Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by Dragon Ball Ireland » Mon May 17, 2021 2:41 pm

People want an in-universe explanation because it's just sloppy to leave it as is, especially when you consider Bulma pointed it out and new animations of moments from the Trunks special are retconned to give him blue hair. They were clearly acknowledging it, so there's no reason we couldn't have had just a throwaway line to explain it.

It's also frustrating because historically Toriyama has always done illustrations of Trunks with blue hair for the anime. TOEI always corrected this, because Trunks' hair was purple in the manga, but in the Goku Black arc they changed it.

Super has major issues. Trunks hair isn't one of them, but the unprecedented nature of the change does make it jarring.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by ABED » Mon May 17, 2021 5:28 pm

Some want everything to fit together like a puzzle so that's why they want things overly explained so inconsistencies can become consistent, regardless of whether it matters that much to or on the other end, the narrative has to bend over backwards to explain silly inconsistencies.
It's a dumb change and didn't need to be done. Everything about it either insults the intelligence of the viewer or needlessly confuses them.
Or it's just an inconsistency. How does that confuse anyone?
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by super michael » Mon May 17, 2021 5:48 pm

ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 5:28 pm Some want everything to fit together like a puzzle so that's why they want things overly explained so inconsistencies can become consistent, regardless of whether it matters that much to or on the other end, the narrative has to bend over backwards to explain silly inconsistencies.
It's a dumb change and didn't need to be done. Everything about it either insults the intelligence of the viewer or needlessly confuses them.
Or it's just an inconsistency. How does that confuse anyone?
That isn't inconstistency, that is a total retcon. They literally have Bulma asking if the person inside the time machine has blue hair, while Present Trunks has purple hair. There was no reason for Bulma to assume that Future Trunks has blue hair.

At least if they have Future Trunks dying his hair after Bulma dies or have Trunks time travel affect his hair it wouldn't feel like a retcon.

When Krillin hair grew in the Buu Saga, Gohan pointed out that he grew his hair after Cell defeat. In the tournament Goku even ask if Krillin was bold, which Krillin replied that he just shaved his head. That right there is good writing.

DBS Future Trunks retcon is anything but good writing.
Last edited by super michael on Mon May 17, 2021 6:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by ABED » Mon May 17, 2021 6:09 pm

Oh no, a retcon. Whatever will we do?
That right there is good writing.
It's not because it's just explaining things. It's not about emotion or building something towards some payoff, you know, the actual point of fiction.At the very least it's a sentence then the story moves forward. You are making mountains out of molehills.

And Kuririn growing out his hair is NOT the same thing at all.
Last edited by ABED on Mon May 17, 2021 6:13 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by super michael » Mon May 17, 2021 6:12 pm

A story should be consistant and not retcon things out of laziness. This retcon was not needed at all.

When Future Trunks appeared, people thought that was a different Future Trunks than the one from DBZ like another alternate time line.

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by ABED » Mon May 17, 2021 6:15 pm

super michael wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:12 pm A story should be consistant and not retcon things out of laziness. This retcon was not needed at all.
They don't need to be and if they are, it's hardly the worst thing in the world if it's trivial stuff like hair color. The issue is when it's retconning the character stuff. This is surface level detail.

And this feels less like a retcon and more of a garden variety inconsistency. Little Trunks and Future Trunks don't have the same hair color. A retcon would be saying "his hair was always blue, didn't you know, audience?"
The biggest truths aren't original. The truth is ketchup. It's Jim Belushi. Its job isn't to blow our minds. It's to be within reach.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by super michael » Mon May 17, 2021 6:27 pm

ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:15 pm
super michael wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:12 pm A story should be consistant and not retcon things out of laziness. This retcon was not needed at all.
They don't need to be and if they are, it's hardly the worst thing in the world if it's trivial stuff like hair color. The issue is when it's retconning the character stuff. This is surface level detail.

And this feels less like a retcon and more of a garden variety inconsistency. Little Trunks and Future Trunks don't have the same hair color. A retcon would be saying "his hair was always blue, didn't you know, audience?"
While your right it is very minor and you are right to say it is only surface level detail, that doesn't change there is no excuse. Unlike with Vegeta red/brown hair Toei at that time didn't know Saiyans would have black hair or what Vegeta hair was actually at the time, since the manga has no color at all.

Someone mentioned Master Roshi Gi was retconned from red to orange, although I can't verify this since I don't know when the change happens. However Goku in Fortune Teller Baba he gets new clothes since his old clothes got destroyed.
So I can't say if it is a retcon or Goku just got new clothes.

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by ABED » Mon May 17, 2021 6:37 pm

Just chalk it up to an inconsistency of some type and move on. Will the explanation really make you rethink the quality of the writing?
The biggest truths aren't original. The truth is ketchup. It's Jim Belushi. Its job isn't to blow our minds. It's to be within reach.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by BWri » Mon May 17, 2021 7:16 pm

ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 5:28 pm Some want everything to fit together like a puzzle so that's why they want things overly explained so inconsistencies can become consistent, regardless of whether it matters that much to or on the other end, the narrative has to bend over backwards to explain silly inconsistencies.
It's a dumb change and didn't need to be done. Everything about it either insults the intelligence of the viewer or needlessly confuses them.
Or it's just an inconsistency. How does that confuse anyone?
The rest of the post you quoted explains how it's confusing. I understand you're willing to accept it, but for it to exist in the 1st place when there's a 30 year precedent for it not to exist makes it a glaring issue and not just some small inconsistency. But someone else said it's not a major issue or rather something that makes Super unwatchable or breaks it in some way and I agree. It's just something that's superbly dumb, distracting, and unnecessary.
ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:37 pm Just chalk it up to an inconsistency of some type and move on. Will the explanation really make you rethink the quality of the writing?
That's the whole point. The blue hair and the treatment as if it's been there the whole time brings attention to the writing, thus taking you out of the story. And yes, the way this is handled, is bad writing especially when the images don't line up with what the story is trying to tell us. Showing purple hair in a flashback then pretending the character has always had blue hair is ... stupid. There's better words, but might as well call a spade a spade.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by WittyUsername » Mon May 17, 2021 7:25 pm

ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:37 pm Just chalk it up to an inconsistency of some type and move on. Will the explanation really make you rethink the quality of the writing?
The problem is that it’s an extremely glaring inconsistency that easily could’ve been avoided. It’s by no means a big deal, but it’s kind of baffling that no one bothered to correct that.

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by ABED » Mon May 17, 2021 8:44 pm

WittyUsername wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 7:25 pm
ABED wrote: Mon May 17, 2021 6:37 pm Just chalk it up to an inconsistency of some type and move on. Will the explanation really make you rethink the quality of the writing?
The problem is that it’s an extremely glaring inconsistency that easily could’ve been avoided. It’s by no means a big deal, but it’s kind of baffling that no one bothered to correct that.
I absolutely agree but it's a hair color so I simply think "why?" and quickly move on.
is bad writing
It's stupid but not bad writing.
The rest of the post you quoted explains how it's confusing.
It doesn't because people understand it even if it's ridiculous. It's just an inconsistent hair color.
The biggest truths aren't original. The truth is ketchup. It's Jim Belushi. Its job isn't to blow our minds. It's to be within reach.
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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by UpFromTheSkies » Mon May 17, 2021 10:04 pm

Toriyama probably forgot his original hair color while making the concept art for Super, and Toriyama is a part of the Dragon Ball universe, so that's technically an in-universe explanation. 😄

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by Aim » Tue May 18, 2021 8:01 am

super michael wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 4:30 pm It is bad that they retconned Future Trunks to never having purple hair, since that is how he was introduced. We even have DBS show Future Trunks with purple hair. They even retconned Future Trunks hair when Future Gohan was alive.

They could have done a in-universe explanation like Future Trunks dyed his hair blue to remember his mum or a certain experiment caused his hair to turn blue or too much time travel.

Doing a retcon is just really lazy, it shows that he doesn't care for details.

Imagine if they change Goku into a fat guy with pink hair, that wouldn't make any sense. Then they change Goku as a kid into a fat kid with pink hair and pink tail.
I personally think it would have been better if they made it so his hair changed from age, like how some people start off blonde then end up becoming more brown haired as they age.

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Re: Why do people want an in-universe explanation why Future Trunks hair changed from purple to blue?

Post by super michael » Tue May 18, 2021 8:06 am

Aim wrote: Tue May 18, 2021 8:01 am
super michael wrote: Sun May 16, 2021 4:30 pm It is bad that they retconned Future Trunks to never having purple hair, since that is how he was introduced. We even have DBS show Future Trunks with purple hair. They even retconned Future Trunks hair when Future Gohan was alive.

They could have done a in-universe explanation like Future Trunks dyed his hair blue to remember his mum or a certain experiment caused his hair to turn blue or too much time travel.

Doing a retcon is just really lazy, it shows that he doesn't care for details.

Imagine if they change Goku into a fat guy with pink hair, that wouldn't make any sense. Then they change Goku as a kid into a fat kid with pink hair and pink tail.
I personally think it would have been better if they made it so his hair changed from age, like how some people start off blonde then end up becoming more brown haired as they age.
That would have been perfect since aging would normally change one hair. Just look at Paragus he got white/grey hair, they didn't retcon to Paragus always having white hair. He got white/grey due to his old age.

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