Super Saiyan 2 Gohan Explained

[@itsmemickey7541]

This was an awesome breakdown. I agree 100% with this and always viewed it this way. Saiyans strength can be thier greatest asset or thier greatest weakness. Dope writing for sure!

[@LivinMyJeffLife]

SSJ2 Gohan is by far my favorite Character of all time. Seeing him transform as a kid changed something in me. I still get chills when I watch it.

[@ImJustJordan215]

Especially with his tears floating along with his aura🔥

[@prodsage2719]

@@ImJustJordan215 I always thought that was soo cool gohan felt relatable as kid too cuz if I was fighting frieza,raditz,cell I'd be scared as hell too

[@overlordzeno2590]

I feel the same. He has been my favorite character since the episode of him transforming back on toonami. While his character has waxed and waned since then I love super hero for channeling this same energy as well. Hope we get to see more of beast in both manga and animated form.

[@andrewpickett722]

Same

[@CAL08]

That's not a character that's a phase of a character

[@seanwilkinson7431]

Cell is symbolically a lot for Gohan. Gohan has survived Raditz, the Saibamem, Nappa and Vegeta, the Ginyu Force, and Freiza up to that point, and watched his father's greatest enemies of the past risk their lives for him. Now comes Cell, who is a combination of all of those people (and himself), and who shows no regard for natural or artificial life, including his own "family." Even 16, who is single-minded on killing Goku and has no biology, respects nature, and Cell had no qualms about ending 16. I'd snap, too.

[@michaelwht682]

Bro that is solid. Hadn’t considered all of that

[@madarasoun3018]

Man, no one could have said it better.

[@DevonCosmos]

Rather profound.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

I like how Android 16 went from being programmed to kill Goku to giving his son advice to beat Cell.

[@Jason5818UI]

Goku told Gohan the exact same thing

[@SayianWarrior]

Son? 🤨

[@Jason5818UI]

@Rico Sanchez Respectfully disagree ...fighting circumstances were different in terms of Goku telling Gohan to fight it was Cell so Gohan knew that it wasn't just for recreation purposes it was for survival.. Gohan knew of Cell..androids...Trunks..the future etc...Goku wasn't strong enough to beat Cell by what Goku told him and .Goku knew what Gohan was capable of ...Goku thoroughly prepared Gohan and he was more than capable...Gohan didn't even know Android 16 a week and he listened to him and not his father who died once soon to be twice saving Gohans life ...thats definitely a difference between Gohan and Goku ...even as a child had Goku had the power he would not hesitate to use it but Gohan nearly let everyone die and had to be emotionally triggered ...yeah it definitely a flaw but at the end of the day Gohan was his own worst enemy

[@diamonshade7484]

Well cell has Goku cells

[@herculesburgess6773]

​@xiphosmaniacFacts ^^ 💯

[@jardowhodar]

16's words really hit Gohan deep. Telling him it's ok to let go. Gohan was scared of his power, I mean any time he tapped into his hidden power as a kid he did it subconsciously. It prolly scared him what he might do to his loved ones if he tapped into it even with training. 16's words were like a guiding light, so when he did tap into it the control would be there he lacked before.

[@bj318]

The line “ it is no sin to fight for what is right” is very very spiritual and for a Cyborg to even know that is very telling of how interconnected 16 was with life.

[@priestesslucy]

This scene is so painful. This sweet, innocent child snapping so hard he turns into a sadistic monster.

[@oman4229]

Gohan's human nature is actually most like his mother. Chi Chi displayed dangerous strength when panicked in dragonball and it would seem his rage is most similar to hers as well

[@oman4229]

@@Lord_teleportdinero I'm not big on suppression of speech but I hope geekdom delete your comment. I spent 3sec to see what you were doing but you shouldn't want to waste ppl time lol

[@oman4229]

@Hariz Hakim in short, a bunch of nothing with endless scrolling

[@Lord_teleportdinero]

@@oman4229 jedi mind trick the true story lies deeper it is time for you to join the Jedi council i have a story to tell i had many mentors all of them wise i too was once young and foolish like you i had many mentors all of them were wise . what do you mean. what would make you think that there is something wrong with what i said did you see kit fisto spelling off a mentor who was like a brother to me once told me “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat later” “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat and a danger to our later generation our loved ones.” -teleportdinero i’m not saying that i agree with you but then again I’m not always correct either I remember a time back in the 80s when I was growing up things were different back then these youngsters today what makes you think that? It’s all right to disagree with people I remember when I was a young man growing up in the 80s in America it was a different time then back then we used to call each other ​ this is the best I’ve seen from you guys in a while was about to say the same exact thing m ​ “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat and a danger to our later generation our loved ones.” m m hi hi m -teleportdinero m m mm mm m m m m m m m m m everybody have a blessed day

[@oman4229]

@Hariz Hakim I want to thank geekdom again for deleting his post not once but twice since the guy tried to repost as a reply. Seems he may have a bit of racism driven more so by his own mental health issues. (I suspected mental health the way he decided to type a bunch of nothing.) He shouldn't be on the internet. He's literally asking (himself) a question and then answering (himself) as an incoherent conversation with (himself), worried about a guy who haven't been political office in nearly (over) a decade & who can never resume office again. I'm not being mean but again he shouldn't be on the internet & rather recieving the help that they need.😔

[@Siraj-Joshua]

My favorite part was when Cell said “incredible…” while Gohan powered up. He just had to appreciate greatness

[@levimiller5007]

It was like a layered comment from Cell. He was impressed not only by Gohan's new power, but also how abruptly he was able to summon it. Also, he was curious about how far a Saiyan's power could go (Cell had Saiyan DNA in his cells) so he was probably wondering how far his own power could reach knowing he has the Saiyan potential for growth.

[@StevenJones851]

Same a great line

[@drewy2222]

I always thought gohan was afraid of his true power because it could hurt someone innocent. So he limited himself

[@buddyboy4438]

Nah, just like his mother Gohan was clearly all about peace along with her rage ... Gotten is more like Goku , he even resembles him more physically, personality ..

[@songoku9348]

Arguably everyone’s favourite Gohan moment.

[@itsmemickey7541]

Yeah I would put this at number one. I’d say father/son kamehameha would be 2.

[@meherali286]

I do have it on my number 2. For me, the number 1 spot goes to Goku's Super Saiyan transformation on Namek, it will forever have a special place in my heart. The most iconic moment in the whole dragon ball universe.

[@priestesslucy]

My favorite Son Gohan moment is when Pan flies into his arms just after he returns to base in DBSSH

[@priestesslucy]

@@meherali286 that's not a Gohan moment lol

[@meherali286]

@@priestesslucy I know that is not a Gohan moment, but I was only telling about my favorite Dragon Ball Z moment :)

[@TheShadowdetective12]

Cell is also a psychopath and not just because he has frieza's cells. He exhibits every trait of sociopathy in all his forms, and he thinks everything except him is not worthy of even existing. So it truly would be impossible to talk him out of killing everything and everyone

[@INdivisible144]

That’s because the super computer in Dr. Gero’s lab programmed Cell to believe he was hot shit right from the start (granted he was made to be stronger than the Z fighters at the levels of power they were when their DNA samples were taken by Gero’s nanobots).

[@BIGMIKE32ful]

To this day I use this moment to break my limits in training. Unbelievably emotional moment for me as a kid.

[@NUFF-SAID33]

Stay in school! And dont be a follower an original is always better

[@derekhogan9685]

Gohans duality is one reason that his slacking after Cell both makes sense but also infuriates me. I dont expect him to be Goku but I do expect Gohan to learn a lesson of responsibility. Cells battle and Gokus death shouldve instilled the lesson that if he wishes to help he should keep that power not only sharp but refined. Hes a danger to even himself if its left wasted or ran wild.

[@BigHeadClan]

I agree although I’d apply that logic to Buu not Cell, Gohan never wasn’t training for something since the start of DBZ. After Cell it was Gohans first experience being the defender of earth and he neglected his training. Which was called out repeatedly during the Buu arc. That’s also why Super was so frustrating for me because Gohan had already learned that lesson in a painful manner.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

Gohan made Super Saiyan 2 relevant and amazing.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

During the Cell Saga... Gohan was ranked number one in the Popularity poll.

[@alexanderasher3461]

I have a mug that is of Gohan doing hiss SS2 final blast against Cell. When you add hot liquid, Goku shows up behind him. “RELEASE EVERYTHING GOHAN!” Indeed.

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

Ok, even Goku regretting giving Cell a senzu. Not because he didn’t trust Gohan, but he didn’t take how Gohan feel about all these into consideration, as Piccolo pointed out. And he immediately asked Krillin for Senzu bean to help Gohan when he realize his mistake. And DB fans go “Goku is stupid horrible” like they won’t make mistakes about their child sometimes and force their kids to do something they didn’t like without talking it over.

[@ssppeeaarr]

those fans are wack and dont understand goku is a saiyan at the end of the day. n saiyan fathers dont usually care much for their kids. but obv goku does care about his kid. n besides he knew gohan was strong enough to handle cell... he saw the ss2 in the rosat. also the piccolo is gohan dad is getting tiresome. im sure gohan dont even see it that way. but more as a friend n mentor.

[@DarthAlphaTheGreat]

​@@ssppeeaarr Goku is the dad who, to be fair, sometimes too hard on his kid. Piccolo is that uncle who knows when the dad goes too far and reel him back in. Chi-chi is a mother who wants all the best for her son, and sometimes overreacts too. But other than the problems they face are usually fantastical, it's otherwise pretty normal family personalities. Is it the best family in the world? No. Is it horrible like some fans say. No. The show is ultimately not too focused on the family aspect like a sitcom--more generational like an epic.

[@Jason5818UI]

at the end of the day Goku trained Gohan thoroughly preparing him for Cell..Gohan had the power to transform once they left the hyperbolic time Chamber..that senzu bean Goku gave cell was irrelevant..ssj2 Gohan had more than enough power to beat cell ...honestly Gohan was his own worst enemy

[@daytonchris8351]

i never thought about it like that before. the opposite of 2 extremes. either being too humanly passive or too saiyanly proud. it reminds me of the 10th doctor from doctor who in a way. he held back from going all out not because he was scared, but because he knew if he went too far he wouldn't be able to stop or control himself.

[@blaketindle4703]

When Gohan transformed after Cell killed 16, that wasn’t the first time Gohan went SSJ2. It was the first time he could control and sustain it. He went SSJ2 for a moment in the time chamber, just long enough for Goku to realize his son had power within him that far surpassed his own!

[@priestesslucy]

That's anime filler. In the original story Goku had no idea SSJ2 existed [although he and Vegeta were initially pursuing such a form]. All he knew was how much stronger Gohan was than he was, and how much dormant power Gohan always unleashed when his emotions ran wild. The fact of the matter is Gohan didn't actually need SSJ2 to defeat Cell, all he needed was the Will to use his full power to terminate the threat. [Super Perfect Cell is another story of course]

[@Mikerille]

He wasn’t just ssj2, he also was accessing his latent potential, it’s directly stated that he lost this ability by the buu saga, keeping just ssj2. In a way it was like a less powerful version of potential unleashed form.

[@ssppeeaarr]

never thought about it that way. just thought gohan got weaker during the time to buu saga from lack of training or whatever. but ya it was stronger in teen days cuz vegeta said somethin like he was weaker then when he fought cell. when he went ss2 in buu saga.

[@dxpo9986]

Basically he had a massive boost in power due to how angry he was so his ssj2 against cell was extremely amplified. But since he stopped training he never learned how to tap into that extra reserve of power at will without being pushed to that point

[@Mikerille]

@@dxpo9986 Yee

[@StevenZissimos]

@@dxpo9986 very true. With proper training he would have been able to harness his anger without losing control. He'd be damn near unbeatable.

[@StevenZissimos]

@xiphosmaniac theoretically. But I guess his anger was still something he could draw from if he needed an extra kick, even with his latent potential unlocked. Hence the Beast transformation.

[@DRGN-TYPE]

When we eventually see Beast Gohan in manga, I can see them making him more brutal and aggressive in that form. They could really play on it.

[@MonkeMan2.0]

Something I also liked to add on to his saiyan side is that even in the movie, gohan was still confident when cell max charges his attack up (with how he smirks) until piccolo arrives and yells his name and gohan changes from his cocky attitude, to being serious and charging his special beam cannon. It’s a cool detail which I’m sure most have noticed when they saw that moment.

[@mechajay3358]

Gohan becoming SS2 is the perfect example of a Human/Sayian Hybrid being the Ultimate Warrior. His human side allows him to tap into his emotions more and attain greater power than Goku or Vegeta ever could. But it's also because of his Human side that he lacks the instinct to become a true fighter.

[@ssppeeaarr]

lol also great bs. ...aint no way a half breed should dominate a pure blood saiyan. especially a human half breed. humans are weaklings. emotional power is human hype? wack af. i mean goku n vegeta also tap into their emotions for their drive and power boosts. that was one of the main triggers for ss. tho some humans are exceptions being tein n krillin and roshi. and i guess yamcha. lol.

[@jeffdcgamer1077]

His Saiyan instinct kicks in when he gets cocky

[@dnvnnsh]

@@ssppeeaarr his comment has made sense to me since a kid. Humans are emotional creatures and that definitely sets us apart. The combination of raw emotion and saiyan power is what gives Gohan his edge.

[@xhwh1138]

@@ssppeeaarr Humans aren’t weak. It’s their lack of opportunities. Imagine if they had their potential unleashed from elder Kai, Elder namekian and Holy water. They already became raditz levels when they trained hard enough. It’s possible for them to get stronger but they gave up their training due to Saiyans dominating everything.

[@ssppeeaarr]

no other humans can fight other worldly or powerful aliens from other worlds. humans in db are weak. except a few standouts here and there. but even then there is no human that is gonna be able to fight a super saiyan! it would be interesting if they got their potential unlocked tho. but it wouldnt be a big difference to anyone past freeza soldiers. the fodder low level ones at that. lol. but ya following the dragonball online game lore it makes more sense. humans are stronger in the future cuz in that timeline they get mixed in with saiyan blood or something over decades. and also gohan writing a book about ki control so humans can understand giving them better chances at defense.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

Vegeta was even jealous that Gohan attained Super Saiyan 2, first.

[@thedarrion_artist2440]

On the subject of Gohan’s feeling of helplessness turning to rage/power, if you look back at Gohan’s Beast transformation, it’s the same thing with the fact that he knew how powerful Cell Max was, however when he thought that Piccolo died, he lost it. This was a great video, keep up the great work man, you deserve all the subscribers you get. 👍✨

[@priestesslucy]

18:14. Let's not forget that Gyuumao was once a feared and arrogant warlord who amassed vast sums of wealth through his martial might before Kamesennin humbled him and set him on the right path. There is definitely a tendency towards cockiness on both sides of the family tree.

[@Alevivas92]

Ssj2 Gohan is all of us, one point in life.

[@KVJoker13]

A long time ago, my brothers and I dug out some old VHS tapes and what was on it was the Gohan vs. Cell fight starting with Gohan transforming into Super Saiyan 2. We recorded these episodes when we lived in Japan so there were no subtitles. As a kid, I loved this part of the Cell Saga, but as an adult after watching your video, I have a better appreciation for it. Gohan transforming into Super Saiyan 2 is my favorite Dragon Ball moment. Thank you for making this video.

[@Airdog711]

Thank you for explaining. I never really understood why the death of 16 triggered Gohan. But saying it was due to 16's speech to Gohan about preserving life right before Cell squashed him makes a lot more sense. What is sad is that Goku, despite training with his son for 4 years before the Cell Games, was so dense that he didn't understand Gohan's pacifist nature, but 16, an Android who had literally met Gohan for the first time earlier that day, understood Gohan's personality better than his own father did. When piccolo gives Goku the lecture about how Gohan doesn't thirst for battle the way he does, Goku gets this look of shock and horror on his face like he made a terrible mistake. Yet 16 and piccolo understood Gohan's morality the entire time, whereas Goku was completely clueless.

[@ceroy12]

Correction Gohan and Goku DID NOT stay a whole year in the chamber. They got out early cause goku.

[@SLOplays]

That intro had my dying 💀💀💀

[@kingshadow8782]

Lmao

[@davidohearn8047]

To me 16 was telling Gohan he wouldn’t be a bad person to let the rage out. He needed to hear it from someone else beside his father and close friends. Gohan I believe knew at that moment he had to do what no one else could. Still my favorite moment. I’ll never forget being a young kid waiting to get home from school to watch Toonami. One of my favorite memories was going back to school to talk about it with my friends.

[@ssgohanblack9912]

Good video breakdown. Something to add is to not forget the nightmare Gohan had when training with Goku in the room of spirit/time. He dreamed Cell head crushing Chichi. Seeing that same scenario play out with android 16 was definitely another reason for the switch fipping to SSJ2.

[@bluepanic5542]

Gohan is and always will be the greatest character in dragon ball, in my personal opinion.

[@priestesslucy]

You misspelled Piccolo 🤭 But yeah, Gohan is amazing. I just pray they're done regressing his character

[@hermanjohnson9180]

I think Goku, then Gohan, and then Vegeta and Broly are the three greatest and most favorite characters in Dragon Ball. I would say after those a special mention to Trunks and Frieza there's an almost cult like following to those two characters. All of the characters I mentioned above make Dragon Ball the greatest anime in the history of fiction.

[@bluepanic5542]

@@priestesslucy 😂 you're right I misspelled his name! Lol

[@S.T_the_Trini]

@@possiblyinsane6995 You're entitled to your opinion, but its trash too

[@wegoku7274]

@@hermanjohnson9180 I disagree with trunks. You think he's more popular than Piccolo. Power scaling aside I just don't think that's true.

[@chanceneck8072]

I think, Gohan's mentality is a key factor that you have to consider when talking about his transformation into SSJ2. He was suffering from severe ptsd already during the training in the hyperbolic time chamber. He was constantly pushing himself beyond his limits and even when he reached his dad's power level, he still wanted to keep fighting and training. Gohan after the 7 year time skip and especially married Gohan was never again like that. We got another glimpse of that in Super Hero, but I still say his legendary days are over.....

[@OutclassedMusician]

I was always attached to gohan since I was roughly the same age as him during the cell saga when I first watched it

[@ElViperr408]

SSJ2 Gohan is my all time favorite transformation. He literally was done with cell’s bullcrap and wanted to end it all and he succeeded.

[@Mjo742]

I hope they continue to use Gohan in the new manga/TV series.

[@mistersirthegoodsir]

@@jasonone8726 true but it’s a retelling of the movie with extra material. I hope we get more Gohan action while Goku is training uub

[@vlon3lyboiii666]

@@mistersirthegoodsir if chi chi wasn’t so hard on him about being a scholar he’d be op asf his untapped potential alone is like intense training for others especially when he mad jus give up bruh I still getting chills watching him in the bojack film “ I’m my fathers sonnnnn “ !!!!!!

[@Lord_teleportdinero]

i have a story to tell i had many mentors all of them wise i too was once young and foolish like you i had many mentors all of them were wise . what do you mean. what would make you think that there is something wrong with what i said did you see kit fisto spelling off a mentor who was like a brother to me once told me “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat later” “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat and a danger to our later generation our loved ones.” -teleportdinero i’m not saying that i agree with you but then again I’m not always correct either I remember a time back in the 80s when I was growing up things were different back then these youngsters today what makes you think that? It’s all right to disagree with people I remember when I was a young man growing up in the 80s in America it was a different time then back then we used to call each other ​ this is the best I’ve seen from you guys in a while was about to say the same exact thing m ​ “if we don’t stop barack scumbama now he could become a threat and a danger to our later generation our loved ones.” m m hi hi m -teleportdinero m m mm mm m m m m m m m m m everybody have a blessed day

[@mistersirthegoodsir]

@@vlon3lyboiii666 for sure homie. Gohan is badass

[@Piccolo_Sun]

@@vlon3lyboiii666 🤣believe it or not gohan's greatest power is going to come from chi chi pushing hard on him about being a scholar they even hinted you it in the super hero movie when he is talking about the ants

[@superelite5133]

Compassion is gohans weakness and strength it’s what makes him so strong.

[@Zunnunn]

Android 16 reminds me of Android 8 from DB, which has the same traits that they were both programmed to kill but don't like to do as programmed.

[@keyentity227]

Geekdom you're an OG and I respect your grind so much dude

[@J.Stone10]

the scene with the one arm blast and his Dads spirit with him always made me feel better as a young boy who lost his Father early as well. Made a huge Gohan fan out of me and drew me into Dbz as a kid!

[@pisachasrinuan7960]

Totally agree, Gohan SSJ2 is iconic and is the peak of Dragonball. The build-up is well done since the very beginning of Dragon ball Z, and Gohan is supposed to be the main character. Still remember when everyone wants to overcome SSJ1 and the build-up leads to SSJ2. It is such good writing and an epic DBZ moment. It's sad that Buu's arc is not good and it ruined Gohan character. So, they have to bring back Goku and SuperSaiyan is a bargain now...

[@thehomiedan6378]

This is DEFINITELY one of your best videos!!!! Gohan has always been one of, if not, my favorite characters because of his complexity & relatableness. And this vid has reminded me of that. Excellent excellent work Geek!!!

[@blaketindle4703]

I’ve never had a problem with Goku giving Cell the senzu bean. He was just demonstrating his confidence in his son. Even if Goku didn’t give it to him, Gohan was not going to defeat Cell unless he unleashed his hidden power! Remember Cell told Goku he could take a senzu because he knew he could still power up to his max which made him WAY stronger than Goku!

[@smoke9047]

Exactly!

[@shawnsouth327]

I think about it this way if ssj Gohan started gaining the upper hand on a fatigued cell he wouldn’t get angry enough to transform which would lead to the issue of Cell getting desperate and ending Gohan as soon he could and the rest of the z fighters after that dooming the planet and the universe

[@UnpopularOpinionSports]

What you just broke down in this breakdown is the reason why I personally believe that this saga is the best saga Tory has ever written in the dragonball saga. The psychological component of this story mixed with the action and climax of Gohan transforming SSJ2 was pure magic. I first saw dragonball Z when I was a preteen and I’m a grown adult and STILL draw inspiration from this story

[@KingKidGoku32794]

Alot of people favorite Gohan moment and the most badass Gohan Moment too imo

[@v0idthrashtilldeath127]

Young gohan is forever engraved in my head, I remember when I was 9 years old and I watched the Cell battle, his super sayian 2 (Which in the time I didn't know it was super sayian 2 and thought it just Gohan's special power). I was speechles and amazed.

[@omnijonn277]

Keep it up. Geekdom. I would love it to see you breaking down 100 years time-skip Goku because there's a lot of mystery surrounding him.

[@Geekdom101]

true

[@Action-Punk]

Gohan one of many sons in popular stories who made anime history.

[@Andrew-zq6nk]

Great video as always! The community needed this one to clear up a lot of misinformation!

[@Acupofwater_WAW]

I personally beleive that what triggered gohan was just the sheer sight of death, he beleives that all forms of life are invaluable no matter if he is connected to it or not.

[@kickdreaming]

GREAT TIMING OF THIS VIDEO AS I’M CURRENTLY REWATCHING DBZ AND JUST PASSED EPISODE 186 “THE UNSTOPPABLE GOHAN” ONE OF THE GREATEST EPISODES EVER.

[@SpammytheHedgehog]

I wish Chi-Chi saw Gohan's potential.

[@Geekdom101]

She does - that is what scares her.

[@davecerv]

Hell yeah, SS2 Gohan is the absolute peak of Z.

[@AndyToAll]

Simple, the one thing they have in common is appreciation for life regardless what their roles in life were. Gohan seen how easy that could be taken away much like the threat of Raditz and Gohan snapped

[@ianmib]

I always felt the explanation for the Saiyan-human hybrid being so powerful was that the Saiyans get tremendous boosts in power from rage, but are generally a colder, less emotional species. The human half of Gohan makes him feel emotions bigger, and thus the tremendous power boosts when he’s enraged.

[@kassiuskae8541]

That Vegeta Gohan moment really resonates cause I think that’s ultimately he came to help gohan at the end. It’s like he saw his reflection and wanted to fix it this time n not fail. Props to Vegeta

[@FrenchToastMan585]

Fire 🔥 video as always Geekdom. This will also help people understand Gohan in Late DBZ-Super.

[@dewdbrowatch1446]

I think it’s more profound when you get words of encouragement from a stranger. That someone outside of your familial circle can see who you truly are. I think it’s better this way they are a sort of kindred spirits I like to see it like that. That someone on the outside can recognize your efforts and show admiration without truly interacting with you kinda makes it more beautiful that way

[@RedRaider14]

Personally I don't think it was triggered because of 16 SPECIFICALLY. I think it was more the fact that Gohan 100% realized that Cell is just a complete monster that needed to be put down. The fact 16 was completely defenseless and it didn't matter to Cell in the slightest just shows that Cell is a bully, and Gohan realized that there is zero chance of reasoning with Cell. All that coupled with the fact that his friends and family were getting stomped, they were all counting on him, and the fact that he just flat out had enough.

[@digga115]

I believe it's the fact Gohan knew that 16 started evil but fell in love with the earth and nature. Gohan saw that 16 got to understand Gohan's perspective of life completely and boom, stepped on and not able to enjoy the beauty of life that Gohan also loved. That broke his heart.

[@tonynukes]

been watching you since my freshman year and i'm about to start my second year of college. Crazy how the time has flown.

[@vfernandes9475]

Perfect video. People do NOT take into account that Gohan, although being, by blood, a saiyan-human hybrid, in his mind, he operates as a human and a peaceful one, therefore living like the rest of us but having immense powers,. Gohan does not sees fighting and trainning as natural behaviour, it doesn't matter if he has to engage in battle or if he sould've learned by now that he has to do so, it's just his essence, his nature, people don't realize but they are complainning that Gohan is a solid written character.

[@joshualowe959]

Gohan proved that half Saiyans can rival & even surpass full Saiyans

[@kassiuskae8541]

I just wanna say bro you’re a genius, I thought I knew some things but this is the type of insight I love!! Great work!

[@chaospiper9685]

Loved how you picked it apart and broke down everything. I've always been a Gohan fan from the very beginning and you explanations of his transformation was perfect... Thank You 💯✊🏾

[@ppayton1989]

What made Gohan snap behind 16's head being smashed was that it reminded him of his nightmare he had in the ROSAT. Cell (in gohans Nightmare) did what he did to either ChiChi or Piccolo.

[@zacharycoats8810]

It was everybody "sensing" he had dat potential but was holding back. Gohan probably thought, "if even 16 can sense I'm holding back, I GOTTA LET GO"

[@tensaantares]

4:49 "On Planet Namek" Lol, after Recoome broke Gohan's neck? Those Senzu Beans though!

[@Dunkskins]

Gohan killing the Cell Juniors is easily my favourite moment in DBZ I love the English music. Good breakdown yo.

[@roxas3339]

Giving cell a senzu was outta pocket lol

[@broEye1]

It's not just that the powerup ignited his Saiyan blood. It also completely reversed the "helplessness" that terrified and motivated him. He's terrified of being helpless, of being unable to stop someone getting killed or unable to undo some mistake he makes. But when his power skyrockets and he realizes that he's stronger than he'd ever been before, all that fear is suddenly banished. It's like a drug, creating a huge high, as well as a desire to raise this high even higher. And what better way to savor this feeling of finally being beyond his opponent than to toy with him and revel in how now HE is the one that can't do anything. But of course, this is also part of the reason he generally dislikes fighting: he knows that when he gives in to his rage, this mixture of Saiyan bloodlust, elation at turning the tables and built up anger tends to lead to deadly mistakes.

[@protosonic17]

I don't understand how anyone watching the series could not understand this. Gohan's power comes from his emotions, which as a child he had no control over. Not many people do at that age. He values life on a far deeper level than anyone else in the series. He doesn't want to fight. He hates fighting. He hates watching anyone get hurt, its why he kept triggering the scouters on namek while the namekians were being killed. He even vauled 16 not as a machine, but as another living being that was senselessly killed by cell. The reason 16 had such an affect on Gohan was because they were similar. He was created with an incredible amount of power, but chose not to use it because he valued life, which is why 16 never joined in on 17 and 18's rampage. 16 even said that to Gohan. He felt that he had the power to kill cell but was holding it back because even though cell was a monster, after everything he'd done, Gohan didn't want to kill him because he valued life in any form. 16's speech spelled out what Gohan knew but didn't want to accept. You can't reason with evil. You can beg, plead, cry, it doesn't matter, a truely evil person does not care. Which cell punctuates by crushing 16's head making Gohan finally understand there was no other way, just like goku had to with freeza. He gave him too many chances and he kept turning goku's kindness against him.

[@iskeeeetd2994]

Bro, when he punches thru Bojack in that one movie... Chilllss 👌🏽🔥🔥

[@digunder14]

14:12 given he has vegeta and freeza's cells in him, seems like that alone made blowing up the earth always on the table for Cell

[@ysoljers]

This guy forgot to mention that Gohan was trapped in a cave with a Robot in the early episodes of DBZ. They bonded and the Robot sacrificed itself to save Gohan because Gohan was too scared to leave the cave by jumping out. In the end the Robot 🤖 got crushed and there were pieces left outside for Gohan to see. Gohan felt helpless and guilt because they both could’ve escaped unscathed providing that Gohan weren’t so scared to jump out quickly. His fear got the Robot 🤖 killed. I think Android 16 reminded him of this moment.

[@tmcclone]

@@ysoljers I'm pretty sure that was a filler episode. It was never in the manga. Good character development for Gohan in that part of the show.

[@ysoljers]

@@tmcclone Agreed

[@SaturnineXTS]

What I really like about SSj2 Gohan is that before the Super Exciting Guide came out, everyone put him as like at least 5-8x times stronger than at SSj, but when it came out suddenly everyone's doing mental gymnastics to place him at only 2x stronger lol

[@joeyhartnell5803]

If you watch the series leading up to the cell games. After the training in the hyperbolic time chamber. Goku and gohan rest before the games. While resting the anime filler shows them enjoying the peace and quiet nature had to offer. This is overlooked but the filler episodes is actually a huge part of character developement for gohan. This is heavy foreshadowing that connects with Android 16's speech. The combination of his speech and his friends dying was the trigger for gohan to reach SSJ2 and overpower cell.

[@joeyhartnell5803]

To be fair the entire series is heavy foreshadowing which helps you connect the dots come the conclusion to each arc. Akira Toriyama is a phenomenal story teller. I hope to see more DBZ storytelling rather than where the series is currently heading. Still great though.

[@issacsven3709]

Wow they should've kept Cell's eyes red. Looks wayy more menacing

[@shadowboxkicker]

Great video! I'd like to share some observations as well. In the anime, after Radditz fight, there is an episode where Gohan is left alone in the forest, he gets trapped in a cave where he finds a robot, which reluctantly helps and saves Gohan, from hunger and the collapsing cave. Gohan cries for it. Gohan then makes friends with a beast that becomes prey to another dinosaur, Gohan cries for that animal too. Not sure if Goku was like that in DB. Beast Gohan question? In DBZ episode 256, when Gohan becomes annoyed with grand kaioshin and powers up, his lighting is purple, eyes turn super saiyan, but his hair remains black. Did they base their Beast Gohan on that scene.

[@judolife5768]

Side bar - (just been having you play in thr background as i work) the grand priest could be his training partner. Would be funny if it was Slug (God level namekian), but an angel rebellion would be lit

[@blaketindle4703]

“Cell….your Vegeta is showing.”

[@gamingseeks3580]

I love the scene in super piccolo had the talk about his faults it was a awesome call back to this

[@hardy2k11]

Its about what Andriod 16 said to Gohan..."Its because you love life, that you must protect it"

[@SonGoshuaku]

GREAT breakdown Geekdom! Sometimes in life, a child follows a different path than the parent. So I too have always appreciated that Toriyama made Goku & Gohan different! I felt this made Son Gohan more relatable. I also loved that Toriyama used Gohan's SSJ2 transformation to show the differences of times to be peaceful Vs. times to fight!

[@Un4gettablewolf]

6:55 I honestly believe Goku gave cell the senzu bean because he knew he wouldn't be able to push gohan if he was weak.. Goku needed Gohan to push himself as he knew and believed he would not be the savior the world needed, Gohan was. Goku had to heal cell because he was too weak to push gohan to the level he did. Even Goku in the room of spirit and time was not Strong enough to push gohan and he knew that. It has to be cell to awaken him

[@punksnotdeaditsconservativ1693]

Excellent explanation on why Gohan snapped. I can get behind that one. It makes sense, and I don't think it's digging too deep to get there either.

[@jirensentry7609]

There are a series of reasons as to why Gohan was triggered to unleash his power. He believed Goku was right. He then realized it was true, but he was afraid of what that power could do or would do to him and or the planet. Cell emotionally tormented Gohan - a child who didn't know how to stop the Cell Jrs from hurting his family and friends. However, when 16 finally spoke to Gohan, he explained that they both are the same, they love the earth, they are gentle, and they love the animals and are an innocent soul. 16 answered Gohan's questions: What will the power in me do to the earth? How do I unlock that power? 16 allowed Gohan to not be afraid, but to trust he can handle it and the earth would to, but to stop restraining himself, but to let it go. Get the fear and confusion away from his sense of knowing what the right choice is. And like 16, Gohan understood that he was an android and he loved life and the earth and the animals - such a creation being able to do that is phenomenal and final for Gohan, thus, then so can he - he had no reason not to follow that same example, one that 16 gave his life. When Cell steps on 16's head, that act was both final and fully insulting. It was a clear indication as to why it was necessary for Gohan to do exactly what 16 encouraged him to do. Overall, though 16 answered the questions for Gohan, Gohan was truly mindful of what his rage could do after knowing that that same rage took down a mor powerful Frieza who himself reminded Gohan of what is necessary to stop such beings. The end.

[@phiefer3]

I always viewed this moment as a bit of Gohan abandoning his "innocence" in a way. As you covered in the video, although Gohan has been fighting since a very young age, almost as young as Goku. You mention him as being "spoiled" prior to Raditz showing up, but I don't really agree with this, he was only 4 at that point. And he's been fighting and training almost constantly since then, fighting face to face with some of the most powerful villains in the universe. But as you mentioned, in all of those situations he's always had someone looking out for him and saving the day, generally Goku or Piccolo. He's been shown to often times choke and freeze up when he doesn't have someone else to rely on, he's never really had to finish any fights on his own. And I think that also ties in a bit with 16's speech. Gohan's human side doesn't want to fight or hurt anyone, as you said it's against his ideology. This is sort of Gohan's innocence. He's never had to violate his own beliefs before, someone else has always done the deed for him. But this time there was nobody else to come and save him, or his morals. And 16's speech carries a bit of the same type of idea as the saying "all it takes for evil to succeed, is for a good man to do nothing." Sort of telling Gohan that sticking to his morals, his innocence, was going to cost everyone greatly. Sometimes you have to do what needs to be done.

[@jaredjones2443]

I recommend you write a script in future

[@yeetdiscreet1278]

This is exactly why Gohan being at the top or anywhere near the top of the hierarchy of power makes sense to me. It's not like such a revolution was pulled out of nowhere, the foundation was literally always there, he always had the potential to be the strongest. Yet a lot of people who oppose the implications of super hero fail to realize that.

[@artistanthony1007]

It was clearly him having Super Saiyan as a base then go Super Saiyan which is what Super Saiyan 2 is for "Super Saiyan" and the attachment to someone, seeing a tramautic moment and being in presence of a monster like Perfect Cell which means for that a Extreme Life or Death Situation helps awaken the form.

[@jotaro2105]

15:10 Shishio Makoto from Rurouni Kenshin once said: "After all, in this world, the strong eat the weak... If you're strong, you live... If you're weak, you die!"

[@felldoh9271]

Man I forgot about Vegeta surmising (correctly) that the info he got via Radditz’s scouter relaying info to Veget and Nappa’s scouter informs them about the potential fatal threat that is Kakarot’s hybrid son. And I watched (finally) the Japanese version a couple years ago too so I am disappointed in myself for forgetting about that lol.

[@MrJayChoww]

Man! Great work brother truly appreciate your work

[@oz88og40]

Very good breakdown geekdom101 I like the way you explain this video and this was my favorite moment of Gohan,ssj2 is my all time favorite transformation.

[@wilsmith80]

I feel like Gohan and 16 are kindred spirits born with more potential and power then anyone realized. Neither liked to fight but was willing to fight to protect those they care about and that’s part of the reason he snapped so hard and unleashed his full potential at the time of ssj2. Which funnily enough neither Goku or Vegeta could match for almost 7yrs.

[@vhamer123]

I think also why Gohan was so against using his full power was because of how unbelievably destructive it is, not only did he become so powerful that he one shotted the cell Jr's in some of the most savage ways possible (in the manga at least), but when he fought cell and gave him that one punch to the stomach that had him literally reeling in pain and coughing up blood, it was honestly a true testament to how much of a monster he had become it was honestly terrifying. It was truly hard to imagine how painful that one punch was that he dealt to cell. This is honestly some great stuff being discussed here.