Dragon Ball Creator Explains Why Gohan’s New Form is Unique

Dragon Ball has debuted a brand new power-up transformation for Gohan, in the latest Dragon Ball Super movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. With Dragon Ball Super Hero now out in theaters over in Japan, fans are getting to see Gohan’s latest form, and the insane amount of game-changing power it brings with it. Dragon Ball Super saw Goku and Vegeta make exponential leaps in power across the series, culminating in the current respective powers of Ultra Instinct (Goku) and Ultra Ego (Vegeta). However, Gohan’s new “Son Gohan Beast” form has catapulted him back to the top echelon of Dragon Ball power rankings. 

WATCH: New Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero SPOILERS Trailer | Gohan & Piccolo’s New Forms Officially Revealed

In a new interview (translated by @Herms98), Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama spoke about Gohan’s new “Beast” mode, and what makes it unique: 

“Goha’s had quite a few transformations in the past, but this time he needed to awaken to a new one. Gohan has achieved his own unique evolution, based off the sort of awakenings he had as a boy,” Toriyama explains.  I’ve even named this transformation ‘Son Gohan Beast’ in the sense that the wild beast within him has awakened.” 

Dragon Ball Super has seen Toriyama and co. really go back to the drawing board in terms of defining the powers of the series’ Saiyan fighters with deeper themes and mythology. Dragon Ball Super’s manga is now exploring how Goku and Vegeta are each learning to balance their new divine powers with their own natures as Saiyans to create new forms of power; now here comes Gohan with is own unique new power. Suddenly, the evolution of Saiyans has once again become a major point of intrigue for Dragon Ball, and Toriyama talked a bit about why he went with the design for Gohan’s Beast form: 

“For the design, I tried drawing him with a scary face and pale skin, but somehow this didn’t feel like Gohan. So instead I just gave him the usual big upturned hair, which went over surprisingly well: everyone said “it looks so cool!”, Which actually made me feel humbly grateful.” 

 Gohan’s Beast form sees his hair once again go Super Saiyan 2-style spikey and long (like Young Gohan from Dragon Ball Z’s Cell Games arc), only his hair is silver like Goku’s Ultra Instinct form. Gohan also has freaky red eyes in Beast form, giving hint that some of that Saiyan Great Ape savagery is still burning inside him.  

The new form is a pretty significant upgrade – possibly Gohan’s final form? 

“Frankly, I’m not sure what sort of design I should use if I ever transform him even further,” Toriyama said with a laugh. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is out in Japan. It will hit US theaters in August.