Dragon Ball GT has a lot of factors working against it, but one of the most prominent is Pan, a character who had great unfulfilled potential. Pan is the grand-daughter of Goku and the daughter of Gohan, two of the strongest characters in the universe. Her birth came following Gohan's vast potential being unlocked by the Elder Kai.
Despite this, Pan proved to be disappointing to a lot of fans. Should Pan play a role in future Dragon Ball content, be it Dragon Ball Super or a series that follows it, there are a few things that the writers should learn from Dragon Ball GT's unfulfilled potential when reinventing Pan for a new continuity.
Give Pan Motivation Beyond "Helping Goku"
Pan's primary motivation throughout Dragon Ball GT is going on an adventure and helping out her grandpa Goku. This results in a character who serves little another purpose than supporting the main character, lacking a real arc of her own.
If Pan is to stand apart as a unique and compelling character, she needs her own motivation. Her motivation can be as simple as wanting to embark on adventures as glorious as her grandpa's or wanting to impress everyone else in her family. It can be something that puts her in opposition to her family, much like how Gohan wanted to pursue academics and hated fighting, unlike his father. However, she needs something distinctive to push her forward.
Given Pan an Active Character Rather Than a Passive One
Many of the characters in Dragon Ball GT are passive, reacting to change rather than inspiring it on their own. The only active decisions Pan makes throughout Dragon Ball GT are getting on the spaceship with Trunks and Goku, and, much later, talking to Goku during his Golden Oozaru transformation, snapping him out of his rage. These character-defining moments are few and far between. Most often, Pan just reacts to new villains and situations without ever taking any real initiative in changing the plot.
If Pan is to become a distinct character, she needs to make more active decisions. Piccolo choosing to train Gohan, for example, is an active decision. Goku allowing Vegeta to go free is an active decision. Pan needs to play an active role in the narrative if she is to stand apart.
Had Pan Become a Super Saiyan
One popular complaint surrounding Pan is how she fails to ever transform into a Super Saiyan. It wouldn't be until Dragon Ball Super that we would see a female Super Saiyan with Caulifla. At first, it appeared that Pan lacked enough Saiyan blood to transform, being only one-fourth Saiyan. This theory went out the window when Goku Jr., her grandson, managed to transform.
Pan never becoming a Super Saiyan in Dragon Ball GT has arguably already been retconned in Dragon Ball Super, when Pan generates a Super Saiyan aura from within Videl's womb during Goku's Super Saiyan God transformation. Of all the potential issues with Pan's character, this is one that almost certainly will be fixed in the future.
Don't Push Pan to the Sidelines During Major Battles
Pan rarely plays a key role in Dragon Ball GT's major battles. She plays a small role during the Shadow Dragon and Super 17 Sagas and helps Goku return to his senses and transform into a Super Saiyan 4 during the Baby Saga, but that is mostly it. During the actual fights, she does practically nothing.
Dragon Ball GT had the potential to use combat to push Pan's development further, but, by keeping her at arm's length from any core conflict, they failed to do this. Pan should have her own personal rivalries with characters, her personal adversaries. Even if she lost, as is the case with Trunks in the latter part of the Cell Saga, at least she'd play a role in resolving each saga's conflict.
Give Pan a Character Arc
Pan's core problem is that she ultimately lacks a real arc in Dragon Ball GT. She does not change between the first and last episode, and while she is far more mature in the special Dragon Ball GT: A Hero's Legacy, this change isn't reflected during the events of the primary series.
What Pan's character arc would entail is up to the writers. However, any arc that shows her mature into a capable fighter or worthy character in her own right would be essential in establishing Pan as a complex hero worthy of the legacy left behind by her parents and grandparents.
Show Pan's Relationship with her Parents and OTHER Grandpa
Dragon Ball GT shows Pan and her grandpa Goku together far more than it shows Pan with her mom and dad -- Gohan and Videl. Even less is seen of her relationship with her other grandfather, Hercule Satan. This results in a strange dichotomy where Pan seems closer to Goku than anyone else in her family.
While Dragon Ball Super has already started to further develop Pan's relationship with her parents -- as well as Piccolo, who feels like more of a grandpa to Pan than Goku -- time will tell how these relationships develop over the course of Pan's life. This is especially true with Mr. Satan, who is already far weaker than Pan as a newborn baby. How will their vast gaps in power strain or alter their relationship?
Dragon Ball Super has presented an alternate dynamic, with Goku being less familiar with Pan. This new dynamic could lead to an interesting alternative version of Pan, one who believes her grandpa Goku only sees her as a fighter and not as a person. This could result in many interesting stories where Pan and her grandfather, while close, do not see eye-to-eye. She might feel closer not to Goku but to Mr. Satan or even Piccolo, which creates conflict. It could result in Pan fulfilling Dragon Ball GT's lost potential.
