Gohan could have become the main hero

During the Cell saga v Dragon BallGohan becomes not only a promising character, but also a favorite of the audience. It's no wonder that many fans were disappointed to see him become a regular high school student in the Boo saga (although the Great Saiyaman deserves a little more love).

When transforming into Super Saiyan 2, Gohan reached a level that was unprecedented at the time. This led many to believe that he was meant to be Dragon Ball protagonist from that point on, especially considering that Goku died in what seemed like a passing of the baton to his son.

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The strongest man in the world?

In the Saiyan Group arc Dragon Ball started teasing that Gohan was more powerful than he looked though he lacked his father's combativeness. Gohan was more of a nerd than a fighter. Raditz is the first to sense that Gohan might be powerful, as his scout recognizes a tremendous level of power in him. In the middle of the battle between Raditz and Goku, Gohan becomes enraged when his father is about to be killed and flies right into Raditz's chest, injuring him.

After Goku dies, Piccolo starts training Gohan and also seems to have a great hidden power. The show keeps hinting at Gohan's potential as if building his path to becoming the strongest warrior. But it's only in the Cell Saga that we see his full power as he officially surpasses his own father when he becomes the first character to transform into Super Saiyan 2. At the time, it seemed that Gohan would be the new protagonist of the series.

However, what happens next is that Goku gains his position as the “strongest man in the world” and the main character of the series after training with King Kai in the afterlife, as he seemed to resent that his son was able to reach the level of performance that no one knew before. As for Gohan, he stops training and goes back to his busy life, which is honestly always on par with his character.

Readers loved Gohan back then

Given the events that take place during the Boo saga, some might wonder if they misread something when they thought Gohan was going to be the main character of the series. But everyone who created expectations for Gohan wasn't alone: in 1993, it actually topped the first manga popularity poll. At that time, Android Saga was being serialized. Gohan received over 50,000 while Goku came in 2nd with over 48,000 votes so they were pretty close.

Although he dropped a few positions in later polls, he remained in the top 10. He also seems to be popular among international fans, as he also appears in good positions in recent international polls.

Akira Toriyama felt it was wrong

Gohan always liked to study – we all know that. But he also truly overcame his fear of combat during the Android Saga. So wouldn't it be possible for Gohan to study as well as train? Well, actually it could. He had a training arc, he had character growth, he overcame his challenges. How did he manage to “back off”?

Simply put, Toriyama didn't think it was right. He stated in an interview that he actually intended to put Gohan in the main role, which explains why many people believe that he is meant to be the new main character. But he felt that Goku was best suited for the role.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero brings back the old Gohan

While Toriyama did not change his mind on who should be the main character, he did admit that Gohan is the strongest character in the series. Latest Dragon Ball the film attempts to show this while not forgetting the role Toriyama placed him in during the Boo Saga.

IN Dragon Ball Super: Super HeroGohan and Piccolo are in the main roles (they make a great team) and we see Gohan's true potential again. By the end of the movie, Gohan has once again reached an unmatched level of strength, leaving no doubt that he is truly the strongest man in the universe. To be honest, he's best suited to be this type of unmatched warrior who really only unleashes his powers when it's really needed. Don't mess with his family.

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