Highlights

• Goku Black remains one of Dragon Ball's best villains, but his impact could have been more profound if he took over Future Gohan's body.
• Future Gohan's emotional connection to Trunks and the Z-Fighters would have added a more personal vendetta against Gohan Black.
• Gohan's latent potential and his rage against Zamasu could have made Gohan Black an even more powerful opponent in the series.

In the eyes of many fans of the series, Goku Black is one of the best villains of all. Dragon BallHis plan for the total eradication of mortals became far superior when seen in conjunction with his ruthless attitude and incredible design, as he took everyone's favorite pure-hearted Saiyan and completely transformed him into a callous, unfeeling monster. Goku Black and Zamasu's time in the series remains one of the highlights of Dragon Ball Super.

However, as good as this villain was, his entire character could have become much more emotionally impactful if Zamasu had somehow taken control of Future Gohan's body instead of Goku's. By doing so, he would not only remain villainous and brutal, but his existence would have a much deeper emotional connection with heroes past and future.

How could this have happened

Although Future Gohan met his end at the hands of Androids 17 and 18 from his timeline, he could still have been the host body for the version of Zamasu that transformed into Goku Black. This is because, with the help of the Time Ring, Zamasu was able to live despite his destruction at the hands of Beerus, and it was thus that he finally desired to take control of the body of the strongest mortal.

This new level will make me the ultimate sword for justice, and when your sword is powerful enough, you won't need a shield!

However, Zamasu could have wanted to take control of the body with the ability to become as strong as possible in the shortest amount of time. Through this means, he could have taken control of Gohan's body, as it is well documented how incredible his latent potential truly is. This was most recently seen in Chapter 103 of the manga, where his Beast form faced Ultra Instinct. Gohan's potential allows him to gain extraordinary power without needing to train for it, which is how Beast Gohan was able to injure Ultra Instinct in their sparring match.

Emotional meaning for the future

Perhaps the greatest effect Zamasu's acquisition of Future Gohan's body would have would be on Trunks. In the desolate world the Androids destroyed, all the Z-Fighters perished except Gohan and Bulma, along with baby Trunks. Because of this, Trunks grew up with the ever-present threat of the Androids around every corner, and it was up to Gohan to train him and teach him everything he knew.

Trunks came to see Gohan as an older brother and mentor figure in his life, as they spent all their time together, whether training or just going about their daily lives. However, tragedy struck when Androids 17 and 18 finally cornered Gohan and killed him, and upon finding his body, Trunk's rage awakened the legendary Super Saiyan transformation within him. In one of the saddest scenes in the series, Trunks stumbles upon his best friend's body, telling him he meant everything to him.

Therefore, the emotional impact of having Gohan as the villain seeking to kill Trunks would be much more powerful, as the real-life version of the character did everything in his power to protect the young Saiyan. This would also make Trunks' vendetta against the villain much more personal, as he would feel that the memory of the most important person in his life was being tainted by a soulless monster, making his desire to defeat him even greater.

Furthermore, having Gohan Black kill Bulma would also be very painful, as Bulma was his best friend's son and the only person, besides his son, he had left in his life after the androids destroyed everything. Many believe that the Super Saiyan Rage form Trunks achieved at the end of the Goku Black arc was a bit out of place, but it would have been perfect if used against Gohan Black!

Emotional meaning for the past

Becoming Gohan Black would also have a major impact on the rest of the past Z-Fighters. The biggest and most obvious would be Goku. After hearing the sacrifices his son made and how he died a hero in his timeline, seeing someone disguised as Gohan and committing unspeakable acts of evil would be enough to send Goku over the edge.

Goku is generally a calm and good-natured individual, but he would never tolerate anyone hurting his loved ones. Although many fans of the series joke that Goku is a bad father, his love for Gohan is very apparent, so seeing someone mock everything his son stood for would evoke a much purer emotion of anger within him than seeing Goku Black.

I'm no hero of justice or anything like that. But whoever tries to hurt my friends... will pay!

Otherwise, Gohan Black would serve much the same role that Goku Black did for the rest of the Z-Fighters. However, if that were to happen, Gohan would likely have a more prominent role in the fight against his evil counterpart, as he, too, would hate to see his reputation and character tarnished at Zamasu's hands. The final fight against this version of Merged Zamasu may also have been different.

This is because Gohan is known for being a character whose strength is defined by his incredible latent potential. Because of this, he can achieve forms that match, or even surpass, the strength of Goku and Vegeta's strongest transformations while only completing a fraction of the training. Taking this into account, along with the hatred and rage that mortals invoke within Zamasu, there's a possibility that the new version of Merged Zamasu will be even more powerful than before.

Dragon Ball can be transmitted in Crunchy Roll.