The son of Goku is the furthest thing from a slouch! Join Ashley as we look over Gohan's greatest fights
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00:00 Welcome to WatchMojo and today we're ranking every Gohan fight in Dragon Ball.
00:16 For this list, we're considering all solo and team-up efforts in the anime canon.
00:21 Although history of Trunks has been effectively canonized, any future Gohan action also misses
00:27 the cut.
00:40 Prom and Harima's unique combination is actually a neat addition to Dragon Ball Super's
00:45 Tournament of Power.
00:47 Gohan and Piccolo are first to encounter Prom's reflective ability and Harima's sniper shots.
00:55 The trouble here is, none of their defensive strategies work against the universe two pair.
01:00 Piccolo inevitably has his arm cut off and puts his regeneration to work.
01:10 Gohan is forced into hiding, where he remains until Prom and Harima are defeated by Vegeta
01:15 and Tien respectively.
01:18 Not one of his better tournament showings, but there's plenty more to come.
01:33 Next in a line of forgettable Tournament of Power opponents, Daim has the honor of being
01:37 the first character knocked out of the ring by Master Roshi.
01:44 Gohan leads a group of Team Universe 7 into a tactical formation, and deals the first
01:50 damage to Daim as the latter tries to target Krillin.
01:59 But this is Roshi's win.
02:01 The old man swiftly eliminates the bird-human hybrid from Universe 10.
02:05 We also have to dock points for attacking half an entire lineup at once.
02:11 We get it, you can fly.
02:21 Gohan gets his first solo win of the Tournament of Power against Universe 6's Botamo.
02:27 The giant yellow bear goes after Gohan on Chomper's orders, and unable to take physical
02:33 damage, steps up with supreme overconfidence.
02:37 Are you sensing a theme here?
02:42 The leader and strategist for Team Universe 7, Gohan puts his plan into action, striking
02:48 blows not to injure, but to lift Botamo off the ground.
02:52 The half-saiyan floats rather than forces Botamo out of the ring.
02:58 It's barely a challenge for Gohan, but it's a harmless and creative way to announce his
03:06 arrival at the tournament.
03:10 Obni's brief tournament appearance packs a surprising emotional punch.
03:22 Speaking of punches, Obni attacks Gohan with multiple shadow clones, actually gaining the
03:27 upper hand for a desperate Universe 10.
03:34 Using all his smarts, Gohan locates the true body by taking the blows and striking when
03:39 his opponent is closest.
03:46 He can no longer keep up the technique, and Gohan ends his tournament with a Kamehameha
03:51 classic.
03:58 As the second universe is erased, Gohan finds Obni's family portrait, and mourns for those
04:04 lost as the stakes rise for the remaining universes.
04:13 In the latest example of Dragon Ball's inconsistent power scaling, Gohan challenges Krillin to
04:18 a sparring match before the Tournament of Power, with more than surprising results.
04:29 When Goku and Gohan lie about a cash prize in an attempt to recruit Krillin and Android
04:35 18 for the event, Krillin gets one back on his old friend, showing off his new Solar
04:40 Fly technique and knocking Gohan into the ocean.
04:49 Krillin even holds his own in the following match with Goku, so this is not one to be
04:54 taken too seriously.
04:57 Number 24.
04:59 Gohan vs. Jimizu - Dragon Ball Super
05:02 Back to the Tournament of Power, and a tricky matchup with Universe 2 Yardrat, Jimizu.
05:08 Four Universe 7 Yardrats play an important role in Goku's legacy, nursing him back
05:13 to health after Planet Namek's explosion, and passing on the secrets of their Instant
05:19 Transmission technique.
05:20 But this is the first time we see one in action.
05:29 Despite a power disadvantage, Jimizu displays total control over his own Instant Transmission,
05:35 and Gohan is on the ropes before Frieza's intervention.
05:43 True to character, Frieza allows Jimizu to continue attacking Gohan for some time before
05:48 stepping in and taking the win for himself.
05:55 Number 23.
05:57 Gohan vs. Frieza vs. Frost - Dragon Ball Super
06:01 Directly after Jimizu's elimination, Frost joins Frieza, and the pair antagonise a weakened
06:07 Gohan.
06:15 Frieza confesses he has formed an alliance with Frost, and attacks Gohan to gain the
06:20 trust of his Universe 6 equivalent.
06:23 Gohan prepares to battle his own teammates, but he senses Frieza is holding back, and
06:28 plays along for dramatic effect.
06:34 Frieza waits for Frost to let his guard down, before knocking him out the ring in a surprise
06:39 double cross.
06:40 Their fight is a means to an end here, but it's still fun to see Gohan and Frieza's
06:45 dynamic after all these years.
06:52 Number 22.
06:53 Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien, Roshi and Jaco vs. Frieza Army - Dragon Ball Super
07:00 There's something nostalgic about seeing Gohan fight alongside his oldest allies.
07:13 Battling against thousands of Frieza soldiers, Gohan easily whittles the army down to size,
07:18 catching Frieza's eye as a reminder of his potential.
07:22 Even the new and improved Captain Ginyu can't stand up to Gohan's Super Saiyan upgrade.
07:30 Unfortunately, the good news stops there.
07:35 Frieza, in his base form no less, blasts Gohan back into obscurity for the rest of the arc.
07:44 Number 21.
07:46 Gohan, Goku, Vegeta, Frieza and Android 17 vs. Anilaza - Dragon Ball Super
07:53 It takes the full Universe 7 roster to take down Anilaza, the merged form of Universe
07:59 3's remaining combatants.
08:06 As team leader, Gohan makes the initial strategy calls, but the super-sized robot brushes them
08:12 off to take the upper hand.
08:14 The fight then becomes Android 17's, when 18 eliminates herself to knock her big brother
08:19 back into the ring.
08:26 While Anilaza contends with our hero's signature attacks, 17 shatters its energy reactor.
08:32 Gohan does have a hand in the elimination, but Universe 7 was on the back foot before
08:37 17's charge.
08:44 Number 20.
08:45 Gohan and Piccolo vs. Goku and Tien - Dragon Ball Super
08:50 When Goku recruits Tien Shenhan for the tournament, Gohan and Piccolo join them for a friendly
08:55 two-on-two match.
09:00 Tien is the voice of reason when things quickly get out of hand, and the fight is called off
09:05 before someone gets hurt.
09:07 But Gohan challenges Goku to a one-on-one to test out his strength.
09:12 In a neat callback to their training in the hyperbolic time chamber, Gohan pleads with
09:17 his father to take him seriously, and a cutaway shows Vegeta's smile as he senses Gohan
09:22 the fighter's return.
09:27 The result is exactly as you'd expect, although Goku has to play the Kaioken card to finish
09:33 things off.
09:41 Number 19.
09:42 Gohan vs. Vegeta - Dragon Ball Z
09:45 Back on Earth after Namek's explosion, Bulma reluctantly tells the survivors that Goku
09:50 can't be wished back.
09:52 Believing him to be dead, Vegeta immediately gloats at outlasting his Saiyan rival.
10:02 But Gohan is fresh from battles with Frieza and the Ginyus, and shows he has nothing to
10:07 be scared of as he challenges Vegeta in his father's name.
10:14 Gohan deals a surprising blow, but the fight is pretty one-sided when the Saiyan prince
10:20 decides to take him seriously.
10:22 The highlight here is Piccolo keeping Bulma from breaking up the scrap, and allowing his
10:26 young pupil to take the loss before stepping in.
10:36 Number 18.
10:38 Gohan and Android 17 vs. Top - Dragon Ball Super
10:42 Gohan's bout with Top is a short one, but that's probably a good thing where our heroes
10:47 are concerned.
10:51 As well as some high-quality animation, we get a rare team-up with Android 17 here.
10:57 But the battle never really looks like it's going their way.
11:00 17 lands a sneak attack, which only stalls the leader of the Pride Troopers.
11:05 And Gohan connects with his latest Kamehameha.
11:10 Gohan's blast is almost enough to put Top over the edge, but eliminating him was never
11:19 going to be this easy.
11:23 Number 17.
11:24 Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta and Krillin vs. Frieza - Dragon Ball Z
11:30 Gohan lands blows on Frieza in his more powerful third and fourth forms.
11:35 His all-out assault on second-form Frieza is by far the most satisfying.
11:42 Believing Krillin to be dead, Gohan's latest rage boost leaves the villain in a heap on
11:47 the ground, and also floors everybody watching.
11:51 Unfortunately, Frieza is not really Gohan's fight, and their encounters never last longer
11:56 than a single burst of anger.
12:05 Frieza is more surprised than injured by this particular attack, but he definitely learns
12:11 not to take Gohan lightly moving forward.
12:23 Number 16.
12:25 Gohan vs. Piccolo - Dragon Ball Super
12:28 Gohan and Piccolo are an iconic duo, but rarely do we get to see the pair throw down in training.
12:38 In Dragon Ball Super, however, Gohan asks his teacher to help him get ready for the
12:42 Tournament of Power, and reawaken his ultimate form, and the results do not disappoint.
12:48 Here we see the best of both characters.
12:53 Gohan battles his own self-doubt to revive a fan-favourite transformation, and Piccolo
12:59 takes advantage of his prodigy's old overconfidence, catching Gohan off guard and showing he still
13:05 has a thing or two to learn.
13:10 Number 15.
13:12 Gohan, Piccolo and Vegeta vs. Koisareta - Dragon Ball Super
13:16 Gohan's battle against Dr. Pepperoni's mechanical creations takes a turn when three
13:23 robots combine into one killing machine.
13:27 Result is Koisareta, and Gohan enlists Goku and Vegeta to help in defeating the mechanical
13:34 threat.
13:36 Here, though, the two protagonists take a back seat, only distracting the opponents
13:44 and allowing Gohan to recharge.
13:47 Gohan's solo Kamehameha shatters the Universe 3 robots.
13:57 Though he fails to eliminate Koisareta, Gohan's resolve earns him the title of Saiyan Warrior
14:02 from Vegeta, and even more impressive, Beerus refers to Gohan by his name in the ultimate
14:08 show of respect.
14:14 Number 14.
14:16 Gohan vs. Dabura - Dragon Ball Z
14:18 An even fight in Dragon Ball is a rare thing, but that is exactly what we get when Gohan
14:24 faces Dabura.
14:28 Now fully grown, Gohan's return to action is nicely choreographed, with Dabura's stony
14:34 saliva a source of constant tension.
14:37 It turns out, however, that Gohan has slacked in his training and is even weaker than when
14:42 he fought Cell, which is a little disappointing for the fans.
14:46 And even more so for Vegeta.
14:53 The Saiyan Prince rages at Gohan, which gives the Demon King a sinister idea, and he abandons
14:58 the fight before a winner is declared.
15:04 Number 13.
15:05 Gohan vs. Lavender - Dragon Ball Super
15:08 Following a series of absences and straight-up beatdowns in the first two arcs of Super,
15:14 Gohan takes centre stage once more in the Universe survival saga.
15:18 In an exhibition match before the Tournament of Power, Gohan takes on Lavender of Universe
15:23 9.
15:32 Poisoned and blinded by an illegal move, the early signs point to another loss for Gohan.
15:38 But this time, he battles on, refusing a sight-restoring Zenzubin, desperate to prove himself on strength
15:44 alone.
15:49 Lavender is knocked out, but his poisoned opponent also collapses.
15:53 The match is declared a tie, but it helps mark the turnaround for Gohan's participation
15:59 in the series.
16:03 Number 12.
16:04 Gohan vs. Raditz - Dragon Ball Z
16:07 It's hardly even a fight, but four-year-old Gohan's one-shot takedown of his uncle has
16:13 to be included for laying the groundwork for every other entry on this list.
16:17 Dragon Ball Z's first villain kidnaps the young Saiyan and deals Goku a beating in front
16:23 of his own son.
16:25 Before Raditz can finish Goku off, though, both are alarmed by a rising power level nearby.
16:33 Gohan's rage boils over, piercing Raditz's armour with an explosive headbutt, dealing
16:41 more damage in a single blow than anyone had managed so far.
16:48 Afterwards, Gohan returns to an innocent state with no memory of the attack, but fans certainly
16:56 sat up and took note.
17:04 Number 11.
17:05 Gohan vs. Goku - Dragon Ball Z
17:08 At the top of our sparring entries is Gohan's beam struggle with Goku in the hyperbolic
17:13 time chamber.
17:15 Out of ideas to finally turn Gohan into a Super Saiyan, Goku reverts to type and fires
17:20 a good old-fashioned Kamehameha at his son.
17:27 As he wrestles the energy blast, Gohan flashes back to the times he needed his friends to
17:32 bail him out of trouble, and realises he isn't going to be so lucky this time.
17:38 Gohan finds the will to ascend, and deflects the beam back at his delighted father.
17:47 Not so much one of Gohan's best fights, but a fight within one of Gohan's best moments.
17:57 Number 10.
17:58 Gohan vs. Cell Jr.'s - Dragon Ball Z
18:01 Gohan's first call of duty after the legendary Super Saiyan 2 transformation is to protect
18:07 his friends from the Cell Juniors.
18:13 Of course, there's a bigger fight at play here, and more on the transformation itself
18:17 comes later.
18:18 But this brutal interlude demonstrates just how far Gohan has come, not just in a few
18:24 moments, but over the whole series.
18:29 While the miniature Cells overpowered his allies, Gohan finds a new and creative way
18:35 to literally tear through each of them in turn, showing no mercy in the undercard to
18:40 perfectly set up the main event.
18:48 Number 9.
18:49 Gohan vs. Gamma One - Dragon Ball Super Super Hero
18:53 Dragon Ball Super Super Hero recently became the highest grossing movie in the franchise,
18:58 and here we see some of the reasons why.
19:00 Not only does the story return Gohan to a lead role, but here we have arguably our best
19:06 looking fight on this list.
19:08 In a rainy backdrop, the new dad takes on Gamma One for the fate of his daughter.
19:18 The android adapts to his opponent's fighting style, but Gohan makes his way through the
19:22 Super Saiyan forms to take a hard-fought win.
19:31 His last transformation literally parts the clouds, and the fight ends in sun - a cheesy,
19:37 but classic example of what Dragon Ball does best.
19:45 Number 8.
19:46 Gohan vs. Super Buu - Dragon Ball Z
19:50 Ultimate Gohan's arrival to face Super Buu marks the completion of his arc in Dragon
19:55 Ball Z.
19:56 Wearing his father's gi, and with the confidence to match, Gohan lands on the battlefield as
20:01 the series' protagonist - if only for a moment.
20:10 The fight itself is a little too one-sided in both directions to be among his very best.
20:23 Gohan toys with Super Buu before his opponent absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo to turn the tide.
20:30 As Butenks, the villain has the edge both physically and psychologically, handing Gohan
20:36 a loss that the character would never truly recover from.
20:46 Number 7.
20:47 Gohan vs. Frieza vs. Dyspo - Dragon Ball Super
20:51 With just two universes remaining and a numbers advantage, Gohan makes it his duty to eliminate
20:57 the threat of Dyspo's speed.
21:04 In a rare team-up with Frieza, he thinks up a plan to trap Dyspo in close quarters and
21:09 make his superior strength an advantage.
21:12 The strategy might have earned him an outright win had Frieza been able to maintain the energy
21:17 cage around them.
21:22 Even so, the team leader has enough time to grab hold of Dyspo.
21:26 Frieza eliminates the pair in a show of respect to Gohan, who bows out of the tournament in
21:31 style.
21:37 Number 6.
21:38 Gohan, Piccolo, Krillin, Tien and Chiaotzu vs. Nappa - Dragon Ball Z
21:44 When the Saiyans arrive on Earth at last, they quickly make the Z Fighters' training
21:49 seem like a whole lot of wasted effort.
21:51 While Vegeta lies in waiting, Nappa single-handedly begins to pick off the best the planet has
21:56 to offer.
22:02 Tien and Chiaotzu are killed in moments, but it's Piccolo's sacrifice that finally sends
22:08 his child prodigy over the edge.
22:13 In one of his most iconic rages, Gohan goes all-out offence, dealing the first serious
22:19 damage to Nappa and proving that the Raditz assault was no fluke.
22:27 Gohan no doubt would have lost this match if not for Goku, but it's no accident either
22:32 that he makes it this far.
22:34 Number 5.
22:35 Gohan vs. Cell Max - Dragon Ball Super, Super Hero
22:39 The climax to Dragon Ball Super, Super Hero hits a few familiar notes; a fight against
22:45 Cell, an android sacrifice, and a Gohan awakening.
22:50 But that's absolutely fine by us.
22:54 With Goku and Vegeta off-planet, Piccolo and a rusty Gohan are all that's left to face
23:00 Cell Max, a bio-android made in the villain's semi-perfect image.
23:05 But when Gohan sees his master on the brink of death, you better believe that's enough.
23:10 Gohan unleashes Beast Mode, a new transformation of his very own, and fires a special beam
23:16 cannon in tribute to Piccolo.
23:27 With that, the character's long-awaited return to the top of the Dragon Ball power
23:31 tree satisfies both longtime fans and super newbies.
23:39 Number 4.
23:40 Gohan vs. Piccolo vs. Saonel & Piranha - Dragon Ball Super
23:45 Gohan has more explosive tournament battles, but his team-up with Piccolo against Saonel
23:50 and Piranha has it all.
23:53 After the Universe 6 pair reveal they have absorbed the power of countless of their own
23:57 Namekians, Kami and Nail make a reappearance, showing Piccolo that it's Gohan's turn
24:02 to protect him.
24:07 Gohan and Piccolo are always a dream team in itself, but this time the Namekian charges
24:13 a special beam cannon while Gohan takes the lead in a callback to Goku's stand against
24:18 Raditz.
24:21 And the battle ends when Goku and Gohan fire separate Kamehamehas across the fighting stage,
24:27 as Universe 7 makes a statement to its competition.
24:38 Number 3.
24:39 Gohan, Vegeta and Krillin vs. Ginyu Force - Dragon Ball Z
24:44 The most flamboyant team in the universe they might be, but the Ginyu Force are no joke
24:49 on the battlefield.
24:55 Gohan has a brief matchup with Guldo before Vegeta intervenes, and later takes out some
25:01 of his issues on Captain Ginyu in Goku's body.
25:05 But it's the battle against Rikkum that shows the best of the young Saiyan.
25:09 After Rikkum completely obliterates Vegeta, a clearly outmatched Gohan steps up to take
25:14 his place.
25:21 A big, bulky baddie and obvious comic relief, Rikkum is not so subtly meant to mirror Nappa,
25:28 and Gohan shows just how far he has come since then, even impressing his opponent by his
25:33 refusal to stand down.
25:41 Number 2.
25:42 Gohan and Krillin vs. Vegeta - Dragon Ball Z
25:46 The Goku-Vegeta fight is so iconic in anime that it's easy to forget who actually took
25:51 down the Prince of Saiyans.
25:53 Vegeta's artificial moon causes Gohan to transform into a great ape.
25:58 And though he only gets the better of Vegeta after accidentally sitting on him, he shows
26:02 incredible willpower to think rationally in the form.
26:12 Even before then, a human Gohan deals significant damage to his injured opponents.
26:21 With Goku unable to move and Krillin far outmatched, the child is all that stands between Vegeta
26:27 and victory, and Gohan cements his place as a capable protector of Earth by the saga's
26:36 end.
26:37 Number 1.
26:55 Gohan vs. Perfect Cell - Dragon Ball Z
26:58 We'd seen glimpses of Gohan's latent power from the beginning, but nobody was ready for
27:03 where it would lead.
27:04 From when Trunks introduced the idea of half-Super Saiyans, all the way to Android 16's final
27:10 moments, we realised in one explosive transformation that this had been Gohan's story all along.
27:27 In fact, it was Cell who realised it the hardest, taking a blow strong enough to knock an android
27:32 right out of him.
27:40 Gohan's now-trademark over-confidence almost derails a certain win, but through Goku's
27:48 sacrifice, Vegeta's atonement and a father-son kamehameha, he more than makes up for it in
27:54 an epic finale.
27:56 Everything that happens to Gohan in the following years makes this payoff any less special.
28:08 Which was your favourite Gohan showdown?
28:10 Where would you rank Bojack and history of Trunks in our list?
28:14 Let us know in those comments below.
28:32 [music]