Neither Goku nor Gohan: the most insufferable character in Dragon Ball Z was the great savior of humanity

The Cell arc introduced us to Mr. Satan, the unbearable martial arts champion who was key to the victory of the Z Warriors.

Cristian Ciuraneta Catalán Gabriel Huerta

Update: Aug 13th, 2025 17:07 CEST

When we think of the great heroes of ‘Dragon Ball,’ names like Goku and Gohan always come to mind, the great saviors of humanity throughout the different arcs of ‘Dragon Ball Z.’ Even Goku was already a great hero from a very young age, like when he defeated the Red Ribbon Army or King Piccolo when he was just a kid. However, there is a character who appeared during the Cell arc who played a key role in Gohan’s victory over the all-powerful villain: Mr. Satan. Yes, that unbearable loudmouth martial arts champion who, without knowing it, became a hero at the precise moment of the climax against the evil bio-android, demonstrating either great courage or great foolishness—or, surely, a little of both—with his decision.

Mr. Satan’s reckless decision against Cell

So, just when Cell seemed to have the Z Warriors on the ropes during the final stretch of his particular martial arts tournament—with Gohan unable to unleash his full potential—Mr. Satan did what no one would expect from a silly charlatan like him. So much so that when the villain—in his eagerness to provoke Gohan into showing his true power—completely destroyed Android 16, the android’s head ended up falling in front of Mr. Satan and the intrepid reporters from ZTV.

Neither Goku nor Gohan: the most insufferable character in Dragon Ball Z was the great savior of humanity

At that moment, when Android 16 seemed to be completely “dead,” his head regained consciousness and turned to Mr. Satan himself, asking him to please take his head to Gohan, right in the middle of the battlefield, with Cell really close by. Of course, Mr. Satan initially refused for obvious reasons, but after the android’s pleas, he ended up picking up his head and running to the vicinity of the two combatants, accurately throwing Android 16’s head before the astonished eyes of Goku’s son.

At that moment, Android 16 turned to Gohan and begged him to unleash his true latent power in order to save his people, humanity, and the entire planet, including his beloved animals. However, a smug Cell approached the talking remains of the android with determination to step on his head, eliminating him once and for all. It was at that moment that something awakened inside Gohan, unleashing his true potential to reach, for the first time, Super Saiyan 2, surpassing Cell in power; though not in cunning, as would soon become apparent.

All in all, Mr. Satan proclaimed himself the great victor of Cell’s tournament against humanity, even though he knew that wasn’t really the case, since it was Gohan, with Goku’s help from beyond the grave, who ultimately defeated Cell. Even so, it is only fair to acknowledge Mr. Satan’s bravery at a key moment during the final battle of that celebrated arc. Furthermore, Mr. Satan himself would play a very important role during the next arc, that of Majin Buu, in his difficult task of trying to contain the villain in his own way so that he would not destroy the entire world; but that is another story.