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Over the course of theDragon Ballfranchise, each of the main heroes has undergone various transformations that have become just as iconic as the characters themselves. This series was the one to make transformations mainstream in the Shonen anime genre, and one of the biggest reasons for this is the unparalleled focus it puts on forms as a whole.
As such, the main Saiyans of the franchise have frequently shattered their limits to achieve even greater levels of power that allow them to defeat the strongest villains in the universe. Gohan is one of the best examples of this, sincehis unnatural potential as a half-Saiyanhas led to some of the greatest transformations in all ofDragon Ball. However, one rises above them all as the most important in Gohan’s entire repertoire.
Story Arc
Perfect Cell Saga
When it comes to transformations in the series, there’s no question that the most iconic of them all is the moment whenGoku unlocked the original Super Saiyan formagainst Frieza in the Namek Saga. This moment changed anime as we know it, introducing a concept so legendary that almost every single Shonen series to this day is inspired by it in one way or another.
While forms inDragon Ballare generally beloved across the board and are remembered quite fondly, none could ever reach the heights of Goku’s first ascension to Super Saiyan. However, the moment when Gohan unlocked Super Saiyan 2 for the first time against Perfect Cell is the closest any other moment has come to it, since it showed the next stage in the Saiyan transformation line that even Goku couldn’t achieve. Over the years, most Saiyan forms have been criticized for providing very minimal changes in terms of how they make the character look.
At last, the beastly power has been harnessed - Gohan has awoken!
However, when Gohan reached Super Saiyan 2 for the first time, this wasn’t as much of a problem since he was the only one who could do it, making the moment one of the best in all ofDragon Ball. Ever since the start ofZ,when fans first saw Gohan, they could always tell that there was something incredible about the boy’s power that was lurking beneath the surface, despite him being very young at the time. Throughout the series, this began to be teased more and more, eventuallyculminating in his fight against Perfect Cell.
Before this battle, Gohan and Goku would undergo intense training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, testing out the various grades of Super Saiyan which they believed were essential in defeating the villain. Eventually, Goku realized that Gohan’s potential was simply far too great for him to match, so he understood that it could only be his son who defeats the villain for good, despite Super Saiyan 2 not even being on the cards at the time.
Eventually, the date for the battle against Perfect Cell came around, which started with quite an intense fight between him and Goku. However, after a lengthy battle, Goku quit and told Gohan to step in for him, knowing that only his son had the power within him todefeat this incredible enemy. Over time, the situation began to get more dire with the Cell Juniors overpowering the Z-Fighters and Gohan being on the back foot against Cell. Upon seeing his opponent destroy Android 16, a power awoke inside the boy that had never been seen before.
The rage and desperation that he felt forced Gohan to a boiling point, eventually leading to a version of the Super Saiyan state that none could even conceive of at that point. This felt like the zenith of not only Gohan’s character arc that had been built up since his first appearance, but also of the series as a whole, as it set a new benchmark going forward. What followed was an effortless beatdown of his enemies, eventually leading to the Father-Son Kamehameha to destroy Cell for good.
Only One Other Transformation Comes Close To Super Saiyan 2 Gohan
Gohan’s Second-Best Form
In the Buu Saga, the transformations started to become widespread as every Saiyan could now turn into a Super Saiyan,even including Trunks and Goten. While cool to see, this did lead to some saturation when it came to the Super Saiyan transformation line in general, so it was amazing to witness Ultimate Gohan; a version of the character whose latent potential was unlocked. Visually, this form was almost identical to Gohan’s normal state.
However, the reason why it’s so loved is because it moved away from the regular Super Saiyan line to give Gohan a form stronger than even Super Saiyan 3 Goku. Though it was outclassed by Super Buu, he still did very well against it in the first half of their battle, giving Gohan a more ruthless attitude and unlocking his potential to make him strong in a unique way rather than him getting Super Saiyan 3.
