Gohan didn't go SSJ2 in the Time Chamber. I don't know where you got that from but it's completely inaccurate. Gohan first turned Super Saiyan in the Time Chamber, not SSJ2. He reached SSJ2 for the first time when fighting Cell. Read the manga because you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
Originally posted by Ultimate Hulk43
Gohan didn't go SSJ2 in the Time Chamber. I don't know where you got that from but it's completely inaccurate. Gohan first turned Super Saiyan in the Time Chamber, not SSJ2. He reached SSJ2 for the first time when fighting Cell. Read the manga because you clearly don't know what you're talking about.
have you even seen dbz, you must not even listen to the dialog. goku even stated that gohan reached SSJ2 but didnt realize it. he even told piccolo that while gohan was fighting cell. thats why goku fought him first, so gohan could see how cell fought. sounds like you need to watch it again. and before you say it, no it didnt show it.
I've read the manga hundreds of times & Goku never says anything like that. All I recall him really saying during Gohan's fight with Cell was something about Cell making a big mistake because he was trying to get Gohan angry. Even if that was in the anime, it's still incorrect & non canon. Gohan NEVER went SSJ2 in the Time Chamber & there are a lot of people who also know that, unlike you. In the Time Chamber when Gohan first went SSJ there were absolutely no sparks of electricity on him & in the manga Goku didn't mention anything about him reaching a whole new level of Super Saiyan. It seems that YOU need to read the manga again because I clearly don't need to.
He never goes SSj2 in the time chamber but he does max out SSj1 and goku senses that he can go SSJ2 if pushed hard enough. He does tell piccolo he fought cell first so that Gohan can watch how he fights and he does talk about ascending to another level but he never said that Gohan did ascend to another level he says that Gohan will ascend to another level to beat cell. And Goku probably could have beaten cell if he wanted to but he wanted Gohan to do it because he knew he could, and it’s time he passes that responsibility to someone other than himself.
The only time I believe Cell was stronger then Gokou was after he killed Gokou, and King Kai and came back with the whole lightining aura. It has nothing to do with Gohan having hidden potential as to why he beat Cell. It's the fact that his emotions control his power mostly and that he's stronger then Gokou when he's mad.
That's my opinion anyway. Sure Gohan has the hidden potential but its not why he beat Cell..or at least had anyways. Didn't Elder Kaioshin unlock all of it though in Buu Saga making him Chou Gohan?
Gokou would have been toast against Cell after he killed Gokou and came back to Earth though. Not that my opinion matters much. Gokou gave up and let Gohan fight and that's all that really matters.
yes goku could have beaten cell but he never intended to beat him he wanted his son to do it. He only fought cell so gohan could see how he fights. If his goal was only to beat cell he would have charged a spirit bomb while gohan was fighting and killed him, but he didn't want to have any part in killing cell he wanted his son to do it, not because he couldn't do it but because it was time to pass the job of saving the world to his son.
yeah it is up to opinion.
But if you remember goku fighting freza he fought for what seemed like days and eventually won. With cell he only fought for a few minutes to show Gohan cells powers including the kamahamaha that ripped cell in half showed gohan his regenitive powers. Also when he fought Buu he fought completely different than when he fought cell because he knew he had to beat buu.
That is why I feel goku could have beaten cell if he had too, and if cell would have killed Gohan Goku would have gone SSJ2 is seconds.
Originally posted by Cloud_VII
Now that someone's mentioned it, Goku was capable of defeating Cell. His energy attack could have obliterated Cell completely, though it didn't. However, Cell was more powerful than Goku then; Gohan had more power than both of them.
I still don't think he was truly capable of defeating Cell. Also, Goku's Kamehameha couldn't have killed Cell. In order for him to do so, he would've had to use it at full power which would've destroyed the Earth. All Goku did then was make Cell stronger.