest to conquer planets, threatening to kill Gohan if he doesn’t kill 100 humans the next day. Raditz then flies off with Gohan until the following day. 👶🏻
ARC MAJIN BOO
Seven years have passed since the battle against Cell, and during this period of peace, Gohan abandons his training to concentrate on his studies. After years of studying at home, Chi-Chi decides to send Gohan to Satan City High School.
On his way to school, Gohan witnesses a bank robbery and decides to intervene, using his Super Saiyan transformation as a disguise. After returning to his normal state, he meets Videl for the first time. 🏩
During his time at high school, Gohan tries as much as possible to behave like a normal teenager to avoid being discovered as the “golden-haired boy”, but he still attracts curiosity after performing superhuman feats for a human. After leaving school and on his way home, Gohan is followed by Videl because of his suspicious actions. 🕵🏻♀️
SAGA OF THE GOD OF DESTRUCTION
Six months after the battle against Majin Boo, Gohan proposes 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 has been defeated by Beerus, Gohan powers up and attacks Beerus. Using Majin Boo as a weapon, Beerus fends off Gohan.
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 reveals that the Super Saiyan God is a legendary transformation that is achieved when noble-hearted Saiyans fuse their power together. Gohan and the other Saiyans attempt to transform Goku, but fail. Increasingly tired of waiting, Beerus begins to prepare his attack to destroy the planet. 💥
It’s at this point that Videl tells Gohan that they are to become parents. However, the celebrations are interrupted as the God of Destruction loses patience. Gohan, with his wife and the other Saiyans, tries the transformation again and finally succeeds in transforming Goku into Super Saiyan God. ⚡
ARC RESURRECTION OF “F”
Six months have passed since the battle between Goku and Beerus. Meanwhile, Gohan and Videl’s child is born, a girl named Pan. 👧🏻
She grew up as a normal little girl with Saiyan blood. Moreover, she becomes the center of controversy in the family as Chi-Chi declares that she won’t let Pan become a warrior, which doesn’t please some, like her grandfather Mr. Satan. 🥋
If you’ve enjoyed watching Gohan grow over the seasons of Dragon Ball, honor the half-saiyan with this Son Gohan collector figurine!
GOHAN TRANSFORMATIONS
GERANT MONKEY
Due to his Saiyan heritage, Gohan was born with a tail, distinguishing him as a hybrid in the series. As such, he possessed the ability to transform into a giant ape, greatly increasing his power once transformed. 🐵
This transformation is Gohan’s least-used and he has only shown it twice: once under the influence of the full moon, and another time when he was transformed by a Genkidama. When Vegeta cut off Gohan’s tail for the last time, the half-Saiyan lost the ability to transform into a giant monkey. ⚔
SUPER SAIYAN
Gohan achieved Super Saiyan transformation while training with his father in the Hall of Spirit and Time. Gohan achieved this form more easily than other Saiyans at the time due to the genetic inheritance of his father, Goku. 🧬
When he first attained this form, Gohan struggled to maintain it and quickly reverted to his base state, physically exhausted. Later, in the Hall of Spirit and Time, Gohan was seen transforming into Super Saiyan and using it to train. However, even when he returned to his basic state, he remained tired. Gohan eventually mastered the Super Saiyan form, culminating in Super Saiyan 4th grade. 🔥
SUPER SAIYAN GRADE 4
When his father realized the limitations of the higher grades of Super Saiyan form and concluded that mastery of the basic form would be more advantageous in battle, Gohan followed his example and achieved this state. This form became Gohan’s “default” state as a Super Saiyan, as Super Saiyan grade 4 is an enhancement of Super Saiyan, rather than a separate transformation.
Although Gohan managed to master his Super Saiyan state as second nature, his lack of training made him less proficient in this form than before. However, this form was still powerful enough to defeat Shisami and Ginyu. Using his ki as a cue for his father, Gohan pushed his limits 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 first time during his battle with Cell. What finally triggered Son Gohan’s rage and drove him to reach this form was the destruction of C-16, which provoked his anger. 😡
As well as having longer, straighter hair, Son Gohan developed a much more imposing musculature and acquired a fiery aura with occasional flashes of lightning. Son Goku had briefly perceived this power during his training sessions with Son Gohan in the Hall of Spirit and Time, leading him to believe that Gohan was the only one capable of defeating Cell. After being trained by Piccolo, Gohan regained access to the Super Saiyan 2 stage and was able to compete with his master, despite Piccolo’s increased power. 👊🏻
In the initial depiction of the DBZ saga, Son Gohan seemed to undergo a significant transformation in terms of personality. Although described as a pacifist, Son Gohan gained incredible confidence through his battle with Cell, to the point where he began to ignore the advice of other Z-Fighters to finish off the super android quickly. Instead, he chose to prolong the fight to make Cell suffer for his past actions. 🩸
This attitude led to Son Goku’s demise, as Cell decided to destroy himself after realizing he couldn’t compete with Gohan, marking another change in Gohan’s behavior, who later regretted not defeating Cell from the start. Subsequently, Son Gohan showed greater control over his emotions when using the Super Saiyan 2 form, as seen in his battles against Dabra.
GOHAN ULTIMATE
Gohan is the only one to use this transformation. In this state, Gohan unleashes his full potential, far surpassing his previous transformations. In this form, Gohan effortlessly surpasses the power of enemies such as Majin Boo, even surpassing Gotenks’ Super Saiyan 3 form, demonstrating Ultimate Gohan’s superiority to the final Super Saiyan. 🦾
Before Vegeta became enraged, Gohan was the first member of the Z-Fighters team to touch Beerus, although the Hakaishin quickly repelled him. After regaining this form, and thanks to additional training, Son Gohan’s power completely surpassed Son Goku’s Super Saiyan 1 and 2 forms, and he will fight with his Super Saiyan Blue form, but it will not rival the Super Saiyan Blue Kaiōken form.
This is therefore Gohan’s most powerful state, considered by Piccolo to be the “true” Gohan. However, without regular training, Gohan loses access to his full power, including this transformation. He can regain it through training, as observed on several occasions after the incident with Majin Boo. 📚
PURE GOHAN POWER
As a Saiyan, Gohan is naturally calm and uses ki, learning to unleash his Kikoha at an even younger age than his father. From the age of 4, when he was training in the desert, Gohan developed his ki skills. His ability to use ki developed over time, and he became the youngest member of the Z-fighter team to learn to fly. Piccolo also taught him various techniques, such as Masenkō, which takes advantage of the use of ki. Gohan also learned to detect ki at a young age and retained these skills into adulthood. 📖
CREATING HIS GOHAN
The name “Gohan” is a homophone of gohan (御飯), which means “cooked rice” in Japanese and also refers to meals in general, following Akira Toriyama’s trend of naming characters with food names. In Mandarin, the pronunciation of 悟飯 is homophonic with 午飯 (wǔfàn), meaning “lunch”. 🍜 🍚
According to Toriyama, Gohan was originally supposed to wear glasses or a jacket, but these elements were removed in the final design. Gohan was also supposed to take over from his father, Son Goku, as the main protagonist after the android arc and the Cell arc, but in the end, the author decided against it, leaving Goku to continue his adventures while offering impressive fight scenes from time to time 😉
ANECDOTES ABOUT GOHAN
- Gohan has an interesting ambidextrous ability: he’s perfectly comfortable holding a baseball bat with his left hand, but uses chopsticks with his right. ✍🏻
- Gohan is the only Saiyan/Human hybrid to have a tail. 🐒
- In the original Japanese version of the anime, as well as in the English and Japanese versions of the manga, Gohan expressed his desire to become a scholar. However, in the original Funimation version, he stated that he wanted to become an orthopedist.
- Gohan holds the record for the fastest death and resurrection in series history. In Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection of “F”, Gohan was technically killed by Freezer when the latter stopped his heart. Piccolo resurrected him by restarting his heart with a brief pulse of ki, and he was then completely healed thanks to a Senzu bean.
- In the 18 Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods movie trailer, Gohan was shown as a Super Saiyan facing Beerus. However, in the actual film, his transformation was altered to show Ultimate Gohan.
- In Dragon Ball Super, it was revealed that Trunks had become a Kaioshin apprentice thanks to his training with Shin and Kibito, and had acquired healing abilities. However, Gohan, who underwent the same training, neither recognized nor mentioned any such abilities.
🔥PRODUCTS OF THE MOMENT🔥
