Pan is the daughter of Gohan and Videl and the granddaughter of Goku and Mr. Satan, making her a quarter-Saiyan and three-quarters Earthling. During the events of Dragon Ball GT she is a young, energetic girl on the edge of her teens. Growing up in a family of powerful fighters, she has inherited a strong fighting spirit and considerable natural talent, and she takes pride in the strength that runs in her family.

Her personality is spirited, willful, and openly emotional. She laughs readily, cries easily, and shows her feelings without restraint. She is confident and independent, sometimes to the point of being stubborn and impulsive, and she dislikes being treated as someone weak or helpless. She also longs for ordinary companionship and tries to find boyfriends, but her extraordinary strength tends to intimidate the boys she likes, and several of her dates end when they flee in shock after witnessing her abilities.

Her main motivation throughout the story is a desire to take part in the adventure and to prove herself as a capable member of the group rather than a burden. When she learns that Goku and Trunks are preparing to leave Earth in search of the Ultimate Dragon Balls, she sneaks onto their spaceship without permission and joins the journey, leaving her uncle Goten behind in the process.

During the quest she serves as a traveling companion to Goku and Trunks across the galaxy. Her enthusiasm frequently lands her in trouble: she is mistaken for a queen bee and captured on Planet Monmars, transformed into a doll on Planet Ruudo, and swallowed by the god of destruction Luud, from whom she escapes by coordinating an attack with Goku. On Planet Ruudeze, frustrated at being treated as a burden, she runs away from the group and is rescued from a monster by the robot Gill, with whom she has developed a close and quarrelsome friendship. In later conflicts she faces far graver threats, including the transformation of her family members and the apparent deaths of Goku and Gill, and she briefly loses hope before finding the resolve to keep fighting with encouragement from Mr. Satan and Mr. Buu. During the Shadow Dragon conflict she travels with Goku in search of the Dragon Balls, witnesses his final battle, and recovers his gi as a keepsake afterward at Vegeta's suggestion. In the epilogue set roughly a century later, an elderly Pan lives with her descendant Son Goku Jr., trains him in martial arts, and is remembered by local children as a slightly frightening but kind grandmother figure.

Her key relationships shape her growth. Goku is her beloved grandfather, whom she addresses with an affectionate nickname and who inspires her adventurous nature. She shares a teasing and competitive dynamic with the much older Trunks. Her bond with Gill evolves from mutual annoyance into genuine friendship, loyalty, and grief when he is damaged. Her parents Gohan and Videl, her grandparents Goku and Mr. Satan, and her uncle Goten define her family background, while her position as the first female Saiyan-Earthling hybrid gives her a unique place within that legacy.

As a fighter, Pan is highly skilled for her age. She has mastered the levitation technique and ki blasts, and she can perform the Kamehameha, a technique passed down from her grandfather. She has shown the ability to defeat trained martial artists and opponents much larger than herself, and she uses ki attacks creatively, including an energy wave technique of her own. She is nevertheless depicted as never awakening the Super Saiyan transformation during the series, relying instead on her inherited power, martial skill, and determination.