Dragon Ball Super Episode 49 Review: History Of Future Trunks Explained

Future Trunks actually exists in an alternate future, that for some reason exists along the same timeline as a past that cannot explain the future Trunks returned to the first time. The last time we saw Future Trunks was during the Cell Games, and Goku sacrifices himself to save the world from Cell’s self destruct attack. According to Trunks he then returned to his future, where somehow all the Z-Fighters are still dead, even though they defeated both Cell and the Androids, who were the reasons for their death. He also goes on to tell us that he defeated Babadi and Dabura, to keep Majin Buu from awakening. Then, “Goku Black,” appeared and within a year almost killed every person on the planet. So, if Trunks kept everyone from dying by the hands of the Androids, in the past, why are they, along with the androids and cell, still dead in the future? Because, if Trunks’ actions in the past do in fact change his future (evidence of this is that the world is still in tact, everyone on Earth is till alive, and Babadi is able to surface), then everyone should still be alive in his future (except for Launch). My guess is that Trunks, because he has traveled through time, exists outside of time and created an alternate future that is only slightly affected by his actions in the past. Trunks does remember that Goku sacrifices himself in the Cell Gmaes, but does not know that he is brought back during the Buu Saga, because this is not his past. He exists on another timeline entirely, that is only somewhat affected by the events from the current timeline. This still does not explain why he is still the only Z-Fighter left in his future, or why Mai is his age. The only explanation is that his alternate timeline is broken and Bulma's time machine allows him to travel through time and to different timelines. 

Yeah, I'm confused too...

Honestly, the laws of space and time do not apply here, Trunks is from an alternate timeline, but can still travel along the current time, because... Dragon Ball. But the story is still cool at least! Next episode will see a show down between Goku and Goku Black, hopefully, seeing as Black finds a way to follow Trunks back in time, at the end of the episode.

Dragon Ball Super Episode 48 Review: "Hope, Again!! Trunks Wakes Up In The Present

The last episode of Dragon Ball Super, not a lot was revealed about the mysterious villain, Black. The episode starts where the last one left off, in the future, with Trunks holding Mai's lifeless body in front of Black. Black, then said it was "[Trunks'] turn," and started provoking Trunks to attack by insulting his strength as a warrior and the Saiyan race in general. What was weird was that he was talking about Saiyans as if he himself were not also a Saiyan, which should lead us to believe that Goku has lost control of his body somehow, but that is all we know for sure. However, there are rumors that Black may be a fusion between Goku and a Makaioshin. A Makaioshin is a demon world version of the Supreme Kais, that rule over all of demon world. They also possess the same power of a Grand Supreme Kai. It actually makes a lot of sense, and explains the green potara earring and new body that Goku has. However, the result of the fusion is not consistent with potara earring fusion rules. If it followed these rules, Black would still have at least some of Goku's personality in him, but there is no sign of Goku's personality, seeing as Black is pure evil and cannot sense ki as well as Goku normally can. But, considering the fact that we have never seen a green potara earring, there may be new rules for this fusion that would explain why Black seems to be completely controlled by the Makaioshin. 

Back to the recap: After Black succeeds in provoking Trunks to power up and attack, Trunks gets one good punch in, but that would be the only hit he gets on Black. The fight becomes one-sided very quickly and Trunks becomes badly wounded, but he is able to escape, because, like almost every other super villain before him, Black drags his feet on killing him and makes it into a huge theatrical scene. This gave Trunks enough time to find his sword amidst the rubble of a destroyed building and throw it, boomerang style, at Black's hand to stop him from attacking, and then proceeded to fire a decoy ki blast that allowed him to escape. Then, in dramatic fashion, Trunks is able to escape to the past just as Black fires another, surely life ending, ki blast. Trunks then passes out on the dash board of the Capsule Corp. time machine.

The scenes in the present start with Trunks, Pilaf, Mai, and Shu in math class. The teacher asks Trunks to answer the problem on the board, "1000 - 900 x 0.5=." Trunks mistakingly subtracts before multiplying, and Pilaf jumps up, in very Pilafesque fashion and does a whole song and dance explaining PEMDAS (honestly while watching this scene I did the same thing, and immediately blurted out "50!" in my head, and felt so dumb when I had to watch Pilaf explain why I was wrong, in a grandiose and cartoonish musical number). Everyone applauds Pilaf after his explanation, further inflating his ego, and the class ends. After class they start walking to lunch, and we see another cute/romantic moment between Mai and Trunks, which, to be honest was pretty cool to see. 

Before they were able to get to lunch Future Trunks crash lands in the present outside of Capsule Corp. and they go to investigate. When the get out side Trunks flies up to the time machine, and the teacher freaks out, because she does not know that Trunks is a Saiyan or even what a Saiyan is. I though that was great, because so often the Z-Fighters get so caught up in their own adventures that we forget that they are still on Earth with humans that do not know they are aliens. But anyways, Trunks looks through the glass of the time machine and sees an injured person, and Pilaf tells Shu to run and get Bulma.  They eventually get Future Trunks laid out on a bed, and Present Trunks had a chance to look at his future self. Pilaf, Shu, and Mai start speculating as to who he was. The best theory they could come up with was that Future Trunks was the illegitimate son of Vegeta and that Trunks had a brother. Bulma, on the other hand is trying to contact Goku and Vegeta, who are, of course, with Whis and Beerus training. Interested in the peculiar situation, Whis and Beerus decide to go back to Earth with Goku and Vegeta. When they get back they are able to give Future Trunks a senzu bean, and he regains consciousness. But when he sees Goku's face Trunks remembers how Black murdered Bulma and Mai, then gets up and tries to attack Goku, and the episode ends with everyone completely confused and surprised.

Review: "SOS From the Future! A New Black Enemy Reveals Himself!"

Akira Toriyama has done it again. He's set the stage for what's sure to be another classic Dragon Ball story arc. Last night, 'Dragon Ball Super' released its 47th episode, "SOS From the Future! A New Black Enemy Reveals Himself!," brought back the fan favorite Future Trunks, and introduced a new villain, Black. The episode starts in a desolate future, with destroyed buildings and massive craters in the ground no doubt due to the massive battles between Black and the Z fighters, with Trunks running from Black, who is at this point in the episode just a shadowy figure firing powerful ki blasts. Trunks eventually gets away from him and arrives at Bulma's lab, where she gives him the fuel for the time machine. Bulma stresses to Trunks that there is only enough fuel for a one way trip (she also tells him that "there's always a way back"), and that he should remember that people have died to make his trip possible. Black soon after finds Bulma and Trunks in the Lab, and savagely murders Bulma in front of Trunks. Now Trunks has to flee again and this time meets with Mai, a once henchmen of Emperor Pilaf turned freedom fighter. Mai also appears to be the love interest of Trunks. They talk for a while, Trunks tells her that there's only enough fuel for a one way trip and that they would be going back 17 years, because "that's where [his] friends are." Black finds them, and Trunks attempts to confront him using his sword, that he can now fire ki blasts from. His attacks were ultimately useless, and Mai decides to be a decoy and sacrifice herself, because "[Trunks is] the one who needs to survive." The episode ends with Black killing Mai in front of Trunks, and as Trunks holds his dead girlfriend(?) Black is finally revealed, amidst the destruction and fire, to be Goku with an emerald earring in his left ear.

There were also scenes from the present in the episode, but they really didn't do anything to progress the narrative, so I left them out of the review.

 Last week I said that I hoped this week's episode would shed some light on the specifics of the new arc, but the only new information we get from the episode is that Bulma and Mai are murdered by Black, and that there is only enough time traveling fuel for a one way trip. This episode also tells us that this is the same Future Trunks from the Cell/Android Saga, because he remembers events from that timeline. Something about this episode that I thought was really cool was the fact that no matter what, Trunks is always the lone surviver. He was the only surviver in the 'History of Trunks,' and nothing's changed. It reminds me of the interaction that Hank McCoy and Wolverine have in the 'X-Men: Days of Future's Past,' where McCoy says:

"There’s a theory in quantum physics that time is immutable. It’s like a river — you can throw a pebble in and create a ripple, but the current always corrects itself. No matter what you do the river just keeps flowing in the same direction." 

Trunks being the last person on Earth will always happen, no matter how much he tampers with the past. He is only prolonging the inevitable. 

 Toriyama is notorious for writing himself into a corner and making things up on the fly, making the continuity of Dragon Ball very confusing, but it seems like 'Dragon Ball Super' is planned out a lot better. Time travel in comics and anime is always confusing if you think about it too much, so don't. Don't over think the continuity, don't think about Trunks and his blue hair, don't think about Uub, don't think about where Launch is, and definitely don't think about Mai and how she's actually like 40+. Just sit back and enjoy Future Trunks.

Future Trunks Returns: "SOS From the Future! A New Black Enemy Reveals Himself!"

Only five more days until the Future Trunks/Black Goku saga. I've really enjoyed the series thus far. It's really reminiscent of the original Dragon Ball series; very energetic, childish, and full of action. However, I do feel like we'll see a different tone in this saga, because whenever Future Trunks (almost everyone's favorite character from Dragon Ball Z) involved the stakes are much higher (i.e. Cell Saga and Broly). It does seem like this incarnation of the beloved character won't be the same character from the Cell Saga. It'll most likely be the Trunks from the current timeline. I say this, because it seems he is "involved" with Mai, whom he had a connection with in the Battle of Gods movie, but somewhat contrary to my theory, the Anime News Network released a limited description of the episode via twitter:

"The episode's plot will start in the future when Earth is free from the Androids' domination. A man named "Black" suddenly appears, and Trunks tries to defend himself. He is no match, even in his Super Saiyan form. Bulma is resolved to make a time machine and ask for help from Goku and Vegeta from the past, but after half a year, she only accumulated enough fuel for the time machine to make a one-way trip. Then, Black appears again before Bulma and Trunks."

Hopefully the next episode will clear up more about the origins of this Future Trunks. I'm also excited to see how Goku becomes evil, especially if I'm right and these characters are from the current timeline.