Line #63 Anime/DragonBallZTheHistoryOfTrunks


1	[[quoteright:300:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/history_of_trunks_jp.png]]
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3	''Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks'' (known in Japan as ''Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi • Gohan to Torankusu''; lit. "Resistance to Despair!! The Remaining Super-Warriors, Gohan and Trunks") is a one hour-long TV Special that is part of the ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' series of anime. It originally aired on Creator/FujiTV in Japan on February 24, 1993, between episodes 175 and 176. Creator/FUNimation Entertainment dubbed it into English and released it for the first time in English on October 25, 2000. The special was re-released in a remastered box set bundled with ''Anime/DragonBallZBardockTheFatherOfGoku'' in May 2008. Roughly a year later, [=FUNimation=] released a remastered single version on September 15, 2009.
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5	''The History of Trunks'' tells the story of Trunks and his life during the time where the Androids have the world under siege. It is unique among ''Franchise/DragonBall'' movies/specials since it is actually based from a brief chapter in the ''Dragon Ball'' manga, called "Trunks The Story - The Lone Warrior". The special changes several key plot points for drama (for instance, in the manga, Trunks was capable of transforming into a Super Saiyan from the get-go.)
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7	Easily [[DarkerAndEdgier the darkest of the franchise]], ''History of Trunks'' effectively serves as a {{deconstruction}} of the various tropes present in ''Dragon Ball'', and shows how the lack of the Dragon Balls would cause the series to swerve right off into the cynical end of the SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism.
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9	This special has been readily available in the West since 2000, and recaps events told by Trunks when he is first introduced in the main story, so spoilers will be unmarked.
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12	!!This work contains examples of:
13	* AdaptationalBadass: In the manga story, Gohan is killed by Android 17 alone, who claimed that he didn't even use half of his power to beat Gohan the last time they fought. In the anime adaptation, Gohan is actually more than a fair match for the androids individually. He is killed because 17 and 18 ganged up on him in a 2 vs 1 fight.
14	* AdaptationExpansion: The TV special significantly expands on ''Trunks The Story'', the bonus manga chapter it was based on. Most notably, in the manga, Trunks already became a Super Saiyan before Gohan died, while the TV special uses that pivotal moment for Trunks's first transformation after spending most of the special attempting to do so.
15	* AnArmAndALeg: Gohan loses an arm during one of the battles in the many years of confronting the Androids.
16	* AsLongAsThereIsOneMan: Gohan's last words to the Androids before they kill him.
17	* BadFuture: ''Good God''. Only a third of the Earth's population remains, dozens of cities worldwide have been ruined, and all the Z-Fighters (with the exception of Chi-Chi, Ox-King, Master Roshi, Oolong, Puar, and Turtle) are dead with no way of bringing them back.
18	* CozyCatastrophe: Although the worldwide death toll has been constantly rising over the past dozen years or so, people in cities the Androids haven't attacked yet go about their day as if they never appeared. You can even find clothing stores with untouched and fresh clothes to buy at your leisure. This actually comes back to bite one of the cities, when their amusement park draws the attention of 17 and 18.
19	* CrapsackWorld: This is the Dragon World without its ResetButton or Goku around to protect everyone. All the main heroes except Gohan and Trunks are dead, the human race is reduced to the thousands and are constantly living in fear of the androids, all major cities have been destroyed, and the remaining heroes are horribly outmatched no matter how powerful they become.
20	* CreepyTwins: Androids 17 and 18 are this to a tee. They only show emotion when they are killing people.
21	* CurbStompBattle: Dished out to every Z-Fighter, courtesy of Androids 17 and 18.
22	* DarkerAndEdgier: Even by the dramatic and serious standards that ''Anime/DragonBallZ'' set, this TV special has a ''very'' dark and hopeless tone about it and even verged on being cynical. Indeed, for the story to even work several of the more fantastical elements of the Dragon Ball world had to be cut out entirely. Things such as King Kai and Otherworld or Kami's Lookout, all of which could provide help to Gohan and Trunks are oddly absent.
23	* DeathIsCheap: Averted, ''again''. With Piccolo dying with the rest of the Z-Fighters when they took on 17 and 18 and no indication that Trunks and Bulma have any knowledge of New Namek's whereabouts to even be able to call on them, the Earth's Dragon Balls disappeared ''forever''. And Goku died of natural causes so he couldn't be wished back with any set of Dragon Balls. So anybody that dies in this TV special's timeline, ''stays dead.''
24	* DeconstructorFleet: The tropes that the show is most commonly known for such as DeathIsCheap, HeroicSacrifice, BigDamnHeroes, HeroicSecondWind, HeroicResolve and DyingMomentOfAwesome are ''horribly'' torn to shreds. It also takes a knock at the CantCatchUp Trope by showing just what happens when the hero they can't catch up with passes and can't be brought back; the heroes end up being hopelessly outclassed by the villains he usually kept at bay and die in droves.
25	* DefiantToTheEnd: Gohan played this trope as straight as possible. He sure as hell never backed down no matter how grim the outcome looked.
26	* {{Determinator}}: Deconstructed. The many years of battling the Androids takes a physical and mental toll on both Trunks and Gohan. The fact they flat out ''refuse'' to stay in hiding for more than even a day and keep themselves safe and instead ''constantly'' fight the Androids creates no progress in actually defeating them. Hell, Gohan eventually loses an arm and becomes disadvantaged in battle and Trunks gets driven to near depression over the fact that they're constantly battling to save humanity and ''always'' losing.
27	* DoomedMoralVictor: Gohan's final battle against the Androids is this. His death finally makes Trunks ascend to a Super Saiyan, but Gohan is still dead and Trunks is now the only one left to fight the androids.
28	* DownerBeginning: The TV special opens with Goku's tragic death from a heart virus, and the deaths of the Z Fighters at the hands of Android 17 and Android 18 around six months later on May 12, Age 767. The Z Fighters are unable to be wished back to life because the Dragon Balls are permanently unusable due to Piccolo's death, which also kills Kami.
29	* TheDreaded: Everyone fears the androids. They are treated more like an unstoppable force of nature instead of killer machines.
30	* DyingMomentOfAwesome: Averted and deconstructed-Gohan's attempts at invoking this trope did ''nothing'' to change the plot. Even when Trunks becomes a Super Saiyan as a result of his death, Trunks is still no match for the Androids. Gohan's death is even ''more'' meaningless in the manga version of the story as Trunks was already a Super Saiyan by the time Gohan died. And just to add insult to injury, in the manga version of the story it's strongly implied that only Android 17 had fought and [[CurbStompBattle curbstomped]] Gohan on his own as opposed him taking on both 17 and 18 at the same time and putting up a reasonable fight. So Trunks and humanity as a whole gained nothing from Gohan's supposedly epic and poignant final stand.
31	* ForegoneConclusion: Gohan dies fighting the Androids. Trunks turns Super Saiyan and travels back in time to change the past.
32	* GrayRainOfDepression: In the movie, it's raining when Trunks finds Gohan's corpse and goes Super Saiyan.
33	* HandicappedBadass: Even after Gohan loses an arm during the many years of battling the Androids, he can still kick some serious ass and even take on the Androids ''at the same time with just one arm'' and '''still put up a real fight.''' He was still brutally murdered by the Androids, but he sure as hell didn't die without giving it a go.
34	* HeroKiller: Android 17 and 18. By the time the special ends, they've killed all the heroes except Goku, who died six months earlier from a heart virus, and Trunks, who is mostly lucky.
35	* HeroicResolve: Trunks and Gohan never learned how to stay down even with the odds stacked against them. This ultimately proves to be their greatest flaw and eventually leads to [[DeconstructedTrope Gohan being murdered, leaving humanity even more defenseless, and Trunks spending several days in the hospital in critical condition]].
36	* HeroicSacrifice: [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed.]] Gohan knocks out Trunks to prevent him from taking on the the Androids with himself and risk dying. But because he goes alone it makes it even ''easier'' for the Androids to kill Gohan, and he wasn't exactly putting up much a fight prior to confronting the Androids alone. And because Gohan dies, it only make the job of defeating the Androids an even ''more'' impossible task. And with no one to train Trunks anymore, it take years before Trunks feels strong enough through his own self training methods to take on the Androids again… [[ShootTheShaggyDog and he still loses and very badly]].
37	* HeroicSecondWind: Another deconstructed trope. Gohan, why did you take on the Androids, let alone ''on your own'', just after recently nearly dying ''and'' losing an arm?! Did you actually think some sort of miracle would happen and you'd win out of the blue?
38	* HopeBringer: This, just like many ''Dragon Ball'' tropes, gets {{Deconstructed}}. Since Goku's death, almost no one has any real hope of beating the androids. The deaths of the Z-Fighters only solidifies this. Gohan tries to become everyone's hope, even going as far as to wear a replica of Goku's gi to encourage himself, but is held back by being an inexperienced fighter battling two opponents and is ultimately killed by the androids. However, this is later PlayedStraight with the Time Machine. Bulma even writes the word 'Hope' on it.
39	* HopeSpringsEternal: At the beginning of what would prove to be their final battle, Gohan proclaims that even if the two androids succeed in killing him, someone else '''will''' rise up one day to take his place and bring an end to their reign of terror.
40	* HopeSpot: Gohan manages to overpower both of the Androids in a BeamOWar and knock them down. It changes nothing. The manga actually twisted the knife further; while Gohan puts up a decent fight in the special and stronger than the androids individually, he never stood a chance in the manga. Despite losing an arm, Gohan feels that due to his Saiyan genes, he should be strong enough to defeat the androids. 17 then reveals that up to that point, [[IAmNotLeftHanded he'd been using less than half his actual strength]].
41	* IAmNotLeftHanded: Android 17 revealed he was invoking this trope prior to battling Gohan, much to his understandable horror.
42	* InjuredSelfDrag: Future Gohan is forced to hide from Androids 17 and 18, with neither one being able to find him or Future Trunks. The duo then decide to just destroy the entire area, with both Gohan and Trunks being caught in the crossfire, Gohan losing an arm in the process. With only one senzu bean left, Gohan drags himself over to an unconscious Trunks in order to feed it to him.
43	* KarmaHoudiniWarranty: Because of the nature of the story, the androids are never made to pay for their crimes. When Trunks does tries to avenge Gohan's death, he is nearly killed. It will be another three years after the special ends before the androids get their just desserts.
44	* KilledOffForReal: This is what happens when Goku succumbs to a heart virus at the start of the special. Implied as a nautral death, the Dragon Balls can't bring him back to life and, even if that's not the case, he already died after his and Piccolo's battle with Raditz and can't be revived a second time. It gets worse when Piccolo is later killed by the androids, thus killing Kami and rendering the Dragon Balls useless. Vegeta, Yamcha, Tien and Krillin are also killed, just to name a few. Gohan would die years later while training a young Trunks. It would be a much easier task to determine who in the main cast ''wasn't'' killed.
45	* LastOfHisKind: Trunks and Gohan are the last beings with Saiyan blood at the start of the special. By the end, Trunks is the last one left if you don't count Tarble.
46	* LastStand: Deconstructed. Gohan doesn't kill either of the Androids before he dies and because he doesn't, humanity is in an even ''more'' hopeless situation as the only one who is left to defend Earth and humanity from extinction is Trunks. And he wasn't anywhere near as strong as Gohan was. Let alone as strong as the Androids. So in a nutshell, Gohan's LastStand only made things ''worse''.
47	* TheLoad: Trunks, despite his best efforts, does not help Gohan in his fight against the androids. In fact, when they confront the duo for the first time as master and student, Trunks' attempt to help Gohan directly results in Goahn having to leave his own fight to save Trunks and being caught in an explosion of ki, and then sacrifice the last senzu bean to save Trunks' life when he's in worse condition than Gohan himself.
48	* NoHoldsBarredBeatdown: Trunks is on the receiving end of this from Android 17 and 18.
49	* NotSoInvincibleAfterAll: What kills Goku isn't some powerful, new enemy, but a simple heart virus. The irony is lost on no one.
50	* OutOfGenreExperience: As the rain falls on the final battle of Gohan's life, the special takes on a distinctly eerie and FilmNoir aesthetic, replete with deep shadows only broken by flashes of lightning and dying sunlight. In particular, Trunks' hiding in ''terror'' among the shadows of the urban ruins bears a closer resemblance to a SlasherMovie than a Martial Arts Anime, complete with a spine-chilling Gothic OminousPipeOrgan score in the Original Japanese Version to emphasize the hopelessness of his struggles.
51	* PassedInTheirSleep: How Goku is depicted to have died to the heart virus. He dies in his bed and was most likely comatose given how main timeline Goku remained in a coma while he was ill.
52	* PleaseWakeUp: Trunks tries doing this with Gohan when he finds the latter's corpse, but reality sinks in ''[[TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening very]]'' quickly.
53	* PlotlineDeath: Goku's death in the beginning. Since he died of natural causes, he can no longer be able to resurrect with the Dragon Balls.
54	* PragmaticVillainy: While both of the Androids are [[AxCrazy mass murderous psychopaths]], 18 shows some restraint, and scolds 17 for blowing up a clothing store since there will be no one around to give her clothes. Furthermore, when 17 begins joyriding and begins [[CarFu running over pedestrians]], she told her brother to stop since there won't be anyone left for her to kill and make the humans live as much as they can.
55	* PresentAbsence: Goku's absence is greatly felt throughout the special. He dies within the first minute leaving a gaping wound as the other heroes are mercilessly killed off by the androids. Gohan wears a replica of his father's gi in his memory and Bulma often talks about him, saying how he could have changed things if he had lived. A big part of the special is Bulma making the time machine to give Goku the medicine that will save his life. Piccolo's death is also a big plot point. With his final death, the Dragon Ball are forever render inert, [[KilledOffForReal making all deaths permanent]].
56	* PsychopathicManChild: The Android's general behavior. At this point, they're just doing whatever for kicks and making games out of it.
57	* RayOfHopeEnding: At the end of the special, Gohan is dead and despite all the progress Trunks made he's still no match for either of the androids. Bulma, however, spent her time creating a Time Machine to send Trunks back into the past so he can give Goku the medicine that will save his life and warn him about the androids. The very last scene is Trunks taking off in the Time Machine to his journey to the past, kicking off the events of the Androids/Cell Saga. Additionaly, the song that plays during the credits is "The Blue Wind of Hope".
58	* ResetButton: Averted, of course. Piccolo's death means the Dragon Balls are gone, preventing resurrections, and the senzu bean plant died out at some point, meaning injuries take a long time to heal, if at all. Trunks' attempts to use time travel at the end to act as the ultimate reset button.
59	* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: What Trunks plans on doing in regard to traveling back to the past.
60	* ShooOutTheClowns: The more comedic characters such as Master Roshi, Oolong, Ox-King and Puar get a quick scene to show that they still exist and then completely disappear from the film.
61	* SkywardScream: An ''epic'' one happens when Trunks finds Gohan's dead body and transforms into a Super Saiyan.
62	* SlasherMovie: The aesthetic that the final act of the special is "shot" in; eerily appropriate considering the antagonists ''are'' psychotic teenage serial killers.
63	* SoleSurvivor: Trunks becomes the last remaining protagonist after Gohan dies.
64	* SmokeOut: At the beginning of their final battle, Gohan blasts the ground and briefly loses the Androids in the dust cloud it created.
65	* TeensAreMonsters: Android 17 and 18 ruthlessly murder people for their own pleasure and kill all the Z-Fighters leaving only Trunks the sole survivor.
66	* TimeSkip: The special fast forwards three years after Gohan's death at the hands of the Androids.
67	* TimeTravel: What Trunks is resorted to do in a last ditch effort to save the world.
68	* TooGoodForThisSinfulEarth: Poor, poor Goku…
69	* TraumaticSuperpowerAwakening:
70	** Gohan achieved the form when the androids killed [[ParentalSubstitute Piccolo]].
71	** Trunks has one when he saw Gohan's dead body as a result from fighting the androids.
72	* {{Troll}}: Android 17 and 18, during their fight with Trunks. It's clear from the get-go that [[CurbStompBattle they clearly outmatch him]], so they spend most of the fight screwing around.
73	* WhyWontYouDie: Trunks becomes shocked that no matter how hard he attacks the Androids, he can't even ''hurt'' them. At the same time, the Androids become annoyed that no matter how much they hurt Trunks, he won't just keel over.
74	* TheWorfEffect:
75	** How a Nail-fused Piccolo[[note]]Was able to hold his own against second form Frieza[[/note]] and Super Saiyan Vegeta[[note]]Put him on par with final form Frieza[[/note]] went down in the prologue. In Vegeta's case, his is likely due to Android 17 wearing him down before finishing him off.
76	** Later on, Gohan after his training and going Super Saiyan was able to fight on par with Android 17, making him stronger than Super Saiyan Vegeta at the time of his death. However, once 18 joined the fight, Gohan was overwhelmed and killed by the duo.
77	* WorldsStrongestMan: The Androids are this and that's exactly the problem. They're the undisputed rulers of the planet and no one can stand against them or even hold them off for long. Gohan is the only character in the whole film who comes close and it's implied in the manga that they were holdng back [[IAmNotLeftHanded immensely.]]
78	* YouWillBeSpared: When a store clerk gives 18 nice clothes, she says out of gratitude that he will get to live today. 17 kills him seconds later, and 18 gets annoyed because he made a liar out of her.

Context Anime / DragonBallZTheHistoryOfTrunks