Unleashing Gohan: Ranking His Most Powerful Transformations in Dragon Ball!

Among the most powerful characters in Dragon Ball lore is Son Gohan, the eldest son of Son Goku and a remarkably strong Saiyan within the series’ narrative. Initially, Gohan made his appearance in Dragon Ball Z as a half-Saiyan with vast potential yet to be fully realized. Despite being a gentle child who wasn’t particularly fond of fighting like his father, he was compelled to take up martial arts following Piccolo, his mentor and surrogate guardian, training him as a fighter.

As a devoted fan and reviewer, I must say that throughout the epic saga, Gohan undeniably shone with some truly magnificent moments in the narrative. His potential, as legends foretold, surpassed that of every other main character. However, it was his inconsistent training regimen, particularly when compared to the relentless pursuit of power by Goku, that often left fans yearning for more.

Yet, when Gohan chose to dedicate himself to honing his skills, he unleashed forms so potent they could turn the tide in any battle. Today, we delve into the ranks of Gohan’s most powerful transformations, based on their displayed might.

14. Saiyan Saga Kid Gohan

Initially, Gohan made his appearance during the initial story arc of Dragon Ball Z, yet at that time, he hadn’t learned to fight as he was merely a three-year-old child. Interestingly, Raditz exploited him by using him as a negotiating tool against Goku. However, it was later revealed that Gohan had hidden talents when he exhibited unexpected prowess even shocking Raditz himself, who possessed power greater than both Goku and Piccolo combined.

After being trained by Piccolo, Gohan’s strength significantly increased, allowing him to hold his own against both Vegeta and Napa during the Saiyan Saga. However, he wasn’t powerful enough to defeat either of them. Yet, he demonstrated impressive feats, particularly when his hidden power was unleashed in times of tension or when he was enraged, channeling his anger into attempts to overcome his opponents.

13. Great Ape Gohan

During the period following Goku’s death at Raditz’s hands, Piccolo took on the role of mentor and trained Gohan extensively. Occasionally, the young boy would tap into his hidden potential. However, it was only under a full moon that he truly demonstrated the terrifying power inherent to Saiyans, transforming into a Great Ape – a form believed to represent the true essence of a Saiyan.

In his Great Ape form, a Saiyan becomes 20 times stronger. That’s why Gohan gave Piccolo quite a challenge; in the end, Piccolo had to sever Gohan’s tail so he couldn’t transform into a Great Ape anymore. It was the one and only time we saw Gohan undergoing this transformation, as once a Saiyan loses his tail, he can never turn into a Great Ape again.

12. Frieza Saga Kid Gohan

Following Piccolo’s demise during the Saiyan Saga, Bulma and their companions sought aid from the Namekian Dragon Balls to revive those who had perished. Gohan and Krillin embarked on a voyage with Bulma to the planet Namek, unaware that the ruthless galactic overlord known as Frieza – the mightiest being in the universe at that moment – was also present, hunting for the Dragon Balls to amplify his power to become the most powerful entity in existence.

Gohan and Krillin soon understood they were in for a challenge as Frieza’s soldiers proved too strong for them. Later on, the wise elder Guru helped Gohan tap into some of his hidden power reserves. This empowerment enabled Gohan to match the strength of Frieza’s subordinates. At one juncture, he even managed to access a small portion of his immense potential to inflict damage upon Frieza in his third form.

11. Golden Frieza Saga Gohan

Following a brief period of tranquility post Kid Buu’s defeat in Dragon Ball Z, we leap forward to the commencement of Dragon Ball Super. A gap in time exists between when Goku ended his fight with Beerus and Frieza’s return to Earth for his confrontation with Goku. Throughout these stretches, Gohan opted not to train, instead choosing to pursue his academic career and prepare for fatherhood.

To put it simply, Gohan’s lack of training had left him weak, making it difficult for him to achieve Super Saiyan. His powerful transformations were out of reach due to his prolonged neglect of training. During the fight with Frieza’s forces, he wasn’t very effective. This was because Frieza was significantly stronger than Gohan in his Final form. It’s important to note that while Gohan had attained Super Saiyan, a form that both Goku and Trunks used to defeat Frieza initially, he proved ineffective against Frieza before Goku intervened.

10. Great Saiyaman Gohan

For seven years following Gohan’s victory over Cell during the Cell Saga, a period of prolonged peace allowed him to enjoy a more ordinary life for the first time since Dragon Ball Z began. Consequently, while he might not have been as powerful as he was during the Cell Saga, Gohan retained considerable strength and likely ranked second among Earth’s strongest warriors, with Vegeta maintaining his rigorous training regimen.

Absolutely, Gohan donned the Great Saiyaman costume and transformed into a crime-fighting superhero before Buu regained consciousness. In his Great Saiyaman guise, Gohan retained significant strength but chose to restrain from using his full power as he wasn’t supposed to cause lethal or severe harm to anyone. Consequently, he maintained his power in check while acting as Great Saiyaman.

9. Buu Saga Adult Gohan

During the Buu Saga, Gohan donned the Great Saiyaman suit for quite some time, but he also battled as himself on several occasions. It’s worth mentioning that he was extraordinarily powerful throughout this arc, particularly during the World Martial Arts Tournament and his encounter with Demon King Dabura. Nevertheless, in the battle against Dabura, Gohan was left severely depleted after Yamu and Spopovich sapped his energy to bring Majin Buu to life.

In the heat of the Buu Saga, I found myself admiring the raw power of our protagonists. Despite his formidable strength, Gohan was outmatched by Vegeta, who had relentlessly honed his skills in training. Meanwhile, even in the afterlife, Goku continued to push himself, ultimately outstripping Gohan’s might. It becomes clear that during the early stages of this saga, Adult Gohan found himself lagging behind both Goku and Vegeta, who had grown stronger through their dedicated training during the timeskip.

8. Cell Saga Kid Gohan

In Dragon Ball Z, Gohan exhibited immense power due to his intense training period in life. He was diligent with his workouts because he anticipated the arrival of androids rumored to be stronger than Frieza. Later on, it was Goku who took Gohan under his wing for advanced training inside the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, boosting their abilities further.

At his normal level, Gohan’s strength was likely on par with Goku’s power during the Cell Saga. Consequently, it can be said without question that this was one of the peak moments in Gohan’s lifetime, given his immense strength at around 9 or 10 years old during the Cell Saga. In his regular form, he held his own among the strongest fighters globally, alongside Goku and Vegeta.

7. Future Gohan

In a different timeline belonging to Future Trunks, Gohan evolved into a powerful warrior known as Future Gohan. He valiantly guarded Earth from Android 17 and 18 when Future Trunks had yet to attain his Super Saiyan form. As such, he was incredibly strong and battle-worn compared to the standard version of Gohan. However, he could only achieve Super Saiyan, a form that unfortunately wasn’t potent enough to vanquish those android foes.

In comparison to ordinary Gohan, this particular version of Gohan had a more robust physique, but he lacked the strength necessary to prevent the androids from destroying the planet. His Super Saiyan form, however, wasn’t as potent as the Full-Powered Super Saiyan transformation that young Gohan managed to attain relatively quickly in his life.

6. Super Saiyan Adult Gohan

Following the Cell Saga, Gohan was still capable of attaining his Super Saiyan transformation despite neglecting his training. Interestingly, in the manga, he employed this form against Dabura, eschewing Super Saiyan 2 for some unknown reason. As an adult, Gohan only utilized his Super Saiyan form sparingly during the Buu Saga, preferring to rely on Super Saiyan 2 and later his power-unleashed form instead.

Even though adult Gohan’s power in his Super Saiyan form wasn’t as intense as it once was during the fight with Cell, he still packed quite a punch. Gohan managed to transform into his Super Saiyan state during the Tournament of Power preparations, but he only utilized it against Lavender from Universe 9 during their sparring match in the competition. The battle ended in a stalemate as Gohan hadn’t fully regained his peak fighting condition at that moment.

5. Super Saiyan Kid Gohan

During the Cell Saga, when Cell posed a grave danger to the world, Goku took it upon himself to mentor Gohan in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. It was here that Gohan managed to unleash the Super Saiyan transformation at just nine years old. This made him the youngest Super Saiyan ever recorded, until Goten later achieved the same form at seven.

At this point, Kid Gohan was at the pinnacle of his power before the events of the Buu Saga revealed his full potential. Despite not having the strength to defeat Perfect Cell while in his Super Saiyan form, he managed to hold his own impressively, though it’s worth noting that Cell wasn’t giving his absolute best during their encounter. However, Gohan appeared significantly stronger than any other fighter Earth could muster at that time, as Goku himself selected him for a one-on-one battle with Cell in the Cell Games.

4. Super Saiyan 2 Adult Gohan

Following the Cell Games, a seven-year break gave Gohan time to naturally develop his physical prowess, despite his lack of dedicated training during that period. However, this development allowed him to maintain some strength compared to his earlier days. Interestingly, Gohan was still capable of transforming into Super Saiyan 2, as demonstrated to Kibito during the World Martial Arts Tournament. Later, in the battle against Dabura in the anime, he utilized this form, but found it challenging to overcome the Demon King.

Although Dabura was no more powerful than Perfect Cell, Gohan struggled to defeat him. This was because, as Vegeta pointed out, the adult Gohan in his Super Saiyan 2 form wasn’t nearly as strong as he was when he defeated Cell seven years earlier. So, while still very powerful, the adult Gohan was significantly weaker than he was back then as a young boy who defeated Cell. In fact, both Goku and Vegeta had already surpassed his strength when they were in their own Super Saiyan 2 forms.

3. Super Saiyan 2 Kid Gohan

At about nine or ten years old, Young Gohan showcased an astonishing fighting prowess as a Super Saiyan 2, reaching the zenith of what being a Super Saiyan signified. He first attained this form in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but could not maintain it before fainting. Recognizing his potential, Goku selected Gohan to face Cell during the Cell Games.

Gohan transformed into the powerful form following Android 16’s encouragement, just moments before Cell brutally destroyed an innocent android. Enraged by this act, Gohan released all of his hidden strength, becoming the first character in Dragon Ball lore to achieve Super Saiyan 2. In this state, Perfect Cell stood no chance against him; if Gohan had chosen to, he could have ended it then and there. During the battle with Super Perfect Cell, Gohan held his own and ultimately emerged victorious, using a Super Kamehameha despite his injured arm and dwindling energy levels.

2. Ultimate/Mystic/Potential Unleashed Gohan

Following his defeat at Majin Buu’s hands, Kibito transported Gohan to his planet for intensive training, as he firmly believed that Gohan was the only one strong enough to vanquish Buu. Kibito bestowed upon him the Z-Sword, a weapon designed to bring forth a warrior’s inner strength. Unfortunately, the sword shattered, but in its place appeared Old Kai, who then unleashed Gohan’s hidden power reserves.

When Gohan tapped into his hidden power reservoir, he no longer had to resort to Super Saiyan 2, for his might surpassed Super Saiyan 3 by a significant margin. This empowered him with strength enough to overpower Super Buu entirely. Known as the Ultimate or Mystic Gohan, this form made him the most powerful non-fusion character in Dragon Ball Z since he was much stronger than Super Saiyan 3 Goku, who was nearly equal in strength to Majin Buu.

For some time during Dragon Ball Super, Gohan couldn’t use this specific form, but after training with Piccolo prior to the Tournament of Power, he managed to reacquire it. In this state, Gohan demonstrated strength capable of going toe-to-toe with Super Saiyan Blue Goku. During a staged battle against Golden Frieza, Gohan gave him quite a run for his money. It’s plausible that Ultimate Gohan could have held his own against the golden warlord in this form as well.

1. Gohan Beast

Following the Tournament of Power, Gohan took a break from training as he trusted heavily on Goku and Vegeta’s constant presence for rescue. Unfortunately, their absence during the return of the Red Ribbon Army left Piccolo no choice but to stage Pan’s kidnapping to motivate Gohan into reactivating his dormant power. In the confrontation with Gamma 1, Gohan managed to restore his Ultimate form, a strength that ultimately tipped the battle in his favor.

Initially, when Cell Max was activated, it proved too powerful for Ultimate Gohan. In fact, only Orange Piccolo could hold his own against him to some degree. When Gohan believed that Piccolo had perished at the hands of Cell Max, he tapped into his deepest reserves of power and fury, transforming into a new form called Gohan Beast. This transformation resembled his Super Saiyan 2 phase but featured longer, greyish-white hair and a body covered in a shimmering blue-white aura with purple electric flashes.

In this form, Gohan’s Beast transformation was incredibly powerful, managing to effortlessly withstand a full-force punch from Cell Max. Once Piccolo had immobilized Cell Max, a single blast from Gohan’s Special Beam Cannon proved sufficient to completely vanquish the colossal foe. It seems that Gohan’s Beast form may have surpassed Goku’s Super Saiyan Blue Kaioken x20 in strength, as he implied that Goku and Vegeta might not have been able to defeat Cell Max, given that it was established that Cell Max was stronger than Broly. This leads us to speculate that Gohan’s Beast form could potentially match Goku’s Ultra Instinct in power.

2025-06-08 01:16