Is goten stronger than Gohan?

In the Dragon Ball series, Goten and Gohan are both powerful characters, but Gohan is generally considered to be stronger than Goten—at least in terms of potential and feats.

Gohan's Strength:

1. Early Strength: Gohan's potential was recognized early on. As a child, he was already able to fight alongside Goku and Piccolo, even defeating enemies like Cell during the Cell Games saga. In fact, Gohan's power was greater than Goku's at that point, especially during his Super Saiyan 2 transformation.

2. Training and Unlocking Potential: During the Majin Buu saga, Gohan was at one of his peak strengths, thanks to his intense training and his latent potential being unlocked by the Elder Kai. This power boost made Gohan one of the strongest characters in the series, even surpassing Goku and Vegeta for a brief period.

3. Ultimate Gohan: As the Ultimate version of Gohan (after the Elder Kai unlocked his potential), he gained strength far beyond that of a regular Super Saiyan, allowing him to face powerful enemies like Majin Buu without transforming into a Super Saiyan. In this form, Gohan's power was immense, making him one of the strongest characters in the Dragon Ball Z universe.

4. Decline in Power: After the Buu saga, Gohan stopped training seriously, focusing more on his studies and family life. This led to a noticeable decline in his combat power by the time of the Dragon Ball Super series. Despite this, he can still hold his own in battle, especially with the help of his Z-Sword and other techniques.

Goten's Strength:

1. Comparable to Goku's Early Strength: Goten is often compared to Goku's younger self, as he was able to transform into a Super Saiyan at a very young age (around 7 years old). Goten's base strength is impressive for his age, but he doesn't reach the levels that Gohan does, especially considering Goten never had the kind of intensive training that Gohan did in his youth.

2. Fusion with Trunks: Goten’s greatest strength comes from his ability to fuse with Trunks to form Gotenks, a powerful warrior who is capable of achieving Super Saiyan 3. Gotenks is one of the strongest characters in the series, but this power comes from the fusion, not from Goten's individual strength.

3. Potential vs. Training: While Goten is strong, his potential has not been fully realized or trained to the same extent as Gohan’s. Goten has not faced the same life-or-death battles that Gohan did during his childhood, which has affected his development as a fighter. As a result, Goten lacks the intense focus and battle experience that Gohan gained over the years.

Conclusion:

• Gohan has the greater potential and higher combat strength when comparing the two. Even though Goten is a skilled fighter, especially with his ability to fuse with Trunks, Gohan has always been shown to surpass Goten in raw power, especially in his early years when his potential was unlocked.

• Goten is not as powerful as Gohan in terms of individual strength, but when it comes to fusion (Gotenks), he is incredibly strong. However, Gohan’s potential, especially when unlocked by the Elder Kai, sets him apart.

In short, Gohan is generally considered stronger than Goten, both in terms of raw strength and untapped potential.