With a series as long and influential as Dragon Ball, every character is bound to garner a fanbase. Goku fans hate seeing him out of the limelight, Vegeta fans yearn for a day that he finally gets to defeat an arc villain, and Gohan fans torment themselves over wanting their favorite character to either stay a scholar or become relevant again. While several character have their fans, few have as hardcore fans as Future Trunks.
If you were around during the early days of DBZ fandom, chances are you remember the Trunks fansite Temple O’ Trunks. There’s a reason he had his own popular fansite: he’s awesome. He’s a mysterious youth with a tragic past who carries a sword and fights for a better tomorrow. He’s a compelling character by nature. Being the son of the two of the series’ most explosive characters despite acting relatively mild mannered and polite certainly helps his case, too. With so much to discuss about the character, it’s likely certain facts have slipped through the cracks in your quest to learn more about Trunks. Strap into your time machine and lets head back to a time where Future Trunks was the most relevant character in the series.
25 Trunks Kills The Most Main Villains
If there’s one character you can count on in the Dragon Ball franchise, it’s Future Trunks. While other characters have better fight records, Trunks stands out as the sole character responsible for the most major villain deaths. In canon, at least (looking at you Movie Goku.) In his first appearance in Z, Trunks cuts right to chase and kills Freeza. In his last, he wastes no time at all in luring Cell to him, taking him away from West City, and obliterating him with his newfound strength.
It doesn’t end there, though. In the backstory for Dragon Ball Super, which we actually get a glimpse of in the manga, Trunks works together with Kaioshin to kill both Babidi and Dabra before they can awaken Majin Buu, effectively serving as an end to the Buu threat in his timeline. Sure, he can’t manage to beat Goku Black or Zamasu, but he’s able to handle all three of Z’s main villains better than anyone in the main timeline.
24 Trunks’ Abilities Differ Between The Anime And Manga
One of the biggest differences between the Dragon Ball Super anime and manga is how Trunks’ skill set is presented. Although he gets a healthy dose of fights in both mediums, the anime portrays him in a more frontline role while the manga makes him a support character. These design choices can be seen clearly during the climax of the Zamasu fight when Trunks steps in with a new power to (sort of) save the day.
In the anime, he triggers a pseudo Super Saiyan Blue state where he’s clearly tapping into God Ki. In the manga, he reveals that his training with Kaioshin has given him the ability to heal others since he’s technically an apprentice Kaio. Interestingly, while the anime gives him a massive power boost with his pseudo state, his base is stronger in the manga where he’s shown to give a Super Saiyan 3 Goku trouble as a Super Saiyan 2.
23 Trunks Was More Popular Than Piccolo And Vegeta During The Cell Saga
Future Trunks has always been one of the most popular characters in the franchise, but it’s important to remember that he’s only around for one arc. That’s one arc of development, one arc of action, and one arc of relevance. It’s even more important to note that the arc Trunks appears in is the the ninth and second to last in the original series. Despite these drawbacks, however, Trunks managed to come out as one of the most popular characters in the Cell saga, beating out series veterans Piccolo and Vegeta.
It can’t be understated how big of a deal this is. Piccolo and Vegeta are two of the most developed characters by that point. Piccolo just finished his arc, and Vegeta was shaping up for his endgame. The only two characters who managed to beat him were Goku, the series protagonist, and Gohan, the new main character. It speaks volumes to the lasting power of Trunks.
22 Bringing Trunks Back For Super Wasn’t Toriyama’s Idea
You’d think a story arc titled the “Future Trunks arc” would have been conceived with the idea of bringing Trunks back into the main story, but Toriyama actually had to have Trunks’ comeback suggested to him. Much the way Vegetto wasn’t going to be included in the (more appropriately named) Goku Black arc until Toyotaro suggested it to Toriyama, Toei had to ask Toriyama to include Trunks in the outline.
In a way, this could explain Trunks’ erratic presence in the arc. He’s incredibly important starting out, fades away in the middle, and then gains his relevance back by the end but he doesn’t play a major role in actually stopping Zamasu. That job goes to Goku and Zeno. You could dissect even further by acknowledging the lack of Trunks related slice of life material in the manga, but that could just be Toyotaro saving pages for the meat of the arc.
21 Trunks Does Everything Wrong When He Goes Back In Time
He may be the son of the smartest woman on Earth, but Trunks really doesn’t show it in hindsight. In the heat of it, watching Trunks kill Freeza and Cold, warn Goku of the future, and give him the cure for his heart virus is an incredible string of moments that solidify Trunks as one of the most interesting characters in the franchise. If you look back with later context, you realize just how much he screwed up.
First, he doesn’t realize Goku isn’t late so he jumps in and kills Freeza himself, not realizing that Goku would’ve just teleported. Secondly, and most importantly, he gives Goku the wrong Androids. Instead of saying 17 and 18, he says 19 and 20. Of course, we know that this is a retcon on Toriyama’s part, but the fact it’s never been edited in rereleases of the manga means Trunks is making a genuine mistake here. He actually messed up his whole reason for going back in time.
20 Trunks Has His Father’s Eyes
If screwing things up for the main cast wasn’t enough proof that Trunks was Vegeta’s son, just take a look at his eyes. You’re likelier to notice it in the manga than the anime, but some key scenes in the anime still show off the Saiyan prince connection. Trunks takes after his mother when it comes to hair and clothes, but he has his father’s almost villainous, and once villainous, gaze. Just compare Trunks’ eyes to Goku or Gohan’s when they’re all in a passive state. Goku and gohan have rounder, wider eyes while Trunks and Vegeta have slanted, sharper eyes. It’s definitely something to look for the next time you read the manga. Also, you should read the manga.
19 Future Trunks’ Existence Is Genius
With a series as old as Dragon Ball, it’s easy to take for granted just how brilliant it was at times. Nothing shows off Toriyama’s ingenuity better than the clear amount of thought he put into Future Trunks’ inception. First, he needed a reason for why this random character could defeat Freeza, a universal tyrant. Simple, he’s Vegeta’s son and he’s a Super Saiyan. Now he needed a way of getting back to the past with a time machine. Of course, he needs to be Bulma’s son for that to make sense.
Bulma’s with Yamcha though, isn’t she? Is she really, though? They’ve been fighting since the Saiyan saga. It makes sense they’d break up. Another question though: why does Trunks need to go back in time at all? Because he’s from the actual main timeline and his future has been ravaged. Toss in a sword and a cool jack, and you’ve got a recipe for an amazing first impression.
18 GT Trunks Was Designed To Capitalize On Future Trunks
One of the more common criticisms leveled against GT Trunks is that he’s boring. Which simultaneously makes sense and doesn’t. Bare with me. It makes sense because he’s, well, boring. Gill has a more defined character arc than him. It doesn’t make sense because Toei designed him with Future Trunks in mind. His persona and appearance are meant to invoke feelings of Trunks gone by, so what went wrong?
It’s simple, really. Toei tried to turn a character who wasn’t Future Trunks into Future Trunks. FT is such a memorable character because his background is memorable. We know why he acts the way he does, we know why he’s so timid and reserved. Present Trunks is the opposite of that in the Buu saga so making him a more level headed character in GT just ends up being unsatisfying to everyone. He isn’t acting like Present Trunks anymore, and he clearly isn’t Future Trunks. It’s a lose-lose.
17 Trunks Was Stronger Than Vegeta During The Cell Saga
All things considered, you can make a solid case for Trunks being stronger than Vegeta during the Cell saga. If you think about it, all the actual evidence pushes Trunks against of his father when it comes to raw power. During their fight with Cell, Trunks clearly surpasses Vegeta when he tapes into Grade 3. Of course, he later laments that Vegeta likely didn’t bother going past Grade 2 because he recognized the massive speed drawbacks it would give, but this nonetheless pushes Trunks past Vegeta when it comes to pure strength.
It’s also worth noting that after they go into the Room of Spirit and Time a second time on their own, Trunks does come out of it at least as strong as Vegeta. Both of them manage to hold their own against Cell Juniors with ease, and there’s really nothing to suggest that Vegeta is stronger than Trunks after their training.
16 None Of Trunks’ Attacks Actually Have Names
If you’ve played as Future Trunks in any of the fighting games, you’re probably familiar with his move set. Burning Attack, Buster Cannon, and Shining Sword Attack stand out as three of Trunks’ most iconic moves. The thing is, none of these names are actually canon. Before you say it, canon has never been established in Dragon Ball, we get it. When someone mentions canon, though, they’re referring to the source material: the manga. Basically, the official story of the series.
In the manga, Trunks’ attacks have no names whatsoever. This isn’t something unique to him, though. Almost no attacks have names in the manga. Unless you’re referring to Goku, Piccolo, Vegeta, Tien, Krillin, or Gohan, odds are the names you’re using come exclusively from the video games. Of course, you’re better off just using those names than trying to convince everyone the names aren’t official.
15 Trunks’ Sword Breaks
For as much fanfare as Trunks’ sword gets when he’s first introduced, it wouldn’t exactly be held against you if you forgot what happens to it during the Cell saga. I mean, he still has a sword in Dragon Ball Super, so not much can happen, right? Wrong. The sword he has in Super is actually a different sword. Need proof? Just compare both swords back to back. Trunks’ sword in DBZ is thin and lean while his sword in Super is thick and wide. So what does happen to his DBZ sword? It breaks.
During his the big brawl with Androids 17 and 18, Trunks lunges at 18 with his sword but is blocked. The sword starts to shatter from the impact of hitting 18 and it ends up breaking marking the last time Trunks wields this sword in canon. If you think about it, his sword really doesn’t get much action. It’s one of his defining features, but it barely makes it to the halfway point of the arc.
14 Trunks’ Design May Have Been Influenced By John Connor
The Cell saga is very much inspired by the Terminator franchise. A young man grows up in a desolate future, he goes back in time to stop it, and it turns out his future can’t be changed (albeit for different reasons.) While the story influences stop there, Trunks is a living reminder of the Terminator connection given that his character design resembles John Connor, one of the franchise’s lead characters.
It’s all in the hair, really. Trunks has the same hairstyle John Connor sports in T2 for the first half of the Cell saga. Much like Vegeta’s eyes, this is something harder to see in the anime than in the manga, but Trunks’ hair’s influence can be clearly seen in Toriyama’s early panels of Trunks.
13 Trunks Is The Most Developed Character In Super
Out of all the main characters in Dragon Ball Super, only one has a character arc on par with the development seen in the original series: Future Trunks. His arc sees him taking responsibility for his future, overcoming his PTSD, learning to surpass his limits as a warrior, and pushing himself to extremes all to save the world he loves. Trunks is a fundamentally different character at the end of the arc than he is at the start, which isn’t something that can be said for anyone else considering Super’s been rather lenient on making big changes with the main cast. Future Trunks is, far and away, the most developed character we’ve seen so far in Dragon Ball Super.
12 Cell Kills Trunks Twice
Future Trunks has the rare distinction of being the only hero to be killed by the same character twice. It’s worth mentioning that Freeza is killed by Goku twice in two separate timelines, but he’s a villains so that’s to be expected. With Trunks, his Cell deaths play off each other quite interestingly. To get to the main timeline, Cell had to kill a Trunks from another timeline and steal his Time Machine. When Cell regenerates after fighting Gohan in the main timeline, he shoots and kills Trunks immediately.
Trunks being killed by Cell twice also means the only main character, (16 notwithstanding since his status as a main character is debatable,) Cell kills in the Cell saga is Trunks. You could argue Goku, Kaio, and Bubbles are all victims of Cell, but Goku made the decision to sacrifice himself and take Kaio and Bubbles with him. It doesn’t matter the timeline, Cell is fated to kill Trunks.
11 Trunks Could Go Super Saiyan In The Manga Version Of History Of Trunks
History of Trunks is iconic for being a special revolving almost entirely on Trunks’ desperate struggle to become a Super Saiyan so he can fight the Androids with Gohan. Alongside Trunks’ and Gohan’s relationship, this push to become a Super Saiyan makes up the emotional crux of the film. It’s also iconic because it’s a storyline made up entirely for the anime.
In the manga version of History of Trunks, Trunks is already a Super Saiyan. The first page of the chapter even shows Trunks sparring with Gohan in his triggered state. Instead of telling an emotional story about Trunks’ growth, the chapter is more about explaining Trunks’ future and his motivations as a character. Needless to say, the anime chose some stellar artistic liberties when bringing the chapter to life.
10 Trunks Has Had The Worst Training In The Series
When you take a look at all the training Trunks has undergone in the series, you start to realize that maybe his masters didn’t exactly know what to do with him. Due to Goku’s and Piccolo’s early deaths, Future Gohan had no frame of reference for training and wasn’t able to bring out Trunks’ latent abilities. Vegeta couldn’t figure out how to master Super Saiyan, and potentially hid the Grade 3 drawbacks from Trunks, so Trunks was left following a misguided path. Kaioshin died early on in their training, so Trunks wasn’t even able to get his potential unleashed from the Z-Sword. Honestly, it’s kind of a miracle Future Trunks ended up as strong as he did.
9 Future Trunks Isn’t The First Trunks
Before there was Trunks, there was Trunks. Confusing, I know. While Future Trunks is easily the most popular Trunks in Dragon Ball, he isn’t the first character names Trunks Toriyama conceived for the series. That title belongs to Ranfan’s husband, Trunks. If you don’t remember Ranfan, she’s one of the eight participants in the 21st Budokai. Also, you should rewatch or reread Dragon Ball.
In a 1987 character guide titled Dragon Ball: Bouken Special, Toriyama revealed some miscellaneous facts about the cast from the start of the series to around the start of the King Piccolo arc. One of these character tidbits name dropped a husband for Ranfan: Trunks. Isolated, this is a throwaway fact, but considering the fact Toriyama would introduce a main character named Trunks near the end of the series, you have to wonder if he regrets naming a random background character Trunks. Or if he even remembers.
8 Super Isn’t The First Time Trunks Has Had To Deal With Buu
For the longest time, the absence of Majin Buu in Trunks’ timeline was one of the hottest topics in the fanbase. It’s ripe for speculation and lends itself to theorycrafting or plain fanfic writing. While Dragon Ball Super canonized a confrontation between Trunks and Babidi, it wasn’t the first time Trunks has had to deal with the Buu saga in the franchise. His real first confrontation with the pin Djinn was in Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai: Another Road.
DBZSB:AR sees our lone warrior from the future coming back in time so he can bring Goku and friends back to handle Majin Buu for him. What follows is, sadly, a story that doesn’t spend enough time on Trunks. Per usual, the Son family takes over the story by the end but it’s nonetheless an interesting, if a bit fanficcy, take on Trunks taking on Majin Buu.
7 Trunks Is The Main Character Of His Own Story
Everyone is the main character of their own story, of course, but no other character in the series comes off as “main charactery” as Trunks. In any other franchise, Trunks would be the main character. He’s young, he has a sword, his future is ruined, and he needs to rally warriors to fight for his cause. When you take into account he has his own timeline that he’s the sole protector of and his prominence in Dragon Ball Super, it’s clear he’s active while he’s offscreen.
If offscreen isn’t enough for you, Trunks is the defacto lead of the Xenoverse series if you don’t consider your custom character an actual character. He’s the one leading the story for the most part, and he plays in active role in both games. It certainly helps that he can talk while your custom character can’t.
6 Trunks Is The Last Person To Be Scanned With A Scouter
History is cyclical. The first person to be scanned with a scouter was a farmer with a shotgun who had a battle power of 5. The last person to be scanned with a scouter was a teenager with a sword who had a battle power of 5. It’s fitting that scouters would bookend like that. Farmer with Shotgun was a natural 5, but Trunks suppressing his battle power down to 5 is a nice nod to just how meaningless scouters are.
Once Trunks wipes out Freeza and his crew, scouters aren’t so much as mentioned for the rest of the series. Goku is scanned with Babidi’s kiri meter, but that’s a one off occurrence that hardly means anything when the other point of reference is Yakon. Trunks’ appearance signified a lot of firsts for the series, but it was also home to a much needed last.