Could Goku have defeated Cell? This is a question many Dragon Ball fans have asked themselves. If so, it's because the answer isn't obvious. In fact, Gohan defeated Cell, but Goku could have done just as much if he had used this well-known fan-favorite move.
Goku could have defeated Cell using this technique
The fight between Goku and Cell is one of the best in the entire manga. It's an intense confrontation that was elevated in the anime. It could even be said that it's better than the one between Gohan and Cell. It shows Goku and the villain playing evenly before the hero gives up to make way for his son. From there, many theories have emerged about Goku's chances of victory. Although he admitted to Karin that he wasn't able to defeat the antagonist, he still did well. Many therefore imagined that with senzu, Goku could have won. However, this would be forgetting that Gohan had the impression that his father wasn't giving his all, when in reality, this was totally the case, unlike Cell, who probably wasn't at 100%. Regardless, there's no doubt that Goku could have beaten Cell if he had used the Kaioken while in Super Saiyan.
The "Super Saiyan Kaioken" is a fan fantasy that has come true twice. During the Beyond Tournament, Goku uses it briefly against Paikuhan, while in DBS he uses it against Hit, while in Super Saiyan Blue. Although this never happened in the manga, these two events show that it is possible. Goku could have easily tried this against Cell and finished him off before Gohan did. However, despite the certain effectiveness of the process, it poses many problems.
Akira Toriyama made the right choice by making Gohan the hero
Kaioken is a technique that allows its user to multiply their strength. It is therefore extremely powerful, but its use comes at a price. This technique puts the user's physique to the test, as can be seen during the fight between Goku and Vegeta, where the hero finds himself in a pitiful state. This is one of the reasons why the technique is subsequently abandoned, and only appears in the filler with Paikuhan. The fact is that its use no longer makes sense during the Cell arc. After Namek, the quest for power becomes a central topic. Trunks notably broke his teeth with the Super Saiyan level 3, a transformation that made him more powerful, but also much slower. Goku thus understood that to become stronger, it was not necessary to improve the Super Saiyan by increasing the size of his muscles, but by perfecting the basic form by accustoming his body to using it. This is therefore contrary to the Kaioken which, itself, unbalances the body. Moreover, it would have been inconsistent with everything that we had observed until then.
DBZ showed us Gohan's journey. Everything was set up for Goku's son to take over, and it's no coincidence that his name appeared in the original title of the anime. The passing of the torch was supposed to take place during the Cell arc. In Akira Toriyama's mind, it was Gohan who had to defeat the enemy, and that's why Goku let him do it. Making the latter the hero once again would therefore have made no sense, even if the mangaka changed his mind during the Buu arc.
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