Manga/Dragon Ball

Previously in Chapter 139: Trunks took everybody to the place where Goku was expected to arrive. After much discussion surrounding his mysterious identity, Goku showed up on schedule inside a Ginyu Tokusentai Pod.

Anime/Manga: Goku levitates out of the crater, a bit confused. He's happy to see everyone, but he wonders how they knew to be here. Bulma points out Trunks, stating that he told them. This does little to clarify things, however. Goku has never seen this kid before in his life. Chapter 139 ends here.

Bulma insists that Trunks knew the exact time and place that Goku would come down, but Goku finds that as weird as everyone else. He figures Frieza probably knew when he'd show up; After all, they spotted his ship on approach. Maybe that explains it?

(Ha! Goku knew he was being tracked! I wonder if the Planet Trade's radar works similarly to sonar, in that it creates an audible ping that can be heard by the vessel being tracked?)

Speaking of Frieza, Goku wants to know who killed him. That ki signature was incredible! He first guesses Piccolo, then follows up with Vegeta as his second guess. Piccolo reveals that it was the new kid. And guess what? He's a Super Saiyan too.

In stark contrast to Vegeta, Goku immediately gets excited. He's thrilled to meet another Super Saiyan, and one so young at that! In fact, he didn't even know there were any other Saiyan survivors! Vegeta angrily barks that there aren't, that there absolutely without question cannot be any other Saiyans, but Goku doesn't care about what he thinks.

Trunks asks Goku for a private conversation. Goku agrees, to the dismay of his friends. Toei gives us a closeup shot of Piccolo's head turned to the side, with his gigantic ear taking up much of the frame; A meaningful shot for those who've read the manga, while looking like little more than him being stern for anyone who hasn't.

Once they're out of earshot, not accounting for sensitive Namekian hearing that Trunks doesn't know about, Goku and Trunks stop to talk. Goku thanks Trunks for covering his mistake; He admits that he should have killed Frieza on Namek. Regrets. (It's cool, man. We've all made bad choices under the influence of Super Saiyan. Or will, anyway.)

Funi Goku adds that he was hoping Frieza would turn over a new leaf and change his evil ways, but it seems that hope was in vain. (Though he's not the only one. All three Gokus told Frieza to reconsider the way he lives his life after crawling away from the cruel mercy; Funi Goku's simply the only one that expresses that here.)

Trunks asks about that. Goku was supposed to defeat Frieza. However, due to some sort of time variance, Goku didn't make it in time. Trunks had to step in. Goku explains that he was about to jump in and take Frieza out, but then Trunks appeared. Trunks doesn't understand; Goku was three hours away. But. See. That's the thing.

Goku has a new skill: Shunkan Ido (Instant Motion)/Instant Transmission. He learned it on Planet Yardrat. Which literally means "Yard Rat". Toriyama doesn't do a lot with the rodent theme in the original manga, but the Moro arc of Super follows up on it by naming the Yardrat-seijin/Yardratians after different types of rodent. Goku describes the Yardratians as pretty weak in terms of raw power, but familiar with all kinds of interesting techniques.

Funi Goku adds a technical explanation of how Instant Transmission works: The user dematerializes, then travels as a beam of light. He can cross great distances quickly due to the speed at which light travels. Funi also adds that the Yardratians liked Goku because he could eat as much as they did.

Upon learning about Shunkan Ido, Trunks becomes disheartened. He realizes that he messed up. He changed the course of history for no reason at all. He was supposed to approach Goku quietly, without letting anyone else even know he was here.

Goku asks what he means by that, but Trunks has a question of his own that he needs answered first. He asks if Goku can transform at will. Goku admits that the Super Saiyan was beyond his ability to control at first, but with time and a lot of practice, he was able to master it.

Trunks asks Goku to show him. Goku agrees, transforming into the Super Saiyan before his eyes. In doing so, everybody else watching from a distance lays eyes upon the Super Saiyan for the very first time, except Gohan. And, in the anime, Vegeta.

Toriyama has Vegeta, sensing the Super Saiyan's ki, admit that he could defeat Frieza like this. But since Toei Vegeta already saw it for himself, he remains silent.

Trunks transforms next. He and Goku both agree that this state makes them look similar.

With little warning, Trunks draws his sword and swings at Goku: A vertical slice, like the one that killed Frieza. Goku remains perfectly still in the center. Trunks stops his attack several inches away from Goku's forehead. He asks why Goku didn't dodge; Goku explains that he couldn't sense a killing intent in Trunks's ki signature, so he knew this wasn't for real.

Trunks takes that criticism and changes things up. This time, he declares no intention of stopping. Goku accepts those terms, holding up the pointer finger of his right hand as if it were a sword of his own. Trunks swings once more, but Goku blocks with his "blade". Trunks rapidly attacks over and over with his sword, but Goku's finger blocks and parries each strike.

Remember that whole thing about weapons being extensions of their user? Goku is demonstrating it right now. He's using his finger to have a swordfight. For all intents and purposes, these two extensions of Trunks and Goku are the same. In fact, Toriyama punctuates each blow with the sound effect of steel clashing against steel - Which Toei follows suit on, using vivid swordfight sound effects for each impact.

Once Goku's ability has been proven, Trunks pulls back. He returns his sword to its sheath and compliments Goku: He's everything Trunks had been promised and more! Trunks points out that this sword bisected Frieza. Goku isn't quite buying the praise, however, and accuses Trunks of holding back. Trunks does not respond to this accusation.

Brief cut to everyone else reacting in awe. Toriyama Vegeta angrily growls, "So that is a Super Saiyan." But, again, Toei already spoiled this for him, so their Vegeta calls Goku a rat.

It's time to reveal the truth. Trunks asks Goku to keep everything he's about to say secret. You see, he is a time traveler from 20 years in the future. His name is Trunks and the reason he has Saiyan blood is because he's Vegeta's son. Chapter 140 ends here.

Goku can see the resemblance, but it's hard for him to picture Vegeta as a father. Trunks quickly states that he'll be born in two and a half years but that's not what matters. Calamity will occur three years from now, May 12th, roughly 10 AM. On an island 9 kilometers southwest of South City, two terrifying monsters will appear and ravage the Earth.

Goku assumes that they're aliens, but Trunks assures him that they're from this planet. These are Jinzoningen. The word combines "Jinzo", which means synthetic or man-made, with "Ningen". Ningen means human but, as we've discussed, it has a larger meaning. In the same sense that "Kai" means world, but in a grander sense than the mere planet; more like a plane of existence.

Ningen or "Human" is an umbrella term. It means humans, but it can also mean other forms of sapient life such as elves or Martians. Goku and Vegeta are Ningen. As is Frieza.

So Jinzoningen could mean a lot of things. It's commonly translated to "Artificial Human" but that gives off the wrong impression, I think, because of the complexity in what the Japanese language means by "Human". Mecha-Frieza is Jinzoningen.

Personally, I think "Synthetic Lifeform" works better as a translation, but is still misleading even then because it implies a being that is fully synthetic, whereas cyborgs also count as Jinzoningen. They are still man-made, despite also being organic people.

Trunks even says as much. After explaining to Goku that the two beings are Jinzoningen, he follows up by describing them with the English word "cyborg". He explains that they were built by a scientist from the Red Ribbon Army named Dr. Gero, pronounced with a hard G sound. "Gear-row". It's not super clear what Gero's name is based on.

We get a brief cut to the Dragon Team, mostly notable for Funimation's version of it. Funi Bulma complains about them talking so much, but Krillin suggests that it's better than fighting. This leads into a great gag: A relieved Gohan points out that Trunks doesn't have his sword out anymore, to which Krillin quips, "Yeah, and your dad put his finger away too."

Trunks explains that although Goku wiped out the Red Ribbon Army years ago, Dr. Gero survived and continued his research. Nobody knows what he wanted, though world domination is a likely motivator. Whatever the case, he built his final creations, Jinzoningen #19 and 20, to be bloodthirsty killing machines. As soon as they were activated, they killed Dr. Gero himself.

Toei removes Trunks calling out the Jinzoningen's specific numbers. Probably because they're already aware of Timey-Wimey Plot Hole #2.

In Funimation's version of this warning, Goku recognizes Dr. Gero and remembers having fought against him, specifically, in the past. He's surprised, in fact, to hear that Gero survived their confrontation.

Funi Trunks, in an accusatory tone, blames Goku for allowing Gero to escape with his life. He states that Goku should have killed Gero when he had the chance, and now everyone is going to suffer for the mercy in Goku's heart. Funi Trunks also states that he doesn't know where Gero's lab is; If he did, he'd be there instead of here right now.

Goku takes Trunks's warnings seriously. As a Super Saiyan who killed Frieza like it was nothing, for Trunks to be this spooked by the Jinzoningen means they must be a serious threat. Trunks confirms that he's tried to fight them, but even one of them is a terrifying monster against which he stands no chance. And there's two.

Goku asks why Trunks doesn't have anyone to help him, and Trunks explains that he's the last fighter alive. In the battle three years from now, Krillin, Yamcha, Tenshinhan, Chiaotzu, Piccolo, and Vegeta will all be killed. (Or, as Funi calls them, Earth's Special Forces.) Gohan is the only person who escapes the battle alive. He lives to become Trunks's master, but in 16 years they get him too.

With Piccolo gone, the Dragon Balls disappear as well. Nobody ever comes back to life again. The Jinzoningen spend the next 17 years after they emerge slaughtering people for fun. Funi Trunks adds that they spent countless lives to build the time machine in the Android-infested hellhole that is their future.

Noticing a curious omission, Goku asks about his own fate. Tragically, he never gets to fight the murderbots. Shortly after returning to Earth, Goku contracts a fatal heart virus. For the sake of avoiding a plot hole, Goku states that Senzu can't heal the body from a disease. Goku curses; He was looking forward to fighting these Jinzoningen. He feels cheated.

Trunks is surprised by this reaction. The only part that upsets Goku is that he doesn't get to fight? He asks if Goku's even scared; Goku admits that he is, but what he really cares about is testing his mettle against these super strong guys!

Funi Goku shares his Japanese counterpart's disdain for not getting to fight, but for different reasons. Where Toriyama Goku is excited for the chance to fight new strong guys, Funi Goku believes that with his help, he might be able to turn the tide of the conflict against the Androids.

Trunks smiles, calling Goku a true Saiyan warrior. He's everything Trunks's mother and Gohan said he would be. Gohan pulls a small vial from his pocket and hands it to Goku. As he explains, this is medicine for Goku's heart virus. Twenty years from now, they'll be able to medicate it. Bringing this and the warning was the purpose of Trunks's trip.

Funi Goku states that the medicine is purple. He declares, with a voice full of excitement and hope, that he bets it's grape-flavored.

Trunks closes by saying that he recognizes that he shouldn't change history like this, but given how much history sucks, it's worth doing. His mother wanted nothing more than for Goku to survive, which is what motivated her to complete the time machine.

Goku pieces these things together. Trunks's mom made the time machine and also knows him. Trunks confirms: He's talking about Bulma. This news stuns Goku. We cut away to the others watching Goku collapse in shock and wondering what they're talking about.

If you watch Piccolo in the background of the anime, however, you can see him recoil with shock as well. He catches himself quickly. But to make sure that nobody in the U.S. misses it, Funi gives him a "WHA—?!" grunt.

Goku exclaims that he always thought Bulma would be with Yamcha forever. Trunks explains that Yamcha's a playboy. Bulma finally got fed up with it and left him. Then she found herself drawn to Vegeta because of how lonely he seemed and one thing led to another. They never married, however; Trunks gives Goku a, "You know how she is." Goku admits that it sounds plausible.

Funimation scrubs the talk of Yamcha's infidelity. Instead, Trunks explains that Bulma and Yamcha have a short-lived fling. Their relationship is a brief thing born out of passion but not serious. Yamcha and Bulma will break up, after which Yamcha finds someone new and Bulma falls in love with Vegeta. Vegeta loves her back, though he'll never admit it out loud.

While on the topic of his parentage, Trunks adds that he never knew his father. Vegeta died before he was born. It's been a privilege finally meeting him.

In any case, this is why it's so important to keep his identity a secret. If Bulma and Vegeta knew who he was, it could jeopardize the chain of events that lead to his birth. Goku agrees to keep it under wraps, and with that, it's time for Trunks to leave.

Goku asks if Trunks will return. He's uncertain; storing up enough power to make a round trip takes a long time. However, if possible, Trunks will return in three years to help the others fight the Jinzoningen. Goku expresses that he'll be training hard for the next three years and asks Trunks to stay alive out there in his future. Trunks answers with a thumbs up, then flies away.

Funimation scrubs this whole conversation about Trunks coming back. Instead, Goku thanks Trunks for helping him, and Trunks responds that meeting Goku helped him quite a bit too. He's felt alone ever since Gohan died, but now he feels as if Goku is like a brother to him. (I HAVE WEIRD FEELINGS ABOUT THAT STATEMENT.) Goku assures Trunks that he'll be with him in spirit no matter where he goes or what time he's in.

New problem: How to explain all of this to everyone. Goku walks back to the group, trying to figure out what to reveal. He hesitates to speak, prompting Piccolo to berate him for it; After all, this affects everyone.

Wait, Piccolo heard? He confirms; His sense of hearing is much sharper than everyone else's. Since Goku's struggling to find words, Piccolo speaks for him - Though he assures Goku that he won't say anything to jeopardize their mystery friend's existence. However, they don't want to die because they didn't train properly either!

The whole group recoils at that last bit. We skip over the recap conversation while the narrator assures us that Piccolo told them everything except the information regarding Trunks's identity. Bulma and Yamcha are skeptical about this far-fetched story. Bulma specifically calls out the time machine as being obvious nonsense.

(Past Bulma looks at the scientific advancements made by Future Bulma and declares, "What a load of horseshit." She's even a jerk to herself!)

Piccolo declares that if anyone doesn't believe this story, that's their prerogative. Have fun. But he's going to train like his life depends on it.

Suddenly, the group notices something high up in the sky. Trunks's time machine has risen into the air. Speaking to himself, he addresses his father, calling him every bit the strong, proud, stern, and lonely man Bulma said he would be. He asks both Vegeta and Bulma, though they cannot hear him, to stay strong and make it through. With one final wave, he activates his time machine and vanishes from this temporal space.

Having now seen the time machine with their own eyes, even the skeptics in the group agree to train. Chapter 141 ends here.

...huh. Has Piccolo's hyper-sensitive hearing ever come up before? I don't think it has. He has humongous ears which would imply a strong sense of hearing, but I don't think it's ever been a plot point before in the manga. The first instance I can recall of it coming into play is Lord Slug.

We've talked before about ideas Toriyama may have gotten from the anime. This doesn't seem like one of those. I don't think Toriyama got the idea from Lord Slug. It's an obvious extrapolation of his gigantic ears. I think Toei took a shot in the dark and guessed that incredible hearing would be a thing Namekians have. And they were right.

Nobody in the cast but an Earthling could have learned Shunkan Ido/Instant Transmission. Studying martial arts on Yardrat required something from Goku that the likes of Vegeta or Frieza or even Piccolo likely never would have had: Appreciation for artistry and technique, regardless of power.

As Goku explains, Yardrat is a low-level planet. The people of Yardrat aren't very strong. A proper Saiyan would roll over them, wipe them all out, and then keep on going without ever noticing they were there. The same can be said of Earth. It's a fitting place for a man like Son Goku to go, "Oh, wow! That was really cool! Teach me how to do that!"

Goku has been strong and he's been weak. He's been beaten down like a useless scrub and he's risen above the mightiest in the universe. He understands the value of learning, even from people who can't bench-press a planet. It doesn't matter if they can't. He can. And if their techniques are good, then he'll be able to do it even better. And that's why Goku knows Shunkan Ido now.

...holy shit, you guys.

Goku wasn't only learning Shunkan Ido on Yardrat. He also needed time and practice to master his Super Saiyan transformation, so that he could engage and disengage it at will. He tells Trunks as much; at first, he couldn't control it, but after a great deal of practice, he got it under control.

That's why Goku didn't come home. He acquired a superpowered dark side on Namek that's cruel and vicious, and which can flare up without warning at any moment. Of course he didn't want to be eating dinner with his family when suddenly the pork is undercooked and then BOOM, the Super Saiyan blows Chi-Chi's kitchen away.

Goku had to remain on Yardrat until the Super Saiyan was no longer a potential threat to his friends, family, and planet. Like he said to Gohan: Get away before he loses what little control he has left. Gohan got away. And Goku made sure Gohan stayed away.

So here we have the first version of the Jinzoningen. 19 and 20 are a pair of cyborgs, specifically, created by Dr. Gero for some overarching purpose. Probably world domination. Doesn't matter, though, because they're defective. All they care about is killing for fun. They murder Gero as soon as they're activated, then spend the next 17 years slaughtering humans for funsies.

No rhyme or reason to it. Trunks's 19 and 20 are simply malfunctioning murderbots driven by hedonistic sadism who murder for lulz.