Summary
Chapter 102 of theDragon Ball Supermanga had a lot of fans excited as it finally showed Gohan Beast going up against Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct in an all-out battle that left much of Beerus’s planet destroyed. The clash between the father and son has been the topic of much excitement ever since Beast was first shown in theSuper Heromovie in June 2022 and the beginning of the battle was teased at the end of Chapter 101.
Though the battle is yet to reach its conclusion, it has definitely been worth the wait as both fighters are showing the full extent of their most powerful forms. As exciting as this is, however, many fans have been left fearing what Gohan’s new rise in power would mean for the belovedPrince of all Saiyans, Vegetaand his role in the series.Dragon Ball Superwas met with a lot of praise in the Granolah arc when it finally showed Vegeta equaling his rival with his Ultra Ego, so let’s see if he is truly left behind in favor of someone else!
The Case For Vegeta Getting Left Behind
One of the biggest complaints and identifying factors ofDragon Ballis the convoluted power scaling. The story structure of the series has been one that is based around various arcs, in which a new villain is introduced that is far more powerful than everyone else at the time, leading to the heroes unlocking an even stronger form than the ones they had before.
In Gohan Beast’s case,Cell Max was introduced to be the most dangerous threat, prompting Gohan to reach a level far beyond his capabilities to put the monster down for good. This mirrors what Gohan did in the Perfect Cell Saga. Throughout the promotional material for the film, Gohan was constantly called the strongest fighter of them all, perhaps eclipsing even Goku and Vegeta, as was implied by Gohan toward the end of the film.
Gohan is actually stronger than anyone… or so it’s said, but lately, he hasn’t really gotten a chance to shine.
The current power scaling of the heroes is also the cause of a large debate in theDragon Ballfandom about where Gohan truly lies on the list of the strongest characters. Many fans believe that with this newfound power, Gohan will match, if not surpass, Vegeta as the other protagonist in the story going forward.
They believe that there’s a trend inDragon Ball’sstorytelling, where Vegeta gets a brand-new power-up only to get defeated later so others can shine. Even in the Granolah arc, Vegeta’s Ultra Ego was strong enough to initially greatly injure Granolah, an enemy that waseasily able to defeat Ultra Instinct Goku, but he was eventually overpowered and served little more than a support role for the rest of the arc.
How Likely is this to Happen?
According to many fans of the franchise, the likelihood of Vegeta once again turning into a glorified background character is pretty high. This is because they truly believe that the creator of the series, Akira Toriyama, has a general dislike for the character that has persisted for years, and many tend to cite examples of his prejudice, such as his continuous defeats to the Androids, Buu, Granolah, and worst of all, how he failed to kill Frieza at the end of theResurrection Fmovie.
Though these may be specific examples, many feel the latest chapter to be quite telling of the trend. As Gohan grows ever stronger and Goku’s Ultra Instinct is confirmed to be thestrongest technique by Beerus, the fears that Vegeta may not remain as relevant to the story are quite abundant.
The Case Against Vegeta Getting Left Behind
Though many detractors claim against this,Dragon Ball’sstory has changed over the years, andSuperhas done wonders for many of the Z-Fighter’s character development, chief among whom is Vegeta. Though Vegeta was arguably already the most developed character in the entire series, his arc is loved unanimously, and he is often remembered as the most nuanced character in the franchise.
With the series making such strides to flesh out his character from aplanet-destroying maniac to someone who sacrifices his lifefor his friends and family, it is highly unlikely that the writers would just completely forego all that incredible character development. Though Gohan Beasts’s strength is great and formidable, Ultra Ego Vegeta houses the power of the Gods of Destruction, and Vegeta himself recently defeated Goku in a battle.
A God of Destruction taught me power derived solely from instinct is unbounded.
All this development and shining character moments for Vegeta surely weren’t for nothing, as the series is closer than ever to him sharing the limelight of being the main character with Goku. Even though Goku’s Mastered Ultra Instinct is stated to be the most powerful form of them all, Vegeta has only just unlocked Ultra Ego, which shows that his training and mastery of the form can eventually bring him back to the forefront of strength along with his rival.
Though the fight between Gohan and Goku is fairly even as of Chapter 102, readers of the manga still don’t know how it will end. Other than that, it’s also not shown how great the difference between Ultra Instinct and Ultra Ego is right now, and neither is it shownhow Vegeta would fare against Gohan himself. For all of this, fans just have to wait for Chapter 103 of the manga to see where the level of the heroes stands.
Where the Story is Probably Headed
More than propping up Gohan to replace Vegeta, the likely outcome of the fight serves to lay the foundation for where the heroes will go next. As both Ultra Instinct Goku and Ultra Ego Vegeta were mere playthings for Black Frieza, the challenge that awaits the Z-Fighters is almost insurmountable, so the current path seems to make a powerful team.
With Goku and Vegeta each having the power to house Divine Techniques, Gohan with his incredible Beast power-up, andBroly having the greatest potential of them all, Universe 7 has the greatest line-up to bring down the Galactic Tyrant once and for all, who himself may just be surrounding himself with powerful allies for the final battle against the Z-Fighters!
