For a brief moment, Dragon Ball seemed like it was ready to the torch onto a new generation. After Goku’s sacrifice in the Cell Saga, Gohan was intended to step into the role of series protagonist as the most promising young fighter with immense potential. It offered a fresh direction for Dragon Ball, but just as quickly as the shift began, it was abandoned, leaving fans to wonder why Gohan’s potential as the hero was never fully explored.

The Buu Saga marked an abrupt shift from Gohan’s high school life to another high-stakes battle where Goku returned as the series’ hero. While Gohan was set up to become the next great warrior, the storyline veered away from him in favor of its old structure. While many fans believe that this decision was caused by fans' poor reaction to that storyline, the real reason is actually different, according to a recent interview with Toriyama's editors.

Gohan’s High School Arc Was a Short-Lived Experiment

Akira Toriyama Wanted to Experiment With a Lighthearted Storyline

Before Buu wreaked havoc on the Earth, Toriyama briefly shifted Dragon Ball Z’s focus away from large-scale battles to experiment with a more lighthearted and comedic storyline. Gohan’s high school arc introduced a setting unlike anything the series had explored before and leaned into the idea of Gohan becoming a secret hero while attempting to maintain his normal life. The Great Saiyaman was a chance to blend superhero action with slice-of-life humor, offering a fresh take on both the series and Gohan’s character.

However, this shift was a gamble. While some fans enjoyed the change, others found that it lacked the intense action that many had come to expect from the series. According to a recent interview with three editors who worked with Toriyama on Dragon Ball (Kazuhiko Torishima, Yu Kondo, and Fuyuto Takeda), Toriyama even itted that he found drawing the crowded background scenes too tedious and quickly grew tired of the storyline. Rather than committing to the change, he chose to simplify things by moving back toward an action-heavy plot, making his creative process more engaging for him.

Toriyama Lost Interest and Shifted His Focus Elsewhere

Toriyama Found Drawing Crowded Scenes To Be Too Uninspiring

Toriyama’s approach to storytelling was always driven by instinct rather than long-term planning. When an idea lost its charm or became too restrictive, Toriyama had no hesitation in discarding it for something more enjoyable to draw. By shifting the focus back to high-stakes battles, he was able to work with a style that felt more natural. The shift had nothing to do with Gohan’s role and was instead Toriyama’s attempt to make the work more stimulating, which is something that he had always prioritized.

Sidelining Gohan was Toriyama’s way of abandoning the tediousness of drawing crowded scenes with too many background characters in favor of a more dynamic narrative. Toriyama has always been known for his unpredictability and eye-catching action scenes. These were elements he enjoyed crafting, and they naturally pulled the series back toward Goku as the main protagonist. In the end, Dragon Ball Z shifted away from Gohan’s school arc due to Akira Toriyama’s personal preferences and creative process.

Sources: @KosoKoso_hoso (original interview); @Venixys (translation)