Dragon Ball Super Finally Gives Ultimate Gohan a Chance to Shine

Dragon Ball Super's Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc has been a huge hit with fans not only because the manga is taking the story beyond where the anime ended, but because it's provided fun new boosts to Goku and Vegeta. They aren't the only ones benefiting from fighting stronger opponents this time around too as the entire cast of Z Fighters has been shown to be significantly stronger than before. But the most attention has been paid to Gohan, who has in the latest arc earned back the "Ultimate" moniker given to his powered up form.

After making a stance against his Saiyan self in the Tournament of Power, Gohan has been seeking the kind of power and skills that his human self can explore. When he and Piccolo were swiftly defeated by the power stealing Android Seven-Three in a previous chapter of the series, Gohan went back to the drawing board and truly shines in Chapter 56.

With Moro's prisoner army now invading Earth, the Z-Fighters have been split into their own fights across the world. Gohan has teamed up with Piccolo, and the two of them have been training to hone their tag team efforts to new heights. Seven-Three got the jump on them with a surprising invisibility power, but Gohan was actually ready for that.

Always staying one step ahead of the killer android, Gohan and Piccolo completely controlled the flow of battle. Gohan countered Seven-Three's opening gambit with a surprising shield technique, and he lept off several of Piccolo's ki blasts in order to close the distance between them. Through the chapter Gohan never loses control of the flow and strategy, and even manages to deal a finishing blow with a combined technique.

Rather than just a traditional power up that made him stronger, the Galactic Patrol Prisoner arc has shown the kinds of advancements these fighters can make by just fighting smarter. Gohan gets his moment to shine as the first example of fighting smarter, and with Goku and Vegeta debuting new techniques soon, this might show a new angle for the series to take its fights going forward!

What do you think of Gohan's big comeback? When do you think it will end? Let us know your thoughts in the comments or talk to me directly about all things anime and other cool things @Valdezology on Twitter!

The Japanese-language and English dub releases of Dragon Ball Super are now complete and available to stream with FunimationNOW and Crunchyroll. Viz Media is releasing new chapters of the manga at a monthly rate that can be read entirely for free through the Shonen Jump digital library, and Dragon Ball Super's big movie, Dragon Ball Super: Broly, is now available on Blu-ray and DVD. Fans in Japan are also able to enjoy fresh non-canon adventures from the franchise with new episodes of Super Dragon Ball Heroes' promotional anime series.