But with all due respect, the gohan we have vs adult gohan is practically a new character. The same goes for norm and ssj goku and even, imo, for saiyan, cell and majin vegeta. The changes these characters go through are staples of the show. I think it's pretty clear they are in fact the most wanted characters. These characters would also only make smaller chars a matter of time. Whereas a line that doesnt sell renders future releases possibly non existent.
Releasing characters like hercule or dabura now is... well to put it rudely, stupid from a business pov I think. No way I see them actively carrying a young line forward... You can smuggle a character like that in once a year or as an sdcc exclusive maybe. Look at Cell, he's actually dropping in price and hes one of the main villains! That not a good sign. Even Frieza doesn't seem like a massive seller either. These figures are expensive and many people who don't collect all of them (which is the majority Id say) hold out for their favorites. That really ruins sales...
I agree with everything you stated. Same goes for hot toys they sometimes make **** characters like the boss and boom the line is dead.