Ryan Pan, Gohan’s child, was introduced as a character in the late stages of Dragon Ball Z. Pan shares Videl’s strong personality and sneaks onto a spaceship to board the (literally!) rejuvenated Goku, teenage Trunks, and embarks on a difficult journey to collect the Black Star Dragon Balls.
Pan is up against a lot of challenges, just like Goku or Trunks. An elderly Pan is seen cheering on her grandson Goku Jr. during the 64th World Martial Arts Tournament. Goku Jr., although he is a distant descendant of Goku, is capable of achieving the coveted transformation. Here’s why Pan gets it.
Potential
Pan’s father was known for his potential. Because of his remarkable feats throughout his childhood, Gohan was the fighter most likely not to be defeated by Goku. His potential did not come true, but it was apparent that his talent was passed to Pan. Pan is capable, in both Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, of flying from a young age. Although it’s easy for people to attribute her Saiyan heritage to her natural ability for fighting and combat, Pan’s human family is actually what gave her her high-potential potential.
While Saiyans love fighting naturally, Pan’s human side complements this. Videl, Pan’s mother, was once a fiery combatant and never shied from a battle. Videl sustained a lot of damage, even though he was subject to heavy beatings from a minion belonging to Babidi.
Videl was actually on Spopovich’s ropes for most of their fight at the World Tournament. Spopovich could have easily killed Videl if it were him. Videl then becomes too tired, and Spopovich beats Videl. Yamu, his colleague in evil, tells Videl to stop playing with him. Videl, with his Saiyan blood and Gohan’s incredible potential, would create a Saiyan-human hybrid. This will be more human than Saiyan but not at the sacrifice of combat intelligence, like her father.
Pan’s energetic personality makes it easy for her to harness her strength. Even though she is only half-Saiyan, Piccolo sees Pan’s potential. Young Pan is capable of flying even when she’s young, something that even Goku, the full-blooded Goku needed to learn. Her strength, as shown in the final episodes of Dragon Ball Z as well as the Dragon Ball Super Hero movie, is far greater than that of a normal person and can defeat grown men in seconds.
Ancestry Dot Z
One controversial thing was the final episode. It featured the 64th World Martial Arts Tournament which was held in the year 889. Pan was born approximately 110 years ago. An elderly Pan is sitting in the audience with a Bulma-descended individual, Vegeta Jr. Vegeta Jr.’s opponent in the tournament is none other than Goku Jr., Pan’s great-great-grandchild (or just grandchild depending on which dub you’re asking). Vegeta Jr. (and Goku Jr.) are both capable of becoming Super Saiyans. This happens during their bout. It’s evident that distant descendants of Pan have their Saiyan blood further diluted and would therefore be more inclined toward Saiyan abilities.
If one assumes that Goku Jr. is Pan’s grandchild, it would then follow that he is only one-sixteenth Saiyan. Goku Jr. being able to transform himself into a Super Saiyan may indicate the dominance of the Saiyan gene pool regardless of how much Saiyan and human genetics are. Mendelian Genetics complicate this story. In addition to dominance, it also indicates the existence of recessive genetics and traits. This would allow certain Saiyan qualities to select or skip particular members for reasons that remain unclear. Goku’s ascension as Super Saiyan God required that five righteous Saiyans were present. Pan proved to be the critical final piece of this puzzle, despite his unborn status. This further strengthens the “Saiyan dominate” idea in Dragon Ball. Thus, Pan should be capable of becoming a Super Saiyan. It was written in the Daizenshu (official Dragon Ball guidebooks originally published by Japan) that anyone with less Than 25% Saiyan DNA would be able to assume the Super Saiyan Transformation.
Saiyan Enough
Pan’s extraordinary power as an infant/toddler along with her strong genes, and tenacity personality, and strong genes make it easy for a combatant like her to be able to transform. With Gohan being able to transform, a Super Saiyan Pan may be able to open up other possibilities for the character’s relevance to the story.
It takes a good teacher less than one day to transform a Saiyan who has no idea of Super Saiyan, and a combatant surrounded only by the most powerful fighters within Universe 7. A daughter of the first individual in Saiyan history to ascend above a Super Saiyan should certainly have the potential to undergo the highly desired transformation. Pan should be able to attain the form even if Goku Jr. is not of Saiyan descent. It might be just a matter of motivation. With her strong character, decent power base, and Piccolo training her, it’s evident that the young Saiyan will be, a fighter worthy of being a Super Saiyan.