As a reminder on the once-active wife of Gohan and her numerous contributions to the series, given that she has been absent for quite some time, here is a look at her past appearances.
The Great Saiyaman Saga of Dragon Ball Z signalled the beginning of a radical new direction for the series. Follow-ups to the Cell Games’ climactic events saw readers of the manga and viewers of the anime taken away from the potentially world-ending, high-octane drama of the previous arc and into a more low-key examination of Gohan’s adolescence, as he struggles to balance his academic pursuits with his martial arts training.
Enter Videl, a former classmate of Gohan’s who is also the daughter of Mr. Satan, the man who claimed credit for Cell’s destruction seven years before. Instead of putting off a weak and shy persona like Gohan, Videl is loud, aggressive, and unafraid to express herself. Videl, the daughter of the self-proclaimed world champion, dabbles in super-heroics in her spare time, but she is quickly undone by the arrival of the Great Saiyaman, a disguised version of Gohan, who threatens to derail her plans.
After discovering the Great Saiyaman’s true identity, Videl uses this information to coerce Gohan into giving her flying lessons, which she eventually agrees to. It is through her martial arts training under Gohan that some of the most memorable scenes in the Dragon Ball series are created, in which a (relatively) normal person comes face to face with the abject weirdness of the Dragon Ball universe, encountering concepts that both the characters and the fans have taken for granted, such as ki manipulation and flight, with fresh eyes.
It’s a pleasure to witness Videl’s assertiveness and rough-and-tumble demeanour contrast with her schoolgirl crush on Gohan, but alas, her part in the tale didn’t endure long after the first episode. The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament brings Videl face to face with Spopovich, who is secretly under the influence of the warlock Babidi. Videl is the victim of a one-sided thrashing as a result.
Following the occurrence, Videl is relegated to the sidelines of the series for the remainder of the Buu Saga. During the ten-year time jump, she and Gohan subsequently marry off-screen, and she gives birth to Pan, a quarter-Saiyan daughter who is half-human. Following the franchise’s lengthy absence, Videl would go on to appear in Battle of the Gods, which was released in 2013.
Taking place during her pregnancy with Pan, Videl participates in Goku’s Super Saiyan God ritual, harnessing the ki of her unborn daughter to assist her father-in-law in becoming more powerful.
Videl is once again consigned to the background of Dragon Ball Super for the remainder of the series. Furthermore, her once aggressive demeanour has been entirely sanded down to that of a submissive housewife, which is much worse. It’s not like being a housewife is fundamentally incompatible with being a badass — Android 18 demonstrates that it is entirely possible to be both at the same time — but Super never gives Videl anything interesting to do again beyond the first season.
Her character gets one romantic moment in Episode 76 of Super, when Gohan’s actor competitor Barry Kahn attempts to fool her into believing Gohan is an adulterous. She, however, refuses to fall for the ruse and instead stands firm. Dragon Ball rarely depicts romantic relationships in a realistic manner, and events such as potential infidelity are frequently depicted as a joke. The fact that Videl rebukes the charge in such a serious manner stands out as a rare, passionate love moment in a franchise that is normally devoid of such moments.
The Great Saiyaman Saga appears to have ended with Gohan’s wife appearing to have resigned from the martial arts world for the time being, which is a shame given how much potential she had in the storey. But with the next Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero indicating that Pan would play a significant role, many fans are hoping that her parents will be included in the action as well. Whether or whether that occurs, it is possible that Videl’s plight has finally begun to improve after years of neglect.