One of the greatest one of the worst Dragon Ball stories), explaining it through the trauma he went through while fighting the Ginyu Force on Namek. This theory comes from how the manga by Akira Toriyama originally depicted the scenes in question, with Gohan - at the time just a kid - suffering a brutal beat down at the hands of the Ginyu Force. In the Dragon Ball anime, however, that scene plays out very differently.
This theory focuses on the fact that Gohan oddly chooses to perform ridiculous, over-the-top poses as the Great Saiyaman. The only time in which Dragon Ball exposes Gohan to such absurd frivolities occurs during the fight against the Ginyu Force, who, despite being terrifying villains, did the same ridiculous poses. The theory postulates that Gohan was so traumatized by his fight against the Ginyu Force that, in dealing with the trauma, he ended up molding a complete alter ego internalizing the most ubiquitous thing about them.
Gohan's Most Brutal Dragon Ball Fight Was Toned Down In the Anime
This incredibly dark theory is actually ed by some compelling evidence. This was the first time Gohan had to battle alone: although he initially fought alongside Krillin and Vegeta against the Ginyu Force, both of his allies were soon taken out by Recoome, forcing the boy to continue alone. In chapter #278 of Dragon Ball, Gohan gets brutally beaten by Recoome, who ends up snapping his neck with a kick. However, in the anime, Gohan actually does a great job of standing up against Recoome. He powers up and attacks on numerous occasions, and although many of them fail, just the fact that he has the means to be on the offensive for more than just one instance is noteworthy. Even his Masenko blasts require Recoome to react more than he does in the manga, where the villain simply blows it away. fun. It isn't until the very end of the episode that the anime finally adapts Gohan's complete and utter defeat from the manga.
Although Gohan still experiences a devastating defeat in the anime, his predicament isn't as hopeless or even as overwhelmingly brutal as it was portrayed in the manga. In fact, it could be argued that Gohan was more traumatized by his first fight against Nappa. Although Gohan wasn't alone at the time, Gohan still ran and hid numerous times out of fear (especially in the anime) and was arguably more terrified than he ever was against Recoome. On Namek, Gohan was emboldened by determination and bravery, which gave him the strength to persevere, much like the greatest of heroes.
This Dark Gohan Theory Explains Great Saiyaman's Sillyness
If the theory only had the anime to go by, the Great Saiyaman could not have been inspired by Gohan's desperate battle against Recoome. However, by taking the manga's original brutal portrayal of that fight into , it would make sense that the Great Saiyaman poses just like the Ginyu Force did when they traumatized Gohan all those years ago. This dark Gohan theory goes to prove that, while the Dragon Ball anime gave its viewers a much more family-friendly version of the story, the manga had some truly brutal and dramatic moments.
