The Super Hero arc of Dragon Ball Super is finally wrapping up, with chapter 101 going beyond what’s in the film, and this new chapter conclusively proves that Gohan’s newest transformation, Gohan Beast, is here to stay with one flashy scene. The question now becomes how exactly Gohan will put this new ability to work, and what role it may play in upcoming story arcs.

Chapter 101 of Dragon Ball Super, written by Akira Toriyama and drawn by Toyotaro, opens with Carmine of the Red Ribbon Army trying to figure out how to do away with the Z-fighters, as the Red Ribbon Army can never be revived so long as they’re around. He happens to see Goten and Trunks, in disguise as the superheroes Saiyaman X-1 and X-2, and convinces them to help him take out a major “villain,” who turns out to be none other than Goten’s brother, Gohan.

Having only just finished with Cell Max days ago, Gohan is quite unhappy to see the Red Ribbon Army again, and immediately transforms directly into the Gohan Beast state, ready to fight for his daughter’s safety once more.

Gohan Beast May Be the Key to Defeating Black Frieza

It may not seem too noteworthy at first that Gohan is able to transform into this state again, but keep in mind that even after Goku’s discovery of Ultra Instinct in the Tournament of Power, he wasn’t able to use the ability on command; that took a considerable amount of extra training, as well as developing the technique to better fit his own emotionally-driven fighting style. This scene establishes that Gohan will be able to call on the Gohan Beast form at will, something that ensures he’ll be able to keep up with new threats such as Black Frieza.

Goku is able to sense the tremendous power coming off of Gohan after he transforms and transports himself to Earth, where the chapter ends. It’s not exactly clear where Gohan Beast ranks compared to Super Saiyan Blue or Ultra Instinct/Ego yet, but the incredible amount of power on display would seem to suggest it’s comparable. Perhaps a sparring session between Goku (who surely won’t be able to resist testing his son’s new power) and Gohan will provide a more concrete answer to that in the coming chapters.

Given that Goku and Vegeta already struggled against Black Frieza even in their Ultra states, bringing in Gohan to help deal with him may well be a key element of the next arc, ensuring that Gohan’s new power doesn’t go to waste. Such a team-up might also include Piccolo, who obtained the new Orange Piccolo transformation, as well as Broly, who seems to finally be mastering his primal rage. Gohan Beast joining Broly, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Goku to fight Black Frieza could be a truly awesome moment that brings Dragon Ball Super back to the heights of greatness.