Summary
- Beast Gohan is the result of him evolving as a human, focusing on his human genes rather than relying on his Saiyan heritage. This explains why Goku and Vegeta cannot attain the Beast form.
- Ultimate Gohan foreshadows Gohan’s mindset during the Tournament of Power, as it strips away the Saiyan aspect of his transformation and emphasizes his humanity. Beast Gohan could be considered the next state beyond Ultimate Gohan.
- The theory of Beast Gohan being a Saiyan/human hybrid confirms Vegeta’s hypothesis that hybrids are naturally more powerful than pure Saiyans. It raises the question of whether Goku and Vegeta’s half-Saiyan children could unlock a different transformation if they embrace their Saiyan heritage in the future.
Gohan‘s unexpected but highly celebrated Beast Gohan transformation has been an understandably hot topic among fans ever since it debuted in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. This is partly because neither mangaka Akira Toriyama nor artist Toyotarou have revealed anything new about it besides what happens in the movie. However, Gohan already appears to have explained where Beast came from and why Goku or even Vegeta will never be able to attain it themselves.
In chapter 39 of Dragon Ball Super, Gohan makes a startling comment when Universe 6 Saiyan Caulifla mocks him for not transforming into a Super Saiyan during the Tournament of Power. He tells the incredulous Caulifla that he doesn’t transform into a Super Saiyan anymore because he has been deciding to evolve as a human rather than relying on his Saiyan blood anymore. The comment might seem innocuous at first glance, but after taking a closer look, it might just be the true explanation behind Beast Gohan.
Beast Gohan Is The Result of Him Evolving as a Human
Based on Gohan’s confession it would make sense if Beast is actually a transformation that only a Saiyan/human hybrid can obtain when that particular person has focused on their human genes rather than their Saiyan heritage. For that reason, Goku and Vegeta won’t be able to unlock their own Beast form since they are full-blooded Saiyans. Of course, some fans might point to the fact that Gohan does go Super Saiyan in the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film and now in the manga adaptation of the movie. However, it’s noteworthy that during the same fight where Gohan goes Super Saiyan, he later switches to Ultimate Gohan for the remainder of the battle, implying that Gohan has evolved past relying solely on his Saiyan abilities.
The concept of Ultimate Gohan actually foreshadows Gohan’s mindset during the Tournament of Power. Although it came as a result of Elder Kai unlocking Gohan’s true potential, Gohan’s Ultimate form is described as him utilizing the power of Super Saiyan 2 without having to deal with the burdens of that particular transformation. In essence, going Ultimate involves Gohan stripping the Saiyan aspect of that transformation, which would have overshadowed his humanity. It’s therefore possible that Beast Gohan could also be considered the next state beyond Ultimate Gohan. If that’s the case, Goku could possibly undergo something like Beast, but Vegeta, who is proud of his Saiyan heritage, would never even entertain such a ridiculous notion.
Beast Gohan’s Origin Confirms Vegeta’s First Hypothesis
Regardless, the theory that Beast Gohan is the result of someone with Saiyan and human blood actually relates back to o a theory about Gohan’s strength that Vegeta postulated in Dragon Ball. After learning about Gohan’s tremendous power from Raditz’s scouter, Vegeta surmises that Saiyan/human hybrids must naturally be more powerful than Saiyans. Vegeta is so convinced by this idea that he automatically rejects Nappa’s suggestion that they build a new Saiyan kingdom with hybrids because he wouldn’t want to be surrounded by “brats” who are stronger than he is. This now just begs the question if Goku and Vegeta’s half-Saiyan half-human children Goten and Trunks respectively could unlock a different transformation if they choose to embrace their Saiyan heritage as opposed to Gohan in a future saga of Dragon Ball Super.
Dragon Ball Super is available on Viz.com.