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The legendary anime series Dragon Ball has given birth to numerous iconic characters, but few have resonated with fans quite like Future Trunks. This character’s introduction is celebrated as one of the most memorable in the annals of Dragon Ball lore. While his arc in Dragon Ball Super might have sparked some debate, his storyline during the Cell Saga in Dragon Ball Z delivers a compelling and complete narrative journey that fans find immensely satisfying.
Future Trunks’ most defining moments, however, occur in the tumultuous past of his shattered timeline. His backstory is meticulously explored in Dragon Ball Volume 33, titled “Trunks the History – The Lone Warrior,” as well as in the anime special Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. These two accounts narrate the same pivotal events, yet a subtle modification in the anime adaptation enhances its impact significantly.
Though Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks runs for a brief 48 minutes, it succeeds in expanding upon many crucial scenes from the manga’s bonus chapter, allowing these moments to develop more fully. With just a few thoughtful revisions, the adaptation skilfully bridges crucial gaps across the expansive history of Dragon Ball, creating a more cohesive and engaging experience for the audience.
Dragon Ball Z’s Anime Changes When Trunks Unlocks Super Saiyan
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks is only 48 minutes long, but it’s able to take many moments from the manga’s bonus chapter and really help them breathe. That being said, some simple revisions are able to connect some big dots across Dragon Ball’s history.
When “Trunks the History – The Lone Warrior” begins, Future Gohan and Future Trunks are both already Super Saiyans. They’ve both been pushed to their breaking points already and the manga distills their final fights against the Androids. Alternatively, The History of Trunks turns Future Trunks’ quest to achieve Super Saiyan status as its own subplot. Future Trunks feels like his inability to unlock this power is letting Future Gohan down and that these shortcomings could eventually have fatal consequences.
This Dragon Ball Z anime special uses this to its advantage when Future Gohan’s death becomes the catalyst for Future Trunks’ first Super Saiyan breakthrough. Dragon Ball fans get to experience this moment with Future Trunks, and it’s a transformation that’s honestly on par with Goku and Vegeta’s first Super Saiyan transformations.
Future Gohan’s death is a devastating moment that shatters Future Trunks’ world and necessitates such a transformation. The intense emotions involved here are consistent with everything that Dragon Ball has revealed about Super Saiyan transformations up to this point.
The Dragon Ball Z manga’s version of events is much less emotionally charged, and it’s hard to imagine the sort of catalyst that turned Future Trunks into a Super Saiyan. That being said, this would actually be more in line with the prime timeline in which Trunks becomes a Super Saiyan at eight with little-to-none emotional trauma. It’s a direction that makes sense by Buu Saga standards, but it doesn’t mesh with the then-current timeline. It’s also the less compelling of the two approaches.
It’s also worth pointing out that Dragon Ball Z Episode 164, “Ghosts From Tomorrow,” also touches on Future Trunks’ past and provides a third version of events. These events are more consistent with Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, but they’re also radically different in terms of who dies and how. The circumstances behind Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan transformation remain the same and pull from the TV Special’s more dramatic version.
Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks Tells a More Dramatic Story Than the Manga
There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the Dragon Ball manga’s “Trunks the History – The Lone Warrior,” which provides the impressive foundation that The History of Trunks pulls from. However, a major reason that the anime adaptation is held in such high regard is because it’s a surprisingly dark, violent, and depressing take on Dragon Ball.
The apex of this pain and emotional trauma is connected to Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan transformation. Rather than make this an off-screen accomplishment, the TV special meticulously captures every contour of Future Trunks’ pain.
The manga’s version is hardly sanitized, but it’s still a little surprising how much carnage is left to the audience’s imagination. The manga doesn’t even show Future Gohan’s death. It features Future Gohan’s horrified expression before it then cuts to Future Trunks finding his dead body. It’s still an undeniably powerful moment, yet the anime manages to cut much deeper by depicting Future Gohan’s futile efforts to survive
The anime also adds rainfall to this tragic event, which also plays a major factor in terms of establishing the mood. The anime makes Future Trunks and Future Gohan’s mission come across as hopeless, which in turn amplifies Future Trunks’ journey in Dragon Ball Z. It’s easier to understand the stress that he feels and the incredible pressure behind his actions.
It’s not just one timeline, but two, that are relying upon his success. The pain and rock bottom that Future Trunks experiences in The History of Trunks better informs his rage over failure when he snaps at Cell and Vegeta.
Dragon Ball Super References Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan Transformation
Moving Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan transformation to after Future Gohan’s death, rather than before, may seem like a rather simple change. It’s quite common for death to act as the necessary trigger for someone’s Super Saiyan transformation.
Goku, Gohan, and Broly all use death as such a Super Saiyan stimulus. In this sense, the change for Future Trunks makes sense. However, this version of events also becomes superior due to how it informs Future Trunks’ future.
Dragon Ball Super fills in some of the gaps regarding what Future Trunks has been up to since the Cell Saga’s conclusion. It’s revealed that Future Shin and Future Kibito helped train Future Trunks to prevent Future Majin Buu’s awakening. Future Dabura kills Shin and Kibito, which becomes the catalyst for Future Trunks’ Super Saiyan 2 transformation. The circumstances behind this milestone are more powerful because they mirror Future Trunks’ first Super Saiyan transformation.
Both achievements are triggered by the death of a mentor and loved one. It stands to reason that Future Mai or Vegeta’s deaths could prompt a similar reaction in Future Trunks in a future storyline. Dragon Ball fans who have only read the manga are robbing themselves of richer complexity for Future Trunks because of the anime’s simple, superior edit.
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