Gohan Turns Super Saiyan 2
This moment goes hand-in-hand with Gohan’s one-armed Kamehameha blast. The entire battle between Gohan and Cell is such an outstanding moment for the series that there are two different parts of the fight that are simply unforgettable. Up until this point, Gohan was the whiny son of Goku who could never match up with the rest. He had heart and he had determination, but Gohan always seemed to fall short of expectations. While Goku always assured his son that things would be okay, fans of the series were growing weary with Gohan always failing to fill his father’s shoes.
During the Cell Games Android 16 encouraged Gohan to fight for loved ones and reminded him that we become the most powerful when we have something passionate to fight for. Unfortunately, giving Gohan this advice cost Android 16 his life. Cell said this was solid advice and used it as an opportunity to enrage Gohan to make him fight with more determination and power than ever before. Cell crushed Android 16’s head beneath his foot and finally caused Gohan to snap. The son who so often failed to make his way out of his father’s shadows transformed straight to Super Saiyan 2, completely skipping the first level of this new state. This marked the first time anyone had ever seen this new level of Saiyan and marked a pivotal moment in Gohan’s overall character development. He finally not only rose to the occasion but also surpassed even his father’s Saiyan transformation abilities by simply finding a deeper purpose to fight for.