Gohan’s new transformation was first seen in the movie Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, and then in the manga’s Super Hero Saga. While Goku and Vegeta train with Whis on Beerus’ planet, Gohan becomes the greatest hope for defeating Cell Max. Already enraged by his daughter’s abduction, the warrior proceeds to unleash his new form after witnessing his mentor’s “death” at the villain’s hands.

Gohan being currently the strongest fighter in the franchise has been brought up on several occasions, including by Toriyama in an interview, where he called the half-Saiyan “stronger than anyone, or so it’s said.” Also, in chapter #91 of Dragon Ball Super, Pan asks Piccolo if her father could be stronger than her grandfather. The former responds by telling her that Gohan could easily surpass Goku, if only he took fighting more seriously

Gohan Always Had The Potential To Surpass Goku And Vegeta

Dragon Ball Super by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, chapter #101

In chapter #101 of Dragon Ball Super, Vegeta shares with Goku, Beerus, and Whis the information that Bulma gave him about the recent events on Earth, and how Gohan defeated Cell Max. According to Bulma, Gohan may have surpassed her husband and Goku. While she is not a warrior, Bulma’s comment is given more weight by the fact that Vegeta is the one sharing it, and it sets up Goku’s following return to Earth to witness the growth of his child.

Bulma’s assessment of Gohan’s strength holds credibility since Vegeta proves he trusts her judgment when he mentions her words to Goku and Whis while training. Gohan had previously surpassed the older Saiyans during Dragon Ball Z‘s Cell Saga when he unlocked his Super Saiyan 2 form.

This caused Goku to recognize his son’s potential and realize that Gohan was the only one who could defeat Super Cell. Then, during the Majin Buu Saga, Gohan became the strongest once again, after he underwent the ritual by Old Kai to unlock his latent potential.

Gohan’s New Power Could Shake Up Dragon Ball Super‘s Status Quo

Once considered among Earth’s strongest heroes, Gohan however stopped training during adulthood to fulfill his dream of becoming a scholar. However, his inherent desire to protect his loved ones has recently caused him to reawaken his fighting spirit and unleash his terrifying Beast Form. The reappearance of this transformation in chapter #101 of Dragon Ball Super, just moments before Goku‘s return to Earth, teases that Gohan‘s new status could soon be recognized by his father too in what would be an epic dream match that could settle once and for all who deserves the title of strongest.

The Dragon Ball Super manga is available from MANGA Plus and Viz Media. The anime is available on Crunchyroll.