Swords are an uncommon occurrence in Dragon Ball. In a franchise where all the strongest warriors are expert martial artists who relentlessly train in hand-to-hand combat, using a sword would almost seem antithetical to the very nature of the series itself. What's more, the fact that these warriors can blow up entire planets with their bare hands makes something like a sword seem like a trivial thing to use. That said, swords play a surprisingly important part for two of the most popular characters in Dragon Ball: Trunks and Gohan.
Future Trunks is easily the most iconic swordsman in Dragon Ball history – not that he has much competition – but his connection to Gohan, another iconic character who is nonetheless rarely known for his swordsmanship, is worth considering. Gohan is the only other main character that uses a sword multiple times in the series, with the Z Sword in particular being of special significance. Gohan and Trunks' usage of swords in Dragon BallZ and Super says a lot about who they are as characters, and hints at a special connection between them that's deeper than the surface.
The Origins of Gohan and Trunks' Swords
Where Future Trunks got his sword is largely a mystery, though there are some accounts given in the series. One of the most interesting comes by way of the DBZ film, Wrath of the Dragon. In it, Kid Trunks befriends an ancient hero named Tapion, who wields a divine sword created to slay the legendary beast Hirudegarn. At the end of the movie, Tapion gives Trunks the sword as a token of their friendship.
The closing scenes of the film show Future Trunks utilizing his sword, seeming to imply that this was the true origin story of Future Trunks' sword (ignoring that this would be impossible given the way timelines work). Another possible origin for Trunks' sword -- though equally non-canon -- was offered in the 2005 Nintendo DS game Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors 2. In it, Trunks states that it was Future Gohan who initially taught him swordsmanship. This not only gives the origin of Trunks' sword, but also hints at Future Gohan's prowess with a blade.
This idea of Gohan being a swordsman isn't exactly a new idea. After all, Gohan was first shown wielding a sword when he was still only a child, given to him during his survival training with Piccolo in the Saiyan Saga. Later, Gohan trained with the Z Sword after being the only person to be able to pull the sword from its resting place. Gohan then went on to train with the Z Sword, which was so heavy that even a Super Saiyan like Gohan had a hard time swinging it. Gohan may not be particularly well-known for his skills as a swordsman, but he has just as much of a history with swords as Trunks does.
Gohan and Future Trunks Always Had a Deep Connection
It's Well Known That Future Trunks Was Raised By Gohan, But The Two Are Connected in Other Ways Too
Even outside of their mutual appreciation for the art of the sword, Future Trunks has always had a well-known special connection with Gohan. In the future timeline, Gohan was the person who served as Trunks' mentor, guiding him in training and being like a big brother to him. It was the emotional distress Trunks felt after Gohan's death to the Androids that initially pushed Future Trunks to become a Super Saiyan in the first place.
In Super, that connection between Gohan and Trunks is further established, especially in relation of their swordsmanship. While Gohan was the only person who wielded the Z Sword in Dragon Ball Z, Future Trunks was also shown to wield the Z Sword in preparation for the fight against Buu following Future Gohan's death in Dragon Ball Super. Trunks then used the Z Sword to strike down Dabura and Babidi in the future timeline. Unfortunately, the Z Sword is eventually broken when Dabura turns it to stone with his spit, causing Trunks to drop it with the blade shattering on the ground.
Gohan and Trunks are also two of the three half-saiyan, half-human characters in the series, with the third being Goten. The fact that Trunks and Gohan use human weapons like swords may be a way of indicating the human aspect of their heritage. Unlike the other races in Dragon Ball, humanity's lack of natural strength and power makes them more vulnerable to attack from alien entities. This gives humans a greater necesity to use weapons like swords for combat. While Trunks and Gohan are clearly strong enough to fight without a sword, they do both struggle with self-confidence at times, which is partly why they required swords to fight in the first place.
Using a Weapon is Symbolic in a Series So Focused on Fair Fights
Dragon Ball has always been a series about martial arts, so a character's use of a weapon like a sword can say a lot about them. In the case of both Future Trunks and Gohan, their usages of swords can take on symbolic meaning. For example, both Gohan and Trunks become the heroes of their timelines, and Gohan pulling the Z Sword was a perfect representation of the sword-in-the-stone trope of classic Western hero narratives. Having Gohan be the fated person who pulled the Z Sword made him the true hero, a fact which even Goku could not lay claim to. This was truly Gohan's moment to be the hero in the most obvious way, and Future Trunks pulling the Z Sword and becoming the hero doubles down on the symbolic nature of the sword in Gohan and Trunks' stories.
Another thing the use of the sword highlights when inserted into a martial arts anime is the personalities of the characters. The use of a sword is somewhat more depersonalized than physically punching one's opponent, and that fits in with Gohan and Trunks' personalities. Future Trunks does not fight for the sport or the fun of it, he does it purely to save his world. He has seen traumatic evils which have fundamentally changed him, giving him a much darker relationship to combat than Goku has, who has fought for sport since his youngest days. In that context, it makes sense that Future Trunks would wield a weapon like a sword to strike down his enemies as quickly and mercilessly as possible.
This fact about Trunks was confirmed from his very first introduction into DBZ. In the fight against Mecha Frieza and King Cold, Future Trunks wasted absolutely no time disposing with both of them. Unlike Goku, who sought redemption from Frieza, Trunks immediately went for the kill, ensuring that he not only cut Frieza into pieces, but even blasted all the pieces with a final ki blast for good measure. Similarly, Gohan has never liked fighting and would never do it for sport like his father. Gohan solely fights to protect his loved ones, and his true potential was always pulled out of him after he witnessed those he cared about in danger. The sword for Gohan and Trunks represents the peace-loving aspects of their personalities which cause them to fight solely out of necessity instead of for the enjoyment or the art of it.
Broken Blades Empower Both Gohan and Trunks
Both Trunks and Gohan Get Some of Their Greatest Power-ups After Breaking Their Swords
While the sword is powerful as a symbol of Gohan and Trunks' heritage of humanity that differentiates them from pure saiyans like Goku and Vegeta, it is often just as fragile as any human being. During the fight with Android 18 in the present timeline, Future Trunks attempts to cut her down with his sword just as he did Mecha Frieza. However, the true difference in their strength is made apparent when 18 blocks Trunks' blade, shattering it upon impact. This was a disparaging moment, proving that, no matter what Trunks does, the Androids are far too powerful for him to defeat them. That said, the destruction of Trunks' sword was not the end for him.
Following that loss at 18's hands, Trunks goes on to train, becoming even stronger and only fighting with his fists from that point on in DBZ. After unlocking the Ascended Super Saiyan form through his training with Vegeta in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Trunks is able to defeat the Androids in his own time period. The destruction of Trunks' sword was almost like a breaking down of his reliance on objects other than his own inner power. This fact would later prove true in the fight against Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super.
Trunks' blade was once again destroyed during battle, serving as a metaphor of Trunks' powerlessness against the Godly entity. However, Trunks tapped into his inner strength to unlock his Super Saiyan Rage form, and created a Ki blade from his broken sword by channeling the energy of all of humanity in a way akin to a Genkai Dama, which he then used to cut Zamasu in half. Unlike the physical blade, Trunks' Ki blade was a manifestation of his own power, as well as the power of those he fought to protect, which allowed him to strike down his enemy.
Just as the destruction of Trunks' blade always led him to discover his own power, the same happened to Gohan. After training with the Z Sword, Gohan ends up breaking the sword on a super dense object created by Supreme Kai. This inadvertently releases Elder Kai from within the blade, giving Gohan a means to unlock his hidden potential. Though it happened differently from how it did with Future Trunks, Gohan breaking his sword ended up being the very catalyst that led him to even greater power than he ever had before.
The Sword Was Never the Source of Future Trunks and Gohan's Power
Gohan and Trunks Always Fight To Protect Others Rather Than For the Enjoyment of Martial Arts
The connection between Future Trunks' sword and Gohan is one with many layers. For one, Future Trunks may have received his sword and been trained by Future Gohan in swordsmanship, and at one point he even wielded the same sword as Gohan did: the Z Sword. Beyond that, the very use of a sword fits both Gohan and Trunks' personalities in that they fight only when forced to, and never for the enjoyment of it.
Finally, Trunks and Gohan's use of the sword may be a way of tying the two half-saiyans to their human heritage by giving them a weapon to fight with, instead of just using their superhuman powers. The connection between Trunks' sword and Gohan is really a connection between Trunks and Gohan themselves, showing who they are as people outside their saiyan-warrior ancestry. Gohan and Trunks are both true heroes, who wield a sword to fight for those they love, instead of for the thrill of the fight like Goku and Vegeta would.
