Let’s start out with a question–who is your favorite character in all of anime? It can be any anime, and any character so long as you really like them. Now, does the character that you love have a meaningful story arc that you feel pays off by the end of the series? If so, then you’re lucky, and you’re likely not talking about Gohan. As fans of Dragon Ball Super and past Dragon Ball animes and movies have been noting for a long time, Gohan has been a bit of a letdown after the legendary Cell Saga.
Never forget that after that saga, it was Gohan who stood on top with some help from his dad and helped end the biggest threat they faced at the time. Many were hoping that the Dragon Ball anime would do something that many anime have been afraid to do and basically replace their main character so that the next generation would stand up and get their time in the spotlight. Instead, they didn’t. Goku came back from death once again, and Gohan became the Great Saiyaman among other things. Mainly many non-combative things that led to him being a bit underpowered by the time Dragon Ball Super came around.
Many hoped that the Tournament of Power would right the ship, but that didn’t happen as much as many hoped. When the Super Hero movie was announced and then came out, things finally started to turn around because not only was Gohan the focus, they teased a return to form.
But that’s where yet another twist comes in, because according to the voice actors for Gohan and Piccolo, Kyle Herbert and Christopher Sabat, they actually didn’t mind the change in style and personality for Gohan.
Sabat even noted that he was not unlike the creator of the franchise himself:
“Everyone wants him to fight, even the fans. And sometimes I wonder if Gohan is some sort of weird metaphor for Akira Toriyama himself, because Akira Toriyama loves to do the comic stuff.”
He went on to note that Gohan doing his studies was akin to “doing what your heart wants” versus the expectations that others have on you.
Herbert noted that while Gohan was more of a scholar now, that made him a better person, and a better father. The full circle would come in the movie as we all now know, but it did take a while to get there.
Whether you buy this or not is up to you, there are arguments to be made on both sides. But the other thing is that while this was an important thing, the follow-through afterward is just as important. So thus, no matter where the anime goes from here, fans will be watching to see what happens with Gohan.
Source: ComicBook.com
