Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero may be hiding a secret new form for one of the Z-Warriors. An old, unofficial tradition of the franchise involves the Dragon Ball universe introducing a brand-new form in nearly every storyline, whether be a new transformation or a fusion between two main characters. Some have managed to offer both.
Ever since the Frieza Saga turned Goku into a Super Saiyan, Dragon Ball has been giving its heroes new forms and special techniques each time a major threat emerges. For the Cell Saga, it was Super Saiyan 2. When Majin Buu showed up, the franchise debuted Super Saiyan 3 Goku, created the fusion concept, and gave birth to Ultimate Gohan. In keeping with the expectations set by Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super moved in a similar direction with its stories by creating Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, Super Saiyan Rage, Ultra Instinct, and more. Dragon Ball Super: Broly also included its own surprising addition to the lore by finally making Gogeta canon and giving him the Super Saiyan Blue form.
Given the track record of the Dragon Ball franchise, there’s certainly ample reason to suspect that yet another new transformation or Dragon Ball fusion design will be unveiled in Super Hero. There are a number of theories about what it could be, and theoretically, more than one of them could turn out to be true. That being said, plans for a new form could differ from previous installments. Usually, it’s Goku and Vegeta who are up for a new upgrade, but both will be taking a backseat this time around. As a result, other characters could be the recipients of a new form instead. Here are the different options Super Hero could explore with its characters and their respective power levels.
Gohan
Arguably the strongest candidate for a new form is Gohan, especially since the setup is already there. When sparring with Goku ahead of the Tournament of Power, Gohan explained that he no longer intends to use the Super Saiyan form. Instead, his intention is to pursue a different path, which suggests that any future forms Gohan receives won’t be a variation of the Super Saiyan state. His constant training with Piccolo could culminate in Gohan achieving a very different transformation in Super Hero, and one that may have no connection to his Saiyan heritage.
A trailer for the new movie cast doubt on this theory by showing Gohan using Super Saiyan again, which indicates that he may have abandoned his goal. However, the return of Super Saiyan Gohan doesn’t rule out the possibility of the character accessing a new level. It could be that at some point in the story, Gohan will resort to Super Saiyan to beat the Red Ribbon Army’s androids, but will eventually try something else when it proves ineffective. If so, Gohan’s new form – which could be unique to all other existing transformations – can be the key to attaining victory over the two androids.
Piccolo
The mention of a “never before seen evolution” in the third Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero trailer right before a shot of Piccolo powering up has created the impression that the Namekian is about to get Gohan’s Potential Unleashed upgrade. The character getting an Ultimate form hasn’t been confirmed, but a new transformation of some kind would make sense, particularly since Piccolo's color palette did seem to change slightly after his power-up. In Dragon Ball Z, it was established that a person’s Potential Unleashed state has to be unlocked by Old Kai, but the character’s presence in Super Hero remains unconfirmed for the time being.
Rather than get the same Ultimate form that Gohan already has, it may be that Piccolo’s training will pave the way for a transformation that only Namekians can have. Either way, Piccolo getting a massive boost in power may be necessary for the two to win. As a movie that’s being described as a story about Gohan and Piccolo, the two finding a way to save the day may not hinge solely on Gohan’s new power-up. Both protagonists may have to reach new heights if they have any hope of foiling the Red Ribbon Army’s plans.
Teen Gotenks
Artwork for Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero showed off redesigned, older versions of Goten and Trunks doing the fusion dance. This serves as a tease that Super Hero is about to introduce a teenage Gotenks, which has never before appeared in Dragon Ball canon. Since he’d be a few years older, Super Hero’s Gotenks would have the potential to be stronger than ever. His power contributed nothing to the fights with Frieza, Beerus, and the Vegeta clone, but if Goten and Trunks have been serious about their training, the teenage Gotenks could be a force to be reckoned with against the Red Ribbon Army. There’s a hope that at this point, they might even be able to unlock Super Saiyan God, but his slow progression makes Gotenks climbing any higher than Super Saiyan 3 unlikely.
Cell
With one of Super Hero’s central protagonists being the hero who killed Perfect Cell, it would be fitting if the movie found a way to bring back the villain. The film hiding a character as big as Cell for this long is hard to imagine, but theories regarding his involvement have persisted regardless. The final trailer revealed that the Red Ribbon Army is planning to unleash an “Ultimate Evil”. If this “Ultimate Evil” is a rebuilt version of Cell, it’s possible that he’ll be sporting a new form. After all, Cell’s current power level can’t compare with where Gohan or even Piccolo is at this point in the franchise’s timeline.
Gohan-Piccolo Fusion
Goten and Trunks aren’t necessarily the only ones who might fuse in Super Hero. There’s also Gohan and Piccolo, who could combine to create a powerful new fusion. Prior to the movie, it wouldn’t have made sense for the two to fuse. It was established in Dragon Ball Z that if one character is significantly weaker than the other, their fusion form’s power level will be negatively affected. But Piccolo’s power-up and the gains he made in Dragon Ball Super are signs that the gap between him and Gohan isn’t so large anymore. If that’s true, Piccolo (who knows how to do the fusion dance) may convince Gohan to fuse with him so that they can beat Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero’s secret villain. Perhaps the biggest obstacle to this scenario is coming to is the visual challenge of creating an appealing, Saiyan-Namekian fusion design.
