Although Dragon Ball is mainly the story of Goku’s life and development as a martial artist, the series pays quite a lot of attention to Goku’s first son: Son Gohan. Starting with the Saiyan arc, Gohan is introduced in a focal role that only expands more and more as Dragon Ball Z goes on. Despite being Goku’s son, Gohan has always been his own character with clear contrasts to his father.

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Where Goku loves martial arts above all else, Gohan treats it like a healthy hobby at best. Where Goku always pushes past his own limits for his own sake, Gohan’s rage is often what unlocks his deep potential. Gohan has a lot in common with his father – make no mistake – but he’s always been more than Goku writ small.

Updated November 5, 2021 by Mark Sammut: Dragon Ball will be forever relevant, or at least that has proven to be the case so far. A new movie is set to come out in 2022, while the Dragon Ball Super manga is ongoing. Although nothing has been announced, it is only a matter of time before a new Dragon Ball game hits the scene. The Z Fighters are all iconic in their own right, even if Goku tends to hog the limelight. An adaptive fighter with a lovable personality, Goku is capable of nearly anything within the confines of a battle; however, outside of it, the Saiyan has some blind spots, some of which are not shared with his son, Gohan. What can Gohan do that Goku can't (or doesn't want to)?

12 Commit To A Healthy Work Life

Gohan Dragon Ball Super

Goku will work if he has to, but he doesn’t like it. Dragon Ball Super begins with Goku exhausted from his work life following Majin Buu’s defeat, after all. It isn’t a lifestyle that suits him, but that’s work for most people.

Gohan takes a healthier approach to work, but he’s also fortunate enough to work in his field. While Gohan’s academic pursuits have never been clarified, becoming an academic was his passion growing up so it stands to reason he’s doing something that he loves.

11 Access Higher Education

Gohan on Kintoun

Goku isn’t dumb, he’s just uneducated. His schooling came almost exclusively from Grandpa Gohan and Master Roshi. For what it’s worth, training with Roshi nurtured social and intellectual skills that would help Goku develop into a mature, kind adult, but he never had the same educational opportunities as Gohan.

It’s no kid’s dream, but Gohan is strictly homeschooled by Chichi during his young life. The anime also introduces a tutor for him during Cell arc filler before sending Gohan off to Orange Star High School. Considering Gohan is an academic at the end of Dragon Ball and during Dragon Ball Super, he must have also gone to university.

10 Slow Down

Gohan, Goten, and Videl

Goku’s changed a lot since Dragon Ball Super started, with an emphasis being put on his inability to slow down. Goku always wants and needs to be training to the point of obsession. This wasn’t the case in the original Dragon Ball Z, however, where Goku took the time to relax with Gohan leading up to the Cell Games.

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It’s easy to dismiss Gohan’s inability to keep training as a bad thing, but it’s also important to let yourself enjoy times of peace. Gohan being able to slow down and live his life is further reinforced when Future Trunks reunites with him in the anime’s adaptation of the Goku Black arc.

9 Be A Present Father

Gohan Videl and Pan

Goku isn’t a bad father by any means, but he’s also not anywhere as present as he should be. Granted, this wasn’t a problem in the original Dragon Ball where Goku’s absences were always attributed to things out of control: like being dead or lost in the confines of outer space. Dragon Ball Super has since revealed that Goku wasn’t even present for Gohan’s birth, though.

This isn’t a good look for Goku no matter how it’s cut. Goku missing Gohan’s birth because he was training doesn’t exactly help matters either. While audiences haven’t seen much of Gohan raising Pan, it’d be hard to buy that he missed her birth. He’s already more present by virtue of that alone.

8 Be A Present Husband

Gohan and Videl

In the same way that Goku is not a bad father, he’s not a bad husband. He thinks about Chichi constantly and clearly respects her as a person, even if he initially disagrees on how they should raise Gohan. But Goku’s even less present as a husband than a father.

Granted, this works for the relationship Goku and Chichi have (so no harm, no foul there), but Gohan is a family man at his core. As a result, he’s coming home to Videl every single day. It’s a lifestyle that works for him and one he clearly wants.

7 Reciprocate Romantic Feelings

Gohan and Videl wedding

Goku is not the most romantic character and it wouldn’t be a stretch to say that his marriage with Chichi borders on aromantic at times. This isn’t to say that Goku doesn’t care about Chichi dearly – he quite obviously loves her – just that his way of showing affection isn’t traditionally romantic.

Dragon Ball Super has only doubled down on this notion by revealing that Goku and Chichi have never kissed on the lips. This isn’t the case for Gohan who falls head or heels for Videl. The two have a clearly loving romantic relationship in both Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball GT.

6 Power Up With Little To No Training

Ultimate Gohan

Goku is constantly training and for good reason: he needs to. Both to keep up with the martial artists around him and for his own personal wellbeing, Goku sees training as an absolute necessity. Gohan doesn’t, letting himself slip up in his training throughout multiple points in his life.

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Unlike Goku, however, Gohan doesn’t really need the same caliber of training. As evidenced in the Cell arc, nine months of Super Saiyan training was enough for Goku to turn Gohan into the strongest character at the end. Piccolo also managed to train Gohan's power back up in a freakishly short amount of time in Dragon Ball Super.

5 Tap Into His Rage

gohan

From Tao Pai Pai to Tambourine to Frieza, Goku’s been pushed to the extreme by some truly vile villains; but he never quite gives in to his rage on the same level as Gohan. Goku getting mad is a surprise. Gohan getting mad is a given.

More importantly, Goku works out most of his rage issues after training with Beerus. Gohan’s rage helps him fight Raditz, Vegeta, Frieza, and Cell. The only time Gohan doesn't give into anger for a major fight in the original Dragon Ball is against Majin Buu.

4 Retire In Peace

Gohan End of Z

While Dragon Ball Super has since backtracked to put Gohan back in the middle of the action, the original Dragon Ball by all accounts ended with Gohan retiring in peace. After unlocking his Ultimate potential at the end of the Majin Buu arc and winding up the strongest unfused character in the series, Gohan doesn’t even bother participating in the 28th Tenkaichi Budokai.

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Instead, happy enough just watching martial arts play out, more focused on his academic work than anything else – a beat Dragon Ball Online’s timeline would actually play around with.

3 Write A Book

Dragon Ball Super - Gohan holding book with Videl

Dragon Ball Online establishes that Gohan's research leads him to investigate the history of martial arts and ki. The Saiyan finds this path so fascinating, he ends up writing a successful book that sparks a new era of interest in martial arts. While this plot point is unlikely to feature in the manga or an anime, it also makes total sense considering Gohan's scholarly ambitions and his educational session with Videl during the Majin Buu arc.

Goku, obviously, has shown no interest in sharing his wealth of knowledge with the world through something as accessible as a book. As Gohan knows, his father is not against the idea of training other people, but Goku is not a natural educator since he tends to lose interest if a sparring session doesn't also test him.

2 Balance Martial Arts With Real Life

DBZ: Kakarot Ultimate Gohan in DLC 2

To reiterate, Gohan slacking off in his training isn’t actually that bad in the grand scheme of things. Gohan has to deal with horrible consequences for his lack of training in the Majin Buu arc, but he did actually try to reconcile his lack of training for the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai. Gohan will relax when he can relax and train when he needs to.

Gohan is weaker than he was at the Cell Games at the start of the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, but Gohan also gets back into training eager to build back up his strength. That’s a healthy approach to martial arts and one that resonates a bit more relatable than Goku’s gung ho (albeit genuinely inspiring) passion.

1 Be Satisfied

gohan hugging videl and pan dragon ball super

This ties into most of the last few points and speaks to the disposition of both characters. Goku is constantly striving to grow stronger and find opponents who will push him beyond his current level. This determination allows the Saiyan to forever reach new heights, however, this climb is endless. Carefree as Goku might be, he is unlikely to ever feel completely satisfied as he is pursuing a goal he doesn't necessarily want to achieve. In fact, if Goku were to become the most powerful person in existence, he would be devastated.

Gohan's professional and familial priorities are more manageable than Goku's personal quest. Although he does wish to grow stronger, Gohan's worth has nothing to do with the opponents he has defeated or whether he can go toe to toe with a God of Destruction. Gohan would never even consider taking out a hit on himself just to have another fight with a worthy opponent.

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