DBZ Fights That Changed Gohan's Life Forever (2024)

In the Dragon Ball franchise, character development and story revelations usually come through fight scenes. This was especially the case after Dragon Ball Z, which introduced new characters such as Goku's firstborn son, Gohan. Even though the character likes studying more than fisticuffs, there were several battles that had a major impact on Gohan.

These fights included situations where Gohan held his own against insurmountable odds. Other times, they cemented him as secondary to Goku and merely there to hold things down until his father returned. Regardless of the outcome, these fights all had incredible impacts on the half-Saiyan, making him into the man he currently is in the series.

10 Future Gohan vs the Androids Was the Character's Last Hurrah

Future Gohan was the character's counterpart in the world of Future Trunks. This dystopian timeline happened after the death of Goku, with the loss of Gohan's father leaving the Dragon Warriors without their veritable leader. Thus, Future Trunks and his mentor, the now adult Future Gohan, were some of the only survivors.

In what was the last time he was seen, Future Gohan teamed up with Future Trunks one final time against these enemies. Thinking back on his father, Future Gohan (who was missing an arm by that point) flew to what he knew was his certain doom. This battle ended his life, but it also made Future Trunks revere him more than ever.

9 Gohan vs Recoome Showed Gohan's Heroism - and Limits

See Also

Dragon Ball: 10 Characters With More Potential Than GohanDragon Ball Super Finally Redeemed Gohan: What It Means For His FutureWhy Does Gohan Have So Much Potential in Dragon Ball Z?

During the Namek Saga, the Dragon Warriors fought against the powerful Ginyu Force. While quite goofy at times, these characters were also very strong, including th dim-witted Recoome. In fact, the gigantic man was able to severely beat both Gohan and Krillin. This was after he had done away with Vegeta, removing the arrogant Saiyan prince from the battlefield.

Gohan put up a valiant fight against this enemy, refusing to give up, despite being clearly outmatched. This resulted in his spine/back being temporarily snapped in two, showing the extent to which the young half-Saiyan could take damage. Thankfully, Goku came in and healed him, and it was obvious that in the case of Gohan's fighting spirit, it was merely the flesh that was weak.

8 Gohan vs Dabura Showed That Gohan Needed to Get Back In Shape

By the beginning of the Majin Buu Saga, Gohan hadn't been training nearly as much as in the past. Instead, he was a high school student, with most of his "exercise" coming in the form of his superhero alter ego, Saiyanman. Thus, Dabura put up an immense challenge, and it's possible he wouldn't have seemed so tough if Gohan trained like his father.

Afterward, Gohan pushed himself to achieve his potential, needing to do so to combat the threat of Buu. This was a change of pace for the boy that had tried so hard to simply be "normal." Training under the Supreme Kai, he gained incredible power in the new form of Mystic Gohan.

7 Gohan vs Cell Jr. Challenged the Super Saiyan

Gohan finally gained the Super Saiyan transformation after training with his father, and he soon had to use this new form. This involved him fighting Cell Jr., a diminutive copy of the "bio Android." Using its power to attack and beat Gohan's friends, Cell Jr. brought out the fighter within the young man.

Seeing this ruthlessness, Gohan returned the favor by turning into the Super Saiyan 2 form. In this mode, he brutally beat his Cell Jr. opponent and gave a further glimpse of how powerful he could become. As usual, it was seeing his allies beaten that made the biggest impact on Gohan.

6 Gohan vs. Nappa Gave Character Development to a Former Villain

After being trained by Piccolo, Gohan was able to take the fight to Nappa, one of the Saiyans that came to invade Earth. Both unsure and too sure of himself, Gohan's inexperience with fighting definitely showed. This resulted in Piccolo himself dying, leading to the Dragon Warriors heading to his native world of Namek.

Beyond the fact that he was now traveling to another planet, Gohan also lost his mentor. Despite their differences and Piccolo's formerly being a villain, Piccolo grew to love Gohan and care deeply for the boy under his charge. Thus, when Piccolo died, it wasn't as the reincarnated son of the "demon king," but as one of Goku's fiercest allies.

5 Gohan vs. Buu Cemented Goku as the Hero

During the Buu Saga, Gohan was poised as the savior of the Earth against the dangerous Majin Buu. To this end, he did quite well against Super Buu, who had ingested his own corpulent counterpart. Sadly, this wasn't enough to save himself, with Gohan eventually suffering the same fate against the might of Buu. This forced Goku and Vegeta back into action to save the world once more.

This cemented the fact that Gohan would never be the main character of Dragon Ball, with the powerful hero Goku back in the limelight. Afterward, Gohan returned to his studies and didn't prioritize fighting nearly as much. If anything, his defeat at the hands of Buu, especially after being hyped up so much, was the impetus for an early retirement.

4 Gohan vs. Cell Almost Changed the Franchise

Gohan was the remaining Dragon Warrior to face Perfect Cell during the Cell Games, which acted as the conclusion to the Android Saga. Inspired and supported by the spirit of his now dead father, Gohan called upon his inner strength and defeated Perfect Cell once and for all. Doing what even his own dad couldn't, Gohan seemed to be ready to take over as the main character of Dragon Ball Z.

Afterward, Goku (for a time) remained dead, with Gohan fulfilling his mother's wish of him becoming a scholar. Goten was introduced as the more adventurous son of Goku, with Gohan himself offering a potentially much different path for the franchise. Of course, this didn't last, but for a time, it seemed that his victory over Cell was the turning point in Gohan's life.

3 Gohan vs. Bojack Was Gohan's Best Movie Victory

Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound is one of the series' movies, making its canonicity dubious at best. It's also one of the few films set when Goku is dead, allowing for the possibility that it's at least somewhat canon. The movie ends with Gohan fighting against the titular villain, with the former still being quite young.

Gohan defeats Bojack through both strength and wits, not to mention a pep talk from his dead dad. Once again, it cemented that Gohan had what it took to protect the Earth in Goku's stead. Thus, it's no surprise why he did so (while also studying) for several years afterward.

2 Gohan vs Frieza Helped Gohan See Vegeta as an Ally

Before the Frieza Saga, Vegeta was another villain in the Dragon Ball franchise. Nevertheless, he joins up with Goku and his allies on the planet Namek to take down Frieza, who had enslaved and later killed the Saiyan race. By the time Gohan and two other allies fought against the evil Frieza, even Vegeta's hardened heart had softened.

Gohan, Krillin and Vegeta were now staunch allies against Frieza, having faced other threats on the planet together, as well. Thus, Vegeta was seen in the same light as Piccolo when the group got back to Earth, and Gohan grew to respect his former enemy. After all, he had aided him against the being that killed Gohan's paternal grandfather, Bardock, and the other Saiyans.

1 Gohan vs Cell Max Was Gohan's Greatest Moment

There's perhaps no greater Gohan moment than Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, where the Saiyan came out of retirement (at the behest of Piccolo) to face the remnants of the Red Ribbon Army. This pitted them against Cell Max, a monstrous version of the creature Gohan had killed several years beforehand. The taxing battle makes Gohan able to achieve an unexpected form: Gohan Beast. This was his most powerful form yet, and one of the strongest forms in the series as a whole.

To top things off, he even used a version of Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon. Doing so recalled how the former had trained Gohan years beforehand and how strong he had become since then. Gohan Beast is sure to be a major player in later movies and manga chapters of the franchise, making the battle that unlocked the form very important.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball tells the tale of a young warrior by the name of Son Goku, a young peculiar boy with a tail who embarks on a quest to become stronger and learns of the Dragon Balls, when, once all 7 are gathered, grant any wish of choice.

Created by

Akira Toriyama

First Film

Dragon Ball: Curse of the Blood Rubies

Latest Film

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero

First TV Show

Dragon Ball (1986)

Latest TV Show

Dragon Ball Super

Upcoming TV Shows

Dragon Ball DAIMA

First Episode Air Date

April 26, 1989

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Laura Bailey , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Current Series

Dragon Ball Super

Summary

Dragon Ball is the labor of writer/illustrator Akira Toriyama, beginning with Dragon Ball back in 1984. The series originally started as a serialized manga back in Weekly Shonen Jump for nearly a decade until it expanded into the anime franchises it is most known for today. Dragon Ball was later adapted into two animes, with one being Dragon Ball Z, the most universally known series in the entire Dragon Ball canon. The franchise has continued to expand lore via films, video games, and additional sequel TV series, such as the more recent Dragon Ball Super and Super Dragon Ball Heroes. Dragon Ball centers mostly around Son Goku, a being known as a Saiyan, and his friends as they face off against intergalactic threats and seek out the titular dragon balls. When all seven of these balls are collected, they can be used to summon a legendary dragon that can grant the wishes of whoever so gathers them. The Dragon Ball franchise continues to be one of the most well-known and beloved animes of all time, with over forty different countries airing it, and has had a tremendous impact on Western culture as a whole.