Gohan easily became a fan-favorite character during Dragon Ball Z's Cell Arc. Despite many not liking his development in the Buu Saga, Gohan still remains fairly popular among Dragon Ball fans.

Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero finally did him some justice and put him into the spotlight by giving Gohan an overpowered transformation that only he has been able to achieve: Beast. But what makes Gohan so special?

picture: final gohan in dragon ball super manga.

Dragon Ball: How Gohan Unlocked the Beast Mode, Explained

Gohan unleashed a powerful new form in Dragon Ball Super, unique to his character.

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By Laura Gassert

Gohan Might Be the Strongest Saiyan Out There

Toriyama once said in an interview that Gohan was the strongest man in the universe. This statement came from an official interview released as promotional material for the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, in which Gohan first unleashed the Beast form. Back then, Toriyama mentioned that "Gohan was stronger than anyone else... Or so it's said," which may suggest that Gohan could perhaps even defeat the Gods of Destruction if he ever unleashed his full potential.

While Gohan showed huge potential since the beginning of Dragon Ball Z, most fans were disappointed by what happened to him in the Buu Saga. In fact, Gohan was supposed to eventually become the protagonist of the series following the Cell Saga, but Toriyama changed his mind. This is why he was able to surpass Goku in the Cell Saga, but then seemingly regressed as a character in the Buu Saga. He finally gets some spotlight again in DBS: Super Hero, and it seems Toriyama was happy to return to focus a bit on him and give Gohan fans what they always wanted: evidence that he still has tremendous potential. It's just that Gohan doesn't really like to fight and to explore his powers that much.

Beast Is Deeply Tied to Gohan's Potential

Beast is a unique transformation introduced in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero and later reintroduced in the Dragon Ball Super manga. In both stories, Gohan unleashed Beast after feeling furious at Cell Max, believing the villain had killed Piccolo. This triggered Gohan to literally awaken "the beast within" himself, reaching a power level that no one was able to achieve before. According to Beerus, this form is unique to Gohan's potential (and related to his Ultimate form), and this is why no other character has been able to unlock this form.

Gohan, listen closely! You have the potential to become the most powerful being on Earth. You need to believe in yourself and unleash that power! It's do-or-die time! So draw out all of your strength and use it to protect your world and everyone in it.

— Piccolo (DBS Super Hero)

Dragon Ball Super has followed a different path from the previous stories when it comes to transformations. In Dragon Ball, characters of the same race would eventually unleash the same transformations, but Super introduced forms unique to each character, matching their personalities. However, while only Goku can use Ultra Instinct and only Vegeta can use Ultra Ego, these forms are supposedly not exclusive to them—meaning that other characters could potentially unlock them. Beast, on the other hand, is said to be unique to Gohan and is likely also related to his condition as a half-Saiyan and half-human. So while it's unique for now, there are characters that may eventually be able to unleash this form.

There's Actually Another Great Candidate to Awaken Beast

If Beast is related to Gohan being of a mixed race, then Trunks and Goten are good candidates to eventually awaken this form. But even if the transformation is related to something more specific about Gohan, there's still a character who might have the potential to one day unleash it: Gohan's daughter Pan. In fact, in Super's timeline, Pan is something of a natural-born fighter. She was only a baby when she first powered up, and she learned to fly earlier than all the other hybrid Saiyans.

Nonetheless, Pan is unlikely to play any major role in Dragon Ball Super since the series is supposed to conclude right before the "End of Z," when she is 10 years old. While she is unlikely to be a key character in the next arcs, that doesn't mean she won't surprise readers. Pan has incredible potential, even more than Gohan had when he was her age, and she would deserve her own spin-off series set after Super.

Will Dragon Ball Super Ever Return?

Dragon Ball Super went on hiatus in March 2024 and had a brief return in February 2025. While Toyotaro has stated that it would be possible to continue the story, his editor has confirmed multiple times that the manga is not returning this year. Despite the bad news, neither Toyotaro nor Victory Uchida has claimed that the manga has been canceled. Thus, although the future of Dragon Ball Super remains uncertain, there's still room for its eventual return.

Dragon Ball Super is available to read on MANGA Plus.

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Release Date: 2015 - 2018
Network: Fuji TV
Showrunner: Tatsuya Nagamine
Directors: Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa
Writers: Ryu King, Hiroshi Yamaguchi
Franchise(s): Dragon Ball