Quite ironically, there was one time when Gohan was supposed to replace Goku, but somehow never quite made it to reality. In fact, now it’s pretty clear that Akira Toriyama, the mastermind behind the Dragon Ball series, never actually intended for Gohan to be the star of the show!
Right from the get-go, Gohan’s character development was always overshadowed! Even when Gohan did get his moment, it was just for a little while. Toriyama himself seemed to lose interest in writing Gohan as the main character and also explained why.
So, what exactly happened? How did Gohan go from becoming the chosen one to a secondary side character?
Gohan never showed any real intention of acting in a lead role!
Although people had high expectations; how Toriyama illustrated Gohan’s character is actually pretty fascinating if you think about it. He never really showed any intention of being the hero or taking on a lead role. He’s just a chill guy who wants to settle down for good, have a family, and live a peaceful life.
Even if something big happens to him, usually he just coincidentally gets involved. He’s never like Goku or Vegeta, who are always itching for a fight or a challenge.
To this day, fans are still debating whether Gohan was done dirty or if he was just never meant to be the main character. Also, the fact that even Toriyama got bored once while portraying him as an MC, questions a lot about Gohan’s existence in the series. Is he really that unnecessary?
Toriyama got bored writing him as an MC in Dragon Ball Z
Akira Toriyama himself admitted that he switched back to Goku as the main character in DBZ because Gohan just didn’t fit the bill in his opinion, and it’s not hard to see why! Gohan was basically forced into becoming a fighter from the very beginning, and it’s clear that Toriyama struggled to make it work.
Interestingly, the time when Toriyama stopped writing stories about Gohan’s life as a high schooler, wasn’t because readers were bored with the premise; it was because Toriyama himself was bored by it! It’s pretty rare for a creator to be so honest about their own limitations, but it’s clear that Toriyama just didn’t know what to do with Gohan’s character.
😂|Toriyama didn’t stop showing Gohan in high school for the audience, but because he got bored and tired of it.
🧵12/n pic.twitter.com/zROvQ9dpBy
— Enomis (@Venixys) February 23, 2025
However, it’s also necessary to take note that, despite being such a pretty passive character, Gohan has a very kind heart and he proves that time and time again. He’ll always do the right thing, even if it means putting his own desires on the back burner.
He is not the one to seek out conflict, but he’ll never back down if someone he cares about is threatened. He might not have that typical “hero” vibe, but he’s definitely a character worth rooting for.
On a positive note, the recent Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, actually addressed some of these complaints and gave Gohan a bit more of the spotlight he deserves.
The Dragon Ball series is available to watch on Crunchyroll.
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