Gohan, Goku’s first child, is destined for greatness and his potential is teased from the series’ start. When Dragon Ball Z returns from its seven-year time-skip, it’s revealed that Goku and Chi-Chi had a second son, Goten, whose strength is also off the charts.
Goten is positioned as the face of the future and part of the next generation of heroes who can dutifully defend the planet once Goku is gone. This young Saiyan makes a strong first impression, but he’s struggled to stand out and improve upon past milestones in more recent stories. Nevertheless, Goten deserves credit for his many powerful forms and variations.
Goten’s Mighty Mask Alias Is a Naturally Conflicted Character
Dragon Ball Z’s 25th World Martial Arts Tournament helps reset the status quo for the series’ Buu Saga. Goten and Trunks are some of the standout characters during these martial arts proceedings, and they find a way to get in a little extra combat. Goten loses to Trunks in the tournament’s Junior Division. Since they’re not old enough to participate in the proper tournament round, they steal another fighter’s costume and pretend to be him.
As Mighty Mask, Goten and Trunks need to coordinate their movements and attacks as if they’re a single individual. In some ways, this escapade is a tongue-in-cheek tease to their eventual fusion. One would think that a tag-team attack from Goten and Trunks would be superior to Goten on his own, especially when they both utilize Super Saiyan strength as Mighty Mask. However, the complex ruse that they need to keep up hinders their abilities and ultimately leads to Mighty Mask’s downfall.
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Goten’s lone fight as Mighty Mask, against Android 18, unceremoniously concludes when her Destructo Disc tears their costume in half and leads to their disqualification. Mighty Mask is quite the fringe form for Goten and something that’s clearly meant to be treated as comic relief. This hasn’t stopped the Mighty Mask form from showing up as a playable character in multiple Dragon Ball video games, including its most recent addition in Sparking! ZERO’s Super Limit Breaking Neo DLC.
Goten’s Tuffle Infection In Dragon Ball GT Facilitates Baby Vegeta’s Contamination
Super Saiyan Goten fires an energy attack at Baby in Dragon Ball GT.Image via Toei Animation
Dragon Ball GT is still regarded as the franchise’s most polarizing entry, despite how it still introduces some exciting ideas to the franchise. The anime’s introductory Black Star Dragon Ball Saga is largely regarded as a tonal misfire, while the following Baby Saga finally finds its footing. Baby, a Neo Machine Mutant Tuffle, parasitically infects Earth’s population and turns Vegeta into his prize host vessel.
Goten doesn’t get much to do in Dragon Ball GT, but some of his biggest moments take place in this saga. He s the first of Earth’s heroes to be infected by Baby. This triggers a disturbing domino effect in which Baby Goten fights against Gohan until he’s infected, with the possessed Saiyan brothers then setting their sights on Vegeta. Goten receives a minor power boost when he’s infected by Baby and the evil interloper also takes advantage of his Super Saiyan strength.
It’s definitely exciting to see this frightening version of teen Goten wage war against Gohan and Vegeta. However, the sequel series also establishes in its previous storyline that Goten has largely turned his back on martial arts and his powers have regressed. This leaves him as one of the character’s weakest versions, even with Baby’s Tuffleized power boost. It’s too bad that this possession couldn’t have pushed him up to Super Saiyan 2 strength.
Super Saiyan Goten Experiences This Impressive Upgrade At A Young Age
Goku’s inaugural Super Saiyan transformation is still one of Dragon Ball’s greatest moments, even if the corresponding milestone has become considerably more commonplace. The first step to Super Saiyan power shifts from a rare achievement into a foregone conclusion and the Saiyans’ new normal.
Gohan and Trunks become Super Saiyans at one and eight years old respectively, but Goten accomplishes this feat at only seven. Super Saiyan strength has been a part of his life for longer than it hasn’t. It doesn’t take long for him to adjust into Super Saiyan Full Power.
Curiously, Goten’s Super Saiyan breakthroughs haven’t continued. This is discouraging, but it means that Super Saiyan Goten has been involved in some colossal clashes. His performance with Trunks against seven rogue Cell Juniors is one of the best and most recent examples of where his Super Saiyan strength resides.
Goten’s Saiyaman X-2 Disguise Turns Him Into A Crime-Fighting Force Of Nature
Goten and Trunks destroy Dinodroid 1 in Dragon Ball Super manga.Image via Shueisha
Both Goten and Trunks are largely ignored in Dragon Ball Super and they’re not even involved in the totemic Tournament of Power. While it’s not quite the redemption arc that fans were hoping for, there’s at least a mini-arc — the High School Saga — that gives both characters their due as a prologue into the Super Hero Saga. Drawing inspiration from the fictional in-universe superhero, Clean God, as well as Gohan’s own Great Saiyaman getup, Goten and Trunks commit themselves to street-level crime-fighting alter egos.
Trunks dons the identity of Saiyaman X-1, while Goten fills the role of his courageous companion, Saiyaman X-2. Goten’s Saiyaman X-2 costume was surprisingly crafted by Pilaf, of all people. While technically more of a costume than a new transformation, both Saiyans properly embrace their heroic identities. In order to maintain some mystique and separation from their normal lives, Goten and Trunks both adopt new techniques that respect their identities’ Clean God inspiration, rather than utilizing Kamehamehas and their typical attacks.
As Saiyaman X-2, Goten executes some flashy maneuvers like his Up-Cycle Punch and tandem Cyclone Style! Tornado Double Hurricane attack. Saiyaman X-2 Goten uses his strength, including Super Saiyan power boosts, to take down Dr. Hedo’s Alpha and Beta Android Series. This Goten variation is superior to the aforementioned forms because it builds upon Dragon Ball Super’s superior foundation of the character. Goten doesn’t get much to do in the series, but it’s still more consistent training than what he experiences in Dragon Ball GT.
Goten’s Fusion, Gotenks, Helps Him Ascend To Unprecedented Super Saiyan Power
Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks powers up in Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon.Image via Toei Animation
Fusion, while a controversial concept, is not going anywhere in Dragon Ball. This strategic process allows two individuals to combine their power and abilities into one superior fighter. Goten and Trunks become the poster children for the Metamoran fusion dance and they go on to primarily fight in their fused form — Gotenks. Gotenks is a breakthrough upon his debut and there’s genuinely a moment in which it seems like he’ll be the one to destroy Buu.
Gotenks’ value rises when he activates Super Saiyan 3 strength — bypassing Super Saiyan 2 in the process — and matching Goku’s prolific milestone. Gotenks’ Super Saiyan 3 power immediately makes him one of Dragon Ball’s strongest characters and a glimpse of Goten’s peak power. It’s somewhat frustrating that Goten and Trunks’ skills as individuals lapse as they go all-in on fusion. After what Gotenks accomplished against Buu, this approach certainly makes sense, but it’s not without its concessions.
For instance, fusion is only powerful if its participants can successfully pull off the necessary precision movements. Gotenks’ last few appearances have all been failed fusions, and it looks like Goten and Trunks are out of practice. Gotenks still has the potential to become Goten’s greatest form, but it’s going to take practice and recommitment. Greater comebacks have certainly been accomplished.
Xeno Goten Gains Discipline & Unlocks His Potential With The Time Patrol
Dragon Ball’s universe has expanded in exciting ways and there are some comprehensive non-canon timelines that have been introduced in video games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball Heroes. These titles introduce many Xeno versions of established characters who are pulled from contrasting timelines. Xeno Goten is introduced and gains momentum in Super Dragon Ball Heroes’ Dark Demon Realm Saga when he’s recruited by Chronoa to aid the heroes in the Time Patrol.
Xeno Goten is based on Dragon Ball GT’s teen version of the character. Xeno Goten ascends to Super Saiyan status in his battle against Shroom and later gets his potential unlocked by Old Kai so that Ultimate Xeno Goten can help battle against Demigra. He uses this power to take out formidable foes like Demon God Dabura, Super Android 13, Lord Slug, and Bojack, while Xeno Gotenks is crucial against Towa and Mira.
As Xeno Gotenks, he’s still able to activate his Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 3 forms. Super Saiyan 3 Xeno Gotenks even gains an upgraded version of his Super Burning Kamehameha — the Super Ultra Burning Kamehameha — which is regarded as his strongest technique. Xeno Goten’s Ultimate upgrade, combined with prime Gotenks’ growing fusion fumbles, makes this the strongest version of the character.
Cast
Sean Schemmel, Laura Bailey, Brian Drummond, Christopher Sabat, Scott McNeil
Created by
Akira Toriyama