Like his father before him, Gohan has survived a lot of fights in his day. From his encounters with Frieza on Namek to his battle against Cell, he's had a lot of close calls and managed to come out of them even stronger than before. However, there are a few of these scrapes with death that the guy shouldn't have been able to live through.
So, as with his father and Vegeta, we decided to take a look at ten beatdowns that Gohan should have never survived. Be they from DBZ, GT, Super, or any of the movies; we'll be counting them in this list.
10 Surviving in the Wilderness
Gohan was just four years old when Piccolo kidnapped him and trained him to be a warrior. Before all of that, the Namekian Warrior made the child survive in the wild for six months. From there, He had to bear harsh conflicts with wild animals, dinosaurs, deadly elements, and adults kidnapping children.
Sounds like a no-brainer, right? Well, it wasn't. Even with Gohan's hidden power, he's still a 4-year-old with no experience with fighting or survival instincts. Sure, he's Goku's son, but that doesn't mean he's exactly like Goku in every way.
9 His training with Piccolo
So, you traumatize a boy that hasn't even started school yet. Sure, Gohan's homeschooled, but he'd probably be in Kindergarten if he were. Anyways, what does everyone's favorite "Babysitter" do? He teaches the boy how to fight. Not a bad thing to do, but the Namekian Warrior doesn't pull any punches when training the boy.
He blasts him when his guard his down, tosses him into a river, gives him a nasty black eye, and much more. Again, this is a kid that's only 4-5 years old. It doesn't matter how much of his father is in him; he's only a little kid.
8 His fight with Vegeta
After Goku is down and out, Gohan steps in to take on the Prince of all Saiyans... and it doesn't go well. Despite his best, Gohan is no match for Vegeta. The bloodthirsty Saiyan assaults the boy, like his father, barraging the kid with a load of punches and energy attacks. Again, this is a child.
Unlike Piccolo, who just wanted to toughen Gohan up so he could fight, Vegeta wasn't going to be as nice as the turncoat Namekian.
7 Crushed under Frieza's foot
In space, no one can hear you scream, especially if you're under the foot of a pink/white flamboyant, Lizard Emperor. After Krillin is stabbed by Frieza and thrown into the sea, Gohan let's loose and assaults Frieza with everything he has. Sadly, it isn't enough, and Frieza begins to lay the smackdown on the poor boy.
How many times do we need to mention that he's only a kid? Cause this is getting pretty ridiculous that he keeps surviving these ordeals. Worse is that Frieza begins crushing Gohan under his foot. What are Saiyans made of, and how can we use their skin for humanity's benefits?
6 His third encounter with Frieza
After Goku is seemingly out of the game, Gohan decides to keep Frieza on the soon to explode planet that is Namek. Not knowing that Frieza would still live, even if Namek were to explode, Gohan takes on the evil tyrant.
We could explain how the extreme conditions of Namek nearing death would make it impossible for anyone to survive unless they're Frieza or Goku. Still, the fact that Frieza is far powerful than Gohan means that Frieza would have been able to kill him in no time.
5 His fight with Cell as a Super Saiyan
So, when Goku forfeits against Cell, he does what any father would do and lets his son go up against the monster. Gohan may have been stronger than Goku, but, as Piccolo says, he still a child that doesn't have the same thirst for fighting like his father or Vegeta.
Not only that, but Cell begins to toy with the boy by blasting him and squeezing the life out of him. Sure, Gohan was able to turn Super Saiyan 2 and kill Cell, but that wasn't until 16 was murdered right before him.
4 Blasted by Majin Buu
After Majin Buu is awakened, Gohan attempts to strike the evil creature. However, Majin Buu launches a massive energy attack on the teen hero, sending him flying for miles. Even when Supreme Kai destroys the blast, Gohan is knocked out cold and presumed dead by the others.
We call BS. Even with Supreme Kai's help, there's no way Gohan should have been able to survive that blast. He should be in Other World with King Kai, not healed by Kabito, and taken to the Kai homeworld.
3 His Fight with Super Buu absorbed by Gotenks
After Gohan's overconfidence gets the better of him, Super Buu surprises him by absorbing Gotenks and Piccolo and gains their powers. While it would seem that the two are evenly matched, Gohan slowly becomes overpowered by Super Buu's newfound strength and begins to pummel him.
From Super Ghosts to Buu's Stretchy arms, Gohan is no match for Super Buu. So, he should be dead, right? Nope, he's down, but not for the count. After all that, including surviving an exploding ghost at point-blank range, Gohan still manages to live through this encounter.
2 His battle with Lavender
Lavender was a pretty cheap guy. When Gohan went up against this wolf alien during the exhibition matches, Lavender used his poison to blind Gohan. Not only that, but the Poison slowly started to infect his body and would eventually kill him.
Making matters even worse, whenever Gohan turned into a Super Saiyan, it somehow managed to spread faster. Saiyans must have incredible immune systems because Gohan somehow manages to live through the ordeal, even when he's knocked out.
1 Punched/Shot by Frieza
When you get down to it, Gohan never had a chance against Frieza. Sure, he killed him with one punch in Fusion Reborn, but he's never been able to fight him in either DBZ or Super. When Frieza returns from the dead, he set's his sights on revenge on Goku.
While Gohan tries to stand his ground against Frieza, he's defeated in one punch and nearly dies. If that wasn't bad enough, in Super, Frieza constantly blasts him like with Piccolo. There's no way Gohan should have been able to get back up and stand after that.