For a brief moment,Dragon Ballseemed like it was ready to pass the torch onto a new generation. After Goku’s sacrifice in the Cell Saga,Gohan was intended to step into the role of series protagonistas the most promising young fighter with immense potential. It offered a fresh direction forDragon Ball, but just as quickly as the shift began, it was abandoned, leaving fans to wonder why Gohan’s potential as the hero was never fully explored.
The Buu Saga marked an abrupt shift from Gohan’s high school life to another high-stakes battle where Goku returned as the series’ hero. While Gohan was set up to become the next great warrior,the storyline veered away from him in favor of its old structure. While many fans believe that this decision was caused by fans' poor reaction to that storyline, the real reason is actually different, according to a recent interview with Toriyama’s editors.
Gohan’s High School Arc Was a Short-Lived Experiment
Akira Toriyama Wanted to Experiment With a Lighthearted Storyline
Before Buu wreaked havoc on the Earth, Toriyama briefly shiftedDragon Ball Z’sfocus away from large-scale battles to experiment with a more lighthearted and comedic storyline. Gohan’s high school arc introduced a setting unlike anything the series had explored before and leaned into the idea ofGohan becoming a secret hero while attempting to maintain his normal life.The Great Saiyaman was a chance to blend superhero actionwith slice-of-life humor, offering a fresh take on both the series and Gohan’s character.
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However, this shift was a gamble. While some fans enjoyed the change, others found that it lacked the intense action that many had come to expect from the series.According to a recent interviewwith three editors who worked with Toriyama onDragon Ball(Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo, and Fuyuto Takeda),Toriyama even admittedthat he founddrawing the crowded background scenes too tedious and quickly grew tired of the storyline. Rather than committing to the change, he chose to simplify things by moving back toward an action-heavy plot, making his creative process more engaging for him.
Toriyama Found Drawing Crowded Scenes To Be Too Uninspiring
Toriyama’s approach to storytelling wasalways driven by instinct rather than long-term planning. When an idea lost its charm or became too restrictive, Toriyama had no hesitation in discarding it for something more enjoyable to draw. By shifting the focus back to high-stakes battles, he was able to work with a style that felt more natural. The shift hadnothing to do with Gohan’s roleand was instead Toriyama’s attempt to make the work more stimulating, which is something that he had always prioritized.
Sidelining Gohan was Toriyama’s way of abandoning the tediousness of drawing crowded scenes with too many background characters in favor of a more dynamic narrative.Toriyama has always been known for his unpredictabilityand eye-catching action scenes. These were elements he enjoyed crafting, andthey naturally pulled the series back toward Gokuas the main protagonist. In the end,Dragon Ball Zshifted away from Gohan’s school arc due to Akira Toriyama’s personal preferences and creative process.
Sources:@KosoKoso_hoso(original interview);@Venixys(translation)
Dragon Ball
From the creative mind of Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball is a mega multimedia franchise that spans back to the 1980s. Dragon Ball expanded quickly, starting as a serialized manga for Weekly Shonen Jump in Japan. It made its way overseas via manga and an anime adaptation that is enjoyed worldwide. Dragon Ball was the initial starting animated series that followed the adventures of the young Son Goku as he sought after the Dragon Balls. These mystical orbs would grant the wish of any who gathered them together. Then, the series would branch off into the immensely popular Dragon Ball Z, which followed Goku as an adult and featured high-intensity battles and Goku’s never-ending search to be the strongest. The series has also enjoyed several popular video game adaptations and continues to release several new animated series and theatrical films up to the recent popular Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.
