One of the biggest reasons for Dragon Ball’s evergreen success is that there are such compelling and entertaining characters behind the anime’s exaggerated action sequences. Dragon Ball Z has a cast of dozens memorable characters, but Goku and Gohan function as the franchise’s protagonists. Goku and Gohan learn some important lessons across the various Dragon Ball series and their lives have some encouraging similarities and stark differences.
Dragon Ball continually finds strength as it allows its characters to grow older and build lives for themselves. Goku and Gohan have experienced endless battles, but they’ve also changed in some major ways between Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.
10 Gohan Has Taken A Step Back From Martial Arts In Super
Dragon Ball Z continues to be Goku’s story, but it begins careful character development for Gohan right from its start. Dragon Ball Z seems to indicate that Gohan is destined to surpass his father and become Earth’s greatest defender, which eventually comes to pass during the battle against Cell.
Dragon Ball Z eventually backpedals on this decision and circles back to Goku, but this comes at the expense of Gohan’s training and progress. When Dragon Ball Super begins, Gohan has retreated even further in this regard and seemingly focused more on his family and domestic life than a quest to be the strongest.
9 Gohan Is A Dad & Goku Is A Grandfather In Super
One of Dragon Ball’s greatest perks is that it allows its characters to mature alongside their audience. Goku and Gohan both begin the series as children who go on to become adults with kids of their own.
Dragon Ball Super features some significant changes now that Gohan is a father and Goku is a grandfather. For some characters parenthood doesn’t seem to demonstrably change their motivations and ethos. However, Pan’s birth pushes Gohan and Goku to both look inward and figure out what’s important to them in life. There’s a slight shift in priorities in the case of the former.
8 Goku Embraces His Saiyan Roots In Super
Dragon Ball Z begins with a major revelation when both Goku and the audience learn that he’s actually a member of an alien warrior race known as the Saiyan. Goku repeatedly meets evil Saiyans, all of whom discourage him from embracing his heritage. Goku instead embraces Earth as his home and attempts to prove through example that Saiyan aren’t confined to a life of destruction.
Dragon Ball Super pushes Goku to relitigate his people’s origins and he learns that his father, Bardock, was also kind-hearted in many respects. Goku gradually learns to accept his roots and steadily incorporates them into his heroic way of life.
7 They've Gained Reputations Across The Galaxy & Multiverse In Super
Dragon Ball begins as a very terrestrial series, and it’s not only Dragon Ball Z’s trip to Planet Namek that the franchise leaves the comfort of the Earth’s atmosphere. Goku and Gohan are instrumental in the defeat of Frieza and Majin Buu, but they aren’t necessarily viewed as galactic heroes. Their work on Earth goes accredited to Mr. Satan and celestial figures like the Kai don’t shower them in praise.
Dragon Ball Super turns Goku, Gohan, and most of Universe 7 into multiversal pariahs. Goku’s juvenile behavior is largely responsible for the Tournament of Power and Gohan functions as Universe 7’s team leader. It’s enough to make the other universes not only aware of them, but resent them.
6 Goku Becomes A Member Of The Galactic Patrol In Super
Dragon Ball Super’s ongoing manga has gone to fascinating places far beyond the events of the anime’s Tournament of Power. Jaco and the rest of the Galactic Patrol undergo a major crisis when Planet-Eater Moto breaks out of prison with a cabal of committed criminals along with him.
The Galactic Patrol is desperate for help and so Goku and Vegeta actually become official members who help mitigate this crisis. Goku does plenty of selfless galactic charity in Dragon Ball Z, but he’s never officially affiliated with anyone. Goku is proud to be associated with the Galactic Patrol and proud fighters like Merus.
5 Gohan Stops His Great Saiyaman Routine In Super
Dragon Ball Z helps mark Gohan’s entry into high school and adulthood through his street-level superhero antics as the masked protector, the Great Saiyaman. Gohan’s silly theatrics as the Great Saiyaman become a tradition in the series. Gohan’s wife, Videl, eventually joins him on these activities and the film industry decides to make a movie about the Great Saiyaman, too.
Dragon Ball Super reveals that Goten and Trunks have taken over this role as Saiyaman X-1 and X-2. Gohan has hung up his cape and allows the next generation to take over in this department rather than training them or patrolling by their side.
4 They Both Finally Make Dragon Ball Wishes In Super
A wish on the Dragon Balls to Shenron has been Dragon Ball’s earliest goal and something that’s still currently held in extremely high regard. Goku’s actions have repeatedly been instrumental in the collection of the Dragon Balls, but he’s actually not someone who’s made a wish on them himself outside non-canonical stories.
Goku suggests Bora’s resurrection and Buu’s reincarnation, but other individuals actually make the wishes and these matters are even more subtle in the manga. Gohan has even less experience with Dragon Ball wishes. Dragon Ball Super changes this and with very superfluous wishes, no less, like when Gohan wishes to cure Pan’s fever.
3 They Both Achieve Godly Powers In Super
Goku and Gohan experience tremendous growth by the end of Dragon Ball Super and they’re left in places that would surely shock their younger selves. Dragon Ball Super expands the series’ scope to feature an increasing amount of celestial deities that include Gods of Destruction and Angels.
Certain heroes also experience divine greatness and acquire godly ki in certain respects. Goku begins to experiment with this ascension when he becomes a Super Saiyan God, but it reaches its peak as he perfects the ways of Ultra Instinct. Alternatively, Gohan’s Beast transformation in Super Hero also indicates a level of godly greatness that’s new for him.
2 Gohan Gets A Job As An Entomologist Scholar In Super
An ongoing struggle in Goku’s family in Dragon Ball Super is Goku’s resistance to work while Chi-Chi pushes her husband to provide for his family. Gohan reflects the opposite psychology and in Dragon Ball Super he’s excited to have a profession that he’s passionate about.
Gohan has always been a nebulous scholar, but Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero finally reveals that Gohan’s work is in entomology – the study of insects – which is consistent with his fascination with nature. Gohan is allowed to be a carefree adolescent for most of Dragon Ball Z and his commitment to a job is quite different for both him and the series in general.
1 Both Characters Are More In Touch With Their Bodies In Super
Dragon Ball Z features plenty of strong characters, but this isn’t analogous to being in touch with one’s body. In fact, there are occasions where Goku crudely ignores his body’s warning signs as he soldiers ahead with new Super Saiyan transformations and upgrades. Dragon Ball Super takes Goku and Gohan to greater heights.
However, this newfound power comes in tandem with cautionary lessons on control. Goku’s slow mastering of Perfected Ultra Instinct and Gohan’s post-Ultimate upgrade path that leads him to Gohan Beast strength wouldn't have been possible in Dragon Ball Z. Both characters have a better understanding of their body, mind, and their connected role in the universe.
