Every Gohan Fight Ranked In Dragon Ball

Every Gohan Fight Ranked

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Welcome to WatchMojo, and today we’re ranking Every Gohan Fight in “Dragon Ball”. For this list, we’re considering all solo and team-up efforts in the anime canon. Although “History of Trunks” has been effectively canonized, any Future Gohan action also misses the cut.

#29: Gohan & Piccolo vs. Prum & Harmira

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“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Prum and Harmira’s unique combination is actually a neat addition to “Dragon Ball Super’s” Tournament of Power. Gohan and Piccolo are first to encounter Prum’s reflective ability and Harmira’s Sniper Shots. The trouble here is, none of their defensive strategies work against the Universe Two pair. Piccolo inevitably has his arms cut off and puts his regeneration to work. Gohan is forced into hiding, where he remains until Prum and Harmira are defeated by Vegeta and Tien respectively. Not one of his better Tournament showings, but there’s plenty more to come.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Next in a line of forgettable Tournament of Power opponents, Dium has the honor of being the first character knocked out of the ring by Master Roshi. Gohan leads a group of Team Universe Seven into a tactical formation, and deals the first damage to Dium as the latter tries to target Krillin. But this is Roshi’s win. The old man swiftly eliminates the bird human hybrid from Universe Ten, who we also have to dock points for attacking half an entire line-up at once. We get it. You can fly.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Gohan gets his first solo win of the Tournament of Power against Universe Six’s Botamo. The giant yellow bear goes after Gohan on Champa’s orders, and unable to take physical damage, steps up with supreme overconfidence. Are you sensing a theme here? The leader and strategist for Team Universe Seven, Gohan puts his plan into action, striking blows not to injure, but to lift Botamo off the ground. The half Saiyan floats, rather than forces, Botamo out of the ring. It’s barely a challenge for Gohan, but it’s a harmless and creative way to announce his arrival at the Tournament.

#26. Gohan vs. Obni

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“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Obni’s brief Tournament appearance packs a surprising emotional punch. Speaking of punches, Obni attacks Gohan with multiple shadow clones, actually gaining the upper hand for a desperate Universe Ten. Using all of his smarts, Gohan locates the true body by taking the blows, and striking when his opponent is closest. Obni can no longer keep up the technique, and Gohan ends his Tournament with a Kamehameha classic. As the second Universe is erased, Gohan finds Obni’s family portrait, and mourns for those lost as the stakes rise for the remaining Universes.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) In the latest example of “Dragon Ball’s” inconsistent power scaling, Gohan challenges Krillin to a sparring match before the Tournament of Power, with more than surprising results. When Goku and Gohan lie about a cash prize in an attempt to recruit Krillin and Android 18 for the event, Krillin gets one back on his old friend, showing off his new Solar Flare technique and knocking Gohan into the ocean. Krillin even holds his own in the following match with Goku, so this is one not to be taken too seriously.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Back to the Tournament of Power, and a tricky match-up with Universe Two Yardrat Jimizu. Our Universe Seven Yardrats play an important role in Goku’s legacy, nursing him back to health after Planet Namek’s explosion and passing on the secrets of their Instant Transmission technique – but this is the first time we see one in action. Despite a power disadvantage, Jimizu displays total control over his own Instant Transmission, and Gohan is on the ropes before Frieza’s intervention. True to character, Frieza allows Jimizu to continue attacking Gohan for some time before stepping in and taking the win for himself.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Directly after Jimizu’s elimination, Frost joins Frieza and the pair antagonize a weakened Gohan. Frieza confesses he has formed an alliance with Frost, and attacks Gohan to gain the trust of his Universe Six equivalent. Gohan prepares to battle his own teammate, but he senses Frieza is holding back, and plays along for dramatic effect. Frieza waits for Frost to let his guard down, before knocking him out of the ring in a surprise double cross. Their fight is a means to an end here, but it’s still fun to see Gohan and Frieza’s dynamic after all these years.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) There’s something nostalgic about seeing Gohan fight alongside his oldest allies. Battling against thousands of Frieza soldiers, Gohan easily whittles the army down to size, catching Frieza’s eye as a reminder of his potential. Even the new and improved Captain Ginyu can’t stand up to Gohan’s Super Saiyan upgrade. Unfortunately, the good news stops there. Frieza, in his base form no less, blasts Gohan back into obscurity for the rest of the arc.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) It takes the full Universe Seven roster to take down Agnilasa, the merged form of Universe Three’s remaining combatants. As team leader, Gohan makes the initial strategy calls, but the supersized robot brushes them off to take the upper hand. The fight then becomes Android 17’s, when 18 eliminates herself to knock her brother back into the ring. While Agnilasa contends with our heroes’ signature attacks, 17 shatters its energy reactor. Gohan does have a hand in the elimination, but Universe Seven was on the back foot before 17’s charge.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) When Goku recruits Tien Shinhan for the Tournament, Gohan and Piccolo join them for a friendly two-on-two match. Tien is the voice of reason when things quickly get out of hand, and the fight is called off before someone gets hurt. But Gohan challenges Goku to one-on-one to test out his strength. In a neat callback to their training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gohan pleads with his father to take him seriously, and a cutaway shows Vegeta’s smile as he senses Gohan the fighter’s return. The result is exactly as you’d expect, although Goku has to play the Kaio-ken card to finish things off.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) Back on Earth after Namek’s explosion, Bulma reluctantly tells the survivors that Goku cannot be wished back. Believing him to be dead, Vegeta immediately gloats at outlasting his Saiyan rival. But Gohan is fresh from battles with Frieza and the Ginyus, and shows he has nothing to be scared of as he challenges Vegeta in his father’s name. Gohan deals a surprise blow, but the fight is pretty one-sided when the Saiyan Prince decides to take him seriously. The highlight here is Piccolo keeping Bulma from breaking up the scrap, and allowing his young pupil to take the loss before stepping in.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Gohan’s bout with Top is a short one, but that’s probably a good thing where our heroes are concerned. As well as some high quality animation, we get a rare team-up with Android 17 here, but the battle never really looks like going their way. 17 lands a sneak attack which only stalls the leader of the Pride Troopers, and Gohan connects with the latest Kamehameha. Gohan’s blast is almost enough to put Top over the edge, but eliminating him was never going to be this easy!

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) Gohan lands blows on Frieza in his more powerful third and fourth forms, but his all-out assault on second form Frieza is by far the most satisfying. Believing Krillin to be dead, Gohan’s latest rage boost leaves the villain in a heap on the ground – and also floors everybody watching. Unfortunately, Frieza is not really Gohan’s fight, and their encounters never last longer than a single burst of anger. Frieza is more surprised than injured by this particular attack, but he definitely learns not to take Gohan lightly moving forward.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Gohan and Piccolo are an iconic duo, but rarely do we get to see the pair throw down in training. In “Dragon Ball Super”, however, Gohan asks his teacher to help him get ready for the Tournament of Power and reawaken his Ultimate form, and the results do not disappoint. Here, we see the best of both characters. Gohan battles his own self-doubt to revive a fan favorite transformation, and Piccolo takes advantage of his prodigy’s old overconfidence, catching Gohan off guard and showing he still has a thing or two to learn.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Gohan’s battle against Doctor Paparoni’s mechanical creations takes a turn when three robots combine into one killing machine. Where have we seen that before? The result is Koiceareta, and Gohan enlists Goku and Vegeta to help in defeating the mechanical threat. Here though, the two protagonists take a backseat, only distracting the opponent and allowing Gohan to recharge. Gohan’s solo Kamehameha shatters the Universe Three robot. Though he fails to eliminate Koiceareta, Gohan’s resolve earns him the title of “Saiyan warrior” from Vegeta – and even more impressive, Beerus refers to Gohan by his name in the ultimate show of respect.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) An even fight in “Dragon Ball” is a rare thing, but that is exactly what we get when Gohan faces Dabura. Now fully grown, Gohan’s return to action is nicely choreographed, with the Dabura’s stony saliva a source of constant tension. It turns out, however, that Gohan has slacked in his training and is weaker than when he fought Cell, which is a little disappointing for the fans – and even more so for Vegeta. The Saiyan Prince rages at Gohan, which gives the Demon King a sinister idea, and he abandons the fight before a winner is declared.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Following a series of absences and straight up beatdowns in the first two arcs of “Super”, Gohan takes center stage once more in the Universe Survival Saga. In an exhibition match before the Tournament of Power, Gohan takes on Lavender of Universe Nine. Poisoned and blinded by an illegal move, the early signs point to another loss for Gohan. But this time he battles on, refusing a sight-restoring senzu bean, desperate to prove himself on strength alone. Lavender is knocked out, but his poisoned opponent also collapses. The match is declared a tie, but it helps mark the turnaround for Gohan’s participation in the series.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) It's hardly even a fight, but four year old Gohan’s one-shot takedown of his uncle has to be included for laying the groundwork for every other entry on this list. “Dragon Ball Z’s” first villain kidnaps the young Saiyan and deals Goku a beating in front of his own son. Before Raditz can finish Goku off though, both are alarmed by a rising power level nearby. Gohan’s rage boils over, piercing Raditz’ armor with an explosive headbutt, dealing more damage in a single blow than anyone had managed so far. Afterwards, Gohan returns to an innocent state with no memory of the attack, but fans certainly sat up and took note.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) At the top of our sparring entries is Gohan’s beam struggle with Goku in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Out of ideas to finally turn Gohan into a Super Saiyan, Goku reverts to type and fires a good old-fashioned Kamehameha at his son. As he wrestles the energy blast, Gohan flashes back to the times he needed his friends to bail him out of trouble – and realizes he isn’t going to be so lucky this time. Gohan finds the will to ascend, and deflects the beam back at his delighted father. Not so much one of Gohan’s best fights, but a fight within one of Gohan’s best moments.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) Gohan’s first call of duty after the legendary Super Saiyan 2 transformation is to protect his friends from the Cell Juniors. Of course, there’s a bigger fight at play here – and more on the transformation itself comes later – but this brutal interlude demonstrates just how far Gohan has come. Not just in the last few moments, but over the whole series. While the miniature Cells overpowered his allies, Gohan finds a new and creative way to literally tear through each of them in turn, showing no mercy in the undercard to perfectly set up the main event.

“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” (2022) “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” recently became the highest-grossing movie in the franchise, and here we see some of the reasons why. Not only does the story return Gohan to a lead role, but here we have arguably our best looking fight on this list. In a rainy backdrop, the new dad takes on Gamma 1 for the fate of his daughter. The android adapts to his opponent’s fighting style, but Gohan makes his way through the Super Saiyan forms to take a hard fought win. His last transformation literally parts the clouds and the fight ends in sun – a cheesy but classic example of what “Dragon Ball” does best.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) Ultimate Gohan’s arrival to face Super Buu marks the completion of his arc in “Dragon Ball Z”. Wearing his father’s gi and with the confidence to match, Gohan lands on the battlefield as the series protagonist. If only for a moment. The fight itself is a little too one-sided in both directions to be among his very best. Gohan toys with Super Buu, before his opponent absorbs Gotenks and Piccolo to turn the tide. As Buutenks, the villain has the edge both physically and psychologically, handing Gohan a loss that the character would never truly recover from.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) With just two Universes remaining and a numbers advantage, Gohan makes it his duty to eliminate the threat of Dyspo’s speed. In a rare team-up with Frieza, he thinks up a plan to trap Dyspo in close quarters and make his superior strength an advantage. The strategy might have earned him an outright win had Frieza been able to maintain the energy cage around them. Even so, the team leader has enough time to grab hold of Dyspo. Frieza eliminates the pair in a show of respect to Gohan – who bows out of the Tournament in style.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) When the Saiyans arrive on Earth at last, they quickly make the Z Fighters’ training seem like a whole lot of wasted effort. While Vegeta lies in waiting, Nappa single-handedly begins to pick off the best the planet has to offer. Tien and Chiaotzu are killed in moments, but it’s Piccolo’s sacrifice that finally sends his child prodigy over the edge. In one of his most iconic rages, Gohan goes all out offense, dealing the first serious damage to Nappa and proving that the Raditz assault was no fluke. Gohan no doubt would have lost this match if not for Goku, but it’s no accident either that he makes it this far.

“Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” (2022) The climax to “Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero” hits a few familiar notes: a fight against Cell, an android sacrifice, and a Gohan awakening – but that’s absolutely fine by us. With Goku and Vegeta off-planet, Piccolo and a rusty Gohan are all that’s left to face Cell Max, a bio-android made in the villain’s Semi-Perfect image. But when Gohan sees his master on the brink of death – you better believe that’s enough. Gohan unleashes Beast Mode, a new transformation of his very own, and fires a Special Beam Cannon in tribute to Piccolo. With that, the character’s long-awaited return to the top of the “Dragon Ball” power tree satisfies both long-time fans and “Super” newbies.

“Dragon Ball Super” (2015-18) Gohan has more explosive Tournament battles, but his team-up with Piccolo against Saonel and Pirina has it all. After the Universe Six pair reveal they have absorbed the power of dozens of their own Namekians, Kami and Nail make a reappearance showing Piccolo that it’s Gohan’s turn to protect him. Gohan and Piccolo are always a dream team in itself, but this time the Namekian charges a Special Beam Cannon while Gohan takes the lead in a callback to Goku’s stand against Raditz. And the battle ends when Goku and Gohan fire separate Kamehamehas across the fighting stage as Universe Seven makes a statement to its competition.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) The most flamboyant team in the universe they might be, but the Ginyu Force are no joke on the battlefield. Gohan has a brief match-up with Guldo before Vegeta intervenes, and later takes out some of his issues on Captain Ginyu in Goku’s body – but it’s the battle against Recoome that shows the best of the young Saiyan. After Recoome completely obliterates Vegeta, a clearly outmatched Gohan steps up to take his place. A big, bulky baddie and obvious comic relief, Recoome is not-so-subtly meant to mirror Nappa, and Gohan shows just how far he has come since then – even impressing his opponent by his refusal to stand down.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) The Goku/Vegeta fight is so iconic in anime that it’s easy to forget who actually took down the Prince of Saiyans. Vegeta’s artificial moon causes Gohan to transform into a Great Ape, and though he only gets the better of Vegeta after accidentally sitting on him, he shows incredible willpower to think rationally in the form. Even before then, a human Gohan deals significant damage to his injured opponent. With Goku unable to move and Krillin far outmatched, the child is all that stands between Vegeta and victory, and Gohan cements his place as a capable protector of Earth by the saga’s end.

“Dragon Ball Z” (1989-96) We’d seen glimpses of Gohan’s latent power from the beginning, but nobody was ready for where it would lead. From when Trunks introduced the idea of half-breed Super Saiyans, all the way to Android 16’s final moments, we realized in one explosive transformation that this had been Gohan’s story all along. In fact, it was Cell who realized it the hardest – taking a blow strong enough to knock an android right out of him. Gohan’s now-trademark overconfidence almost derails a certain win, but through Goku’s sacrifice, Vegeta’s atonement, and a father/son Kamehameha, he more than makes up for it in an epic finale. Nothing that happens to Gohan in the following years makes this payoff any less special. Which is your favorite Gohan throwdown? Where would you rank “Bojack” and “History of Trunks” in our list? Let us know in the comments.