Dragon Ball: This Character Was Always Supposed to Replace Goku, Here’s Why It Didn’t Work

Dragon Ball is the pinnacle of shonen series and one of the most influential manga of all time. Although the series started with Goku and Krillin, as it progresses, many other characters have been introduced and many things have changed. For instance, Krillin was sidelined, and Saiyans got the spotlight from the Saiyan Saga onwards.

However, while Goku is the most iconic character of the series, he wasn’t supposed to remain as the main character in Dragon Ball Z, especially after the Cell Saga. But who could ever have replaced him in this role?

Toriyama Was Going to Make Gohan the Main Character

Many Dragon Ball Z fans thought that Gohan would eventually surpass Goku in terms of power. In fact, most fans were shocked by the path Gohan followed after the Cell Saga, because it seemed obvious to them that he would keep training and become the most powerful warrior on Earth.

Back then, there was a lot of evidence to support this belief. From the Saiyan Saga to the Cell Saga, Gohan goes through an intense character arc, going from a fearful child to the first Saiyan to awaken Super Saiyan 2 and ultimately defeating Cell. Furthermore, characters often comment on how immense Gohan’s underlying potential powers seem to be; even Goku recognizes that at some point. Finally, Future Gohan gave fans a glimpse of what Gohan could become. Therefore, there was a strong sense that Gohan was bound to eventually be the strongest warrior in the series.

This wasn’t just a perception some fans accidentally had. In fact, Toriyama admitted that he originally planned for Gohan to become the hero in the Buu Saga, and this explains why so many people also felt this was where the manga was leading to.

Dragon Ball will continue for just a tad longer! From now on, taking the place of the late Goku as the main character will be his serious-minded son, Son Gohan!

— Dragon Ball Chapter 421

He Changed His Mind and Kept Goku as the Protagonist

But if Gohan was supposed to become the main character, why didn’t he? Well, Toriyama also changed his mind. As he was writing, he didn’t feel Gohan would work as well as Goku as the main character. So he changed his plans for the character. According to former editor Torishima, Toriyama struggled a lot with Gohan in the Buu Saga, especially in the High School arc.

While many fans hate what Gohan became in the Buu Saga, it actually fits his personality. Gohan is powerful, but he has never been very interested in fighting, and he always loved to study. It makes sense for Gohan not to focus on training, although it doesn’t make much sense that Piccolo, who knew that Gohan had tremendous potential, would easily let him skip training.

Would the Buu Saga Be Better With Gohan as Protagonist?

Some fans believe that the Buu Saga would have been better if Gohan was the one in the spotlight, awakening forms like Super Saiyan 3 before anyone else. Well, the story would definitely be different from what we have seen, but would it make sense for Gohan to be this character?

As mentioned, Gohan was never this kind of person. It wouldn’t make much sense to him to train if he didn’t believe a threat would be coming a few years later, unless someone like Piccolo forced him. While Future Gohan proves he can be strong, Future Gohan also proves that this is a sad life for Gohan.

Dragon Ball Super Does Gohan Some Justice

After many years, Toriyama turned his attention to Gohan once again and showed that Gohan can be the strongest warrior while not being the main character. In fact, this role seems to fit more who the character has always been.

In Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, Gohan awakened his Beast form, a transformation unique to him and related to his potential. Beast is like the evolved version of Ultimate, and for this reason this form was originally called Final Gohan. As usual with him, Gohan only unlocked such an enormous level of power after seeing those he loves (in this case, Piccolo) in real danger. While he isn’t likely to become the main character, with this new form, Gohan can play a major role in the upcoming Dragon Ball Super arcs.