In the beloved anime series Dragon Ball Z, Gohan has been illustrated as that enigmatic character amongst the Z fighters, able to turn heads in triumphant amazement, as well as disappoint some fans in anticlimactic fashion; regarding his inability to sustain power, and eventually disengage from his original potential, as a great fighter.

He never possessed the heart of his father Goku, who fought relentlessly as the ultimate warrior but he did, however, have incredible depth as a character, meaning that his intrigue and his surprising qualities were essentially created from the element of passion, and the need to protect his friends, and family. His unfathomable rage, and his unprecedented levels of energy, noticeable at a young age, we're propelled and reinforced by love, and he demonstrated his efforts multiple times, with style and fury.

Regardless of his pure and gentle spirit, Gohan developed an appetite for fighting over the years, reinforcing his natural talents, and redeeming his timid, fearful nature with the help of his father's former archival: Piccolo, the great demon king. Even though Piccolo was ruthless in his delivery, his knowledge proved useful, while teaching Gohan to effectively find strength where none was apparent before to the untrained mind. "There's a great power sleeping inside of you! Use it, rely on it. You'll laugh at your fears when you realize what you really are."

The shocking truth about the life of Gohan is one to remember.

15 It's All Just Cooked Rice

When Akira Toriyama was writing Dragon Ball Z, he envisioned Frieza, the villainous alien, as a refrigerator because his temperament is depicted as cold and empty. The Saiyans, on the other hand, were named as vegetables and general foods, which are figuratively held inside that refrigerator, for consumption.

If you rearrange the syllables for the Japanese word yasai, which means vegetables, it become saiya, or Saiyan. Thankfully Gohan, or 'cooked rice', was never eaten by Frieza. The more you know.

14 A Monstrous, Raving Lunatic

The sweet disposition of Gohan is evident, his nature not seemingly aggressive, until you hurt his father Goku... then you might get viciously head-butted in the chest. Imagine a miniature, human/Saiyan torpedo hitting your solar plexus. His aim: stop your ugly heart from beating, and essentially kill you so that you never do that again. Only an absolute lunatic would pull such a stunt.

Raditz is all-too-familiar with this sudden behaviour change, and he paid for it. Gohan showed everyone that cry babies can also turn into monsters, if pushed far enough. How dare you, Raditz!

13 The Tail That Keeps Coming Back

At the sight of a full moon, Gohan transforms like a giant raging werewolf or great ape. All pure-blooded Saiyans in Universe 7 are born with a tail, enabling them to transform into said beast.

For a young half-Saiyan, this isn't exactly an easy task, especially when you have the power to crush your own father like an insect without even knowing it. The infamous tail, which is a recessive gene, was sliced off 4 times in the Dragon Ball Z series for safety's sake. The tail kept coming back though, in the presence of danger, as a survival mechanism.

To tame the great ape, please consult Icarus, the purple dragon. He will guide you.

12 Don't Touch My Hair!

At the sight of Gohan's 'blonde' hair, his mother Chi Chi goes mad in momentary delirium. Some transformations are just too drastic and colorful for protective mothers.

Gohan has worn some eccentric hair styles throughout the series. One mentionable hair style, seen in the Namek saga, was a fashionable bowl cut, which according to Chi Chi made Gohan look respectable. When a mother puts a kitchen bowl on your head, you don't ask questions, you let her cut. And she did.

Don't worry, hair grows back... unless you like the bowl cut, then you repeat.

11 The Most Powerful Saiyan Hybrid

Power is a relative term, but in the Saiyan universe it means everything in order to defend yourself and protect others from evil and tyranny. Gohan was abundant with power, a shocking amount of it. Most of the time it was triggered by something or someone and quickly vanished after the moment ended.

At the sight of Gohan's rage and energy, Piccolo, the demon king, is one character who is regularly shocked while witnessing such abilities; in light of his young age. "What on earth makes him so strong! He's definitely no ordinary kid!"

When Gohan was mad at the world, his undeniable force surprised everyone, especially himself.

10 Dining With The Colonel

While teaming up with Colonel Sanders himself, the reputed king of chicken, Dragon Ball Z made Japanese fans delighted when Gohan, and other Saiyans, appeared on dragon bottles for KFC as a promotional campaign for Battle of the Gods.

The dragon bottles themselves are festive-looking items, which come in a multitude of different characters and colors, and also contain a Dragon Ball cap. And yes, they glow in the dark. Pretty cool.

I bet chicken never tasted so good.

9 An Unlikely Father Figure

A good way to describe the relationship between Piccolo and Gohan is tough love. This is made evident when Piccolo grabs Gohan by the head, using his sharp fingernails, throwing him with delight towards a mountain. Only a father figure would do such a thing. His intentions are good, though, in the spirit of awakening Gohan's hidden powers. Like I said, tough love.

Piccolo acts as a nurturing, second father, and his motive is clear: to help Gohan grow and unleash his full potential as a warrior, like Goku.

8 Near Death Experience

Gohan was born in May of Age 757, growing up an infant without bearing a name for a while. Chi Chi wanted to name him Einstein, probably because she envisioned her son as a future genius and a scholar.

Soon after his birth, Gohan would have a close brush with death. One day, Chi Chi and Goku were walking through a meadow with Gohan in a stroller. While absentmindedly watching a family of birds, Gohan's stroller slipped away, down a hill.

The result was revealing. Gohan was hurled towards a tree but his latent powers were suddenly awoken. He managed to survive. He also shattered a baby-sized hole through the apple tree.

7 A Strange, Traumatic Childhood

Growing up isn't exactly easy. We all go through some harrowing times. Gohan might take the cake though, demonstrating his mental agility and his resilience to trauma, having survived such a difficult childhood.

He was stolen away by Raditz, who turned his innocent life into a nightmare. He was also abandoned in a dangerous wasteland to fend for himself. Piccolo died while trying to save him, and knowing their relationship, it was probably a difficult reality to bear. He also witnessed a lot of children's lives being ended. Not an easy life to process, for a young boy.

6 The Hyperbolic Time Chamber

The hyperbolic time chamber is like a magical room that enables characters to train quickly because cell is just too powerful, and time is sensitive.  Let's do some math. Inside the room, time dilates, meaning that 1 day outside equals to 1 year inside.

Piccolo warned Vegeta about using such a room, saying that nobody could spend more than 48 hours there, or the consequences would be catastrophic... as in the door disappearing, and the person inside held prisoner, forever. However, Dende, the guardian of Earth, disabled such restrictions.

Within that room, Gohan conquered the Super Saiyan form and ignited Super Saiyan 2 within the space of a year. Thanks, hyperbolic time chamber.

5 Gohan The Bookworm

Son Gohan wrote a book in Age 804: Groundbreaking Science. It was written after the death of his father. The book itself informed readers, and educated them about Ki, which contributed to spreading worldwide interest to the world of martial arts and fighting.

His motive for writing the book was to understand Ki, which is a source of power and strength from within. Once published, the book influenced the swordsman class, leading Trunks and Goten to create Kikoukenjutsu Sword School. Who knew he was so good with words?

4 Playing With Cards

There is a Dragon Ball Z arcade game, probably a few, sitting in Japan, entertaining fans of all ages with an exciting premise. The game itself is called Carddass, (kind of a strange name) and it requires the use of many trading cards to play. Those cards are scanned, creating various effects within the game.

The visuals in this game show characters achieving never-before-seen powers and level ups, that were never illustrated in the show. There exist a few cards that display Gohan reaching Super Saiyan 3 and 4. Maybe this is foreshadowing, somehow?

3 We Could Have Followed A Very Different Arc

Sometimes, as a writer, there are moments that tear your inner workings apart, teasing you with melodrama and promise. When Akira Toriyama was writing the Dragon Ball Z series, he was slightly torn between two leading characters, Goku and Gohan.

According to him, "I intended to put Gohan into the leading role. It didn’t work out. I felt that compared to Goku, he was ultimately not suited for the part."

Even though Gohan didn't make the cut as leading protagonist, he still kept fans entertained. It would have been interesting to know where it could have gone. It certainly would have had a very different tone to it, and we're not sure if we would have liked it better, since at that point we'd already followed Goku for the entirety of the Dragon Ball series and had gotten attached to him. Could of, would of, never happened. Nobody cried. Not that I know of.

2 Young Fighting Legend

When Gohan was a child, he was deemed a prodigy, able to harness hidden powers into an unforeseen, energetic force. Fans witnessed these powers coming to surface, and we're left stunned, much like Piccolo, during a few episodes.

Arguably, the best fight in the Dragon Ball Z series was when Goku advised his son not to fight Cell, which was thought to be too dangerous and unwise. But Gohan believed in himself, and he shocked everyone with his performance. What a show! It's truly incredible what he can do when he puts his mind to it. Whether or not his father believes in his abilities, Gohan truly does. Don't underestimate this guy!

1 A Lover, Not A Fighter

In the end, Piccolo said it best: "He may have that power, but it doesn't matter, he doesn't thirst for battle and mayhem. He's not a fighter." Sometime after the Majin Buu fight, Gohan is seen leaving a bookstore with Videl. Maybe it was Muzukashii Hon, which means "difficult book" in Japanese.

He wants to fulfill his mothers wish to become a scholar, rather than follow in his father's destructive footsteps. Though he's willing to step up and use his powers for good when he needs to, it just doesn't call to him in the same way that it does to his father and other Saiyans. It's actually kind of refreshing to see him make this decision and forge his own path in life.