Dragon Ball Z is one of the most important, popular, and beloved manga and anime series in the medium. Although the story revolves around Goku, there was a moment when the Saiyan warrior was going to step aside so that another protagonist could shine. However, the author Akira Toriyama had a change of heart about his original plans.
Fans of this work know well that Goku loses his life during the final battle against the powerful Cell. In fact, it is his son, Gohan, who manages to save the Earth by unleashing all his power and achieving Super Saiyan 2. From that point on, the story was going to take a very different direction.
We must remember that the Majin Buu arc began with Gohan as the protagonist, as we even see him attending high school and trying to balance his student life with his role as a local superhero. Although Goku makes an appearance and has an important role, his son is the main character... at least for a moment.
Gohan was going to replace Goku permanently, but Akira Toriyama had a change of heart
As is well known, Gohan loses the battle against Majin Buu when the latter absorbs Piccolo and Gotenks to increase his power. When all seems lost, Goku is revived and travels to Earth to combat this new threat that seeks to end life in the universe.
Majin Buu also absorbs Gohan, so the leading role falls back to Goku; however, it seems that none of this was planned. In fact, Akira Toriyama wanted to kill Goku off for good but decided to bring him back for a very interesting reason.
In a special guide called Daizenshuu, which debuted in 1995 in Japan, Akira Toriyama confirmed that his intention was to make Gohan the next main character of the story after Cell's defeat; however, he had a change of heart.
"I had intended to put Gohan in the leading role... it didn't work. I felt that, compared to Goku, he wasn't ultimately the right one for the role," confessed the Japanese mangaka.
Gohan is the protagonist of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero
After the defeat of the fearsome Majin Buu, the story once again focuses on Goku in both Dragon Ball GT and Dragon Ball Super. Gohan, on the other hand, is a recurring character but generally plays smaller or supporting roles in the plot. He did, however, have a significant role in the franchise's latest animated project.
It's worth noting that Gohan is the protagonist alongside Piccolo in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, a film that hit theaters last year. He even attains a new and spectacular transformation.
That said, it seems Gohan will play a smaller role in Dragon Ball Daima, the new animated series from Toei Animation set to premiere in late 2024.
But tell us, would you have preferred to see Gohan as the main character? Let us know in the comments.
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