The ever-popular Goku and Vegeta may be the most well-known Dragon Ball fighters, but series creator Akira Toriyama has declared neither one the strongest hero. New characters introduced in Dragon Ball Super have surpassed them both, forcing the Saiyan duo to constantly train and unlock enhanced forms in an attempt to catch up.
However, their massive transformations still fail to match one classic fan favorite whose latest power-up has made them nearly unstoppable.
The ongoing Dragon Ball Super manga is currently covering events from the recent Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film starring Piccolo and Gohan as they battle the vestiges of the villainous Red Ribbon Army.
Despite a history of neglecting his training, Gohan was compelled by circumstances in the movie to push his abilities further than ever, attaining the formidable Beast transformation.
Thanks to a translated Toriyama interview, fans now know the Dragon Ball creator considers Gohan the most powerful fighter of all.
Even with Goku and Vegeta’s new Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego stages, Gohan’s Beast form gives him an edge when measuring raw strength. This newest revelation from Toriyama himself cements Gohan’s status as the current #1 hero in the Dragon Ball franchise.
In a recent Q&A session with Dragon Ball creator Akira Toriyama, he was asked why the latest movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, so heavily featured Gohan and Piccolo.
His response, given out in pamphlets to Japanese theater audiences, is likely disheartening for dedicated Goku and Vegeta followers.
“Gohan is truly the most powerful…or so it’s rumored, though he hasn’t truly had an opportunity to demonstrate that lately,” Toriyama replied.
After witnessing Gohan’s visually stunning triumph over Cell Max in the film, the author’s statement rings true.
Though Goku and Vegeta have achieved new heights with Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego, Toriyama himself confirms Gohan surpasses them all in his Beast form.
The creator always intended for Gohan to be the franchise’s mightiest hero, but constant threats have prevented him from resting on his laurels and letting his power fade. Now fans can see Gohan unleashed in all his glory, cementing his position as Dragon Ball’s #1 champion.
Dragon Ball Creator Declares Ultimate Hero Stronger Than Goku or Vegeta
The climactic scenes of Dragon Ball Super: Superhero show Gohan unleashing a fierce silver-haired transformation after watching Cell Max viciously attack Piccolo.
While counting among the most visually striking sequences in Dragon Ball history, Gohan’s abrupt Beast form left some fans wondering how he attained this state that even Goku cannot access.
In the manga’s Tournament of Power arc, Gohan claimed he had been honing his talents as a human fighter rather than a Saiyan.
This likely enabled him to tap into Beast mode. However, this is not the first instance of Gohan exceeding all others when the need is dire.
Throughout the franchise, Gohan has consistently displayed latent potential, surpassing even Goku, which is only fully utilized when loved ones are threatened. His prodigious power often manifests spontaneously, fueled by rage and compassion.
Now, having embraced his human identity, Gohan’s limitless wells of untapped ability have materialized through gripping his fists in anger over Piccolo’s pain rather than any Saiyan transformation.
Once again, Goku’s son proves that when pushed to his emotional brink, he becomes Dragon Ball’s mightiest hero.
Originally, Akira Toriyama intended for Gohan to be Dragon Ball Z’s central protagonist. However, the immense popularity of Goku amongst fans and pressure from editors led Toriyama to keep the focus on him instead. Yet even in his youth, Gohan consistently proved the mightiest fighter in DBZ.
He first demonstrated devastating latent power against Raditz, later gaining the upper hand against Frieza on Namek.
His ultimate showdown with Cell cemented Gohan’s immense strength when enraged, after which even Goku admitted his son’s potential now exceeded his own. This acknowledgment fueled Goku’s fateful decision to leave Cell’s destruction in Gohan’s hands.
While Gohan has not always trained sufficiently to control his abilities, they have reliably surfaced when loved ones are threatened.
Now, with his new Beast transformation, he has achieved mastery over these vast inner reserves at will. Goku’s early realization is finally fulfilled – his son has definitively surpassed him as Dragon Ball’s greatest champion.
How Strong Gohan Is In His Beast Form
Following the Tournament of Power arc in Dragon Ball Super’s anime, Gohan is not the only fighter who has achieved formidable new strengths that fans are eager to see depicted on-screen.
Goku continues honing his enigmatic Ultra Instinct form to new heights in the manga. Meanwhile, Vegeta’s fiercely powerful Ultra Ego transformation, created in response to Goku’s upgrade, has yet to be animated in all its devastating magnificence.
However, even considering Goku and Vegeta’s latest upgrades, Gohan’s explosive Beast form marks him as a virtually unstoppable juggernaut.
This long-dormant power, awakened at last by Gohan embracing his human identity, easily eclipses even the Saiyan duo’s mighty new states. One can only hope Beast Gohan will have a commanding role to play in future Dragon Ball Super story arcs.
After years of being downplayed as a reluctant combatant, Gohan now stands supreme above all past and present champions of the Dragon Ball franchise.
His vast inner strength stirs once more to defeat all who endanger innocents, ready to smash any villain that dares threaten the Earth or his loved ones.
More About ‘Beast’ In Dragon Ball
When discussing the origins of Gohan’s Beast form, Akira Toriyama explained the name derives from the sensation of “the wild beast within finally being unleashed.”
Originally, the design simply included pale skin and a more menacing facial expression. However, it was decided this was not intimidating enough, hence the addition of the jagged golden hair.
In early storyboarding, the form was labeled “Final Gohan,” symbolizing the ultimate extent of his power. This fits with Gohan’s prior goal expressed in the Dragon Ball Super anime of attaining “an ultimate transformation unlike anything seen before.”
Similarly, in the manga, he mentions to Kefla his ambition to progress on his own terms as a human, not as a Saiyan.
The Beast form represents Gohan tapping into hitherto unknown depths of his strength by embracing his human identity rather than Saiyan heritage.
It externalizes the previously caged inner rage, compassion, and determination that drive him to become Earth’s champion. Though Goku and Vegeta constantly break boundaries, Gohan’s limitless dormant reserves still eclipse their capabilities when fully unleashed.
Abilities
Gohan’s new Beast form represents an evolution of his ultimate Potential Unleashed state. It stems from the continual heightening of his abilities since first unleashed as a child. Among Gohan’s myriad transformations, Beast is currently his most overwhelming in the latest Dragon Ball media.
Piccolo expressed certainty that Gohan was on the cusp of becoming the world’s strongest fighter just prior to his eruption into Beast mode. Creator Akira Toriyama himself labeled Gohan the most powerful but has lacked opportunities to demonstrate this. Accordingly, he defeated the weakened Cell Max with ease.
In Dragon Ball Super: Superhero and its manga adaptation, Gohan was provoked into the Beast transformation when Cell Max grievously injured Piccolo before his eyes.
Much like Gohan’s initial Super Saiyan 2 manifestation fighting Cell, sheer rage over a mentor’s pain unleashed this new form. He then effortlessly withstood a full-force punch from Cell Max while his blazing aura visibly injured the colossus.
Gohan decisively annihilated Cell’s most powerful attacks before obliterating his very core with a Special Beam Cannon, aided by the restraints of an allied Namekian.
Once again, Gohan’s dormant fury has propelled him into a league beyond all rivals. Despite Goku and Vegeta’s progress, his latent physical and emotional reservoirs still dwarf their capacities when fully brought to the surface.
Appearance
The visual cues of Gohan exploding into his Beast form strongly evoke his initial Super Saiyan 2 transformation. His eyes fluctuate between black and glowing red before settling, with scarlet irises and dark pupils becoming a signature Beast trait. This signifies the emergence of his innermost ferocity.
In Beast mode, Gohan’s eyebrows fade to white, matching his elongated, jagged hair, which lightens to a gray shade reminiscent of Ultra Instinct.
Beast’s mane-like shape recalls his youthful Super Saiyan 2 hairstyle, now vastly exaggerated in length with a prominent front bang. His fiery blue-white aura persists but is shrouded in surging magenta lightning, representing his amplified energy. The eruption nearly mimics an enormous geyser, befitting the unrestrained power.
When using Beast, Gohan’s voice deepens markedly, evoking the bestial Super Saiyan 4. Upon that first transformation, a scream from his child Super Saiyan 2 self echoes alongside his present roar – a spine-tingling indicator of his full power finally set loose.
