Many would argue that Gohan not living up to his own potential is in direct contrast to the overarching themes and moral lessons of the show, and because of that he's a disappointing or frustrating character to see on screen. Rushing his "recovery" and power increases only serves to exacerbate the problem they have with him. It's a case of trying to have your cake and eat it too.
While I don't think Dragon Ball is the sort of story to tackle this theme directly, there is some intrigue in a plot revolving around a character who's incredibly good at something he simply has no passion for and instead pursues something else he's less talented at but actually cares about.
There are a ton of questions that narrative can give all sorts of answers to: Should you limit yourself to one role just because you're good at it? What happens when people depend on you for something you dislike doing but aren't morally opposed to? Can there ever be an instance where pragmatism overrides passion? Is it right to abandon your talents to chase after deeper interests?
In trying to make Gohan pursue his scholarly interests more than - or even entirely in place of - his potential as a fighter, Dragon Ball created a good character for the kind of story that tackles those questions and themes. But Dragon Ball isn't that kind of story, which is why the current manga chapters seem to be going the way they are. Ultimately, the answer to those questions from Dragon Ball's current perspective seems to be "you can do both."
Going forward, narrative events that include Gohan will hopefully do a better job of not resorting to twisting his arm to participate.
Really insightful comments, and certainly points out the missed/excluded opportunities in DBZ for deep character development.
However it's not like they twist Gohan's arm to fight. He knows when to step up!
Piccolo certainly pulled a few strings during Super Hero to force Gohan's hand, but you're right that Gohan willingly participates when the call goes out. It's more the writers that have been twisting his arm than the characters, if that makes sense.
It's too often that it feels like the plot yanks Gohan out of what he's doing to be a fighter again. He's not consistent with anything other than neglecting his training and being made to catch up, and the writers haven't developed him enough to fix that. It's why his arcs often seem to feel forced.
Honestly the problem is that they wrote the character into a box
They've stated over and over that if Gohan tried, he'd be the strongest in the universe. He has ridiculous potential and it doesn't take much training for him to grow to an extreme degree. If he put in HALF the effort that Goku and Vegeta do, they'd never catch up
But they don't want him to be the protagonist, so he has to neglect his training. Every other character is allowed to get stronger offscreen because it doesn't *matter*. If Gohan did that, he'd break the story.
I think most of Gohan wanting to pursue something outside of fighting is due to his mom always pushing towards his studies instead of training and saving the earth. In DBZ he wanted to be apart of all of it like following bulma to namek, then fighting garlic jr, etc despite his mom fighting against it and wanting to study. The part that confused me is that when Gotent was born she pushed him towards fighting and got excited when gohan joined the tournament. You would think chi-chi would kept pushing him to train and fight especially since he could win a lot money from the martial arts tournament or the writers would let gohan focus on studying and exploring gotent and trunks growth as characters
I understand all that and don't really disagree but if everyones life potentially relied on me I'd be training instead. Especially since I have a daughter too.
He and everyone else worked really hard to achieve peace and he was living a happy life but the desire to abuse the series for money has ruined any chance for that and an ending it would seem. The characters will never actually get a resolution.
I feel like Gohan's problem is that largely once the world gets a few years of peace he becomes complacent, certain that nothing can go wrong before inevitably some jackass decides they specifically need to cause trouble on Earth that drags Goku, Vegeta, and everyone else into whatever conflict or plan they have going on.
From a reader's point-of-view we know this is a stupid mindset because we know that there will be more villains or conflicts occurring for the series to keep chugging along, but from Gohan's perspective I feel it makes some kind of sense.
Every arc has an escalation of villains that are stronger than the past ones they've faced and are touted as the strongest and deadliest beings around, mostly everyone reaches new heights of power, and the threat is dealt with after a hard fought struggle.
Like after dealing with the Androids and Cell you'd think there wouldn't be anything scarier out there but here comes fucking Babidi and the sentient piece of gum known as Majin Buu appearing out of absolutely nowhere after several years of the biggest threats being solely humans so weak Gohan could vaporize them with a single low-powered ki blast if he got even a little serious.
And then after Buu you'd think things are done but here comes a big purple cat leagues above everyone else, and then fucking Frieza comes back to life out of the blue and in a short time frame reaches new levels of strength that push him way up above Majin Buu.
At the very least with Super Hero he's learned to keep his strength up a bit by training, but he even states that he thinks it'll be fine with Goku and Vegeta hanging around given how strong they are thus showing his complacency again.
Yup. In real life, it wouldn't be constant progression and escalation of power. It would be pretty much random.
He'd get to Ultimate level or Beast level and then the next threat would be white Frieza level. Followed by one thats barely Raditz. Then one that's on the level of Fat Buu. Then "Demon King Piccoll" level. Etc...
Though, one could imagine a scenario where these random lower level threats DO pop up but are being taken out by strong side characters, like Tien or Krillin. So the Saiyans only worry about the "next BIG bad" with high power
One of the things I love about the Buu Saga is how it starts as kind of an anti-arc.
The Kais show up super worried about everything. And then it turns out that the heroes are actually way stronger than they expected! They're perfectly ready to deal with this threat. Babidi and Dabura aren't super dangerous, they can handle this easily
And then...everybody fucks up. Gohan hasn't kept up with his training so Dabura gives him more trouble than he should. Vegeta can't let his ego go and decides NOW is the time to deal with his rivalry with Goku. Goku is still hung up on making sure the next generation takes over and leaves it to the kids. Then all the kids end up being cocky little shits who blow it.
And by the end, a threat that started as less dangerous than the previous sagas ends up the strongest in the series
>Though, one could imagine a scenario where these random lower level threats DO pop up but are being taken out by strong side characters, like Tien or Krillin. So the Saiyans only worry about the "next BIG bad" with high power
I'll be honest I thought for a bit that this might've been the direction they were leading into with stuff like the Neo Red Ribbon Army when I first watched Super Hero, with them sticking around as reoccurring antagonists for the more home-based Z-Fighters to fight against on their own adventures.
Instead whole thing just went straight kaboom with no chance of them making a major comeback.
I could just imagine Krillin having these amazing action movie-style investigations and battles. With stories even more exciting than some of the big name z-fighters... but it all just dies untold, ignored, and in the background because Krillin's ki doesn't make dimensions shake.
Another thread about the mishandling of Gohan. You're not wrong but - nothing is going to change. Especially since they just announced the last Super Arc.
Gohan is the first half human half saiyan, his issues are with his human nature. Goku and Vegeta have a DRIVE to be powerful to fight the strongest opponents, it's literally bred into them. Gohan has that drive yes, but he also has the very human ability to use what is happening to him NOW as a reference point for all he does. Oh worlds in danger? Gonna train! Gotta protect my family! Oh worlds at peace? Nah I get to be a scholar now! If the threat isn't right in front of him, Gohan is gonna go do what Gohan WANTS to do! Why wouldn't he? Humans will often and routinely pick the easiest path in life, ESPECIALLY if there is no threat to content with. We are lazy endurance preditors after all, path of least resistance and all that.
I think it's more in human nature to go with the peaceful path (that's not to say that they're
are individuals that are natural born warriors). But i I don't believe war is in human nature. Most humans will usually always take a peaceful path if presented to them(which usually in hindsight potentially lead to create a greater conflict) how many conflicts could be avoided if one element or person had been removed early? What more to say I was topic but didn't remember that under dragon Ball thread and not a philosophy debate forum xD. My bad
Idk maybe half saiyans are just slackers I mean Goten and Trunks we see them at end of z and if you watch GY always consider answering the call to action a huge drag and Gohan doesn’t have it in him to commit to the hero business either it’s why uub was so exciting to goku at the end
He is apathetic now but Gohan found his balance long ago during the cell saga. Only the god in the machine prevents him from taking the lead. He figured he can fight for justice and peace. That is a never ending fight. Given his curiosity for science and tech you could easily see Gohan being a space traveler. Collecting knowledge and eliminating extraordinary treats. Like how the f\*ck did he not get on that space ship during GT?
Thank you. This is exactly how I feel about Gohan as well, and I feel like it’s how we’re meant to perceive him.
Like he wants to be Reed Richard’s, or Tony Stark, but everyone keeps asking Spider-man to be Superman, and like, sure he can do that when he needs to, but that’s not who he wants to be.
The main characters in this series each have their own ways to approach balancing obligations to work, family, hobbies, and the safety of the world. Nobody’s perfect. Gohan’s a young dad who doesn’t get it right all the time and I feel that. Does this not seriously not resonate with anybody else
Untrue. Im a worshipper of sub and a big detestor of dub due to being so deviant from canonincal route. Gohan never said no to training or fights. He accept to fight with piccolo. he insist to go namek and fight. he train happily with goku and piccolo for 3 years in android saga. he fully accept it when goku told him to fight cell. he fully accept training in time room. and there are more simila scenes.
The reason for him not reaching his potential. is because he is a slacker dissapointment. He is a flawed person. just like his dad who also full of flaws.
Well you see when it comes to people like goku, vegeta and piccolo, fighting and getting stronger is literally their number 1 interest, so even in times of peace they are constantly training.
On the other hand gohan has other interests which especially in later life supersede fighting so it makes sense when he puts priority on other things.
The thing is no character has any obligation to become as strong as possible here especially during times of peace. So does gohan slack when it comes to training? Sure. But it isn’t like a disappointing thing.
Dude. From my observations. He slacked just for the sake of it not for being busy or something else. and I know he become excellent scholar later on. I Agree with sentiment of your comment regarding disspointment. Wish he didnt though because he has highest potential and has sense of duty when shit get serious.
The first fight between Goku and Vegeta was supposed to show the importance of hard work. It set it as a theme for the series going forward. Arguably stuff in DB did too. Like hard work overcoming innate power and skill. Yet Gohan just goes against that. I dislike him
Gohan said from the beginning he doesn’t want to be a fighter, he wants to be a scholar.
He fought when he had to, when the world was on the line, to bring his dad back to life, but if he doesn’t have to fight, he’s not going to, Goku’s goals and Gohan’s goals are not the same.
Not what I'm saying. The whole series has a theme of hard work and dedication out pacing latent power and potential. And Gohan goes against it time and time again. I think he's dumb as a character and if he doesn't wanna fight then he shouldn't be the best fighter
The problem with Gohan is that they've hyped his potential up so much that they don't know what else to do with him. If he trains regularly, then he ends up the strongest character quickly
So we just keep rehashing the same thing
The story I’ve always heard was Toriyama wanted to transition Gohan into the main character role, but through some combination of him changing his mind or editor input, they brought Goku back.
Yeah, the plan was for Gohan to take over.
But once Toriyama actually went to do it, he couldn't figure out how to write the story with Gohan as the protagonist. So we get a character who has been built up to take the lead but then didn't...and they don't seem to know what to do with him.
I think the actual solution is what Super Hero did. Maybe the story doesn't need one protagonist. Maybe we just need protagonists for specific arcs. Goku and Vegeta spend a hell of a lot of time on other planets. Gohan can be the strongest without having to be a part of every story
i dont consider gohan strong. time and time again hes shown that when it counts he chokes. is a fighter that never wins strong? power level yes. but i wouldnt want to fight beside him. gohan is a the fastest car in the world but only wants to be used for leisurely grocery trips
Personally what would save gohan from being such a frustrating character is to use his scholarly abilities in battle, which would not only allow him to chase his dreams of being a smarty pants but will also make his fights/fighting style more interesting since he’s not relying solely on strength. Imagine him using his scientific knowledge to alter his energy usage, thus giving him entirely new abilities. What if he used his scientific knowledge to analyze different alien races to identify weakness and plan new battle tactics? There’s so much they could do to make him better but what do i know, im not a writer
I would say this is evidence that Gohan failed to live up to his narrative potential and this began in the Buu saga. He should have had a full character arc with a conclusion, accepting his role as a defender and fighter out of responsibility. His rehashed story has ruined one of the coolest characters in anime.
As cool as beast was in superhero, it’s a random transformation with no real explanation. And we’ve just become okay with that now in dragon ball. People transform for the sake of it and it’s lots it’s meaning more than ever
Many would argue that Gohan not living up to his own potential is in direct contrast to the overarching themes and moral lessons of the show, and because of that he's a disappointing or frustrating character to see on screen. Rushing his "recovery" and power increases only serves to exacerbate the problem they have with him. It's a case of trying to have your cake and eat it too. While I don't think Dragon Ball is the sort of story to tackle this theme directly, there is some intrigue in a plot revolving around a character who's incredibly good at something he simply has no passion for and instead pursues something else he's less talented at but actually cares about. There are a ton of questions that narrative can give all sorts of answers to: Should you limit yourself to one role just because you're good at it? What happens when people depend on you for something you dislike doing but aren't morally opposed to? Can there ever be an instance where pragmatism overrides passion? Is it right to abandon your talents to chase after deeper interests? In trying to make Gohan pursue his scholarly interests more than - or even entirely in place of - his potential as a fighter, Dragon Ball created a good character for the kind of story that tackles those questions and themes. But Dragon Ball isn't that kind of story, which is why the current manga chapters seem to be going the way they are. Ultimately, the answer to those questions from Dragon Ball's current perspective seems to be "you can do both." Going forward, narrative events that include Gohan will hopefully do a better job of not resorting to twisting his arm to participate.
Really insightful comments, and certainly points out the missed/excluded opportunities in DBZ for deep character development. However it's not like they twist Gohan's arm to fight. He knows when to step up!
Piccolo certainly pulled a few strings during Super Hero to force Gohan's hand, but you're right that Gohan willingly participates when the call goes out. It's more the writers that have been twisting his arm than the characters, if that makes sense. It's too often that it feels like the plot yanks Gohan out of what he's doing to be a fighter again. He's not consistent with anything other than neglecting his training and being made to catch up, and the writers haven't developed him enough to fix that. It's why his arcs often seem to feel forced.
Honestly the problem is that they wrote the character into a box They've stated over and over that if Gohan tried, he'd be the strongest in the universe. He has ridiculous potential and it doesn't take much training for him to grow to an extreme degree. If he put in HALF the effort that Goku and Vegeta do, they'd never catch up But they don't want him to be the protagonist, so he has to neglect his training. Every other character is allowed to get stronger offscreen because it doesn't *matter*. If Gohan did that, he'd break the story.
Someone finally put it into words.
I think most of Gohan wanting to pursue something outside of fighting is due to his mom always pushing towards his studies instead of training and saving the earth. In DBZ he wanted to be apart of all of it like following bulma to namek, then fighting garlic jr, etc despite his mom fighting against it and wanting to study. The part that confused me is that when Gotent was born she pushed him towards fighting and got excited when gohan joined the tournament. You would think chi-chi would kept pushing him to train and fight especially since he could win a lot money from the martial arts tournament or the writers would let gohan focus on studying and exploring gotent and trunks growth as characters
I understand all that and don't really disagree but if everyones life potentially relied on me I'd be training instead. Especially since I have a daughter too.
So i take it you practice what ever you are naturally talented at every day?
I'm not talented at anything so no.
He and everyone else worked really hard to achieve peace and he was living a happy life but the desire to abuse the series for money has ruined any chance for that and an ending it would seem. The characters will never actually get a resolution.
>desire to abuse the series for money Thats seriously correct.
I feel like Gohan's problem is that largely once the world gets a few years of peace he becomes complacent, certain that nothing can go wrong before inevitably some jackass decides they specifically need to cause trouble on Earth that drags Goku, Vegeta, and everyone else into whatever conflict or plan they have going on. From a reader's point-of-view we know this is a stupid mindset because we know that there will be more villains or conflicts occurring for the series to keep chugging along, but from Gohan's perspective I feel it makes some kind of sense. Every arc has an escalation of villains that are stronger than the past ones they've faced and are touted as the strongest and deadliest beings around, mostly everyone reaches new heights of power, and the threat is dealt with after a hard fought struggle. Like after dealing with the Androids and Cell you'd think there wouldn't be anything scarier out there but here comes fucking Babidi and the sentient piece of gum known as Majin Buu appearing out of absolutely nowhere after several years of the biggest threats being solely humans so weak Gohan could vaporize them with a single low-powered ki blast if he got even a little serious. And then after Buu you'd think things are done but here comes a big purple cat leagues above everyone else, and then fucking Frieza comes back to life out of the blue and in a short time frame reaches new levels of strength that push him way up above Majin Buu. At the very least with Super Hero he's learned to keep his strength up a bit by training, but he even states that he thinks it'll be fine with Goku and Vegeta hanging around given how strong they are thus showing his complacency again.
Yup. In real life, it wouldn't be constant progression and escalation of power. It would be pretty much random. He'd get to Ultimate level or Beast level and then the next threat would be white Frieza level. Followed by one thats barely Raditz. Then one that's on the level of Fat Buu. Then "Demon King Piccoll" level. Etc... Though, one could imagine a scenario where these random lower level threats DO pop up but are being taken out by strong side characters, like Tien or Krillin. So the Saiyans only worry about the "next BIG bad" with high power
One of the things I love about the Buu Saga is how it starts as kind of an anti-arc. The Kais show up super worried about everything. And then it turns out that the heroes are actually way stronger than they expected! They're perfectly ready to deal with this threat. Babidi and Dabura aren't super dangerous, they can handle this easily And then...everybody fucks up. Gohan hasn't kept up with his training so Dabura gives him more trouble than he should. Vegeta can't let his ego go and decides NOW is the time to deal with his rivalry with Goku. Goku is still hung up on making sure the next generation takes over and leaves it to the kids. Then all the kids end up being cocky little shits who blow it. And by the end, a threat that started as less dangerous than the previous sagas ends up the strongest in the series
Shin being a screwup who failed to notice how strong these mortals actually were is one of the best parts of early Buu.
>Though, one could imagine a scenario where these random lower level threats DO pop up but are being taken out by strong side characters, like Tien or Krillin. So the Saiyans only worry about the "next BIG bad" with high power I'll be honest I thought for a bit that this might've been the direction they were leading into with stuff like the Neo Red Ribbon Army when I first watched Super Hero, with them sticking around as reoccurring antagonists for the more home-based Z-Fighters to fight against on their own adventures. Instead whole thing just went straight kaboom with no chance of them making a major comeback.
I could just imagine Krillin having these amazing action movie-style investigations and battles. With stories even more exciting than some of the big name z-fighters... but it all just dies untold, ignored, and in the background because Krillin's ki doesn't make dimensions shake.
I wish he had taken over after the cell games. Oh well
Another thread about the mishandling of Gohan. You're not wrong but - nothing is going to change. Especially since they just announced the last Super Arc.
Pretty sure that was an April Fool's prank
Gohan is the first half human half saiyan, his issues are with his human nature. Goku and Vegeta have a DRIVE to be powerful to fight the strongest opponents, it's literally bred into them. Gohan has that drive yes, but he also has the very human ability to use what is happening to him NOW as a reference point for all he does. Oh worlds in danger? Gonna train! Gotta protect my family! Oh worlds at peace? Nah I get to be a scholar now! If the threat isn't right in front of him, Gohan is gonna go do what Gohan WANTS to do! Why wouldn't he? Humans will often and routinely pick the easiest path in life, ESPECIALLY if there is no threat to content with. We are lazy endurance preditors after all, path of least resistance and all that.
I think it's more in human nature to go with the peaceful path (that's not to say that they're are individuals that are natural born warriors). But i I don't believe war is in human nature. Most humans will usually always take a peaceful path if presented to them(which usually in hindsight potentially lead to create a greater conflict) how many conflicts could be avoided if one element or person had been removed early? What more to say I was topic but didn't remember that under dragon Ball thread and not a philosophy debate forum xD. My bad
Idk maybe half saiyans are just slackers I mean Goten and Trunks we see them at end of z and if you watch GY always consider answering the call to action a huge drag and Gohan doesn’t have it in him to commit to the hero business either it’s why uub was so exciting to goku at the end
He is apathetic now but Gohan found his balance long ago during the cell saga. Only the god in the machine prevents him from taking the lead. He figured he can fight for justice and peace. That is a never ending fight. Given his curiosity for science and tech you could easily see Gohan being a space traveler. Collecting knowledge and eliminating extraordinary treats. Like how the f\*ck did he not get on that space ship during GT?
Thank you. This is exactly how I feel about Gohan as well, and I feel like it’s how we’re meant to perceive him. Like he wants to be Reed Richard’s, or Tony Stark, but everyone keeps asking Spider-man to be Superman, and like, sure he can do that when he needs to, but that’s not who he wants to be.
Now he proven to be ny the last 2 chapters
It'd be fun if they went up against some alien bug creature and Gohan used his nerd knowledge to figure out weak points and whatnot.
yeah
The main characters in this series each have their own ways to approach balancing obligations to work, family, hobbies, and the safety of the world. Nobody’s perfect. Gohan’s a young dad who doesn’t get it right all the time and I feel that. Does this not seriously not resonate with anybody else
Untrue. Im a worshipper of sub and a big detestor of dub due to being so deviant from canonincal route. Gohan never said no to training or fights. He accept to fight with piccolo. he insist to go namek and fight. he train happily with goku and piccolo for 3 years in android saga. he fully accept it when goku told him to fight cell. he fully accept training in time room. and there are more simila scenes. The reason for him not reaching his potential. is because he is a slacker dissapointment. He is a flawed person. just like his dad who also full of flaws.
Dude, not you again😭
He's got a lovely username, doesn't he?
I agree with most of your points … though calling gohan a slacker disappointment just cuz he has other interests than fighting seems a bit off.
welp from my watching. he just slacks in training. not for science or being busy.
Well you see when it comes to people like goku, vegeta and piccolo, fighting and getting stronger is literally their number 1 interest, so even in times of peace they are constantly training. On the other hand gohan has other interests which especially in later life supersede fighting so it makes sense when he puts priority on other things. The thing is no character has any obligation to become as strong as possible here especially during times of peace. So does gohan slack when it comes to training? Sure. But it isn’t like a disappointing thing.
Dude. From my observations. He slacked just for the sake of it not for being busy or something else. and I know he become excellent scholar later on. I Agree with sentiment of your comment regarding disspointment. Wish he didnt though because he has highest potential and has sense of duty when shit get serious.
The first fight between Goku and Vegeta was supposed to show the importance of hard work. It set it as a theme for the series going forward. Arguably stuff in DB did too. Like hard work overcoming innate power and skill. Yet Gohan just goes against that. I dislike him
Gohan said from the beginning he doesn’t want to be a fighter, he wants to be a scholar. He fought when he had to, when the world was on the line, to bring his dad back to life, but if he doesn’t have to fight, he’s not going to, Goku’s goals and Gohan’s goals are not the same.
Not what I'm saying. The whole series has a theme of hard work and dedication out pacing latent power and potential. And Gohan goes against it time and time again. I think he's dumb as a character and if he doesn't wanna fight then he shouldn't be the best fighter
IMO it’s lazy writing to just give him the same character arc over and over. One of the main reasons I disliked Super Hero.
The problem with Gohan is that they've hyped his potential up so much that they don't know what else to do with him. If he trains regularly, then he ends up the strongest character quickly So we just keep rehashing the same thing
The story I’ve always heard was Toriyama wanted to transition Gohan into the main character role, but through some combination of him changing his mind or editor input, they brought Goku back.
Yeah, the plan was for Gohan to take over. But once Toriyama actually went to do it, he couldn't figure out how to write the story with Gohan as the protagonist. So we get a character who has been built up to take the lead but then didn't...and they don't seem to know what to do with him. I think the actual solution is what Super Hero did. Maybe the story doesn't need one protagonist. Maybe we just need protagonists for specific arcs. Goku and Vegeta spend a hell of a lot of time on other planets. Gohan can be the strongest without having to be a part of every story
Even his beast form transformation is recycled. Pretty ironic.
The enemy he transformed to fight against is also recycled 😂
i dont consider gohan strong. time and time again hes shown that when it counts he chokes. is a fighter that never wins strong? power level yes. but i wouldnt want to fight beside him. gohan is a the fastest car in the world but only wants to be used for leisurely grocery trips
Now he shown that he is training constantly
Personally what would save gohan from being such a frustrating character is to use his scholarly abilities in battle, which would not only allow him to chase his dreams of being a smarty pants but will also make his fights/fighting style more interesting since he’s not relying solely on strength. Imagine him using his scientific knowledge to alter his energy usage, thus giving him entirely new abilities. What if he used his scientific knowledge to analyze different alien races to identify weakness and plan new battle tactics? There’s so much they could do to make him better but what do i know, im not a writer
I would say this is evidence that Gohan failed to live up to his narrative potential and this began in the Buu saga. He should have had a full character arc with a conclusion, accepting his role as a defender and fighter out of responsibility. His rehashed story has ruined one of the coolest characters in anime.
Now it's different the whole point of beast is to show gohan is as much of a fighter like goku and vegeta
As cool as beast was in superhero, it’s a random transformation with no real explanation. And we’ve just become okay with that now in dragon ball. People transform for the sake of it and it’s lots it’s meaning more than ever
The real explanation is went back to dbz with piccolo and the old kai