DBZ's Most Mysterious Character Changed the Franchise Forever (2024)

When Future Trunks first appeared as a Mysterious Youth in DBZ, he was a strange anomaly. Goku had just become the Legendary Super Saiyan in the arc prior, but Future Trunks shockingly showed up with the ability to become a Super Saiyan as well, making his true identity even more mysterious. That introduction into the series has stuck with audiences ever since, and Future Trunks has gone on to become one of the most recognizable characters in Dragon Ball Z.

Aside from being a memorable character in his own right, Future Trunks left a lasting impact on DBZ, and by extension, the entire Dragon Ball franchise since. Future Trunks nearly single-handedly changed the genre of the series, led to one of the greatest redemption arcs in anime history, and accelerated the power creep that has remained an integral part of the series into Dragon Ball Super. Just as he changed the fate of Z Fighters by traveling back into the past, looking back at the past of Future Trunks’ place in DBZ can reveal how he completely changed the series forever.

Trunks Opened up the Possibility for Other Super Saiyans

Future Trunks was Only the Second Character to Become a Super Saiyan in the Entire Dragon Ball Franchise

Trunks wasn't the first Super Saiyan, and he was far from the last. However, he was the first character who showed that it was possible for saiyans other than Goku to achieve the SSJ transformation. That was important, because prior to Trunks' appearance, it wasn't entirely certain whether the Super Saiyan form was actually as "legendary" as it was implied to be, or whether Vegeta and Gohan could have actually become Super Saiyans as well.

Trunks being a Super Saiyan instantly confirmed the possibility for the other saiyans to achieve the form, which was exactly what happened during the Cell Saga. While this could have just as easily been done by Vegeta, making Future Trunks the second Super Saiyan shown in the series was ultimately the best move Akira Toriyama could have made. Not only did it dramatically increase the mystery around Future Trunks' introduction, it also allowed the other Saiyans to achieve the form much more organically.

Vegeta was clearly getting closer and closer to the power level required to transform, but he still wasn’t there yet post-Namek, and the same can be said for Gohan. Having either of them achieve the form too soon after Goku would have made Goku's own transformation anti-climactic, as well as making Vegeta or Gohan's achievement seem less impressive. Giving Future Trunks the honor of being the second Super Saiyan took a bit of the stigma away from the SSJ transformation, making it seem feasible for Vegeta to achieve it through hard work, as he does shortly afterward.

Aside from just being a Super Saiyan (or because of it), Trunks also ended up raising the bar of power for DBZ considerably. Up until Trunks appeared, Frieza was by far the most powerful villain in the entire franchise. No other character in the series stood a chance against Frieza other than Goku, making his reappearance on earth as Mecha Frieza a terrifying prospect for the Z Fighters. That is, until a mysterious youth named Trunks appeared.

When Frieza first reappeared on Earth after the destruction of Namek, the Z Fighters were sent into a panic. None of them would have been able to stop them, and it would likely have just been a repeat of their first battle against him. Not only that, but Frieza was also accompanied by King Cold this time around, making the Z Fighters' chances even worse. Fortunately for them, a mysterious youth named Trunks would appear who was far more powerful than any of the heroes -- or villains for that matter -- by a large margin.

In fact, not only was Trunks a Super Saiyan, but it's possible that he was even stronger than Goku was on Namek. The reaction of the Z Fighters when they saw Trunks powering up spoke for itself, though not all of them would have been able to compare Trunks' power-up to Goku's, having never actually seen a real Super Saiyan in action. For example, Vegeta was actually killed on Namek before he got to see Goku's full SSJ transformation, so his own reaction was likely just shock at how powerful a true Super Saiyan's power level multiplier really was.

Additionally, it's impossible to consider Goku and Trunks' short sparring match as proof of Goku's superior strength as a SSJ. By the time he arrived at Earth after training at Yardrat, Goku had learned a new technique and was undoubtedly even stronger than he was on Namek against Frieza. Not only that, but even Goku could tell that Trunks was holding back from applying his full strength because he didn't want to hurt Goku.

That being the case, the only way to judge whether Future Trunks was actually stronger than Goku was on Namek was by judging the ease with which he defeated Frieza. After Frieza's initial attempts to attack Trunks failed, Trunks easily cut Frieza in half with one swing of his sword. He then proceeded to chop Frieza into pieces, finishing the villain off for good with a final ki blast. This entire onslaught took no more than a minute at most: considerably shorter than Goku and Frieza's infamous "5 minute" fight on Namek.

Regardless of whether Trunks was actually stronger than Goku, there's no denying that both Goku and Future Trunks were far stronger than every other character in the series by far. This set up the inevitable conflict of the Androids perfectly, because their being stronger than SSJ Trunks automatically set up a villain who would also be even stronger than SSJ Goku as well. Without Trunks first warning Goku of the Androids ahead of time, the appearance of a new villain even stronger than a Super Saiyan right away would likely have appeared contrived, and even unbelievable.

Trunks Gave Vegeta a Greater Purpose

Vegeta's Redemption Arc Was Jump-started by His Relationship With His Son in the Cell Saga

Prior to the Android Saga, Vegeta was still a reluctant hero who only fought alongside the Z Fighters as a means of survival. He often only stuck around the heroes out of necessity, or in hopes of challenging Goku again to prove his superiority as a saiyan warrior. However, that all changed for Vegeta after Trunks' introduction. Being Vegeta and Bulma's son, Trunks was the main means of providing Vegeta a reason for fighting for something other than himself.

At first, Trunks was forced to keep his identity a secret, because Bulma was not even pregnant with Trunks at that point in the story. In fact, the mere existence of a Super Saiyan other than Goku literally haunts Vegeta's dreams, leading Vegeta to develop resentment towards Trunks before even knowing who he really is. However, after Vegeta learns of Trunks' true identity, the dynamic between the two changes. Vegeta still acts coldly toward Trunks throughout the Cell Saga, but he also does show signs of truly caring for his son.

By the time Future Trunks is nearly killed by Cell during the Cell Games, Vegeta feels so strongly for his son that he goes into a fit of rage and attacks Cell with everything he has, nearly leading to his own demise. While it took a long time, Trunks eventually got through to his father, helping him become a better person in the long run. He didn't change overnight, but the seeds were definitely planted in Vegeta's heart by Trunks, and that was more than enough.

By the end of the Buu Saga in DBZ, Vegeta's redemption arc was fully complete. He was not only humbled by Goku, but also accepted Goku as his rival and became a willing protector of Earth at his side. Most of all, Vegeta became a good father to his children, and good husband to Bulma, and none of that would have happened had it not been for the influence of Trunks in helping him realize that there were better things to fight for than power.

Future Trunks Solidified the Change to Sci Fi From Fantasy in Dragon Ball

The Arrival of Trunks Also Marked the Introduction of Time Travel and a Newfound Emphasis on Androids in DBZ

By turning DBZ into a time travel story, Trunks officially made the change for the series from its more fantasy-oriented roots to a full-on sci-fi story. Originally, Dragon Ball was based on the Chinese folktale Journey to the West, and therefore saw Goku as something of a mythological figure with a monkey tail and strange powers. At the start of DBZ, though, Goku's identity was solidified to be that of an alien race. Similarly, OG Dragon Ball's greatest villain, King Piccolo, was known as the Demon King, and he was created from the other half of the God of the Earth.

This gave the entire story a very fantastical element, but that was also retconned when it was revealed in DBZ that Piccolo and Kami were both members of the Namekian race of aliens. Even after the group traveled to Planet Namek and fought the alien overlord Frieza, though, there was still a strong Fantasy-leaning with Goku's legendary Super Saiyan transformation.

With Future Trunks' arrival, he not only showed that a Super Saiyan was nothing more than a mutation formed from Goku's unique, alien genes, but also that the high technology of the Capsule Corp ran way deeper than just the dragon radar and a few vehicles. Trunks' means of reaching the past was through a Time Machine built by Bulma, and the Capsule Corps' signature technology still functioned just fine 17 years into the future. As if that weren't sci-fi enough, the entire reason Trunks traveled back in time in the first place was to warn Goku of the appearance of a group of Androids who would destroy the world.

While Androids were always around, even in early Dragon Ball, they were never as prominent in the series as they were during the Cell Saga. Directly following Future Trunks' introduction, DBZ's story consisted of an alien race (the saiyans) fighting Androids from the future, and it was clear that the sci-fi influence had firmly taken hold of the series. Few series can switch between genres as seamlessly as Dragon Ball, while still also remaining true to their original vision, and it was ultimately Future Trunks who made that transition so effortless.

Future Trunks Determined the Future Trajectory of Dragon Ball

Future Trunks Not Only Influenced DBZ, But Also Dragon Ball Super as Well

Future Trunks not only changed the direction of DBZ, but also the entire Dragon Ball franchise as it turned into Super as well. By opening the floodgates for other Super Saiyans, Trunks increased the pace of the series' power creep so considerably that all the human characters in the series became almost instantly irrelevant from the Cell Saga on. Future Trunks' arc would also be far from the last time that time travel was used in the series.

Additionally, Dragon Ball's unique blend of Fantasy and Sci Fi elements only became more distinct in Super, as the aliens and Gods of the Dragon Ball universe became even more indistinguishable. Future Trunks was such a popular character in DBZ that he would appear in a number of non-canon movies, as well as even have his own film and manga one-shot titled Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. Even Dragon Ball Super couldn't avoid every fan's favorite time-traveling swordsman, as he would be the subject of the Future Trunks Saga of DBZ's own sequel series.

There are still innumerable mysteries left in the Dragon Ball universe that remain to be solved, and the answers to those questions are sure to change the series going forward. However, very few mysteries in any anime series have had as dramatic an impact as that of one Mysterious Youth named Future Trunks, who traveled to the past and irreversably changed the Dragon Ball franchise's future forever.

Dragon Ball Z (1989)

TV-PG

Anime

Action

Adventure

8

10

With the help of the powerful Dragonballs, a team of fighters led by the saiyan warrior Goku defend the planet earth from extraterrestrial enemies.

Release Date

September 30, 1996

Cast

Sean Schemmel , Brian Drummond , Christopher Sabat , Scott McNeil

Main Genre

Anime

Seasons

9

Studio

Toei Animation

Creator

Akira Toriyama

Number of Episodes

291