The penultimate major saga in Dragon Ball Z focused on the deadly and powerful Androids, all while seguing into a brief period where the then-teenaged Gohan was the franchise's main character. This development was cemented by the final fight against Cell, with Goku's son accomplishing what none of the other Z Fighters could. Ironically, the new hero of the series ended up having some overlooked similarities to one of his former enemies.

Of the two formerly young human Androids seen in the series, Android 17 received the lesser amount of focus before Dragon Ball Super. A somewhat standoffish young man, 17 wasn't actually much for fighting. When combined with other elements of his characterization, this gives him a surprisingly strong parallel with Gohan.

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Gohan was never meant to be an adventuring fighter like his father, with Goku's wife Chi-Chi wanting their son to instead become a scholar. Thus, when Goku died in a battle with his evil brother Raditz, Gohan had no real training or fighting expertise. In order to prepare for the threat of other invading Saiyans, Goku's former enemy Piccolo essentially kidnapped Gohan in order to train him. Though this unlocked the boy's fighting potential and began Piccolo's development into a good guy, it certainly wasn't something Gohan wanted.

The same thing happened to Android 17, who was also a young child when he and his sister were kidnapped by Dr. Gero. Turned into a cyborg meant to kill Goku and avenge the Red Ribbon Army, Android 17's new lease on life was likewise not his choice. These sad developments were further paralleled by the fact that neither 17 nor Gohan truly grew up with their fathers around. The Androids' parents are never seen -- given their being kidnapped at a young age -- while Goku was never the most attentive dad. Despite the path of the warrior being rather forced on them, both characters would more than rise to the occasion when the situation called for it.

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Android 17 only started becoming a major part of the story again in Dragon Ball Super, but he would show tremendous power that hadn't been seen previously. This was even greater than the power shown by the Androids in the Android/Cell Sagas, including the brawny Android 16. Thus, it's highly likely that 17 could've been a big help against threats such as Majin Buu. Likewise, Gohan also had several new forms and other examples of untapped power potential. These include Mystic Gohan, the Gohan Beast transformation and his imitation of Piccolo's attacks in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero.

Despite all this power at their disposal, perhaps the biggest similarity between Gohan and Android 17 is how much they don't want to be fighters. Fulfilling his mother's wishes, Gohan would begin focusing more on his studies, making that a far bigger priority compared to physical training. Conversely, Android 17 loved nature and even became a park ranger to protect it, showing that a world of wanton fisticuffs wasn't really what he wanted. Like Gohan, he was actually a fairly kind and quiet-natured individual, only fighting and getting heated when necessary.

Both also have one sibling each, whom they're fairly different from. Goten is more focused on fighting than academics when compared to Gohan, while Android 18 is a much bigger focus than 17, going on to marry Krillin and have a daughter. Ironically, it was Android 17's absorption by Cell that eventually led to Gohan reaching new power levels by fighting the green foe, making the two more narratively connected than many Dragon Ball fans realized.

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Dragon Ball's Gohan & Android 17 Are Surprisingly Similar - CBR - Comic Book Resources