5 strongest characters weaker than Gohan, ranked

Gohan is back to being one of the strongest characters in Dragon Ball after falling off pretty hard in the Super. Since the debut in Z, Gohan has been defined by his high potential but a lack of passion when it comes to fighting. That trait has led to Gohan being constantly passed over by characters like Goku and Vegeta, often relegating a character that fans know can be one of the series' strongest to a supporting role.

But with his new Beast transformation, Gohan is back in the mix as one of the best fighters in the series. While we eagerly await new Dragon Ball stories from the manga, let's take a look at some of the show's strongest characters who at the end of the day are still weaker than Gohan.

Family

Dragon Ball Z: Goku giving Cell a Senzu Bean was a secret genius

There is much more depth and nuance to Goku giving Cell a Senzu Bean than meets the eye. Goku's entire plan for Gohan to beat Cell depends on Senzu.

Orange Piccolo

Super Hero was definitely Gohan's time to shine, but you can't overlook Piccolo's role and his own performance throughout the film. Piccolo was the reason his former student got out of the rut he was in and once again tapped into the potential that makes him Universe 7's strongest fighter. He also got his own moments that proved he still had a lot in the tank, with his new Orange Piccolo form standing out.

The transformation instantly places him up there as one of Universe 7's strongest fighters. While Piccolo isn't strong enough to defeat Cell Max, Piccolo is once again a truly relevant fighter, with him able to stand on par with Goku and Vegeta once again, though we'll have to see more of him to know how much the gap has closed.

Granola

Granolah was one of the more interesting additions to Super. Although he was only present during the manga's Granolah the Survivor Saga, he made an impression on fans thanks to his solid background and incredible drive. A skilled bounty hunter, Granolah was not a character that would normally have been in the same conversation as characters like Gohan, Goku, or Vegeta. But a wish made him the strongest in the universe for a while, allowing him to stand up to UI Goku and UE Vegeta.

However, this would not last long, and Granolah would soon be replaced by Gas. Still, there was a time when Granolah was much stronger than Gohan. Considering how the events of Super Hero take place after Granolah the Survivor Saga, Gohan has long since surpassed Granolah, if he's even still alive.

Gas

Even before his brother wanted to make him Universe 7's strongest mortal, Gas was still a threat. The muscle of the Heeter family and by far the strongest of the bunch, Gas served as a major antagonist during Granolah the Survivor Saga, pushing Granolah as well as UI Goku and UE Vegeta to their limits.

We saw how strong Gas had become at will as he managed to hold his own against Goku and Vegeta while the Saiyans put their all into the fight. But even at his strongest, Gas is nowhere near what Gohan's power is now that he's unlocked Beast. We'll never see a match-up between the two regardless, but had Gas not deteriorated and been finished off by Black Frieza, he probably still wouldn't have compared to Gohan as he is now.

Cell Max

Cell Max could have been much stronger than what we saw in it Superherobut even if he didn't reach his full potential, the Bio-Android was one of Super's scariest and most destructive villains. Although he lacked the agency of the original and remained in semi-perfect form, Cell Max proved to be quite a challenge. Even Piccolo, with his powerful new transformation, couldn't match him properly.

Although Cell Max was able to withstand an onslaught of attacks from Gohan, Piccolo, Trunks, Goten, Krillin, Android 18, and Gammas, he was quickly outmatched when Gohan reached his Beast form. Thanks to Piccolo holding the massive carrier in place, Gohan Beast was able to fully charge up his own version of the Special Beam Cannon, dealing a devastating blow to Cell Max and taking down an enemy that both Gohan and Piccolo weren't sure even Goku and Vegeta could defeat.

Broly

Out of everyone on this list, Broly hands down has the most potential. The Legendary Super Saiyan was introduced as a raw but talented fighter, showing the extraordinary ability to adapt to those far more powerful than him as they fight, growing and learning as things progress to a degree not seen before in the series.

Broly is a character mentioned here that would absolutely give Gohan a run for his money as he currently is. We've seen Broly reach some of the highest points in the series in a short amount of time, take on both Goku and Vegeta, and even put up a decent fight against Gogeta before finally being overpowered. We'll likely see Gohan and Broly continue to grow when the series returns, so expect the two Saiyans to remain among the series' strongest yet.

Dragon Ball Super

Release date

2015 – 2018

Network

Fuji TV

Showrunner

Tatsuya Nagamine

Directors

Ryota Nakamura, Masanori Sato, Kenichi Takeshita, Takao Iwai, Hideki Hiroshima, Masato Mitsuka, Kazuya Karasawa, Ayumu Ono, Takahiro Imamura, Tatsuya Nagamine, Kôjiro Kawasaki, Kouji Ogawa

• 

  Masakazu Morita

  Whis (voice)

• 

  Masako Nozawa

  Son Goku/Goku Black/Son Gohan/Son Goten (voices)