Admit It: Dragon Ball Needs to Revisit the Original Manga's Best Character

Although a minor character who rarely even appears in the main story, Goku's Grandpa Son Gohan was written in an incredibly unique way during the original Dragon Ball that could greatly benefit other characters if the same was applied to them. Unfortunately, the franchise has never replicated this type of dynamic again. Ironically, what resonates with me so much about Grandpa Gohan are the moments when he doesn't even appear. It's how numerous characters who Goku meets for the first time all happen to not only know but revere Gohan and consequently respect Goku more upon realizing he's Gohan's grandson.

Amplifying this is the fact that readers were already inclined to care about Grandpa Gohan or feel that he was relevant because he was the late grandfather of the series' main character, Goku. Our connection to Gohan was further intensified by Goku's sense of loss. Gohan had died years earlier, leaving Goku alone in the middle of nowhere for years. Additionally, how much Goku treasured and was later driven to find the Four-Starred Dragon Ball just because it was given to him by his grandfather underscored Goku's fondness for him, which, by extension, caused us to feel the same way.

Everyone Just Happens to Know Who Gohan Is (But For Good Reason)

Yamcha, the Ox King, Master Roshi and even Oolong Knew Gohan

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Luckily, Dragon Ball's creator Akira Toriyama didn't just gift us with only this archetypal tragedy of a lost family member to appreciate. Instead, he gave us glimpses into Son Gohan's life through the various people Goku would run into during his initial journey to find the Dragon Balls.

In chapter #8, just the mere sight of Goku's power pole (which recently made a comeback in Daima) causes Yamcha to inquire about who his grandfather was, just because he was aware of a legend associated with it and its master, Gohan, who, according to Yamcha, was "said to be unrivaled in a host of martial arts disciplines." In addition, Oolong, who was spying on the conversation, says that even someone like him knew who Gohan was, underscoring his legendary status further.

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The recognitions didn't end there, either. In chapter #12, the Ox King not only knows Gohan, but confirms that Gohan was Master Roshi's number one student, beating the likes of the Ox King, who was also revered and feared by everyone. In fact, one of the reasons why Roshi agrees to make Goku his student in chapter #15 wasn't just because he had mastered the Kamehameha, but because he was Gohan's grandson.

Making Goku More Legendary and Expanding Dragon Ball's Nascent World

Goku's Heritage Always Defined Him in Complex Ways

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Of course, these scenarios had so much of an impact, in part, because they helped make Toriyama's world feel larger than life. They implied that there was more to the story than just current-day events because people were still influenced by them, all the while creating the impression that the series would likely explore even further into the past. Luckily, this would come to pass, but more so with Saiyan lore when Goku's heritage later moves beyond Earth.

However, a more fascinating effect that came from Gohan's influence was how this made other characters, and especially us as readers, perceive Goku. The most prominent example is in the aforementioned 15th chapter when Roshi is able to rationally conclude that the reason why Goku was so powerful was because he was Gohan's grandson.

Related Dragon Ball GT May Be Controversial, But It Did One Thing Better Than Daima (So Far) Daima is putting the focus back on the search for Dragon Balls like GT did, but the pursuit thereof so far is so much better in the latter series.

I find this fascinating for two reasons. The first is that this automatically diminishes Goku's individual accomplishments and abilities, since his power is now defined by another, even though they are connected by blood. This is akin to what later shonen, like Black Clover and My Hero Academia, would do with how their protagonists gained strength.

Goku isn't just a prodigy in his own right. It's because he was born into the right family. Of course, not all readers felt this way. A more common reading that most people likely experienced was that this made their hero even more legendary by having him be the offspring of one of Earth's greatest martial artists, which is equally effective storytelling-wise, as my own interpretation, if not more so.

This leads to the second reason why I find this so fascinating. We all now know that Goku isn't really the biological grandson of Grandpa Gohan. He therefore isn't strong because of that. Goku is stronger than everyone because he's a Saiyan who happened to be found and adopted by one of Earth's greatest martial artists. So, essentially, Toriyama first replicated one (or two) of the most effective forms of storytelling by how they connected Goku to a legend, but then completely threw that dynamic upside down in Dragon Ball Z when Goku was revealed to be a Saiyan.

First-time readers were initially given a plausible reason to explain why Goku was strong (while revering him all the more in the process), just like Roshi. Then they were later thrown for a loop. For those of us who revisit Dragon Ball, we can appreciate the irony of the moment, since we know the truth.

Dragon Ball Z Introduces A Depressing, Yet Realistic Effect With Son Gohan

Even Legendary Heroes Will Be Forgotten

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In terms of Son Gohan's legacy, what I find sad is that, in Dragon Ball Z, there are no relevant humans who meet Goku's son Gohan for the first time and automatically connect him to his great-grandfather. This is even true of martial artists like Hercule and his daughter Videl who would be more likely to know the greats of their field. But this makes sense. Over time, legends do fade into myth and then are totally forgotten - even the greats like Son Gohan. This even happens with Goku to some extent, but Toriyama masterfully added some nuance to his situation.

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In the original Dragon Ball, Goku is remembered each time the Strongest Under the Heavens Tournament is held. But by chapter #195 of Dragon Ball Z during the Cell Games, everyone has forgotten Goku, in part, because the tournament had been canceled for years. However, in chapter #237, the old announcer who commentates on the tournament where Majin Vegeta fights recognizes Goku from the Cell Games, thus allowing the cycle of remembrance to continue.

But we all know that once that announcer passes or retires, the cycle will end, since he clearly won't or hasn't revealed the truth. Ironically, the king of the planet, King Furry, has been aware of Goku's exploits since King Piccolo and has recognized him as the planet's true hero instead of Hercule throughout DBZ. But he, like the tournament announcer, is somehow unable or unwilling to reveal the truth.

Like his grandfather, one day Goku will be forgotten, no matter how powerful he is or how legendary his exploits are. Luckily, there will always be us fans, who will never forget him, Son Gohan, or the legendary Akira Toriyama and his amazing world of Dragon Ball.