Dragon Ball Super Better Not Waste Gohan’s ‘Super Hero’ Gains

Dragon Ball Super has finally given Gohan some proper leveling-up in the new Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie – and the series better not waste those gains. Indeed, it was something of a big surprise when Toei Animation revealed that the latest Dragon Ball Super movie would shift the focus away from Goku and Vegeta and onto Gohan and Piccolo; Dragon Ball Z was largely the story of Gohan’s ascension, but Dragon Ball Super has dropped that character arc almost entirely. 

Toei rolled the dice on dedicating an entire feature film to a Gohan/Piccolo side-story, rather than the series’ main storyline – and the results have been mixed. Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero didn’t open that well in Japan, but it’s setting new box office records in overseas territories. As you can see in the video above, there is still a substantial market for Gohan in the Dragon Ball franchise – which is why the events of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero better matter to the main Dragon Ball Super series in some significant way.

SPOILERS FOLLOW!!! 

The final act of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero sees Gohan, Piccolo, and several Z-Fighters (plus Broly and friends) all unite to take on the Red Ribbon Army’s out-of-control secret weapon android, Cell Max. When Piccolo nearly gets killed in the fight, the emotional response pushes Gohan to summon his own full potential and unlock a new transformation: Beast!

Using Beast mode (love saying that) Gohan finishes Cell Max off – in a perfect echo of his victory against Perfect Cell in Dragon Ball Z, which also saw Gohan be the first to unlock the power of Super Saiyan 2. However, this time around, Gohan’s evolution is actually tied directly to his character, as Beast is a direct evolution of Gohan’s “Potential Unleashed” state, which first appeared in DBZ’s Majin Buu Saga. So again, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero has done something significant with Gohan’s character – and it needs to be acknowledged. 

Dragon Ball Super has (as stated) been all about Goku and Vegeta’s power evolutions. The latest story arc of the manga solidified that Goku (Ultra Instinct) and Vegeta’s (Ultra Ego) powers are going in different directions, each unique to their respective characters. Now Gohan has a power unique to his character, and renewed resolve to be a fighter both capable and worthy of standing up and defending Earth. 

Behind the scenes, Dragon Ball fans have finally gotten something that a lot of them have been asking for: getting Gohan and/or Piccolo back up to an even level of power as Goku and Vegeta. The manga left off with the reveal that Frieza is coming back with a whole new transformation of his own: Black Frieza. So far, it looks like Goku and Vegeta don’t have enough power to challenge the evil emperor alone – so Gohan may need to tap into that Beast power sooner before later. 

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is now in theaters worldwide.