Summary
Akira Toriyama’sDragon Ball,and all of its adaptations, combine to create arguably the most influential anime universe that has ever been released. Not only are the original anime,Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super,and thenumerous movies that got releasedalongside these animes still extremely popular. The anime industry also owesDragon Ballcredit for bringing this medium into the mainstream with Western audiences.
Gohan, son of Goku, the protagonist in theDragon Balluniverse, has some of the most iconic transformations in the entire anime. From sometimes surpassing his father in terms of strength and power, to becoming somewhat of a foolish superhero character to hide his identity in the anime’s version of the Earth, his every transformation holds a special place in the fans' hearts. Of course, some stand out more than others.
6Great Saiyaman
“Protector Of The Innocent”
Starting with one of the most underwhelming transformations made by Gohan inDragon Ball Z’sMajin Buu saga, the Great Saiyaman was Gohan’s idea to save people in trouble without having to worry about people learning about his identity. Since he is a high-school student at this point in the story and eventually gets a girlfriend, hiding his identity is important to him to protect the people he loves.
The Great Saiyaman is less of a transformation in the traditional sense and more of a suit with a helmet. This version of Gohan showed a more human side of Gohan, even if it was a disappointment coming from his Super Saiyan 2 transformation from the Perfect Cell Saga a few episodes before.
5Ozaru Gohan
The Bigger They Are, The Harder They Fall On Vegeta
Even thoughGohan is a half-Saiyan, he has a tail just like Goku and Vegeta. That means that if he stares at a full moon with his tail fully intact, he will transform into a Giant Ape, or an Ozaru. The manga credits this phenomenon to the moon releasing Blutz Waves, which are needed for this transformation.
Gohan turns Ozaru twice in the entireDragon Ballfranchise, both times inDragon Ball Z. The first time was when he was training with Piccolo before the arrival of Saiyans. However, that didn’t provide anything meaningful to the story other than confirming that the Ozaru form would make a comeback inDragon Ball Z,and Piccolo destroying the moon to end Gohan’s transformation. The second time Gohan transformed was more significant, as it helped the Z-fighters to bring down a persistent Vegeta in theSaiyan Saga.
4Super Saiyan Gohan
Sheer Hard Work And Determination
When Goku returned from Namek, he hadalready transformedinto the once-legendary Super Saiyan form. Soon after, Vegeta manages to achieve this transformation as well. Throughout the Android Saga, Gohan remains in his normal form.
During the Cell Saga, while Trunks and Vegeta attempt to hold off Cell, Goku and Gohan are in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, where Goku teaches Gohan how to turn into a Super Saiyan. When the two come out, they have achieved the full power of the Super Saiyan form. Both of them can stay in the powered-up state without spending too much energy. This moment,even though often overlooked, is pivotal in Gohan unlocking his first real transformation, and helps create a stronger bond between the father and the son.
3Ultimate Gohan
Gohan’s Redeeming Moment
After the Cell Saga, Gohan’s importance in the series takes a major hit as he focuses more on his studies, and less on training and getting stronger. But the looming threat of Majin Buu springs him back into action, and Gohan travels to the world of Supreme Kai to get stronger. He tries his hand at the Z-sword, which, while initially difficult to weird, Gohan soon masters. But during training, he accidentally breaks the sword, leaving him with no other option but to unlock his hidden potential.
The Elder Kai performs a long ritual to draw out Gohan’s latent abilities, which allows him to achieve theUltimate Form, also called Mystic Gohan. This allows Gohan to surpass the strength of a Super Saiyan while retaining his normal form, thereby conserving energy. Not only is Gohan able to overpower Super Buu in this form, he even takes this form to the Tournament of Power inDragon Ball: Superand holds off his own against some of the strongest fighters in all the universes.
2Beast Gohan
Gohan’s Very Own Ultra Instinct Form
In the recent movieDragon Ball Super: Super Hero, which follows the events ofDragon Ball Super, Gohan once again slacks off on his training, giving priority to his studies. He’s a family man now, and even though he’s not as strong anymore, Gohan is extremely protective of his family and daughter, Pan.
In the movie, the Red Ribbon Army from the OriginalDragon Ballis back with two new androids and a mission to revive Cell. The army kidnaps Pan to lure Gohan into battle, since he’s the strongest threat to them. Meanwhile, Goku and Vegeta are off training in the world of Beerus, theGod of Destructionof Universe 7. While Piccolo and Gohan attempt to hold off the new Androids, the army awakens Cell Max, a humongous, bioengineered replica of the original Cell that’s much more powerful than anything the Z-fighters had fought before.
Gohan’s iconic Beast formis awakened after witnessing his daughter in danger and Piccolo almost dying. While the buildup to this form isn’t as well-executed as some of the other forms in this list, the Beast Form showcases, once again, how strong Gohan is. It shows what he can achieve when he’s pushed to his limits, putting him up with Goku’s Ultra Instinct form.
1Gohan Super Saiyan 2
Love And Anger
One of the most iconic moments of the entire franchise, slightly falling shy from when Goku turned Super Saiyan, is whenGohan went Super Saiyan 2against Perfect Cell. Defeated, beaten to a pulp, and with the impending doom of losing not only his friends but the entire planet to Cell, teen Gohan is pushed to his limit. His strong feelings of love for his friends and family, and an even stronger feeling of hatred towards Cell, are the catalysts. When Cell kills the soft-hearted Android 16, it breaks something inside Gohan, pushing him past his Super Saiyan form.
With his resulting form, Super Saiyan 2, Gohan makes short work of Cell Juniors, who were harassing the Z-fighters, and proceeds to break cell punch by punch. He eventually wins the fight and, with the help of Goku, eliminates the threat of Cell from the Earth forever.
