Future Trunks' introduction into DBZ was a classic moment for the franchise, and one that made him stand out in the canon of shonen anime's most iconic characters. Beyond that introduction, though, Trunks has continued to have a big part to play in Dragon Ball, from his relationship with Vegeta in the Cell Saga to his return in the fight against Zamasu in Dragon Ball Super. Future Trunks is a reoccurring character with as much backstory as any in the main cast.
While DBZ gave a satisfying end to Future Trunks' arc, it was eventually undone in Dragon Ball Super, where Trunks' entire timeline was erased by Zeno. Not only did Future Trunks' personal story leave off on a tragic note, but Dragon Ball Super is swiftly approaching the end of DBZ: a period when Kid Trunks reaches the age that Future Trunks was during the Cell Saga. If Future Trunks is ever going to come back and be relevant in Dragon Ball again, it'll need to be in Super's last few arcs. While Trunks' increased presence alongside Goten in the Super Hero arc was great for the series' future, there would be no better character to give Super a boost in the present than Future Trunks.
Kid Trunks Can't Replace Future Trunks Yet
Kid Trunks and Future Trunks are Both Different Enough to Coexist as Characters
When Future Trunks was first introduced in Dragon Ball Z, the idea of Vegeta and Bulma having a son wasn't even hinted at yet. It was Future Trunks himself who made the big reveal, and the present timeline's Trunks was still only a newborn baby. By the Buu Saga, however, Trunks was a growing boy nearing his pre-teens, eventually finally becoming a teenager of around 17 years old during the Peaceful World Saga of DBZ.
At that point, he would be older than the version of Future Trunks shown in the History of Trunks, though around the same age Future Trunks during the Android Saga, who was around 17 years old. Future Trunks' actual age has always been a point of contention for fans of the series, especially when Super comes into play, but at the very least, it can be surmised that Trunks at the end of Z and Future Trunks during his first appearance should be the same age.
That being the case, by the time Super reaches the end of Z, it wouldn't be unfair to say that Future Trunks will essentially be obsolete by then, having been replaced by the present timeline Trunks. However, even as Kid Trunks grows older in Dragon Ball Super, there's still something to be said of Future Trunks and his role in the story. The two Trunks are definitively different characters in terms of both appearance and personality, so the existence of one doesn't render the other obsolete.
Another important thing about Kid Trunks as a character is how closely tied to Goten he is. Goten and Trunks were inseperable from their earliest moments together in the Buu Saga, and that's part of what makes them both endearing. However, this forces Kid Trunks to remain somewhere around the same power level as his friend, despite the fact that Trunks has always been slightly stronger than Goten due to his being a bit older. One of the best things about Trunks and Goten's relationship is their Gotenks fusion, and fusion is known to work best between fighters who are of similar power levels.
If Kid Trunks were to surpass Goten too much, it could potentially render Gotenks useless, which would do away with a big aspect of what makes Kid Trunks interesting in the first place. On the other hand, Future Trunks has a stronger connection to a different character: Gohan. Unlike Kid Trunks' friendship with Goten, though, Trunks' relationship with Gohan is one of mentorship, leaving Trunks to become his own person who could potentially become just as strong as Gohan himself one day.
Gohan Beast Hints at Future Trunks' Potential
Trunks is the One Saiyan Who Relates to Gohan the Most
Future Trunks has always had a strong emotional connection to Gohan, but their connection is actually even deeper than Trunks' past. Gohan is also one of the few characters in Super with the same kind of genetic makeup as Trunks. Given how Gohan's potential was always a central part of DBZ, Trunks' own potential was always an under-explored aspect of his character. With Gohan Beast becoming the most powerful saiyan in Chapter 103 of the Dragon Ball Super manga, the true potential of saiyan hybrids has become even clearer than ever.
Future Trunks' innate power was briefly explored in the Future Trunks Saga of DBS, but he had never grown to the extent Gohan Beast has. Being that Goten and Kid Trunks are slackers whose greatest source of power is Gotenks, the one saiyan hybrid who could conceivably channel that potential is Future Trunks. Goten and Kid Trunks still have a lot to learn before they reach Gohan Beast levels of power, but Future Trunks' SSJ Rage form could still be explored further in Super.
It would be well worthwhile for Future Trunks to join the Z Fighters in one final battle, especially if he's the only one who could match Gohan's newfound power. That would also give Gohan somehow he could potentially fuse with, which is still something Gohan has never been shown doing in the series. While fusing with Broly isn't out of the question for Gohan considering the similarities in their power sources, Future Trunks would be an even better option.
Not only does Trunks have a much stronger emotional connection to Gohan, but they're even more compatible in terms of genetics and physique. The connection between Gohan and Trunks is far more than skin deep. It's one that includes their history as friends in Future Trunks' own timeline, as well as their genetic makeup as half-breed saiyans with immense potential. In fact, while Gohan's potential was always at the forefront of DBZ, Future Trunks was the first to show how hybrid saiyans could really become Super Saiyans.
Up until Gohan emerged from the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Goku just before the Cell Games, Trunks was the youngest Super Saiyan in the series. That says a lot about Future Trunks' potential, even if he was overshadowed by Gohan relatively quickly. Future Trunks' untapped potential as a fighter has always been a plot thread fans wanted to see explored more deeply, but it's not even the most important aspect of Trunks' story that needs greater attention.
Future Trunks' Personal Arc Needs a More Satisfying Conclusion
Future Trunks' Happy Ending in DBZ was Retconned in Dragon Ball Super
Future Trunks' send-off in Dragon Ball Super is treated as a moment of hope and a happy ending, but it's actually incredibly tragic. That has essentially always been the status quo for Trunks' life since his early moments, as shown in The History of Trunks, but his conclusion at the end of the Cell arc in DBZ was at least a moment of genuine positivity for him. After Cell was defeated, Trunks was able to return to his timeline and save the day by the merit of the strength he acquired through training with his father.
This showed real personal growth for Trunks, while also bringing an end to the horrors that made him travel back in time to begin with. Sadly, Future Trunks' return in Dragon Ball Super showed that his happy ending was only momentary. When Trunks came back in time a second time during the aptly named Future Trunks Saga in Super, it wasn't to warn Goku of impending danger, but rather to seek help for the danger occurring in his own timeline.
The reality of the situation was that Goku Black had destroyed Future Trunks' world in a way that was far worse than anything the Androids had ever done. Even sadder was the fact that it technically only happened due to the fact that Future Trunks traveled in time in the first place. Of course, Trunks never had any choice but to travel into the past to begin with, but it's undeniably the case that Trunks traveling into the past inadvertently resulted in the complete annhiliation of his entire Universe.
In the end, Fused Zamasu became so overwhelmingly powerful that nothing Goku, Vegeta, or Trunks could have done would have been able to stop him. The only option was to call on Zeno, whose distaste for Zamasu led him to destroy Future Trunks' entire timeline, rather than just destroying Zamasu himself. Sadly, Future Trunks' happy ending of destroying the Androids and saving his future in DBZ was entirely erased in Super, both literally and figuratively.
While Trunks goes on to live in a separate timeline in hopes of picking up the pieces of him and Mai's life, it's ultimately an unfortunate end to an already tragic life story for Trunks. However, there is still a way that Dragon Ball can bring Future Trunks back one last time to give his story the true happy ending he deserves.
Trunks is the Perfect Character to Guide Dragon Ball's Next Generation Into the Future
Future Trunks Could Leave a Lasting Impact on the Series Through his Present Timeline Counterpart
Future Trunks' life story is arguably the most tragic of any character in Dragon Ball, yet he has still made a positive mark on the Z Fighters' lives. After all, Future Trunks saved the present time period in DBZ, and even saved his own time from the Androids himself, even if his arc ultimately ended up even more tragic in Dragon Ball Super. With his own timeline now entirely destroyed, the best way for Future Trunks to leave a lasting mark on the Dragon Ball franchise one last time would be to unite with his strongest connection to the present: Kid Trunks.
While Future Trunks has met Kid Trunks in Super, he has never really connected with his younger, present-timeline self in a truly meaningful way. Instead, he has always tended to be closer to Gohan due to his past as Future Gohan's student. The most satisfying way to close Future Trunks' story on a high note would be for him to leave a lasting impression on Kid Trunks that helps him grow and develop as his own person.
Perhaps Future Trunks could even teach Trunks to wield a sword, thereby leaving behind one of the coolest aspects of Future Trunks' character that could continue on into future arcs of Super. Future Trunks taking on Kid Trunks as his mentor would be a fitting end for Future Trunks' arc, as it would show his own growth while also leaving Kid Trunks with a lasting lesson. This could also bring together some of the disparity between Future Trunks and Present Trunks' personalities, as Present Trunks is known to be quite immature and naïve in comparison to his future counterpart.
In this way, bringing Future Trunks back for one last arc could be beneficial for both versions of the character. For Kid Trunks, it would be a way of helping him grow as a person who can carry the torch of the next generation and learn from the mistakes of his older self. For Future Trunks, it would mean leaving a lasting impact on the present timeline that continues far into the future, and even beyond it.
