Trunks

Lore & Background

Future Trunks originates from a timeline where Goku succumbed to a heart virus and the Red Ribbon Androids #17 and #18 decimated humanity. Raised by Bulma after the murder of his mentor Gohan, he trained in solitude until awakening as a Super Saiyan in rage. He built a time machine to warn the past, altering history so that Goku survived and Trunks could grow up peacefully with friends like Goten. In this new timeline, he attends school and competes in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai at age eight, defeating Goten despite both cheating. Meanwhile, his future self continued fighting alone for three years after Gohan's death before returning to his own time post-Cell Games to defeat the Androids. Later, he aided the Supreme Kai against Babidi and Dabura, eventually confronting Goku Black and Zamasu in a desperate battle that ended with the destruction of his timeline by Zeno.

In Their Own Story

In chapter #331, Future Trunks arrived as a mysterious seventeen-year-old, singlehandedly killing Frieza and King Cold. He confided in Goku about the Android threat before returning to his ruined future where Gohan had been killed. After training with Vegeta in the Room of Spirit and Time, he fought Cell's Perfect form but conceded when his new Super Saiyan grade proved ineffective. Though he died at the hands of Cell during a tournament, he was revived by the Dragon Balls. Years later, facing Goku Black, he was provoked into a Super Saiyan Rage transformation. In a climactic moment, he gathered energy from all remaining life on Earth into his sword to create the Spirit Bomb Sword, cutting Fusion Zamasu in half before retreating to a new future timeline with Mai after Zeno erased the old one.

Reader's Guide

Trunks is defined by his dual existence: the grim survivor of Future Trunks and the playful child of Present Trunks. Both possess superhuman strength, speed, and reflexes, utilizing ki blasts and flight via Bukū-jutsu. Future Trunks relies on a longsword and signature moves like the Burning Attack and Super Buster Cannon, while also accessing unique forms like Super Saiyan Rage after training with Vegeta. Present Trunks is famous for fusing with Goten to become Gotenks, granting them access to humorous attacks like the Galactic Donut and Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack, as well as the difficult-to-maintain Super Saiyan 3 form. Voice acting varies by timeline and language; Takeshi Kusao voices both versions in Japanese (except mini Trunks in Daima voiced by Tsubasa Yonaga), while Eric Vale handles adult/teen roles in English, with Laura Bailey and Alexis Tipton voicing the child versions at different times.

Did You Know?

• Future Trunks achieved the Super Saiyan transformation in his early teens, while Present Trunks was shown to have the ability at age eight.
• The infant cries for Present Trunks were provided by Hiromi Tsuru in an uncredited role because the creators feared changing voice actors would sound strange if the character grew up.
• Future Trunks obtained two additional grades of Super Saiyan during training with Vegeta, but abandoned them due to high ki consumption and decreased speed.
• Trunks' time machine was destroyed by Goku Black, leaving him stuck in the present era until Bulma rebuilt a new one.
• Present Trunks and Goten cheated equally when Trunks defeated him in the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai junior division.