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Grandpa Son Gohan (normally called "Grandpa Gohan"[1]) is a martial artist and Master Roshi's top pupil. He is the adoptive grandfather of Son Goku.
Grandpa Gohan was accidentally killed by a rampaging Great Ape Goku prior to the start of the Dragon Ball series. His first full appearance is as "The Mysterious Fifth Man," one of Fortuneteller Baba's fighters, where he temporarily reunites with Goku. In anime-exclusive filler, he is depicted as Annin's attendant and the bodyguard of the Furnace of Eight Divisions.
Grandpa Gohan gave Son Goku his Earth name and served as a mentor and parental figure, shaping Goku's kindhearted and heroic nature. His legacy continues through Goku's family, as Goku's son, Gohan, is named in his honor.
| This dropdown contains the synopsis of Grandpa Gohan’s story. Read at your own risk as you may be spoiled otherwise! |
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Early History In his later years, Grandpa Gohan lived alone on Mount Paozu, where his old house remained near Goku's in Dragon Ball Z. He became Goku's adoptive grandfather after finding him as a baby near the landing site of his space pod. When Goku first arrived on Earth, his mission as a Saiyan was to destroy the human race and prepare the planet for sale. Initially, Goku was aggressive and uncooperative. In Dragon Ball Z: Bardock - The Father of Goku, Goku is shown laughing when Grandpa Gohan finds him in the wilderness. After falling into a ravine, Goku hit his head, which caused him to lose his memory and become a cheerful, loving boy. Grandpa Gohan passed on his martial arts knowledge to Goku and warned him never to look at a full moon, implying he had already witnessed Goku's transformation into a Great Ape once and managed to survive. Despite following this advice for a time, Goku eventually looked at a full moon one night, transforming into a Great Ape. He rampaged uncontrollably, killing Grandpa Gohan in the process. Because Goku retained no memory of his actions in this form, he believed his grandfather had been killed by a monster and associated his soul with the Four-Star Dragon Ball. In Dragon Ball Z, during Goku's battle against Vegeta as the latter transformed into a Great Ape, Goku realized that he had accidentally killed Grandpa Gohan as a child and expressed his deep regret, apologizing to his grandfather. Jaco the Galactic Patrolman Though Goku appears to be relatively well-behaved in Dragon Ball Minus, it is implied that Grandpa Gohan was able to placate the young Saiyan with food. Gohan's remarks before naming him suggest that they fought one another off-screen, which aligns with Master Roshi's statements about Goku's wild behavior before his head injury. Gohan also notes Goku's lack of manners, as the young Saiyan stands on the table to eat instead of sitting. Fortuneteller Baba Saga Grandpa Gohan and Goku engage in an even match until Gohan grabs Goku's tail, exploiting the weakness he knew from having raised and trained him. Using this advantage, Gohan slams Goku to the ground repeatedly, leaving him defenseless. The others watch in confusion as Gohan relentlessly attacks. After accidentally tearing off Goku's tail, triggering a furious response from his grandson, Grandpa Gohan concedes the fight. He explains that his intent was to teach Goku the importance of training harder and learning to turn his tail into an asset rather than a liability. It is at this moment that Goku realizes the fighter’s true identity. Removing his mask, Grandpa Gohan reveals himself, and Goku immediately embraces him, resulting in an emotional reunion. Grandpa Gohan and Fortuneteller Baba explain that Baba’s magic allows the dead to return to life for one day. Bulma also takes the opportunity to recount her adventures with Goku and their search for the Dragon Balls. Content with his existence in the Other World, Grandpa Gohan decides to remain deceased. Before disappearing, he expresses gratitude to Master Roshi for training Goku and bids a heartfelt farewell to his grandson. It is also shown that Grandpa Gohan shares Master Roshi's penchant for humor, as he remarks, "I've got a lot of friends, and most of them are brunettes." Piccolo Jr. Saga As they progress, Goku and Chi-Chi reach the gateway between the living world and the afterlife. After overcoming various illusions, they enter the cave of the Spirit Furnace, where they encounter Grandpa Gohan, whom Goku mistakenly believes to be the legendary furnace keeper, Annin. It turns out that Grandpa Gohan serves as Annin’s bodyguard and is tasked with guarding the lever that controls the Spirit Furnace. Following a brief confrontation with Annin, Goku is granted access to the furnace’s depths, where he successfully seals a leak. After completing his mission, Goku shares a heartfelt farewell with his grandfather, before continuing with Chi-Chi toward their future together. Raditz Saga Vegeta Saga Peaceful World Saga Universal Survival Saga Granolah the Survivor Saga |
Nicknames: Grandpa Gohan[3]
Origin: Dragon Ball
First Appearance: Dragon Ball Emperor Pilaf Saga (Mentioned), Dragon Ball Fortuneteller Baba Saga (Physical appearance)
Company: Shueisha, Toei
Creator: Akira Toriyama
Actor
Gender: Male
Sexuality: Heterosexual
Pronouns: He/Him
Age: Unknown (The specific time period in which Grandpa Gohan died is unknown)
Birth Year: Age 658[4]
Time Period: Between Age 738-Age 749 (For beginning of Dragon Ball), Age 750 (For Red Ribbon Army Saga)
Timeline: Main Timeline
Homeworld: Earth (When alive), Other World (While deceased)
Residence: Mount Paozu (When alive), Other World (While deceased)
Story Role: Supporting Protagonist
Legacy: Local Legacy (Grandpa is a well-known martial artist by his friend Ox King along with Master Roshi[5])
Influence: Event Influence (Grandpa Gohan is the one that found and nutured Son Goku, along with teaching him his initial martial arts skills, with him essentially being responsible for Son Goku eventually becoming the savior of the universe)
Language: Common Language
Classification: Son Goku's adopted Grandpa, Martial Artist
Species: Human
State of Being: Regular
Physiology: Humanoid Physiology
In-Universe Creator: Unknown
Occupation: None, Fighter for Baba's team (Temporarily)
Affiliations: Son Goku (His grandson), Master Roshi (His teacher[6]), Ox King (Fellow friend and other student of Master Roshi[7])
Enemies: Oozaru Goku
Height: 158 cm
Weight: 51 kg
Status: Deceased (Grandpa Gohan deid from Son Goku looking at the full moon and becoming an Oozaru, being trampled on[8])
Date of Death: Before the beginning of Dragon Ball
Alignment: Neutral Good (Grandpa Gohan was a student of Master Roshi[9], where the Turtle Hermit Style has one live well, eat well, and uses martial arts to stop evil-doers[10])
Protection Level: Street Protector
Key: Before Fortuneteller Baba Saga | Fortuneteller Baba Saga
Key Information
Grade: B (Granpda Gohan was Master Roshi's number one student[11])
Tier: 9-A. Varies-E with Strongest Charged Blast | At least 9-A. Varies-E with Strongest Charged Blast
Cardinality: Finite
Dimensionality: 3-D
Power Source: Ki (All beings in Dragon Ball[12][13][14] have ki, the very life force energy of all characters[15], ki allows a fighter to extend beyond their bodies limits, allowing them to even[16] block attacks that would otherwise[17] kill them from[18] raising their guard[19], higher level users can lower their own durability to allow people far below them to fatally wound them[20])
Attack Potency: Room level (Potency) (Granpda Gohan was Master Roshi's number one student[21], which should make him relative to 21st Budokai Saga Son Goku and ultimately won, who defeated General Blue, who tanked his[22] plane crashing into a mountain at full speed[23]). Varies: Skill with Strongest Charged Blast (Charged Blast have one focus all of their energy into one single point[24], putting the blasts power far beyond what their peak strength is[25], allowing them to destroy things they couldn't prior with their regular attacks[26], this also allows them to use charged attacks that can stop enemies far beyond their level, such as Tien Shinhan pushing back Semi-Perfect Cell with his Neo Ki-Ko-Ho[27], along with stopping an attack shot from Buu absorbed Gotenks[28]. Strongest charged blast can gather ki to shoot out blast far beyond what the character is normally capable of[29], with blasts capable of[30] seriously damaging/destroying[31] the Earth along with completely obliterating the opponent[32]. Charged Blast also rely heavily on emotional states for example Gohan not believing in himself[33] was having Cell overpower him in a beam clash[34]) | At least Room level (Potency) (Fought and matched[35] Red Ribbon Army Saga Son Goku after his fight with Tao Pai Pai, which was after his training with Korin, where it was noted by Korin his power increased "manyfold", making him at least two times stronger than before). Varies: Skill with Strongest Charged Blast
Durability: Room level, Higher with Guard Up (Ki allows a fighter to extend beyond their bodies limits, allowing them to even block attacks that would otherwise kill them from raising their guard) | At least Room level, Higher with Guard Up
Striking Strength: At least Room Class (Potency) | Room Class (Potency)
Lifting Strength: Unknown: True Class | Unknown: True Class
Travel Speed: Superhuman (Granpda Gohan was Master Roshi's number one student[36], where Master Roshi expected his students to be able to easily reach the ability to travel 100 meters in 5.6 seconds[37]) | Superhuman
Attack Speed: Supersonic (Should be superior to beginning of Dragon Ball Son Goku, who appeared faster than a trained bandit could see, traveled 120 km in a short timeframe. Tagged a pterodactyl, which can reach up to 67 miles per hour, 29.95 meters per second), Higher Attack Speed (The kamehameha can reach the moon in a short timeframe) | Supersonic
Reaction Speed: Supersonic | Supersonic (Can fight comparable to Red Ribbon Army Saga Son Goku, who can avoid bullets from close range, on a consistent basis)
Stamina: Superhuman (Went to train under Master Roshi and learn the turtle hermit style[38], a style training one to break the wall of humanity[39] mastering the art in both body and mind[40]. This style requires one to train in knowledge[41], work on one's stamina[42] work on their muscles and speed[43] dodge attacks even while tied to a rope in a short range[44] all the while wearing 20-kilo shells[45]. The Turtle Hermit Style are incorporated within this[46], allowing for students that trained under this style to be capable[47] of fighting against other martial artists[48] without needing to be taught any real fighting[49] along with taking no damage from attacks due to the style training their durability[50])
Range: Standard Melee, Interstellar with Ki Attacks (Ki attacks can reach out of the planet and to other planets. All ki attacks should be comparable to Goku's Kamehameha, which reached all the way to the sun)
Intelligence: Unknown Intelligence
Knowledge: Master level (Granpda Gohan was Master Roshi's number one student[51])
Superhuman Physical Characteristics, Martial Arts (Striking Arts; Went to train under Master Roshi and learn the turtle hermit style[144], a style training one to break the wall of humanity[145] mastering the art in both body and mind[146]. This style requires one to train in knowledge[147], work on one's stamina[148] work on their muscles and speed[149] dodge attacks even while tied to a rope in a short range[150] all the while wearing 20-kilo shells[151]. The Turtle Hermit Style are incorporated within this[152], allowing for students that trained under this style to be capable[153] of fighting against other martial artists[154] without needing to be taught any real fighting[155] along with taking no damage from attacks due to the style training their durability[156]), Energy Projection (Grandpa Gohan is capable of using the kamehameha technique in combat[157])
Nothing notable.
Standard Tactics: Grandpa Gohan utilizes turtle hermit style techniques along with the kamehameha wave.
Weaknesses
Q: What about the planetary feats in Dragon Ball?
A: Planetary feats are normally done through their strongest charged blast, where they can gather ki to shoot out blast far beyond what the character is normally capable of[196], with blasts capable of[197] seriously damaging/destroying[198] the Earth along with completely obliterating the opponent[199], though they themselves are never capable of leaving this unscathed.
Frieza throws a destroy the planet death ball attack but it doesn't destroy the planet. Goku then interestingly notes the reason the planet didn't blow up is because Frieza was too scared of getting caught in the blast[200] . Vegeta's final flash is noted it's going to destroy the planet and Perfect Cell, who is beyond Vegeta, couldn't tank the blast and had to dodge it last second or it would've killed him[201]. Goku's kamehameha was going to destroy the earth and Cell cannot tank this blast, needing to regenerate[202]. Semi-Perfect Cell explosion was consistently noted it was going to destroy the planet and Gohan and it killed Goku[203]. Ultimate Gohan dies to an attack that destroys the earth, his guard was up too since this was when he was fighting Super Buu[204]. Kid Buu shoots a blast trying to destroy the planet, with Vegeta noting he's going to take himself out with it if he lets it off[205]. In Dragon Ball GT, Great Ape Baby Vegeta shoots a super galick gun that he claims will destroy Earth, when Goku is hit by it, he is knocked out to the point that he can't move for a good while, Elder Kai and Shin later state that Baby is going to shoot another blast that will destroy the planet on, greatly injuring Baby if he's caught in the Blast and will kill everyone on the planet if done[206]. Frieza destroyed the entire earth, killing Vegeta in the process[207]. In the Dragon Ball Super Manga, Gohan tells Goku that he doesn't need to hold anything back and can go all out because anything that happens to the Earth can be restored with Dende and the Dragon Balls. Yet, none of Goku's all out attacks destroy the planet but just heavily causes shockwaves around it[208]. Semi-Perfect Cell unleashes a several blast that destroys several islands Android 16 notes that the attacks are just strong enough to not kill Android 18[209].
In the fight of Trunks vs. Mecha Frieza, who is far stronger than his final form, Mecha Frieza immediately goes for his strongest attack, the Supernova. In the original Z anime King Kai even states this is ten times stronger than the power he used on Namek:
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