Dragon Ball: How Much Has Trunks Changed Since the Buu Saga?

Highlights

Trunks undergoes significant character development from a warrior to a corporate man, unlike his future self.
Trunks' upbringing with friends alive shapes his personality, making him less focused on fighting.
Trunks' evolution in Dragon Ball GT showcases his clumsy and comedic tendencies, diverging from Future Trunks.

One of the unspoken strengths of the Dragon Ball franchise has been to watch the evolution of the cast of characters. Considering Goku is a kid when the series starts and a grandpa by the time the series ends, change for the cast of characters is an inevitability.

Several characters like Bulma, Vegeta, and Piccolo go through massive changes as the series progresses. However, no character changes as drastically as Trunks does. The Super Saiyan from the future, Trunks is first introduced as a first-class warrior only to evolve into something completely different by the end of the show. What are these changes, and why do they occur?

Dragon Ball: Future Trunks Vs. Present Trunks: Which is Better?

While many fans enjoyed Present Trunks as a character, does he hold up compared to Future Trunks, and which of the two is better?

Who is Trunks?

Trunks is a character from the Dragon Ball series, created by Akira Toriyama. He is the son of Vegeta and Bulma, making him a Saiyan-human hybrid. Trunks first appear as a child in the series during the tail end of the Frieza Saga storyline, where he travels back in time to warn the Z Fighters about the impending threat of the androids. Later in the series, he appears as a teenager and becomes a prominent fighter in the battle against various villains, including Cell and Majin Buu.

Trunks is known for his signature purple hair, which he inherits from his mother Bulma, and his fierce determination to protect Earth and its inhabitants. He possesses powerful Saiyan abilities, including super strength, speed, and the ability to transform into a Super Saiyan. Trunks is a beloved character in the Dragon Ball franchise and has appeared in various movies, video games, and other media adaptations. There are various different versions of Trunks though, which becomes more evident after the Buu saga.

What's in a Name?

Trunks follows a tradition of Akira Toriyama naming members of Bulma's family after articles of clothing. Her father is named Dr. Briefs, her brother is named Tights, and when she has kids she names them Trunks and Bra (though some English dubs rename her to Bulla). Bulma is also a Japanese word for 'bloomer,' which is a type of short Japanese girls wear in sports classes. Her mother is named Panchy, but our editors told us we can't tell you what that means, so you'll have to look it up yourself.

What is Trunks Roll in the Buu Saga?

Fusion Dragon Ball Z Trunks Goten Gotenks

In the Buu Saga of Dragon Ball Z, Trunks maintains his importance as a supporting character, although his prominence is somewhat reduced compared to the Cell Saga. During this saga, Trunks, like other Z Fighters, focuses on training and preparing for the return of the formidable villain: Majin Buu. Under the guidance of Vegeta, Trunks trains diligently, honing his martial arts skills in anticipation of the upcoming battles. Throughout the saga, Trunks aids in battles against various adversaries, including Babidi's minions who invade Earth. Although he doesn't directly engage Majin Buu in combat, Trunks provides support during the final confrontation by assisting with evacuation efforts and contributing to battle strategies.

His ultimate contribution to the Buu saga is learning the fusion technique used to combat Majin Buu alongside Goten. They successfully learn the fusion dance and perform it to become Gotenks. As Gotenks, Trunks fights against Majin Buu in an attempt to halt his destructive rampage and save the Earth (though he is ultimately unsuccessful in this goal as the two boys are too distracted making corny puns to properly focus on the battle at hand).

Different Trunks

It should be further noted that the version of Trunks in the Buu Saga is not the same Trunks as seen in the previous Cell Saga. That version of Trunks came from a future where Goku died, and the Androids had taken over the Earth. With that future having been avoided, this Trunks would not carry the baggage of an apocalyptic future for his soldiers. Unlike the previous Trunks, the Trunks from the Buu saga will grow up with his friends alive, Gohan still alive, and the ultimate threat to the Earth still within reach of defeat. This is a very important fact to remember as we move forward.

Dragon Ball: 7 Things Trunks Can Do That Vegeta Can't

Both versions of Prince Vegeta's son have many differences from their father. For both Present Trunks and Future Trunks, their powers reflect that.

Trunks After the Buu Saga

While Future Trunks from the Cell Saga may have been introduced with the weight of the world on his shoulders and years of pain behind his eyes, Trunks after the Cell Saga is a completely different person. While it was difficult for fans to gauge the difference during the Buu Saga (in which he was a kid, and a different personality is expected from kids), once Trunks got to the same age as Future Trunks the changes became much more obvious. This new Trunks is (compared to Future Trunks) a bit of a spoiled kid. Being the son of Bulma, he easily gains a high position in Capsule Corporation (the company that Bulma's family owns which is the source of her money and tech that she uses to go on world trotting adventures throughout the series).

Without a world in peril, Trunks spends more of his time reading books and taking notice of the ladies than he does fighting. While he still trains with a sword and spars with his dad, he would much rather spend his time hanging out with Goten and floating high in the sky. In Dragon Ball GT we spend even more time with him, and we see his clumsy nature and comedic tendencies come out even more. Though he does get to the Super Saiyan 2 transformation (mainly due to the insistence of Vegeta to constantly train), the new Trunks rarely transforms, nor does he have much of an interest in fighting. Trunks is a corporate man who is called in to fight from time to time, which is in stark contrast to Future Trunks, who lived and breathed fighting for the greater good.

Dragon Ball

Dragon Ball is a franchise by Akira Toriyama which follows the adventures of Goku, a powerful warrior who protects the earth with his group of friends. A recent title from the series is Dragon Ball: The Breakers, an action style game where 7 players have to survive being hunted by the Raider.

Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT can be streamed on Crunchyroll