Gohan
From Dragon Ball
| Gohan | |
|---|---|
| |
| Kana | 孫 悟飯 |
| Romaji | Son Gohan |
| Anime name | Gohan |
| Manga name | Son Gohan |
| Alternate name(s) | The Great Saiyaman The Gold Fighter The Golden Warrior |
| First appearance | Manga vol. 17 (Chapter 196) Episode 1 of DBZ (Anime) |
| Appears in |   |
| Race | Saiyan-Human |
Family
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| Character Listing - Category | |
Directory: Characters → Humans → Humans with Saiyan blood Directory: Characters → Z Fighters
Gohan is the first son of Goku and Chi-Chi. He is the first half-breed Saiyan. He is named after Goku's adoptive Grandpa Gohan. Gohan's name is a homophone for gohan (御飯), the Japanese word for cooked rice which also refers to meals in general. In Mandarin, the reading of 悟飯 is homophone for 午飯 (wûfàn), meaning lunch.
Gohan is a shy and studious intellectual, and as a child lacks the Saiyan fighting spirit. He must utilize his vast half-breed Saiyan potential and emotional reserves to protect those he loves, becoming one of the most powerful Z Fighters. As an adult he abandons his superhero duties and uses his mind, as a premier scholar of the Dragon World.
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[edit] Personality
Gohan, being only half-Saiyan, is unusual in his values and personality. These unique values and personality separate him from pure Saiyans; as powerful as he is, he does not like fighting much. However, when he is forced to fight, he shows special interest in protecting his family and friends. Like his father, Gohan has a pure and gentle heart. Besides concerning himself with his family (and his studies), Gohan has a strong attachment with his mentor: his father's former archrival named Piccolo. Piccolo was forced to train Gohan after the death of Goku. At first the relationship with Piccolo is a frightening one, but after just one year Piccolo admits his change because of the friendship he develops with Gohan and even sacrifices himself to save the boy. He can be considered as a surrogate father for Gohan. Krillin also has influence on Gohan, as almost an uncle/nephew relationship, mainly because Krillin is Goku's closest friend.
[edit] Hidden power
As a child, Gohan is known to have within him a seemingly limitless dormant power, which at first only revealed itself when he experienced fierce rage, which is likely the reason that Goku never noticed it. As he got older, he trained hard and gained access to a large portion of his power, and it was not until he was a young adult that his power was fully awakened and he was able to use it all at his own will. He displays exceptional power at a very young age, even surpassing his father Goku and saving the world from the evil Cell at only ten years old (eleven counting time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber). Gohan's latent power is finally released to its fullest extent in the Fusion Saga, making him the one of strongest characters in the series, and the strongest character in the manga to be unaided by fusion or absorption. It should be noticed that from all the Z fighters Gohan has surpassed Goku the most times.
[edit] Appearance
Gohan's appearance changes drastically through Dragon Ball Z, due to the fact that the series starts out with him as a child and ends when he is fully grown. But Gohan's basic physical appearance pretty much stays the same through the course of the series. Gohan has black hair and black eyes, he also has his mother's light peach complexion, rather than his father's light tan.
When Gohan is first introduced, he wears a child's outfit with his family name, 'Son' written on the front, and his hat has the Four-Star Dragon Ball attached to it, the same Dragon Ball in which Goku believed that his grandpa's spirit resided.
While training with Piccolo, he wears an outfit similar to Goku's original, with the 'Ma' symbol King Piccolo wore. After training with Piccolo he has a mullet-type haircut and dons similar attire to the Namek warrior which he continues to wear until the end of the Captain Ginyu Saga, after which he wears Saiyan-style armor given to him by Vegeta. By the Cell Saga tournament he still wears the Piccolo-styled clothing, though his hair is styled in a more wild way due to it being self-cut. While training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, he begins wearing Saiyan training gear but again reverts to Piccolo's clothing before facing Cell.
As a teenager he alternates between a school uniform, his Great Saiyaman costume, the Piccolo clothing (except larger in size), a replica of the gi his father Goku wore while he was alive, prior to the Majin Buu Saga, and the Kai clothing given to him by Kibito. His hair is much shorter and stands on end in a spiky formation.
In Dragon Ball GT he is usually seen dressed as like a professor or a businessman, in a suit and a tie. He also wears eyeglasses, even though he shows no sign of actually needing them, due to the fact that he doesn't need them to fight. It is possible, however, that these are reading glasses of some kind, as opposed to general corrective glasses. When facing Omega Shenron, Gohan wears a gi resembling that of the ones Goku used to wear.
[edit] History
Gohan was born in May of 757 A.D., about a year after Goku and Chi Chi married following the conclusion of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament. As later revealed in a flashback, as a newborn he went on for a time without a name until Goku's grandfather's name was mentioned, which Gohan liked. His early childhood was a pampered one, unlike his father's. His life was relatively well-balanced with a loving family and a nice home. Gohan was well-adjusted and intelligent, but unlike his father as a child, he lacked any affection for fighting and was easily scared at a level that most normal children would be. However, he still possessed a strong urge to protect those he loved and in desperate times was able to unleash an incredible level of power that outclassed even experienced Saiyan warriors like his uncle Raditz. His childhood ended quickly as he was drawn into training with Piccolo and forced to battle against the Saiyans, Vegeta and Nappa.
[edit] Dragon Ball Z
[edit] Saiyan Saga
Despite Goku's protests, Chi-Chi home-schooled Gohan to be a scholar until he was four, before Goku took him to Kame Island to introduce him to Master Roshi, Bulma and Krillin. At this time he is shown as a shy but very smart boy who also has a tail like Goku once had. Goku's brother Raditz soon arrived looking for his brother, and kidnapped Gohan. It was during this time that Raditz discovered that Gohan was potentially far stronger than Goku himself.
During the battle between Goku, Raditz, and Piccolo, Gohan became angry and broke free of the space pod he was being held captive in. He delivered a devastating blow to Raditz, giving Goku and Piccolo time to kill the evil alien, though Goku died in the process as well.
After the battle with Raditz, Piccolo, having seen Gohan's power first hand, decided to take Gohan out training in the wilderness. He left Gohan alone to survive against dinosaurs and other dangers for six months, though during this time he watched Gohan carefully. The rest of the year, Piccolo showed no mercy as he taught Gohan how to fight. Soon Gohan's bright and cheerful nature made Piccolo protective over the young boy. When the time came for the Z Fighters to take on the remaining two Saiyans, Vegeta and Nappa, Gohan was able to control his fear but at times his age caught up with him, and he became frightened.
When Nappa fired a lethal energy blast at Gohan, Piccolo threw himself in front of Gohan and took the impact. Gohan was deeply angered by Piccolo's death and in turn fired a powerful Masenko at Nappa, which did some damage to his arm.
Later on, after Vegeta turns into a Great Ape and injures Goku, Gohan himself transforms into the Great Ape form, defeating Vegeta by landing on him after his tail is cut off.
[edit] Frieza Saga
Gohan chose to go to the Planet Namek to gather the Namekian Dragon Balls to bring back his friends back to life, because Piccolo's death caused the Earth's Dragon Balls to turn to stone. Gohan was on a personal mission to wish back Piccolo and went so far as to wear a copy of Piccolo's dōgi to honor him.
During the Namek Saga, Gohan proved to be a great warrior who might be one day stronger than his father. It is also where Gohan's untapped power is revealed again when he gets angry. In the Z fighters battle against Frieza's second form, Krillin is injured by the tyrant and is sent into the depths of the water below. Gohan rushes to save his friend from drowning, but Frieza stops him. Getting angry, Gohan unleashes a massive wave of Masenkos that brings Frieza to his knees.
When the Z Fighters on Namek are returned to Earth, Gohan and the others are shocked after the Eternal Dragon Porunga refused the wish that Goku be brought back to life, but everyone rejoiced once the Dragon explained that Goku did not die from Namek's explosion. During this time of peace, everyone awaited the arrival of Goku, and Gohan went back to his studies while Piccolo watched over him and his mother.
[edit] Garlic Jr. Saga
After Garlic Jr. escaped from the Dead Zone and enslaved most of humanity with the Black Water Mist, Gohan, who was unaffected due to hiding in a cave, is forced to travel to the lookout point to save his mother and friends, together with Krillin and Piccolo. He had to do battle with Garlic Jr.'s henchmen, the Spice Boys, and after taking them down, he had to face his friends: Krillin and Piccolo. Luckily it turned out that these two were only pretending to be evil so they could free Kami and Mr. Popo. While outmatched at first, after a reunion with his friends Gohan eventually manages to overcome and send Garlic Jr. back to the Dead Zone by blowing up the Makyo Star that was powering the villain. This would be the first time Gohan had saved the world without his father's help.
[edit] Cell Saga
At the age of seven, Gohan trained with Piccolo and Goku (who had recently returned to Earth) for three years to fight Android 18 and Android 17, which Future Trunks had warned them about. He spent a further year with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber where he spent some quality training time with his father whom he was rarely with, spending a whole year in a day's time.
At the age of ten he emerged from the room as a Super Saiyan. To everyone's surprise, Goku forfeited the battle against Perfect Cell and chose Gohan to take his place. It was revealed that Gohan had a special power locked up inside him that manifested itself when his anger was pushed to the brink. Gohan did not wish to see this power unleashed, much to Cell's chagrin. Believing he could unlock this power, Cell began torturing Gohan, and eventually released seven Cell Jr.'s to kill the Z Fighters
When things started to get dangerous, Android 16 tried to help Gohan by telling him not to be afraid of releasing his anger. Cell crushed the peace loving android's head, and Gohan's emotions finally exploded: he became the first to transform into Super Saiyan 2 (Though, technically, he had achieved the SSJ2 transformation before that, because a flashback from Goku during the Cell Games revealed that Gohan briefly transformed into a SSJ2 during their Room of Spirit and Time training [thus explaining why he was confident in Gohan being able to defeat Cell]). He moved at incredible speed and destroyed all Cell Jr.'s, each in one hit without showing mercy. He then fought with Cell, and easily defeated him as well, even when Perfect Cell unleashed his full power upon him. In desperation, Semi-Perfect Cell began a Self Destruction technique, planning to blow up the Earth. However, Goku used Instant Transmission to transport Cell away from Earth, to King Kai's Planet, sacrificing himself in the process.
Unfortunately, Cell survived the explosion, regenerating from a lone cell in his core. Doing this effectively raised his power far higher, and he also learned Goku's teleportation technique. Cell headed right back to earth to destroy Gohan and the remaining Z Warriors. Cell killed Future Trunks with one blast, and nearly killed Vegeta, though Gohan jumped in front of the blast Super Perfect Cell shot at Vegeta, it cost him the use of his arm.
Wanting to end the conflict, Cell prepared to destroy Gohan with a massive Kamehameha wave. Gohan saw no hope. At that moment, Goku telepathically urged Gohan to fight back once more, and to fire a Kamehameha to combat Cell's, which Gohan did. During the duel between the two super powers, Cell had the upper hand. In the end however, Cell was distracted by Vegeta. Using this to his advantage, Gohan poured his power into his Kamehameha wave, completely destroying Cell. It should be noted that after this battle Gohan's strength had eclipsed even Goku's, making him the strongest of the Z Fighters. However, due to Gohan's lack of training during the following seven-year time skip, his power atrophied somewhat, and was again surpassed by Goku who had been training in the Other World and Vegeta who devoted the years to his training on Earth.
[edit] Buu Saga
Seven years after the events of the Cell Games, Gohan lives at home with his mother and his seven year old brother named Goten. Chi-Chi decides Gohan needs to attend high school to finish his education. On his first day, he turns Super Saiyan (in order to conceal his identity) to stop a robbery, and by the time he arrives at Orange Star High tales of the newest hero, "Gold Fighter", have already spread (which name was actually given to him after two previous incidents while going to the school to take entrance exams). In class he meets another crime-fighter and the most popular girl in school, Videl. She is the daughter of Hercule, who got rich and famous for stealing Gohan's credit over the defeat of Cell.
Videl is highly suspicious of Gohan and spies on him to see if he's really the Gold Fighter. Videl confronts Gohan several times to voice her suspicions but Gohan nervously denies them. Gohan decides to use a disguise when fighting crime and goes to Bulma to make him a costume. He becomes the Great Saiyaman to hide his identity so that the media will not bother his family. But while trying to convince Videl to let him return a stolen dinosaur to its two pterodactyl parents, he accidentally reveals his identity to Videl, who then blackmails Gohan to compete against her in the newly revived World Martial Arts Tournament in exchange for her silence. Gohan, having no experience with kids his own age, especially girls, is helpless against the confident Videl. She also makes him promise to teach her to fly.
When Gohan tells Bulma about the tournament, Goku, listening in from the Other World, contacts them and tells them he'll compete too, using his one-day pass to the human world. Hearing this, Vegeta also decides to compete. To make it more interesting, and to give them a chance to meet Goku again, Gohan tells all his friends about the tournament, and they all decide to compete. While Gohan trains with Goten, he is shocked to see Goten transform into a Super Saiyan, breaking his record as the youngest Super Saiyan ever.
When Videl shows up at Gohan's home to learn to fly, Gohan learns that she has no knowledge of energy, since her father believes it to be just a trick. Gohan begins training her from scratch, though she picks it up pretty quickly. During his training of Videl as well as his brother Goten, Videl learns more about Gohan and grows closer to him. Goten lets it slip that their dad is coming back from the dead to compete, but Videl brushes it off, assuming that their father left them.
Once the tournament began, Gohan found himself set up to fight Kabito. In order for the Supreme Kai and Kabito to find Babidi's ship,
Later on, Majin Buu is resurrected by Babidi and Dabura. Gohan is beaten severely after he tries to defend Supreme Kai. Kibito (Supreme Kai's bodyguard) finds Supreme Kai and is told that Gohan is their only hope against Majin Buu. They bring Gohan to the the Sacred World of the Kais and inform him that he must master the use of the Z Sword in order to defeat Majin Buu. During his training with the blade, Gohan accidentally breaks the sword, releasing Elder Kai whom had been sealed within the sword for millions of years. Elder Kai tells Gohan that he can defeat Buu if he releases his potential power. After a twenty hour ritual is performed, Gohan's latent power is released, granting him incredible strength. He was able to easily fight Super Buu until Super Buu absorbed Gotenks, becoming too much for Gohan to handle. With help (getting healed by Dende and the timely arrival of Goku), Gohan was able to survive until Gotenks defused inside Super Buu, but was then absorbed himself. He is later rescued from Buu along with others by Vegeta and Goku causing Super Buu to change back to his original form - Kid Buu. Gohan is later killed when Kid Buu destroys the earth. But he is revived along with the earth and everyone else by Porunga. He then contributes a large part of his energy to Goku's Spirit Bomb to put and end to Majin Buu for good.
[edit] History of Trunks
Main article: The History of TrunksMain article: Future Gohan
In Future Trunks's original timeline, Goku has died from his viral heart disease. Android 17 and Android 18 have been awakened by Dr. Gero, and have turned Earth into their playground. Piccolo, Vegeta, Tien, Krillin, Yamcha, Chiaotzu, Yajirobe, Gohan team up to fight the Androids but they are no match for their powers. First to be killed is Piccolo, dropped by a powerful kick to the gut from Android 18. Vegeta is the next warrior to be killed, incinirated by a powerful blast of energy delivered by Android 17. Android 17 follows by destroying Krillin, Yamcha, and Yajirobe with energy blasts through the chest while Android 18 wipes out Tien and Chiaotzu the same way. Gohan some how manages to escape from the deadly battle and becomes a Super Saiyan after the death of his fallen friends. Future Gohan has grown up after thirteen years, and continues to fight the androids to the best of his ability. It seems that Future Gohan is equal if not stronger then Android 17 but he is unable to ever defeat the Androids together (and because the Androids never run out of energy) so he's forced to retreat from most of the battles. Future Trunks, wanting to help, asks Future Gohan to train him so he too can join in the fight against the androids. Future Gohan takes Future Trunks under his tutelage, hoping that as a Saiyan and the son of Vegeta, he will one day also be able to become a Super Saiyan and a powerful ally in finally defeating the androids.
Gohan and Trunks battle the androids until Trunks' inexperience leads to him being at the mercy of Android 18. In an effort to save Trunks, Gohan manages to buy enough time for the two of them to hide, only to have the androids bomb the entire area, severing Gohan's arm and severely injuring both him and Trunks. Luckily, Gohan gives Trunks the last remaining senzu bean (senzu plant dies in this future) which saves Trunks' life. Trunks brings Gohan back to his house were he heals.
Gohan continues to train with Trunks, desperately trying as best he can to help the young warrior to ascend into Super Saiyan.
As the Androids attack another city near by, Gohan prepares to fight the androids telling Trunks to stay behind. Trunks is shown desperately wanting to help and Gohan knows that there is no way to talk Trunks out of it. He misleads Trunks into thinking he will accept the help, then quickly knocks him out. In his mind Gohan knew he was going to die but, knew his death would help the future and sets off to fight the Androids. Gohan goes to fight the Androids as he tells them that someone stronger will take his place (Trunks). Gohan takes on the Androids fighting with one arm he manages to hold his own but, the Androids gang up on him in the rain and kill him. After Trunks awakens, he finds Gohan's lifeless body destroyed by the Androids. Seeing his closest friend and mentor laying lifeless on the ground, Trunks feels the unfairness and anger of his friend's death which allows Trunks to become a Super Saiyan. Knowing that his death would save the future, Gohan died a hero. '
[edit] Dragon Ball GT
[edit] Black Star Dragon Ball Saga
Ten years after Dragon Ball Z, Gohan now works for Bulma's company as a researcher and, like Trunks, he rarely trains. He now is more concerned about being a good husband and father. He is one of the first to learn about Goku's transformation back into a child thanks to a wish made to the Black Star Dragon Balls by Emperor Pilaf. They all soon learn that if the Black Star Dragon Ball aren't collected and brought back to Earth within a years time, the planet will explode.
Gohan, along with the help of Bulma and Videl, works on the spaceship used for Goku, Trunks, and Goten (later replaced by daughter Pan) to go hunt the Black Star Dragon Balls. Even though he had apparently stopped with his training, he was still far stronger than most of his allies, including Trunks and Goten; he was arguably the closest to Goku and Vegeta's league in strength.
[edit] Baby Saga
Gohan is later seen again visiting his mother and brother at Capsule Corp. with Videl. They tell Chi-Chi that Goten got into a fight somewhere (with Baby) over at Satan City. Goten returns shortly after, now under the control of Baby. Baby immediately realizes that Gohan is stronger than Goten and could be a little more sufficient body to help him infect Vegeta. Gohan also realizes something is not right with his brother. They two get into a little fight and decide to settle at a remote location. Baby Goten immediately plays the offensive against Gohan, trying to force him to power up (making it easier for him to takeover Gohan's body). Gohan refuses to do so, realizing that if he uses enough energy, he could hurt Goten. Baby Goten then powers up to full strength, cornering Gohan. Having no other choice, Gohan powers up Super Saiyan. Baby then uses this opportunity and easily takes over Gohan's body. Baby tries out Gohan's powers by attacking Piccolo, also in the area.
[edit] Super 17 Saga
Gohan, along with the rest of the gang, fight the villians that escaped from Hell. He mainly battles a revived General Rilldo, saving Pan and Hercule from him. He is clearly no match for General Rilldo, having both his arm and leg encased in metal during the battle. He is nearly killed, but was saved at the last minute by Majuub.
He then battles (along with the Goten, Trunks, Vegeta, and Majuub) against Super 17, even firing an incredible Kamehameha attack, which had no effect (Super 17 absorbed it). He is the first to be knocked out, but is saved, along with the others by Goku.
[edit] Shadow Dragon Saga
Gohan, along with the rest, learn that thanks to the several wishes made to the Dragon Balls over the years, haved caused enough negative energy to turn the balls evil, causing seven powerful Shadow Dragons to emerge from them.
Pan and Goku are successful in hunting down and killing most of the dragons, but are no match for the powerful Syn Shenron. Gohan (back in his gi from the Fusion Saga), Trunks, and Goten come to the rescue and revive Goku's energy, while Majuub holds off Syn Shenron. Shenron is, however, relentless at killing Goku, and tries his best to stop the re-powering. He is even successful in landing Gohan a devastating blow. Syn's efforts are in vain, though, as the three are able to restore Goku's energy.
Goku, now at full power, is more than enough to beat Syn Shenron, but things go for the worse when Syn abosrbs all seven Dragon Balls, and transforms into Omega Shenron. Not even Goku is able to comprehand his power.
The situation changes when Vegeta arrives and absorbes Blutz Waves from Bulma's new machine, to help him achieve Super Saiyan 4. Gohan warns Bulma that if given to much, he might lose control and became too powerful and uncontrollable (like Baby). However, Vegeta is successfully able to acheive Super Saiyan 4. It's not enough to stop Omega Shenron though, and Goku and Vegeta realise there's only one option: Fusion.
Gohan, Trunks, and Goten hold off Omega Shenron long for the Fusion to be success, forming Gogeta.
Peace is then returned to the Universe. Goku then sacrifices himself to make the final wish (to revive all those who died since the Super 17 Saga).
Gohan later lives the rest of his life with Videl and Pan, until dying of old age.
[edit] Transformations and power ups
[edit] Great Ape
Main article: Oozaru This transformation occurs when a person with Saiyan heritage (and with a tail) looks directly at a full moon. The result is the waves from the moon stimulating a gland in their tails, enabling an unavoidable transformation. This is a complete transformation, so it completely effects their mental state. But some Saiyans are able to control this primal mind through training. Gohan only appears as this twice in the series, first while training with Piccolo and again when fighting Vegeta. However, he transforms several other times in filler episodes and movies.
[edit] Unlock Potential
This in truth is not a form of Gohan, it is simply an enhancement that he acquires during the Namek Saga. This term is only used in the Budokai games. Gohan acquired this when he visited Guru during his trip to Planet Namek. Guru placed his hand on top of Gohan's head and using his own powers released Gohan's latent ki. This however did not release Gohan's hidden power, since he was still only able to unleash his hidden power through fierce rage. Gohan's abilities were enhanced along with the strength of his hidden power.
[edit] Super Saiyan
Main article: Super Saiyan The Gohan most associated with the main time line of Dragon Ball became a Super Saiyan at ten years of age, during the intense training he endured with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. However, it is not exactly clear at what age and how he became a Super Saiyan in the alternate time line (Future Trunks' Time Line). But it is suggested that he became a Super Saiyan after seeing his friends killed by Android 17 and Android 18, due to his rageful hatred towards them. Gohan is the fourth character in the series to appear as a Super Saiyan, and he was also the youngest until the appearance of Goten and Trunks.
[edit] Super Saiyan, Full-Power
Main article: Full-Power Super Saiyan
Gohan is one of the first people to display full mastery over the Super Saiyan. Gohan had learned to perfect the Super Saiyan form with his father, when his father suggested that they remain transformed for extended periods of time so that they could master Super Saiyan, including all the unwanted behavioral effects. This mastery of the Super Saiyan enables full control over the energy output and consumption, completely diminishing strain on the body. Gohan continues to use this form during the Buu Saga, particularly when training with Goten
[edit] Super Saiyan 2
Main article: Super Saiyan 2
Gohan was the first and the youngest character in the Dragon Ball series to reach Super Saiyan 2. Of course this occurred when his dormant power was fully awakened through his rage at Perfect Cell for hurting his friends and killing the peaceful Android 16 (though it was revealed in a flashback by Goku that Gohan actually achieved the transformed state while training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but was too exhausted to maintain the form). While in this form, Gohan's hair stands straight up with the exception of one lock that hangs down. Additionally, his muscles increase a bit (even though it's unnoticeable), and his aura surges with bio electrical discharges around his body. One thing is quite noticeable when he in particular manifests this transformation: his nature is prone to complete change, giving him an almost sadistic sense of mind. This is completely opposite of his natural reluctance and innocence when he is not transformed. The most noted example of this happening is his desire to watch Perfect Cell suffer before he was going to kill him; while prior to his Super Saiyan 2 transformation, he made it quite clear that he didn't want to hurt or even fight Cell.
It is presumed that he used this form to fight Broly in Broly: Second Coming. He also presumably used this form to stop a Baby-possessed Goten from destroying the planet and may have also used it when he was controlled by Baby to fight Goku along with Baby Goten. Unlike the other times he transforms into Super Saiyan 2, during Dragon Ball GT he does not seem to gain bio lightning around his body. From all of Gohan's Super Saiyan forms, this is easily considered his most powerful form besides his Ultimate Gohan form.
[edit] The Great Saiyaman
The Great Saiyaman is Gohan's alter ego and an attempt to hide his true identity from his classmates when he attended school in Satan City.
The Great Saiyaman was first born when Gohan transformed himself into a Super Saiyan in order to disguise himself as he fought some bank robbers on the morning on his first day to school. However, his classmates (and in particular, Videl) began to note strange similarities between himself and the mysterious "Gold Fighter" (as they described his Super Saiyan form). Concerned that his identity might be figured out, but wanting to protect the city from random crime, he approached Bulma and asked her if she could invent a device that could instantly change his appearance. With his new costume ready and easily accessible with the press of a button, he could now protect the city without his identity being easily discovered.
However, despite the new disguise and protection of his identity being discovered, the Great Saiyaman identity still didn't ensure Gohan's identity from being safe. Juggling between his school and superhero life proved to be difficult, and his classmates and teachers noticed that he was gone for a long period of time when he asked for bathroom breaks. Also, Videl proved to be a thorn in Gohan's side, as she was both reluctant to accept assistance from him and most importantly wanted to discover his true identity. At one time, the Great Saiyaman's true identity was in jeopardy of being discovered when he changed from being the Great Saiyaman to his normal form and noticed that his fellow classmate Angela was standing in front of him during his change; however, he was saved when she revealed that she didn't have her contact lenses on at that time and couldn't see anything- and that her big secret about Gohan was the fact that he wears teddy bear underwear.
Gohan's luck ran out when Videl eventually discovered his true identity when she noticed that Gohan had a band-aid to cover up a scratch to the face he received while fighting alongside with her under his disguise. However, she promised him that she would not reveal his identity if he promised her two things: To enter in the World Martial Arts Tournament and to teach her how to fly, to which he reluctantly agreed. During the Tournament however, his friends learned of his true identity when they noticed the great similarities between Gohan and the Great Saiyaman (Gohan forgot to put his bandanna on after turning Super Saiyan in anger after seeing Videl's match with Spopovich). Incidentally on the same day, he transformed into a Super Saiyan again at Kibito's behest, confirming to both Videl and his friends that he was also the Gold Fighter as well. Videl then realised that Gohan was the young boy who also competed in the Cell Games tournament, and therefore questioned whether her dad really won the Cell Games Tournament or not (even going so far as to realize that it was Gohan who defeated Super Perfect Cell in the anime).
The name "Saiyaman" is a reference to his Saiyan heritage. He thought up the name on the spot while confronting two youths who were speeding in a car, and was easily offended when they laughed at his name. Later, the name was frequently mistaken for others, such as the "Great Soyman" or the "Great Singing man", which further aggravated Gohan. He was also noted for his comical poses (comparable to or even more ridiculous than the poses of the Ginyu Force) he would perform when introducing himself, and was generally written off as hilarious or weird. Nonetheless, he was still a respected hero within Satan City.
[edit] Ultimate Gohan
Gohan's ultimate power up when the full extent of his dormant power is released during the Fusion Saga. This power up was achieved by a special "ki unlocking" ceremony performed by Elder Kai. Although technically this ability is not exclusive to Gohan alone as the ceremony can be used to unlock anyone's sleeping powers, his was unusual in the amount of time it took to unlock. When the power is first acquired, he is told to go Super Saiyan, however when Gohan attempts to transform into a Super Saiyan, his hair, aura, and eyes stay his natural color. Only subtle changes in his appearance occur, including more pronounced facial features and more upright hair. This power up is referred to as "Elder Kai Unlock Ability" in the Budokai series of video games and "Ultimate Gohan" in the Budokai Tenkaichi series. This form was nicknamed Mystic Gohan by fans, the term "Chou Gohan" being less common. In this form Gohan's strength easily surpasses all of his other forms. Though Gohan shows a great amount of power, he was outmatched by Majin Buu after Gotenks and Piccolo were absorbed, with Buu using Piccolo's wisdom to play mind tricks against him.
[edit] Special abilities
Main article: List of techniques used by Gohan
| Goten • Videl • Chi-Chi • Piccolo • Pan • Future Trunks • Bulma • Krillin • Goku |
