Gohan is first seen in Dragon Ball Z. Goku, who within the time between Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z has had a son, takes Gohan to see his friends on Master Roshi's Island. Gohan is dressed in a yellow outfit with green shirt and pants. He wears a red hat that has the four star dragon ball fixed to the top. This dragon ball belonged to Grandpa Gohan and is passed down to Goku who gives it to Gohan. This comes in handy during Movie 1 when Gohan is kidnapped and Goku uses Bulma's Dragon Radar to find him. Gohan is dressed in this outfit and is still very much a little child, being only 4 at the time, when Radditz kidnaps him. Gohan first reveals his enormous powers during this time and luckily is rescued by Goku and Piccolo. Unfortunately, Goku is killed by Piccolo's blast, which destroys Radditz. It is then that Piccolo takes Gohan into the wilderness to train.


When Gohan first begins his training with Piccolo, Piccolo proceeds to throw him into the nearest mountain to show him his powers. Gohan then discards his outer garments and is left in the wilderness alone to fend for himself. Gohan, escaping from a huge dinosaur, is trapped on top of a tall rock and left hungry is given some apples by Piccolo, who does this without Gohan knowing it.


Gohan, being out in the open, peers at a full moon for the first time in his life. It is then that Piccolo sees the affects of this on a Saiyan with a tail. Gohan transforms and turns into his Oozaru form. Piccolo manages to blow the moon out of the sky, returning him to his normal form again.


After the first night, Gohan is left a new outfit by Piccolo. Piccolo leaves Gohan an outfit similar to Goku's and a small sword. Gohan adapts well, no longer a fearful child. He is now able to fend for himself, getting food and even cutting slices off the dinosaur's tail that attacked him before. Being out in the wilderness for a year and being only part Saiyan, Gohan's hair gets long. Piccolo begins training him at this point to prepare him for the upcoming fight with Nappa and Vegeta.


After the fight with Nappa and Vegeta, Goku is injured and Piccolo is dead. The Earth dragon balls are useless because when Piccolo died, Kami, the creator of the dragon balls, also disappears. With Kami and the Dragon Balls gone, Krillin, Bulma, and Gohan travel to the Planet Namek to retrieve the Namekian dragon balls to wish their friends back. Gohan arrives prior to the trip with a new haircut and in one of the outfits Chi Chi has chosen, but as soon as the Namekian ship takes off, Gohan changes into an outfit of his own creation. Styles after his hero's own clothing, Gohan produces and changes into an outfit that looks just like Piccolo's. He wears this all during the trip and up until Vegeta gives him new clothes after their fight with Ginyu.


After the fight with Captain Ginyu, Goku is injured and Krillin and Gohan look the worse for wear. Vegeta takes them into Frieza's ship and gives them both Saiyan armor. Gohan changes into a blue outfit, like Vegeta's and wears this up until he is returned to Earth by the last wish from the Namekian dragon balls. He returns to normal clothing until he senses that Frieza is returning to Earth. He again puts on his Saiyan armor and meets the other Z fighters and they meet Trunks for the first time after the elimination of Frieza and King Cold. They are all warned of the upcoming attack from the Androids and the group prepares. When the first battle with the androids begins, Goku falls ill with the heart disease that Trunks predicted.


During the time after leaving Namek, Gohan waits patiently for his father to return. During his wait, the Earth is attacked by the villian of movie 1, Garlic Jr. Gohan again wears his outfit that is similar to Piccolo's. His hair has gotten longer and his power has increased significantly. Gohan manages to defeat Garlic Jr once again with help from Piccolo and Krillin.

After Goku recovers from the heart disease, a new menace appears. Cell has arrived and Goku takes Gohan, Vegeta and Trunks to Kami's in order to continue their training in the Room of Spirit and Time. Bulma arrives and produces new Saiyan clothing and armor for them. Gohan changes into one of these outfits before entering the magical room and wears it for is training and his first Super Saiyan transformation.






After fighting Trunks, Cell gives the Z fighters nine days to prepare for the tournament that will decide the fate of the Earth. Gohan and Goku, after completing their training, spend the days before the tournament in their super saiyan forms. Before the fight, Gohan changes into the outfit Piccolo gave him after he exited the Room of Spirit and Time. He wears these Namekian outfit to the tournament along with the weighted cape.





Discarding the weighted cape, Gohan fights Cell and after being beat around in his Super Saiyan form and having his friends attacked by Cell Juniors, Cell destroys the head of Android 16. This pushed Gohan's anger over the edge and he transforms into Super Saiyan form 2. Gohan easily defeats all the Cell Juniors and then is able to kill Cell.





After the Cell games, life returns to normal, although Goku is dead and Gohan must return and tell his mother. Gohan enters Orange Star High School and continues with is studies.









It is at this time that Gohan gets a new identity, that of the Great Saiyaman. In his disguise, Gohan become a crime fighter and is sometimes helped by his girlfriend Videl, Satan's daughter. It is in this form that Gohan enters the Tenkaichi Budoukai and ends up having his identity discovered when he looses control over his anger and transforms into a Super Saiyan and blows the bandana off his head. His power is then stolen by SupopoBitchi and the Z fighters follow them to Babidi's hideout.






After learning of the threat of Babidi's plan to resurrect Majiin Buu, Gohan enters the ship, he then fights against Dabura, who suddenly stops the fight to return to Babidi with a new plan. The plan is carried out and Vegeta is made into a slave of Babidi. Vegeta challenges Goku and Gohan and East KaioShin continue down into the bowels of the ship to stop Babidi from awakening Majiin Buu. Gohan, dressed in black, attempts to stop Majiin Buu before he can emerge. Unfortunately he fails






Gohan, thought to be dead, is transported to East Kaioshin's planet by Kibit. He had been saved so that he could use his powers to pull out the Zed Sword to help defeat Buu. While he is there, his torn clothing is replaced by Kibit into Kaioshin style clothes. He is able to pull out the Zed Sword and returns to earth to fight.






In Future Trunk's time line, Gohan is the only person other than Trunks to survive the Android's attacks. Gohan has taken up the fight against 17 and 18 and wears his fathers clothes as a reminder of him. Gohan agrees to train Trunks but is severely injured and eventually is killed.