By
Tom Russell
Published 48 minutes ago
Tom is a Senior Staff Writer at Screen Rant, with expertise covering all things Classic TV from hilarious sitcoms to jaw-dropping sci-fi.
Initially he was an Updates writer, though before long he found his way to the Classic TV team. He now spends his days keeping Screen Rant readers informed about the TV shows of yesteryear, whether it's recommending hidden gems that may have been missed by genre fans or deep diving into ways your favorite shows have (or haven't) stood the test of time.
Tom is based in the UK and when he's not writing about TV shows, he's watching them. He's also an avid horror fiction writer, gamer, and has a Dungeons and Dragons habit that he tries (and fails) to keep in check.
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Dragon Ball GT remains the most experimental entry in the Dragon Ball franchise. It pushed the series into bold, unexpected territory, from galaxy-spanning adventures to the unforgettable arrival of Super Saiyan 4. However, for all its creativity, the show made one narrative slip-up I still can’t forgive. GT dared to reinvent Dragon Ball, yet it stumbled at the finish line in one pivotal place.
Among the many new characters given major roles in Dragon Ball GT was Goku’s grandaughter, Pan. First glimpsed in Dragon Ball Z’s Peaceful World saga, she became a centerpiece in GT, traveling the cosmos with Goku and Trunks. She wasn’t just a sidekick, she was part of the core trio and essential to GT’s overarching narrative.
As Goku’s granddaughter, Pan shares his Saiyan bloodline. Watching Dragon Ball GT for the first time, I fully expected her to experience the rite of passage every young Saiyan hero eventually faces: ascending to Super Saiyan. Yet GT never gave her the moment she more than earned. It felt like an injustice to the character, and one that still bothers me decades later.
Pan Not Becoming Super Saiyan Is Dragon Ball GT's Biggest Flaw
Gohan’s Daughter Deserved The Same Saiyan Rite Of Passage As Every Other Hero
For all its divisiveness, Dragon Ball GT carved out its own identity. It dared to experiment, shifting from the world-saving intensity of Dragon Ball Z to a more adventurous tone before eventually pivoting back to darker, high-stakes storytelling. It delivered visually spectacular concepts like Super Saiyan 4 and introduced new villains that genuinely expanded the Dragon Ball universe.
Yet through all this experimentation, Dragon Ball GT missed its most important long-term opportunity: properly setting up the next generation. Pan should have been that next generation. As Goku’s granddaughter and a quarter-Saiyan with boundless energy, she was positioned to become the show’s true emotional and narrative anchor.
Dragon Ball GT repeatedly placed her in danger, tested her conviction, and thrust her into situations that forced rapid growth. Sadly, her journey in GT wasn't rewarded with the transformation that defines Saiyan evolution. Her arc plateaued exactly when it should have skyrocketed.
The failure wasn’t merely about raw power. In the Dragon Ball universe, becoming a Super Saiyan is symbolic. It marks a character’s arrival as a true warrior, someone prepared to stand alongside the series’ greatest defenders. GT built Pan up as an essential figure but denied her the payoff that would have cemented her legacy.
At a time when Dragon Ball GT aimed to refresh and reshape the franchise, giving Pan the spotlight and a transformation would have been the ultimate declaration that the series was moving forward. Instead, GT preserved the status quo. Goku remained the focal point, Trunks assisted, and Pan was never allowed to fully step into the legacy she inherited.
It’s a narrative oversight that grows more glaring with time. GT wanted to be bold, but when it came to its most important new character, it pulled its punch. For a show like Dragon Ball GT centered on breaking limits, that choice still stands as its biggest flaw.
Pan Going Super Saiyan At The End Of GT Would Have Been Cathartic
Introducing A Female Super Saiyan Would Have Given Dragon Ball GT A Perfect Final Payoff
If Dragon Ball GT wanted to end with a statement, Pan turning Super Saiyan would have been the ideal moment to deliver it. The finale was already charged with emotion, with Goku departing on a journey that seemed to transcend mortality. Amid that final farewell, the reveal of Pan’s first Super Saiyan transformation would have tied the story together in a powerful, cathartic way.
This wasn’t just about spectacle. It would have been historic: the first female Super Saiyan in the franchise, arriving at the conclusion of a series that revolved around her growth. GT often emphasized themes of legacy, generational change, and the idea that new heroes would rise when old ones stepped away. What better embodiment of that idea than Pan literally igniting the next chapter of Saiyan evolution?
GT closed without giving its central new hero the moment she deserved, leaving a narrative void that still feels unfinished decades later.
Throughout Dragon Ball GT, Pan was shown as brave, capable, and emotionally resilient. She faced cosmic threats, navigated dangerous planets, and consistently served as the emotional compass of the trio. A transformation would have been a natural culmination of her experiences. The tension, frustration, courage, and loss she endured across the series built toward something meaningful, something GT never allowed to happen.
Ending GT with Pan’s transformation would have offered fans closure, not just for her arc but for the show as a whole. It would have honored everything Dragon Ball GT did right while correcting its most frustrating misstep. Instead, GT closed without giving its central new hero the moment she deserved, leaving a narrative void that still feels unfinished decades later.
The First Female Super Saiyan Was Introduced 20 Years After Dragon Ball GT
Dragon Ball Super Finally Introduced A Female Saiyan, But It Came Far Too Late
It wasn’t until Dragon Ball Super, a full 20 years after GT ended, that the franchise finally introduced its first female Super Saiyan: Caulifla. She made her debut in 2017 in the episode “Gohan and Piccolo Master and Pupil Clash in Max Training!”, arriving as an instantly charismatic and energetic warrior from Universe 6.
Within a few episodes, she achieved her first Super Saiyan transformation, quickly followed by even higher forms. Caulifla is undeniably a strong addition to the franchise, but her arrival highlights an issue that had lingered for decades. Her transformation felt like a patch, an overdue correction rather than a natural evolution of Dragon Ball’s storytelling.
Instead of building to a meaningful payoff through long-term character development, Dragon Ball Super introduced a new character who rapidly unlocked forms without much emotional buildup. It worked in context, but it lacked the impact Pan’s transformation would have carried.
The late introduction of a female Super Saiyan also reflects a broader problem: Dragon Ball’s long history of underusing its female heroes. Characters like Videl, Chi-Chi, and Bulma have iconic roles but are rarely given opportunities to participate meaningfully in the series’ power progression. Android 18 remains the clearest exception, but even she is sidelined in many major arcs.
Pan’s missed transformation stands out because Dragon Ball GT centered her journey, then refused to let her ascend. Caulifla’s quick rise only sharpens the contrast. She achieves in a few episodes what Pan should have reached after an entire series of growth. The emotional weight simply isn’t comparable.
By the time Caulifla arrived, the moment for a truly groundbreaking female Super Saiyan origin story had long passed. Dragon Ball GT had the perfect setup, the perfect character, and the perfect narrative runway, yet chose not to take flight. Even now, it’s impossible not to feel the sting of that missed opportunity.
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7.9/10
Dragon Ball GT
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-PG Adventure Release Date 1997 - 1997-00-00 Network Fuji TV Showrunner Akira Toriyama Directors Minoru Okazaki, Mitsuo Hashimoto, Yoshihiro Ueda, Takahiro Imamura, Hidehiko Kadota, Osamu Kasai, Hiroyuki Kakudou, Shigeyasu Yamauchi Writers Akira Toriyama Franchise(s) Dragon BallCast
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Masako Nozawa
Oob (voice)
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Yûko Minaguchi
Uncredited
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