What could be more powerful than a god?
Goku's son, Gohan, found a way to once again surpass his dad in "Dragon Ball Super: Super
Hero."
Longtime fans of the "Dragon Ball" franchise have seen power levels go from simple strength
and speed enhancements to almost world-ending destructive forces.
"Vegeta!
What did you say his power level is?"
"It's over 9,000!
Agh!"
Near the start of the original "Dragon Ball" series, the young Goku accidentally taps into
the cataclysmic power of his Saiyan nature by transforming into a giant, bloodthirsty
ape.
This form is known as Oozaru, and although it provides incredible strength, all logic
and reasoning go out the window.
It's this ability that enables the alien Saiyans to attack and subjugate other species, expanding
their universe-spanning empire.
Even the very youngest of Saiyans can lay waste to entire worlds by simple exposure
to moonlight.
Goku doesn't share the world-conquering hunger of his fellow Saiyans, but he does share their
love of intense combat.
Eventually, Goku starts his own family, and his firstborn son is Gohan.
Young Gohan at first doubts his powers because of his half human, half Saiyan blood, but
it is soon revealed that his power can dwarf even that of Goku, when Gohan absolutely trounces
Cell at the end of the Cell Saga.
Since then, Gohan has unlocked even greater power.
During the final saga of "Dragon Ball Z," Gohan trained with Old Kai to unlock a new
ability.
He learned that Saiyans channel and waste a tremendous amount of power while transforming
into the various Super Saiyan forms, but Old Kai's technique taught Gohan to access the
enhanced speed and strength of a Super Saiyan without the waste.
"Incredible!
He's stronger than he ever was as a Super Saiyan, but he looks like he hasn't changed
a bit!"
Gohan stands toe-to-toe with the malevolent entity known as Super Buu, but he eventually
retires from fighting to instead focus on his home life and burgeoning family.
His combat prowess begins to fade from his lack of training.
But the new movie "Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero" sees the spotlight cast back onto Gohan
and his childhood mentor Piccolo.
The movie kicks off with the reconstituted Red Ribbon Army seeking vengeance against
Piccolo and Gohan with a plan to kidnap Gohan's daughter to lure him into a trap and unleash
the devastation of the killer android Cell Max.
Piccolo and Gohan get some rather potent power upgrades during the course of the film.
Piccolo uses the power of the Dragon Balls to unlock his orange form, which grants him
tremendous fighting abilities.
Yet even with his enhanced power, Piccolo falls to Cell Max.
And as in the past, seeing a friend get hurt leads Gohan to tap into previously unseen
powers of his own.
Gohan unlocks a new power level called "Gohan Beast," which resembles his Super Saiyan 2
look.
The key differences are that his hair is silver instead of yellow, and his eyes turn red.
His aura is augmented with red, arcing lightning bolts that hum and crackle with power.
In this form, Gohan is easily able to defeat the powerful villain.
Gohan once again catapulting to the upper echelons of power among the Z Fighters is
such a momentous event that series creator Akira Toriyama had to address it.
In a statement on the official Japanese Twitter account for "Dragon Ball Super," Toriyama
said,
"Gohan is actually stronger than anyone...or so it's said, but lately he hasn't really
gotten a chance to shine.
In order to motivate Gohan, it takes his revered teacher Piccolo rather than his father Goku.
I figured I'd try giving birth to a new superhero by putting these two in the spotlight through
their intense battles with the Gamma androids."
This really is a return to form for Gohan, who in "Dragon Ball Z," was considered one
of the strongest fighters alive.
Goku and Vegeta have absolutely dominated the power rankings of "Dragon Ball Super"
with their recently acquired god powers, but it seems that with Gohan's latest transformation,
he once again has currently the highest level of power currently possible in the "Dragon
Ball" franchise.