What If Gohan Went Super Saiyan First - TV Tropes (2024)

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• My Future Self and Me: Upon meeting they are said to feel a connection, getting along quite well.

Son Gohan

• Adaptational Badass: Gohan of canon didn’t go Super Saiyan until he trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber during the Android saga when he was about 10. Here he reaches Super Saiyan at half that age. While he’s not as strong as canon Super Saiyan Gohan at 10, he is 45 times stronger than his canon counterpart was during the Saiyan Saga. He later does gravity training with Goku on the way to Namek. He then trains on Yardrat for the Androids.
• Traumatic Superpower Awakening: It’s Piccolo’s death at Nappa’s hands during the Saiyan Saga that triggers Gohan’s Super Saiyan transformation.

Gohan

• Spared by the Adaptation: Future Gohan ends up surviving long enough to be the one to travel back in time and warn the heroes about the Androids.

Son Goku / Kakarot

• Adaptational Wimp: As Gohan and The Namekian kill Frieza before he gets to kill Krillin, Goku doesn’t reach Super Saiyan on Namek.
• Blood Knight: Takes Vegeta on as an ally so he can spar with him as a rival rather than fight him as an enemy.

Bulma

• Ship Sinking: While Vegeta and Bulma have the chance to interact and form their relationship earlier here than they did in canon, it all goes right out the window after Dende reveals to the group that Vegeta intended to use the Namekian Dragon Balls to wish for immortality and then abandon the heroes to deal with Frieza on their own afterwards. Bulma, understandly feeling betrayed upon learning of Vegeta’s underhanded scheme, wastes no time in breaking things off for good, resuming her relationship with (and ultimately marrying) Yamcha once the latter is resurrected.

Piccolo / Nail

• Adaptational Badass: Piccolo gets his potential unlocked and then fuses with Nail who is at full power rather than in the dying state he was in canon. The resulting fusion is quite powerful. It’s enough to kill third form Frieza. He later learns Instant Transmission.
• Death of Personality: When Piccolo and Nail fused together at Elder Guru's request, because both minds weren't settling on who was going to be the dominant personality, the end result was a merger of both minds, but not the soul. As a result, both Piccolo and Nail vanished on the ether, their original personalities gone, but with their memories intact.
• I Choose to Stay: With his original personality gone in the fusion, Piccolo decides to stay on Namek.

Krillin

• Spared by the Adaptation: Since Frieza is killed by Piccolo in his third form, he never kills Krillin.

• First Guy Wins: He ends up with Bulma in this timeline.

Tenshinhan

• Adaptational Badass: He learns Instant Transmission on Yardrat and takes to it quicker than Goku.

Vegeta

• Enemy Mine: Vegeta concocts a scheme to team up with the Dragon Team and use Gohan to fight the Frieza Force, especially after learning Frieza killed his people. But he just using them. He also wants to figure out how to go Super Saiyan.
• Manipulative Bastard: Manipulates the Dragon Team, in an effort to use them to kill Frieza, go Super Saiyan and get the Dragon Balls.
• Oh, Crap!: Vegeta has this moment when Gohan first goes Super Saiyan, with a power level rising to 3 times higher than his.
• Token Evil Teammate: After discovering his scheme the Dragon Team all come to hate Vegeta but he still fights alongside them. According to Future Gohan, he helps them fight the Androids despite not living at Capsule Corps or being with Bulma.
• Villainous Breakdown: After learning Frieza killed his people and led him to believe the cause was a comet for all these years, Vegeta shuts down.

Frieza

• Dies Differently In The Adaptation: He’s killed by a recently fused Piccolo in his 3rd form on Namek, thereby never makes to Earth to be killed by Future Trunks.

King Cold

• Dies Differently In The Adaptation: He’s killed by the fused Namekian on Namek instead of Future Trunks on Earth.

The Ginyu Force

• Curb-Stomp Battle: Up against Vegeta and Goku, they don’t have a chance. Ginyu doesn’t even get to body swap, as Gohan kills very quickly.

• Adaptational Badass: The androids are a bit stronger due to Gero’s research including Gohan’s early Super Saiyan transformation, and the spy drone not being destroyed therefore keeping tabs on the team as they trained for the Androids.

Doctor Gero

• Dies Differently In The Adaptation: His lab is ransack with everything including the Androids, are stolen by Bulma. He’s instead killed by Gohan.