Summary
There are not a lot of manga that get anime adaptation and even fewer of such series get developed into full-fledged anime franchises. Hardly any of such anime franchises can acquire the privilege of being one of highest grossing andhit anime franchises of all time, but this is no issue for the franchise in the discussion,Dragon Ball. It is a classic anime franchise and renowned manga author Akira Toriyama’s most celebrated work which is loved by fans worldwide. What keeps the franchise still interesting and intriguing for the fans even after different series joining and adding up after years of airing the originalDragon Ballseries in 1986 is the perfect blend of unique characters in this franchise with its power system.
This element of theDragon Ballfranchise makes it quite an engaging experience for its fans. Since the franchise is full of various extremely powerful characters especially the ongoing series in the franchise,Dragon Ball Super, has added numerous new powerful characters like theGod of Destructions such as Beerus, Jiren, Whis, Zeno, etc. At the same time, Toriyama gives out immense power upgrades to our favorite original characters like Goku, Vegeta, etc. He recently gave Gohan a much-required power-up, and it is highly powerfulDragon Ballfans have been arguing among themselves whether Gohan’s new transformation called Beast Gohan is stronger than Goku in his most powerful form which is Master Ultra Instinct (MUI). Therefore, let’s settle this debate on behalf of the fans in different terms.
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Strength and Power
Goku is hands down the most powerful immortal till the Tournament of Power Arc ofDragon Ball Superwhere he was able to achieve this status after having masteredthe Ultra Instinct formtaught to him by Whis. On the other hand, Gohan who has been the underdog for most fans throughout the franchise since the days ofDragon Ball Zhas possibly joined his father and the likes of Vegeta in the race of becoming the most powerful mortal. Goku’s MUI is so powerful that he defeated Jiren of Universe 11 who was supposedly the strongest mortal until Goku gave him the taste of defeat at the end of the Tournament of Power Arc. Hence, it was feasible to observe that Goku became the new strongest mortal. Gohan unlike Goku was abstaining from any battle or fight since he was living a normal life as a professor, however, it all changed and a danger hovering over his family and Earth made him return to the battlefield. Because of Piccolo’s guidance and the pressure that he went through during hisfight with Cell Max, he gained a new transformation called Beast Gohan or Gohan Beast which made him significantly stronger than his previous max form called Ultimate Gohan.
Now with the new and powerful transformation, Is Gohan more powerful than MUI Goku? Yes, he is. The answer to the previous question was made simple by the creator of theDragon Ballfranchise andDragon Ball Super, Akira Toriyama. While promoting theDBS: Super Herolast year, he mentioned in an interview that Gohan is now the strongest Z fighter even stronger than UI Gokuand Ultra Ego (UE) Vegeta. This more or less settles the debate about who out of Gohan and Goku is stronger after he got his Beast Gohan transformation.
In terms of Storytelling
Even though Gohan is now stronger than Goku in his maximum form (not taking into consideration the latest manga chapters) as per the creator ofDragon Ballhimself,the story might not simply unfoldthis fact. For the unfolding of the future story and to keep the fans hooked toDragon Ball Superlike in previous installments of theDragon Ballfranchise, Toriyama and theDBSmakers would ensure that Goku keeps playing the protagonist of the franchise. And it would be pretty weird if although important, a side character like Gohan was to outshine Goku. However, things might turn out better if Gohan was to get a push as the new protagonist of theDragon Ballseries, but that is highly unlikely given that such a push went south because of poor writing duringDragon Ball Zand fans are happy with Goku as the protagonist for now.
However, if executed properly with a good storyline even if for some time Gohan can replace Goku as the protagonist, it would be like a breath of fresh airfor theDragon Ball Superfansgiven the fact that Gohan is stronger than Goku now. Even if not the protagonist push, the fans would enjoy the makers ofDragon BallSuper giving Gohan the limelight that he deserves at least for an arc.
Akira Toriyama’s Take
While the fans are busy comparing Gohan and Goku’s power levels and arguing over who’s stronger, Akira Toriyama is quite sorted regarding his stance on this situation. He not only expressed that Gohan is stronger than everyone (mortals) but also that Gohan has not had any concrete chance to shine after his big moment during the Cell Games SagainDragon Ball Zwhich long back in 1993.
Taking Toriyama’s thoughts on Gohan’s character development and the treatment that he has gotten in theDragon Ballfranchise so far, it would be feasible to say that Gohan after getting his Beast Gohan transformation isstronger than MUI Goku. However, there is a fifty-fifty chance of the fans getting to see Gohan surpass his father in a full-fledged way either in manga or in anime. The fans would only get to know Gohan’s fate as the story ofDragon Ball Superproceeds.
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