The characters in one of the greatest anime franchises ever made, Dragon Ball, have a few things in common, one of which is their constant increase in power, which helps move the series forward. Many of the heroes and villains do this by achieving new forms, whether they do that by fusing with fellow characters, training, or having their latent energy unlocked by powerful beings.
One hero who has constantly pushed the boundaries of power in the series by achieving new forms is Gohan. Gohan, the son of Goku, was introduced in Dragon Ball Z and he was soon pushed to great heights — at a rate quicker than his Saiyan father. Let’s take a look at every form Gohan achieved in the franchise, and where his power fell during each form.
Gohan
This is Gohan’s base form. First introduced at the beginning of Dragon Ball Z in the Raditz Saga, Gohan was a young child at that time. Gohan is the child of the Saiyan Goku and the Earthling Chi-Chi, the daughter of the Ox King. At the time, he had a Saiyan tail before it was removed. Canonically there are a few versions of Gohan as he grows older. The next age is called Teen Gohan, who first appeared after training with Goku in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during the Cell Games Saga.
The age after Teen Gohan was just called Gohan, and his youngest age was retroactively known as Son Gohan or Kid Gohan. This version was introduced in the Great Saiyaman Saga of Dragon Ball Z and Gohan is in high school. Then in Dragon Ball Super, Gohan is just Gohan, and he eventually has a child with Mr. Satan’s daughter Videl. As he grew up while Goku and Piccolo encouraged his training, Chi-Chi encouraged (perhaps too forcefully) his studies. When he leaves school, he becomes a scholar and continues his pursuit of knowledge.
Gohan’s main source of power, when he is not in any of his other forms, stems from his emotions. Usually triggered by the death or near-death of a friend or family member, if Gohan is pushed to the brink emotionally, his true powers will be unleashed, becoming more powerful than he would be otherwise. We see this multiple times throughout Dragon Ball Z.
Gohan Great Ape
Gohan’s Great Ape form was introduced in the Vegeta Saga of Dragon Ball Z. This form was inherited from Goku and his Sayian traits. When a Saiyan would stare at a full moon when they still had a tail, they would transform into the Saiyan Great Ape. The Great Ape form, when unleashed, would let the Saiyan reach their maximum power. However, Earth’s moon had been destroyed during the events of the original Dragon Ball so Vegeta launched a power ball to emulate the moon so he could transform.
Unfortunately, when a Saiyan transformed into the Great Ape, they transformed into rampaging monsters who couldn’t control themselves. The only way Gohan could keep some semblance of concentration in the form was by focusing on his father. Gohan used this form against Vegeta, who had transformed into a Great Ape previously. Vegeta cuts off the young Saiyan’s tail, preventing him from using the form again.
Unlock Potential
The Unlock Potential form was first introduced in the Namek Saga of Dragon Ball Z. Gohan, Krillin and Bulma traveled to Namek to gather the Namekian Dragon Balls to wish Piccolo and Kami back so the Earth’s Dragon Balls would return. Unfortunately, Vegeta wanted the Dragon Balls as did a new threat… Frieza.
To make sure that Krillin and Gohan would be strong enough to fight against the forces they might encounter during the Dragon Ball hunt, the Grand Elder Guru offered to unlock their latent potential. While Krillin did get stronger, Gohan’s power increased immensely, and he would pursue this line of transformation further down the line in the anime. At this point, Gohan was at the same power level as Vegeta.
Super Saiyan
Gohan was not the first or even the second being to become a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball Z, but when he and Goku trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber in the Cell Games Saga, he quickly was able to achieve the form. Like his father before him, Gohan’s Super Saiyan form made his hair shoot straight up and it turned his hair bright yellow. His energy aura was also yellow whenever he achieved the form, and his muscles grew larger to match his increase in strength.
By the time Goku and Gohan would leave the chamber, they both had mastered the Super Saiyan Full Power form as well. This version of the Super Saiyan form was achieved by spending months training in the base Super Saiyan form. Once they had the form mastered, they entered their Super Saiyan Full Power form, which allowed them to be in their Super Saiyan forms normally, without wasting their stamina.
Super Saiyan 2
Gohan was the first Saiyan in the anime to achieve the Super Saiyan 2 form, and he first reached it in the Cell Games Saga of Dragon Ball Z. He was only able to reach the form when Cell antagonized him by sending the Cell Juniors to kill the Z Fighters, and by killing Android 16. The death of Android 16 and seeing his friends defeated triggered Gohan’s emotions, allowing him to fully embrace the power he had received after training with his father in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. When in his Super Saiyan 2 form, Gohan is surrounded by blue electricity in addition to the effects of the base Super Saiyan form.
Gohan’s Super Saiyan form was important as, at the time, he was more powerful than Goku. Using this newfound power, he was able to defeat Perfect Cell. Unfortunately, he toyed with the biological android – a side effect of the new form – opting not to kill him when he had the chance. Instead, he hit Cell so hard that he regurgitated Android 18, turning Cell back into Semi-Perfect Cell. This panicked Cell, so he turned himself into a bomb, thereby forcing Goku to transport him to King Kai’s planet, where Goku was sacrificed.
Great Saiyaman
One of the only physical forms in all of Dragon Ball Z to be triggered by wearing a costume, Gohan’s Great Saiyaman was worn in the Great Saiyaman Saga. As Gohan grew older, he wanted to stop the criminals of Earth, but he did not want his classmates to find out that he was the one behind it. So Gohan created a superhero alter ego known as the Great Saiyaman.
The Great Saiyaman is quite a goofy look for Gohan, as he wears a green outfit, a red cape, and what looks like a motorcycle helmet. Ultimately, he donned the outfit for no reason anyway, as Videl, his future wife, and Mr. Satan’s daughter, figured out his ‘secret identity’ in no time at all. Videl made him promise to train the martial arts fighter’s daughter for the upcoming Martial Arts World Tournament. When in the tournament, he replaced his helmet with a white bandana.
Ultimate Gohan/Potential Unleashed
Ultimate Gohan or the Potential Unleashed form was first unlocked in the Fusion Saga of Dragon Ball Z. To aid the people of Earth in the fight against the evil Majin Buu, Old Kai performs a special ceremony that completely unlocks Gohan’s power, an extension of the power he received in the Namek Saga. The Ultimate Gohan form is more powerful than the base Super Saiyan or Super Saiyan 2 forms and as such, once Gohan achieves this form, he rarely turns into a Super Saiyan.
Gohan’s hair sticks up like his Super Saiyan form as Ultimate Gohan, except his hair remains the same color. He also has the Super Saiyan 2 energy effects surrounding him whenever he taps into this form. He had no trouble defeating Super Buu in this form, and in Dragon Ball Super, Ultimate Gohan holds a candle to Goku in his Super Saiyan Blue form.
Gohan Beast
This is the only one of Gohan’s forms not to be introduced in Dragon Ball Z. The Gohan Beast form was introduced in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. The film saw the return of the Red Ribbon Army, led by the ruthless Magenta, who tasked the grandson of Dr. Gero, Dr. Hedo, to create new androids for them. Hedo made three androids, the superheroic Gamma Twins, and at Magenta’s request, an upgraded version of Cell dubbed Cell Max.
Throughout the film, Piccolo tried to coax Gohan into training again, and ultimately he got him to fight by putting his daughter Pan in danger. But when Cell Max was unleashed prematurely, even Piccolo’s new form could not stop him. Gohan unleashed his new form after thinking Piccolo had been killed, and it is the evolution of his Ultimate Gohan form, called Gohan Beast. Gohan Beast’s hair is similar to Goku’s Ultra Instinct form and is gray. His blue electricity is joined by purple electricity in this form. It was more than enough to defeat Cell Max and Gohan Beast is the most powerful being on Earth.
It is worth noting that these are all the forms Gohan has used across the anime, including Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. There are other forms Gohan has taken in numerous video games, some movies, and Dragon Ball GT, but seeing as there is an argument as to whether or not those stories are canon, they were left off of this list.
With that being said, Gohan proved himself to be immensely powerful, and more powerful than his father multiple times in the anime, culminating in the most powerful Earthling to ever live in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. There are even more stories to tell in the Dragon Ball franchise, so perhaps Gohan will put a pause on his scholarly pursuits to obtain a new form once again, in the Dragon Ball anime or in a movie in the future.