The Dragon Ball franchise is one of the most enduring Anime sagas of all time. It has spawned multiple spinoff franchises, video games, and millions of loyal fans. The series is well known for its wildly interesting characters, its wholly original lore, and its unbelievably awesome fight sequences.
One of the most interesting characters to ever appear in the Dragon Ball is the fan favorite character Trunks. He made perhaps the best entrance in the entire franchise in Dragon Ball Z when he showed up and instantly cut big bad Frieza into tiny pieces as easily as if he were slicing a watermelon. Since then, he’s gone on to save timelines, bond with his long-lost father, and even be reintroduced in different incarnations. To date, there are Future Trunks, Prime Trunks, GT Trunks, and since the end of Dragon Ball Super even a second Future Trunks.
The character has sparked all kinds of debate and intrigue. His confusing history, his unique fighting style, and his badass purple locks have made him a fixture of any online Dragon Ball discussion. He’s arguably the most debated character in the entire series (after Goku of course). While many things about his character make him one of the most interesting in the series, he is also the character with the most inconsistencies and plot holes. In a strange way, these oddities have only made his character more interesting over the years. Fans have talked themselves into circles trying to figure out the complex mechanics of his time traveling antics.
So without further adieu, here are 20 Things That Don’t Make Sense About Trunks.
His Purple Hair
When you first see Trunks the most visually distinctive thing about him is that cropped purple hair that he’s rocking. When you first meet him, it’s safe to assume that the look is dyed in some sort of punk rock way. When we get to know more about Trunks, we find out that his the son of Bulma and Vegeta. That the purple hair is somehow his natural look.
What’s more confusing is that in Dragon Ball Super Trunks has his mother’s trademark blue hair. Even weirder, Trunks prime still has the purple look. What?! If his father has dark hair and Bulma has light blue hair, how exactly did Trunks’ purple look come about? Dr. Brief even has blue hair? Is someone in Bulma’s extended family sporting the purple mop top as well? Regardless, he rocks the look, no matter where it comes from.
Why Does He Need That Sword?
Trunks makes a huge impression in his first appearance by cutting former big bad Frieza into tiny pieces with his sword. Immediately after, he blows King Cold into dust with a power blast. This leads to the question, why does he need the sword at all?
Sure the sword is awesome. Tactically though, using a weapon because it’s awesome isn’t really the best call. Weapons like the Z Sword may make a big difference in combat, but when you can blast mountains into dust or punch harder than most dropped missiles, a sword is more of an inconvenience than it is a help. Still, though, it is pretty cool.
Is He A Paradox?
One of the biggest problems fans have had with the Trunks storyline is how it’s possible for him to exist at all. Hypothetically, when Trunks travels back in the past to save Goku and the world from the Androids, he should essentially be altering the timeline in a way that prevents his timeline from existing at all. Not only does he not destroy himself by changing time, but he returns to his own time to find that nothing has changed.
In Dragon Ball Super he explains that his timeline is unchanged because time travel only affects the specific timeline that you’re in when you time travel. Essentially, his timeline is, in fact, an alternate future from the core DBZ/DBS one that we are used to. What if there’s another answer? What if his timeline is unchanged because he is, himself a paradox. Perhaps it isn’t the nature of time travel itself that causes one’s timeline to not change but rather time traveling into your own past. Maybe if Trunks had traveled further back before his own birth, he would’ve been able to manipulate his own future. Then again, that may have just destroyed him altogether. Man time travel gets confusing.
his Father
Trunks has always looked up to his father as if he’s his own personal hero. This isn’t surprising considering the fact that his father was gone before he was born. The two of them have a really rough relationship at first before they slowly start to bond and accept each other as father and son.
There is a big elephant in the room though. Vegeta initially came to Earth as a would-be conqueror. Along with his lieutenant Nappa, he eliminated not only a lot of innocent people, but several Z fighters as well. Knowing the ravaged world that Future Trunks comes from, it’s kind of odd how much he worships his father considering the fact that his father would’ve essentially done the same thing to Earth the Androids did if Goku and the others hadn’t managed to stop him. Vegeta has definitely reformed in the time since, but that doesn’t mean his actions never happened. Maybe Trunks is just willfully ignorant as far as his father is concerned. That would be understandable considering all he went through.
Is GT Trunks Another Alternate Future?
Before the fan favorite Dragon Ball Super, there was a very different follow up to DBZ, Dragon Ball GT. In this universe, Goku gets turned into a kid again, Trunks is president of Capsule Corps, and Vegeta rocks a hardcore Tom Selleck mustache.
The show has since been retconned by “Dragonball Super” but that doesn’t stop one from wondering if the GT universe is still out there somewhere? Is it another alternate future like future Trunks’? If so, maybe we’ll see enemies like Baby, Super 17, and The Shadow Dragons when Dragon Ball continues in whatever form it will inevitably take next. Hey, they made Broly canon, anything is possible.
What Happens To Future Trunks After Super?
One of the best arcs of Dragon Ball Super was when they decided to show us what was happening with Future Trunks now that he had defeated the Androids. We find out that he saved the world again, mastered the Z sword, and that there was another apocalyptic threat that was going to destroy the world. Man, he really can’t catch a break.
The rest of the arc has plenty of excitement with an evil Goku doppelganger and the destruction of his timeline altogether. Luckily, Goku Black wasn’t actually Goku and the gang manages to restore Trunks’ timeline back to normal. Well, sort of normal. Because of how the timeline gets restored, there is actually another Future Trunks in his timeline. That’s right, now there are three different versions of Trunks. We don’t actually get to see what happens to Future Trunks.
Does He Go To School?
After Future Trunks leaves to return home, the DBZ story refocuses on present-day Trunks. His strong friendship with Goku’s youngest son Goten becomes the cornerstone for both characters. We see the two fighter pals do a lot together, but we never see them go to school.
For Gohan, homeschool is a big part of his life. At the beginning of the series, his mother Chi-Chi refused to let him train with his father in favor of him studying a cartoonish stack of books. This is not the same treatment Goten and Trunks get, however. In fact, there is little mention of their education what so ever. Trunks is said to have a private tutor but is this supplementary to his education or just all he’s getting? Are Bulma and Chi-Chi just fine with them both essentially being professional child fighters? Or are they just really good at playing hookie?
How Does Gotenks Work?
One of the biggest plotlines involving the younger Trunks was him learning to combine with his best friend Goten in a fusion. Together, they made the much more powerful Saiyan warrior Gotenks. While two buddies fusing together into one more powerful warrior is pretty standard stuff for DBZ, anywhere else it would have some pretty wild implications.
Do Goten and Trunks share each other’s memories and private thoughts when they are merged into one being? Do they essentially have access to every secret the other has when they revert back? They may be close but that’s just too close.
Why Didn’t He Go Back Further In Time?
Future Trunks picks a very strange point in the timeline to jump back to. His primary mission is to heal Goku, destroy the Androids, and save his timeline. Why does he jump back to the point where Android Frieza invades Earth then?
Logic would dictate that the easiest way to destroy the Androids would be to destroy them before they are a threat in the first place. It would make the most sense to eliminate Dr. Gero before he ever even began constructing the Androids in the first place. Also, he could’ve given a young Goku the medicine he brought with him or alerted him to the problem earlier. Then Goku wouldn’t have been out of commission for so long.
Does He Time Travel Or Dimension Travel?
This leads to a better question, is he really even time traveling? Trunks’ ideas about time travel mechanics have changed several times throughout the years. It’s possible that he may not even be time traveling at all.
Instead of traveling to an alternate past maybe he’s actually just hopping into an alternate dimension altogether that is just extremely similar to his own. That would certainly explain why he can’t change the timeline and why certain events didn’t occur in his future.
What Ever Happened To Mighty Mask?
Have you ever noticed that you never see Goten, Trunks, and the mysterious Mighty Mask in the same place at the same time? Seriously though, during one of the many many tournaments throughout the franchise young Goten and Trunks decided to pull some “Little Rascals” style hijinks and posed as a fighter by having Trunks stand on Goten’s shoulders with a big coat over them.
The strangest part of the whole thing is the weird pointed hood they wear. Pointed hoods are generally not a good idea to wear boys. It’s a little concerning to think about where they might’ve gotten it. Does Dr. Brief have an awful, Atticus Finch style secret? Some questions are better left unasked.
He Got Turned Into Chocolate And Eaten
In the DBZ universe, getting eliminated and then brought back to life really isn’t that big of a deal. Everybody gets eliminated and resurrected at least once, right?
While there are many ways DBZ characters have been taken out (explosions, beams through the heart, etc) the weirdest by far is getting turned into chocolate and eaten. For most people, this would be a fairly traumatic experience but Trunks doesn’t seem too phased by it. That’s one tough little kid.
Worst Capsule Corps President Ever
In the DBZ universe, the Capsule Corps is one of the biggest corporations. They make flying cars that fit in your pocket, dragon ball trackers, and really dope jackets for time traveling warriors. Unfortunately, they don’t always have the best leadership.
In GT, Trunks is mad president of Capsule Corps and he’s the worst. It makes one wonder how the biggest corporation in the world puts up with that sort of thing. Do they not have a board of directors to vote him out “Batman Begins” style? “I’m sorry Mr. Trunks, didn’t you get the memo?”
Was taking out Frieza The Best Entrance?
Like most DBZ characters, Trunks knows all about making dramatic entrances. He makes his first appearance cutting Lord Frieza into swiss cheese for Kami’s sake! But was that really the best call? Wouldn’t it have been the wiser move to introduce himself to his parents and the Z fighters beforehand? They were all freaking out because they were going to have to face a resurrected Frieza without Goku.
It would have been nice if Trunks showed up earlier to ease their absolute terror by showing that they weren’t in any danger at all, but Trunks does so love the drama.
What Did Vegeta And Trunks Talk About In The Time Chamber?
During the Android saga, Vegeta and Trunks spent a lot of time together in the time chamber. This time was spent training to become better (beefier) Super Saiyans. We didn’t really get to see what else went on aside from the training.
Goku and Gohan trained together in the same chamber and we got to see them horseplay, eat ridiculous amounts of food, and do motivational Super Saiyan training, but nothing for the other pair like this. Vegeta has never been one for small talk, so it’s safe to assume that there wasn’t that much. The two did come out of the chamber much more bonded though. Did Trunks ask Vegeta about his grandfather? Did Vegeta tell him all about long lost Saiyan history? We’ll probably never know.
His Mother’s Awkward Flirting
One of the coolest parts about time traveling is getting to do things like meet family members back in their prime. Trunks gets to meet several legends that were long gone before his time. He gets to hang out with his deceased dad, his former mentor, and the legendary Goku. Not only that but he gets to see his mom before the apocalypse. What an awesome experience! That is until she immediately starts flirting with him.
Talk about creepy, but within five minutes of meeting the time-traveling hero, she comments on how good looking he is. She even tops the conversation off with a little wink. It’s not clear if therapists are a thing in Future Trunks’ timeline, but if they are, he’s definitely going to need one. As far as time travel creepiness goes, file this one in the same section as Fry becoming his own grandfather in Futurama.
What’s Family Time Like In The Vegeta Household?
A lot of time is spent on the series showing the Goku family dynamic. Goku is shown trying to get his driver’s license for Chi-Chi and Gohan is continuously drowning in homework from her as well. In the end, though they always come back together as a happy family unit.
We really don’t get to see much of the Vegeta family dynamic. Judging from Vegeta’s anger at Beerus for his disrespect of Bulma, he clearly loves her a great deal. He also has a loving, yet strained relationship with Trunks. It would be fascinating for an episode to feature just a day in the life of the Vegeta household. Can you imagine their Thanksgiving? Would everyone have to undergo trials to prove themselves worthy of the turkey? Almost definitely.
Why is he the only Saiyan without spikey hair?
Vegeta loves to talk about how he is of the noble Saiyan bloodline. It’s kind of ironic that despite all of his supposedly superior genetics, his son takes after his mother almost entirely.
Every single Saiyan we meet in the series has that trademark spiky hair. (Presumably, Nappa did too before that Saiyan patterned baldness kicked in). However, Trunks is the only one that has straight, stringy hair with a lighter color. Apparently, despite all that Saiyan boasting, those Bulma genes are the real powerhouses.
Awkward Conception
The most awkward moment of DBZ by far is the moment after the gang finds out Trunks is Bulma’s son. Goku goes up to his old friend Yamcha and offers his congratulations. Yamcha face turns to shame and anger as he admits the child isn’t his. That he’s actually Vegeta’s.
Imagine you are Yamcha for a moment. You fight to defend Earth and you’re eliminated by an intergalactic despot. Then you get resurrected and you think you’ll get back together with your teenage sweetheart. Instead, she ends up with the intergalactic despot and has his son. Then the aforementioned despot begrudgingly becomes your best friend’s, right-hand man. He doesn’t even call you for his big inter-dimensional battles anymore. You haven’t pulled a “wolf fang fist” in decades. Talk about awkward.
Why Does He Go Home?
Pretty much any time we see Future Trunks’ timeline it’s depicted as post-apocalyptic hell that makes the one from The Terminator look like a cozy weekend retreat. At the end of each of his arcs, he waves goodbye to all his past friends and makes his way back to Futureworld.
But why? The present timeline still has a working Earth and most of the Z fighters are still alive. It would make much more sense if he went back to his timeline and brought his family and all of the wretched survivors of their scorched Earth back with him. What kind of future is Trunks even going back to? If we know anything about his timeline, there will be a new supreme evil that will threaten to make the human race extinct and that he will have to race back to the prime timeline for help.
Are there any other things that make no sense about Trunks from Dragon Ball Z? Let us know in the comments!
