Goku's Ultimate Heir Isn't Gohan, It's the Dragon Ball Saiyan Nobody Expects

Published Sep 30, 2026, 3:51 PM EDT Evan Mullicane is the deputy editor of Screen Rant's comics and anime team. Having started as a writer for the comics team at the beginning of the Pandemic, Evan was swiftly promoted from writer to editor, and then from editor to lead of Screen Rant's newly established anime vertical. Throughout his time with Screen Rant, Evan has made a handful of appearances at conventions such as Anime Expo and San Diego Comic-Con, and has interviewed some of the biggest names in Anime and Comics history. In addition to editing anime and manga articles for Screen Rant, Evan is also a science fiction and fantasy author. In 2018 and 2019, his short story "The Demon's Mother" won honorable mentions from the Writers of the Future contest. You can find Evan on Twitter @EvanDM and BlueSky @evandmu.bsky.socia Few anime characters are as iconic as Dragon Ball's Goku. The Saiyan hero has influenced countless generations of shonen protagonists who share Goku's love of life, fighting, and food. Characters like One Piece's Luffy and Black Clover's Asta can undeniably trace their lineage directly back to Goku. Within the world of Dragon Ball, however, the topic of Goku's heir becomes more complicated. The most obvious candidates are going to be Goku's two sons, Gohan and Goten. While Goten has never really had enough time in the limelight to make a definitive statement on his eligibility as Goku's heir, the same can't be said for the most famous Saiyan's eldest son. Unfortunately, though, Gohan is Goku's son and has become Earth's main protector on more than a few occasions; he's a much different character than his dad. Gohan might have outgrown his pacifist tendencies early in life, but he's always been just as much of a scholar as a fighter. That alone is enough to differentiate him from his famous father. Though he might not be Goku's true successor, he did help raise the one Saiyan who truly deserves that title. Pan Is Truly The Heir To Goku's Dragon Ball Throne Despite being Gohan's daughter, it's Goku that Pan truly takes after. Though fans don't get to see much of her in Dragon Ball Super and in Dragon Ball Z's epilogue, what is shown should be enough to prove that Pan has what it takes to be the next Goku. Just on a temperamental level, she shares far more in common with her grandfather than she does her father. Unlike her dad, Pan carries the fighting spirit of her mother and seems much more interested in training and growing stronger. This manifests in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero where Pan learns to fly at the age of 3, beating her dad by a year or two and her grandfather by more than a decade. This, and other instances throughout Dragon Ball, hint that Pan is a wildly powerful Saiyan and could even outpace other members of her ultra-powerful family if she's ever given the chance to shine. Dragon Ball Super Sets Pan Up As The Next Goku The last few chapters of the Dragon Ball Super manga take place in the immediate aftermath of Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. The series' final canonical chapter at the time of writing sees Goku helping Gohan and Piccolo pick Pan up from pre-school. There, Pan appears behind Goku to launch an attack. Though Goku can block it, her willingness to fight is just another example of how much like Goku she is. As if this wasn't enough, the connection between the two is further established when Pan and Goku fly off together, clearly racing away as Piccolo and Gohan try to catch up. It is unclear if Dragon Ball Super's manga will ever return, but even if it doesn't, this is the perfect note to end the franchise on, as it leads perfectly into the epilogue of Dragon Ball Z, where Pan enters her first martial arts tournament. Apparently, she must be a powerhouse, because not only does she beat one adult combatant, but she also appears to defeat Goten (who should be in his late teens at the time) in a sparring match. Goten has been established as quite powerful in his own right, meaning Pan's victory is no small achievement. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball Keeps On Holding Pan Back Despite her obviously absurd potential and her many similarities to Goku, it's only recently that the post-Dragon Ball Z franchise has been really giving Pan her due. Pan is notably the deuteragonist of Dragon Ball GT and even gets to go on many adventures alongside a kid version of her grandpa. Unfortunately, even though Dragon Ball Z's ending clearly establishes that Pan is a spunky fighter, her combat role eventually tapers off, and she ends up playing support. Notably, Dragon Ball GT also never let Pan go Super Saiyan, despite almost every other living Saiyan in GT (save for Vegeta's daughter Bulla) having the ability to do so. Even the Dragon Ball multiverse has consistently ignored Pan. While Saiyans like Raditz, Nappa, and Bardock have all gone Super Saiyan in official non-canon material, the same can't be said for Pan. This would be somewhat understandable if Pan were a minor or side character like Bulla, but she's not. Pan has received significant storylines in media like GT and Super Hero, so the franchise's refusal to even imagine what Super Saiyan Pan would look like is all the more baffling. Still, Pan's Future in Dragon Ball Is Bright Even with the franchise's many missteps, it's clear that Dragon Ball is interested in putting more of a spotlight on Gohan and Videl's daughter going forward. Pan couldn't be featured in Dragon Ball Daima due to that series' timeline placement, but that is balanced out by her greater presence in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Additionally, the last Dragon Ball Super chapter shows her and Goku bonding, suggesting that Pan could be trained by her grandfather. Putting these together with Pan's appearance in Dragon Ball Z's Peaceful World Saga, it would only make sense to give Pan a greater focus in Dragon Ball's rumored upcoming movie. More than just a logical conclusion, however, giving Pan more to do would be perfectly in line with the underlying message of Dragon Ball. The biggest theme of the franchise is older generations passing the torch to newer ones. This is why Goku famously sacrificed himself during the Cell Saga, as he believed it was Gohan's turn to become Earth's protector. After more than 30 years in the real world and a few decades between them in canon, Gohan and Goku have had their time as Earth's saviors. Pan could be exactly the new protagonist Dragon Ball needs to bring the franchise into the future. Not only is she Goku's true heir, but she's also a powerful character who deserves an adventure all her own.