TV Special Information

TV Special Synopsis

In an alternate timeline, Goku dies of a heart disease while his friends and family (including a newborn baby Trunks) look on helplessly. Six months later, a pair of artificial humans created by the Red Ribbon Army scientist Doctor Gero begin wrecking havoc on the world. These two, No. 17 and No. 18, have unmatched power and easily kill Vegeta, Piccolo, and the other Z Warriors, leaving only Gohan.

Thirteen years later, the artificial humans are still sadistically killing humans and destroying cities. Trunks, now a young boy, sets off to fight them and meets Gohan, who has been the only one opposing the artificial humans all these years. Gohan begins training Trunks, and though he makes great progress, he still can’t manage to become a Super Saiyan. When the artificial humans attack an amusement park, Gohan rushes off to fight them, and Trunks insists on tagging along. In the ensuing battle, Gohan loses an arm and Trunks is severely wounded. Gohan chooses to use the only senzu remaining to heal Trunks, leaving himself permanently without an arm. Time passes and the two continue to train. One day the artificial humans attack another city. Trunks wants to come with Gohan again and says that he’s gotten much stronger, but Gohan knocks him unconscious and goes off to confront the artificial humans on his own. Gohan manages to put up a good fight, but the pair eventually overwhelm him. When Trunks wakes up, he searches for Gohan in the ruined city and finds him lying dead in the street. Overcome by rage and sorrow, he finally transforms into a Super Saiyan.

Three years later, Trunks is now a young man, and has obtained his iconic sword. His mother Bulma has at last completed work on a time machine that Trunks can use to go into the past, where he can study the artificial humans and prevent Goku’s death. This way they can hopefully create an alternate timeline where things don’t turn out so bad, and maybe discover a way of defeating the artificial humans in their own timeline. Trunks personally doesn’t think they need the time machine; he’s confident that he can now defeat the artificial humans on his own. At that moment, news comes that the artificial humans are on another rampage, and Trunks rushes off to defeat them once and for all. But he fares little better than Gohan did, and barely manages to escape alive. As he recovers in the hospital, he apologizes to Bulma and agrees to go to the past. She instructs him on how to give Goku medicine for his heart disease. If only he hadn’t died, Bulma thinks, the world wouldn’t have ended up like this.

Having fully recovered, Trunks sets off for the past, little realizing the adventures that await him there…

TV Special Credits

All credits listed below are as originally presented in the TV special. The credit structure used in Dragon Ball Z is actually quite simple; the staff involved with the production of the series as a whole are listed in the opening credits and the staff involved with this specific special are listed in the ending credits. All original credit errors have been corrected to maintain accurate spellings throughout the site. For more information and a complete listing of the series staff, visit the Production Guide.

Cast Credits

The cast credits are listed in order of character importance within the series. For more detailed information about the series cast, visit the Cast Guide.

Opening Credits

Ending Credits