Throughout the course of Dragon Ball Super, fans have been following the unbelievable achievements of Goku and Vegeta as they break through the barriers of their previous power levels and channel energy only before wielded by the gods themselves through Ultra Ego and Ultra Instinct, respectively. While that is exciting, it seems as though the time has come to explore the power-ups of other classic Dragon Ball characters–especially Gohan as he has decided to unlock hidden powers outside of his Saiyan heritage.

Gohan is the son of Goku who first appeared as a child in Dragon Ball Chapter 196 by Akira Toriyama. Since then, Gohan has accompanied the Z Fighters on a number of dangerous missions, with Gohan’s most notable being the Cell Games Saga during which time he mastered his Super Saiyan form. In the most recent series of Dragon Ball Super, however, Gohan has settled down with his family and committed himself to being more of an academic than a fighter. That is, until he was called upon to help save his universe by participating in the Tournament of Power, during which he made a shocking statement that proves he should be next in line for an ‘ultra’ transformation.

In Dragon Ball Super Chapter 39 by Akira Toriyama and Toyotarou, Gohan and the other Z Fighters are battling it out in the multiversal contest known as the Tournament of Power. In this chapter, Gohan is facing off against a Saiyan from another universe–more accurately the fusion of two Saiyans–and he is quickly proving his superiority. During the fight, the fused Saiyans comment on the fact that Gohan hasn’t transformed into any form of a Super Saiyan, to which Gohan replied, “No need to, really. I don’t do that anymore. I chose to keep evolving as a human, not a Saiyan. I’m not relying on my Saiyan blood anymore.”

This new avenue of power Gohan is embarking on is an interesting development and one that makes complete sense in Gohan’s case. Goku never instilled ‘Saiyan Pride’ in his children as he doesn’t know or care to know anything about his own heritage. All Gohan knows is his human heritage, and given he is half human, he decided to only explore power levels humans can reach. While this is a fitting direction for Gohan’s character, it also opens him up to fun and all-new opportunities in the series. Goku and Vegeta have been equally as obsessed with pushing their Saiyan limits as far as they can go, but Gohan is pushing his human limits, and who knows how far that can take him. Master Roshi is a human, after all, and he invented Goku’s signature move, the Kamehameha technique, and that has proven to be one of the most powerful ki blasts in all of Dragon Ball. If Gohan continues on this journey, he may very well achieve a transformation that no other earthling has ever been powerful enough to pull off which could lead him to his very own never-before-seen transformation akin to Ultra Instinct or Ultra Ego.

While Goku and Vegeta are the focal point of Dragon Ball Super, it has become clear to fans that other characters deserve some attention and development as well. The two Saiyan warriors are literally battling gods while the other Z Fighters haven’t really made any significant strides since Dragon Ball Z. Gohan could be a chance for Super to branch out and evolve other characters and create alternate forms of power while giving Goku and Vegeta a much needed break. With Gohan opening himself up to new possibilities in terms of growing his power level and refusing to simply follow in his father’s footsteps, Dragon Ball Super proves Gohan deserves the next ‘ultra’ transformation.