Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks

Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
Region 1 DVD Cover
ドラゴンボールZ 絶望への反抗!!残された超戦士・悟飯とトランクス (Doragon Bōru Zetto Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi•Gohan to Torankusu)
Original video animation
Directed by	Yoshihiro Ueda
Written by	Akira Toriyama (Original Story)
Studio	Toei Animation
Licensed by	Madman Entertainment Funimation
Released	February 23, 1993
Runtime	47:17
Anime and Manga Portal

Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks (ドラゴンボールZ 絶望への反抗!!残された超戦士・悟飯とトランクス, Doragon Bōru Zetto Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi•Gohan to Torankusu^?, Dragon Ball Z Resistance to Despair!! The remaining Super Warriors: Gohan and Trunks) is a single-episode special based on the Dragon Ball manga series. Originally airing in Japan on February 24, 1993, between episodes 175 and 176, the special is based on an extra chapter of the manga series. It depicts an alternate version of the future in which Goku dies from a virus and a teenage Trunks tries to defeat the androids ravaging Earth.

Plot

The episode begins with Goku's death from a viral heart disease and the death of the Z-Fighters at the hands of Android #17 and Android #18 six months later. The Dragon Balls are made permanently useless due to Piccolo's death. Thirteen years later an older Trunks and Gohan appear. Gohan, now a Super Saiyan, repeatedly tries to challenge the androids but they are too strong. He begins training Trunks, who is eager to defend the Earth. Gohan attempts to provoke Trunks enough to trigger his transformation into a Super Saiyan. Several times, Trunks comes close, but lacks enough motivation to maintain the form.

The androids attack an amusement park. Gohan transforms and battles them but is being overwhelmed. Trunks comes to his aid and fights Android #18 but is easily defeated. Gohan saves him and they hide in some debris. Unable to find their targets the androids bomb the entire area and leave. Trunks and Gohan survive although Gohan loses his left arm. They go home where he recovers and then resumes Trunks' training.

Just as the training is finished a huge explosion hits the city. Gohan pretends to agree to allow Trunks to join him in the battle, then knocks him unconscious and goes alone. Gohan holds his own against the androids for a while, but his lost arm proves to be a major disadvantage and he is eventually killed. Trunks awakens after sensing Gohan's energy signal vanish, and hurries to the city to find Gohan's body laying face down in a puddle of water. Ironically, his rage at the death of his best friend is what finally triggers his transformation into a Super Saiyan.

Three years later, Trunks and Bulma are working on a time machine when a warning sounds, indicating that androids are nearby. Trunks confronts them but is badly beaten and left for dead. He awakens in his house with his mother at his side. He decides they must use the time-machine to deliver the medicine needed to cure Goku's heart disease years ago by giving it to Son Goku. They hope this will prevent Goku's death and prevent their future from happening. As the credits roll, clips from the TV series show Trunks' arrival in the past, his battle with Mecha-Freiza, his delivery of the medicine to Goku, and the awakening of androids #17 and #18 in Goku's time.

Cast

See also: List of Dragon Ball characters

• Joji Yanami / Dale D. Kelly (Original), Kyle Hebert (Remastered) as Narrator
• Takeshi Kusao / Eric Vale as Trunks
• Hiromi Tsuru / Tiffany Vollmer as Bulma
• Masako Nozawa / Adrian Rodriguez as Gohan
• Shigeru Nakahara / Chuck Huber as Android #17
• Miki Itou / Meredith McCoy as Android #18
• Kōhei Miyauchi / Mike McFarland as Master Roshi
• Naoki Tatsuta / Bradford Jackson as Oolong
• Naoko Watanabe / Cynthia Cranz as Chi-Chi
• Naoko Watanabe / Monika Antonelli as Puar
• Daisuke Gōri / Mark Britten (Original), Kyle Hebert (Remastered) as Ox-King

Music

Funimation Dub Soundtrack

The following songs were present in the Funimation dub of The History of Trunks

• Shackler - Bootsy Collins with Buckethead
• Home - Dream Theater
• Garden of Grace - Neck Down
• Through Her Eyes - Dream Theater
• Immigrant Song - Triprocket

Releases

In the US The History of Trunks was first released to VHS on October 25, 2000 in two formats, "Uncut" and "Edited". The uncut English version was released on DVD that same year, as well as the original Japanese version. On February 19, 2008 it was released as part of a remastered double feature DVD with Bardock: The Father of Goku with some minor re-dubbings to the English vocal track. The same double feature was released on Blu-ray on July 15, 2008. The film was released to DVD again on September 15, 2009 in a remastered single-disc edition. Progressive metal band Dream Theater's album Scenes From A Memory is featured on the American version of the movie as the main soundtrack.

Reception

Anime News Network's reviewer Chris Shepard stated: "It is interesting... Gohan and Trunks are both understandable characters who I was really able to get into and sympathize for during their battles" but also felt a "good understanding of the happenings of the TV series is recommended". He also felt that the action sequences were exceptional and did not "overdo themselves". He expressed some disappointment in the English dub as the storyline sounded "completely alien" to the Japanese subtitles. For his final grade he noted "[the] Dub doesn't contain the original music... [it] isn't true to the original" but was pleased overall.^[1]

John Sinnott of DVDTalk praised the television special, seeing it as being separate from the other episodes of Dragon Ball. He believed this to be a positive attribute. Regarding the Blu-ray release of the film he was less impressed with the color and aspect ratio, citing them as not particularly "exciting". However he expressed joy at Funimation leaving the original Japanese soundtrack and the English voice dubs in, describing them as "enveloping". For fans of Dragon Ball he recommended watching the episode as it "worked a lot better than the average theatrical film since they follow DBZ continuity and expand the story while filling in details". Like Shepard the Sinnott review advised those who are not familiar to the Dragon Ball franchise to avoid the episode but that fans will enjoy it. In conclusion he felt the film was enjoyable at best.^[2]

References

1. ^ "DVD Review by Chris Shepard: Dragon Ball Z The History of Trunks". Anime News Network. http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/review/dbz-history-of-trunks-dvd. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 
2. ^ "Dragon Ball Z — The History of Trunks / Bardock: Father of Goku (Blu-ray". John Sinnott. DVDtalk.com. August 20, 2008. http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/34364/dragon-ball-z-the-history-of-trunks-bardock-father-of-goku/. Retrieved 2009-04-15. 

External links

	Dragon Ball portal
	Anime and manga portal

• The History of Trunks at the Internet Movie Database