Why Gohan is missing from Dragon Ball Daima — And what it could mean for his future

Dragon Ball Daima is the newest installment in the legendary anime franchise Dragon Ball, and fans all over the globe are anticipating Goku’s return to his childhood form for a brand new adventure. Even starting with episode 1, something is definitely wrong — Gohan, one of the series’ most popular and powerful characters, is missing.For longtime viewers and newcomers alike, Gohan’s absence is raising red flags. If he keeps getting cut out of the story, why is that? Will he come back? What does this mean for his future in the franchise?In the premiere episode of Dragon Ball Daima, a lot of our favorite characters get together for Trunks’ birthday — featuring Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, Bulma, and Supreme Kai (Shin). That Gohan is shockingly absent.When confronted about where he’s at, Goku avoids the question by saying this Gohan is working on his studies. That’s the last time he’s on record.This excuse is not new at all. Back in Dragon Ball Super, Gohan’s exclusion from the Tournament of Destroyers was for that same reason. This time, it’s different. He is absent even from a single scene, as a flashback, which makes this his most notable absence to date from a Dragon Ball production.Even though Gohan may be temporarily out of the picture, that doesn’t mean he’s disappeared forever.That’s the premise of Dragon Ball Daima, as Goku, Vegeta and the rest are banished to the Demon Realm and transformed into children. Earth is endangered. If a new threat emerges during Goku’s absence, Gohan might have to become the strongest warrior remaining on Earth to defend his home.With his brand-new Mighty Form—first introduced in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero—Gohan has the power to confront the biggest of threats. This configuration would allow him a major surprise hero moment closer to the end of the narrative, fighting off villainous threats to Earth in The Flash’s absence.While Gohan is indeed a fan-favorite, his absence from the screen isn’t too shocking. After the Cell Saga in Dragon Ball Z, with Gohan as the savior of the series, creator Akira Toriyama pulled a bait-and-switch and put the focus on Goku again. Even when we got into the Buu Saga, Gohan was meant to take over, Goku still saved the day.This pattern has persisted for decades. In actuality, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero producer Akio Iyoku admitted that Gohan was nearly cut from the film completely. He wouldn’t have made it in at all if Iyoku hadn’t personally told Toriyama to put him in. Piccolo got more decent character development and focus than Gohan did.So as much as fans would like to believe otherwise, the fact of the matter is that Toriyama hasn’t had Gohan’s character at the top of his to-do list for a long, long time.Ironically, Gohan’s absence may be the right choice for the story Daima is trying to tell.The new series captures that classic Dragon Ball spirit — a whimsical, jokey, adventure-filled treasure hunt with much younger versions of the main cast. Gohan, whose heart is more suited for a quiet, scholarly life and only trains when the times demand it, doesn’t exactly match up with that vibe.Gohan, after having his own big moment in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, where he awakened his new Beast form and defeated a strong foe with it. With that story still fresh, there’s no real reason for Gohan to be a significant focus of Daima’s early episodes.This was Dragon Ball almost 30 years ago, where nothing is what it seems and surprise twists and late game reveals are the norm. If the narrative returns to Earth, or a greater threat emerges, there’s a strong possibility Gohan might come back and save the day, maybe even saving the day without Goku.For the time being, at least, Gohan is sitting on the bench. Given his sudden popularity and newfound power level, Hope Springs Eternal, True Believers. We would say his next big moment was deservedly a long time coming, that might be just around the corner.