Summary

• Gohan overshadowed Goku during the Cell Saga, but couldn't maintain the role of the main protagonist.
• Gohan's reactionary nature hindered his ability to progress the plot like Goku and Vegeta.
• Recent events in Dragon Ball Super show Gohan evolving, providing hope for his main character potential.

Since Dragon Ball pivoted from Goku's childhood into the Saiyan Saga, one character has been touted as having the most latent potential of all: Son Gohan. From boyhood to the dismantling Cell Max, the half-blooded Saiyan was always able to shock both friend and foe with displays of tremendous power. Upon defeating the terrifying Android super-weapon known as Cell, while being only a child, Gohan cemented himself as Dragon Ball's strongest fighter. However, when the role of main character was up for grabs, Goku stepped in to reclaim his title.

The Majin Buu Saga resumes Dragon Ball's story after a seven-year time skip, which sees Goku dead in the Otherworld and Gohan standing atop the pecking order of Earth's heroes.

The late-great Akira Toriyama stated his intentions for the remainder of the story on the title page of chapter #421, titled "Herculopolis High", writing, "from now on, taking the place of Goku as the main character, the serious-minded Son Gohan." As the arc progressed though, and to the dismay of the countless Gohan fans around the world, it subtly became clear that he just wasn't suited for the job.

Son Gohan, the Pacifist Warrior

Original Series Created by Akira Toriyama

More than anything else, Dragon Ball is a story about fighting. The 21st World Martial Arts Tournament saw Goku and Krillin competing as children to find the strongest under the heavens. From this very early portion of the story onward, the focus was clear: more than silly gags, slice of life scenarios, or adventuring to find the Dragon Balls, the series was about martial arts. Much later down the line, when the scared, often crying Gohan debuted, his future as a fighter seemed unlikely.

However, through rigorous training from his mentor and eventual best friend Piccolo, the sniveling Gohan turned out to be a formidable warrior who became capable of great things when losing his temper. One glaring trait became clear though; Gohan did not like to fight. If not for Piccolo taking the young child to the mountains and forcing him to learn how to survive, Gohan would not have been able to grow strong enough to face the Saiyans. If not for Goku taking him to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he never would have been able to defeat Cell.

With Goku dead and Piccolo being nowhere near his level at the start of the Buu Saga, there was no one to push Gohan to continue training and become stronger. And in a story like Dragon Ball, the main protagonist cannot prefer to never fight at all. To follow in the footsteps of someone like Goku, a character must have the aching desire to always improve, and the will to constantly overcome their own limitations; traits Gohan always lacked.

Gohan's Reactionary Nature Keeps Him Out of the Spotlight

Though Powerful, Gohan Was Not Able to Progress the Plot

Daizenshuu, the official guidebook for Dragon Ball, includes a quote from Akira Toriyama about Gohan's inability to carry the burden of a shōnen protagonist. The author stated, "I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part." Despite his pacifist nature, Gohan has proven time and again that if the need to fight presents itself, he will not hesitate to do so. Unfortunately, this quality is another thing that keeps him from ultimately replacing Goku during the Buu Saga.

Characters like Goku and Vegeta progress Dragon Ball's story through their intense rivalry, and the shared desire to get stronger and be better than one another. In the process, their challengers present themselves naturally. Goku went to Namek to fight Frieza, while Cell and the androids were created to defeat him. Zamasu went full villain after meeting Goku, the Tournament of Power happened because of him, and so on. Goku's mere presence in the story is enough to progress the plot forward.

Gohan, however, has always reacted to the threat at hand rather than being the one to seek it out or attract it. A villain wouldn't appear strictly to fight and defeat him, but rather for some other evil desire. He was kidnapped by Raditz in order to convince his father to the evil Saiyans. Cell was always after Goku, but it just so happened that Gohan was the only one who could stop him. Without an active protagonist like Goku to keep pushing Dragon Ball forward, the story could not have continued, and Toriyama ultimately felt that Gohan was not up to the task.

The Future is Bright for Gohan

Dragon Ball's Recent Events May Inspire Gohan to Evolve

Gohan's reactionary nature did change, however, in the most recent film, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. For once, the big, bad villain was created for the sole purpose of defeating Gohan and taking over the Earth, rather than Goku. And when Cell Max, the newly updated Kaiju version of the original Cell attacked, Gohan was the only one who could defeat him.

Sporting a new beastly transformation, Gohan used his teacher's ultimate attack, the Special Beam Cannon, to decisively end the battle. When Piccolo asked where he learned to use his technique, Gohan replied that he'd been practicing it on his own, showing a new motivation to improve and become stronger. Last seen in the Dragon Ball Super manga training with Broly on Beerus' Planet, it would seem Gohan is being given the chance to finally prove that he's main character material.