Dragon Ball Super: Is Gohan Going To Surpass Goku?

Dragon Ball fans, a change could be coming to Akira Toriyama’s iconic franchise. Thanks to [...]

By Megan Peters - March 2, 2017 04:49 pm EST

Dragon Ball fans, a change could be coming to Akira Toriyama's iconic franchise. Thanks to Dragon Ball Super, a brand-new story arc just got its start, and the thrilling saga already has fans perking up. The 'Universal Survival' arc has pitted Goku's universe against the rest of the multiverse. The hero will team up with a slew of his universe's most powerful fighters, leaving warriors like Gohan and Android 18 to join his clique. So far, the saga has only delved into exhibition matches, but the arc will soon push into overdrive as the Tournament of Power gets started for real.

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As the new saga gets serious, fans are wondering which characters will step into the limelight. Luckily, audiences got a clue at what was to come thanks to a recent issue of V-Jump. The magazine contained a super scoop about Dragon Ball Super, and its teaser about Gohan got fans fired up. In a short excerpt, the magazine said, "This time Gohan is super-serious!! These design images we secretly obtained show 'Ultimate' Gohan, with his dormant power unlocked!!"

However, it was the description's latter-half that had fans stunned. The magazine teased the hero was now "the strong Gohan of old who surpassed his father." Clearly, the statement is a bold one, and fans are wondering if the anime will deliver on the promise.

Longtime Dragon Ball fans will be familiar with how powerful Gohan is. Originally, Akira Toriyama planned for Gohan to become the main hero of the franchise. However, the creator ultimately chose to roll back on the decision following the 'Cell Saga' of Dragon Ball Z.

While Gohan was kept to the side, his potential to surpass Goku as a fighter has always been possible. The half-Saiyan has continually had his potential praised by mainstay fighters like Piccolo and Goku himself. During Gohan's battles with Cell, the powerful Saiyan internally urged the villain to make his son angry as Gohan's true power could be unlocked through rage. However, it was ultimately Old Kai who helped Gohan level-up and assume a truly fearsome power.

In Dragon Ball Z, fans were introduced to Gohan's 'Ultimate' form as the Kai unlocked the character's full potential. The state is said to have power greater than Super Saiyan 3 Goku. Of course, Goku has since gone on to obtain the controversial (and non-canon) Super Saiyan 4 transformation. The hero can also go Super Saiyan Blue at will which give him the power of a god.

If Gohan were able going to surpass Goku at some point in the 'Universal Survival' arc, the younger hero would have to be forced into some extreme circumstances. Right now, the Universe 7 team is being forced to fight for the safety of their world, so there are real stakes facing Gohan's crew. Old Kai is present at the event, so Gohan could even be pushed to his 'Ultimate' state if need be. Should the anime give Gohan enough time to wield his full power, the hero may be able to edge out Goku in some respects, but it seems unlikely he'll be about to out-do Super Saiyan Blue on the fly.

However, fans do know Gohan is able to hold onto the form for some time. At the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, the hero admitted he could not longer put out his full powers because he slacked on his training. So, if the character can make a rapid comeback, fans would be wise to be wary of Gohan.

As for the saga's start date, the new arc premiered on February 5, 2017. The "Universal Survival" saga is part of the recent simulcast agreement that sites like Crunchyroll and Funimation have scored. Dragon Ball Super airs on Crunchyroll Saturdays at 7:15 p.m. CST. Toonami airs the English dub on Adult Swim Saturdays at 11:30 p.m.