Why didn't Trunks & Goten have tails?

[mictaliano]

I don't know if this has been answered yet, but why did Gohan have a tail, but Goten and Trunks didn't? They are all 2nd generation saiyens! Has this been explained in the series in any way, shape or form?

[B-kun]

Toriyama stated their tails were removed at birth. Current fan theory is that he forgot about the tails and said that to clear his tracks.

Or maybe we're mean.

But yeah, that's more or less the official answer.

[Akira]

Goku and Chi-chi were away from everyone else after the 23rd Budokai. Son Gohan was born and Ox King was likely the only other person aside from his parents he saw for the first couple years of his life. So no one who knew about Oozaru was around to say anything to them about it.

By the time Son Goten and trunks came along, Bulma knew full well about Oozaru transformations. Chi-chi most likely knew as well (perhaps Bulma or Gohan told her about the transformations).

So story wise thier tails were most likely removed at birth for thier safety, the safety of others and for them to appear as normal humans and fit nto society better. Vegeta was training fo the androids when Trunks was born and was not around to protest such a decision. Goku was dead when Goten was born and also had no say in the matter. Most likely a maternal decision on both counts.

[Xyex]

Toriyama stated their tails were removed at birth. Current fan theory is that he forgot about the tails and said that to clear his tracks.

Or maybe we're mean.

But yeah, that's more or less the official answer.

*slaps B* That's not the reason Toriyama-sama gave. He said that: "Tails are a recessive trait. Goten and Trunks were born without them." Which defies real-world logic since, being recessive, Gohan shouldn't have had one either.

But, ya, it's still the offical reason Recessive trait, not born with tails.

[Duo]

I could get into the whole science behind recessive traits and all that about this...but I've tried it once and it was a big waste of thought.

[Casual Matt]

I could get into the whole science behind recessive traits and all that about this...but I've tried it once and it was a big waste of thought.

Yeah, I've heard good logical reasons of why Goten and Trunks would have to have been born with tails. But I still think they weren't. This is not a show where you want to apply real world logic.

On another note, which was it that Toriyama actually said? And when did he say it?

[Metrite]

I remember in the manga when Kuririn first met baby Trunks he asked what happened to his tail, but we don't get an answer... I guess Toriyama just wanted to leave tells out of the picture and so decided to let everybody come up with their own reasons as to why Goku and Vegeta's tails never naturally came back and Goten and Trunks were never seen to have one.

In that one Shonen Jump that came out a few years ago he was asked why Goten and Trunks didn't have tails and he said, "It would seem tails are a recessive genetic trait." He probably had never even thought about it and just made that up when he was asked. If that's the answer then it just means the chances of half saiya-jin/humans being born without a tail is greater than the chances of them being born with one(that must be how traits work in the DB world, it's obviously not the same as real genetics or it'd be impossible for them to have tails and even 75% of the pure saiya-jins would be tail-less ).

[Kaboom]

Yeah, recessive traits seem to be the best explanation. I'm no expert, but I'll see what I can say. Think about it this way; Gohan, Goten, and Trunks are each half-saiyan, half-human. They each have one fully Saiyan parent, with the genes for a tail, and one fully human parent, with no tail genes. So they've got a 50/50 chance of having or not having a tail. Gohan happened to land in the "tail" half, but Goten and Trunks didn't. So by the same logic, Pan only had a 25% chance of having a tail, and Goku Jr. had who-knows how little, and so on...

[B-kun]

AGH. Thanks, Xyex. X_X S'what I get for being online when, by all logic, I should be sleeping.

Sorry, guys, recessive genes is the right one.

[HP]

^ That's a good point, SSj Kaboom. I simply like to think their tails were removed at birth, though.

[Hero 004]

I agree that it was simply genetics. Trunks and Goten's generation was different than Gohan's in that they were able to transform into Super Saiyans easier at a young age and they were not born with tails.

Half saiyan's mixed blood of human and saiyan gives them special abillities. For Gohan, he was born with a tail and had hidden potential triggered by rage that eventually allowed him to transform into a Super Saiyan 2. The old Kai also saw more hidden power and released it. By GT, Gohan was able to control this special energy and that made his Super Saiyan 2 form even stronger. Trunks and Goten's mixed blood allowed them to naturally be able to control high amounts of power. This advantage allowed them to transform into Super Saiyans. They got used to it since they transformed so early on and never reached Super Saiyan 2 because they were specially skilled as Super Saiyans just as Gohan was skilled as a Super Saiyan 2. Their ability to naturally control high amounts of power was also shown when they shocked Piccolo by transforming into a Super Saiyan 3 even though they were such a young fused warrior.

[DB_Fan]

I also go by the theory that Goten and Trunks were born without tails (Wheter Akira Toriyama forgot them or not). The same applies to Pan and Bra.

[Dayspring]

Trunks' was said to be cut off in the manga.

[Xyex]

Trunks' was said to be cut off in the manga.

Nope. It was asked but Bulma never answered. The manga never said it one way or the other for either of them. It comes down to what Toriyama-sama said in the interview.

[Rocketman]

Yeah, recessive traits seem to be the best explanation. I'm no expert, but I'll see what I can say. Think about it this way; Gohan, Goten, and Trunks are each half-saiyan, half-human. They each have one fully Saiyan parent, with the genes for a tail, and one fully human parent, with no tail genes. So they've got a 50/50 chance of having or not having a tail. Gohan happened to land in the "tail" half, but Goten and Trunks didn't.

That's not how recessive works. Recessive traits only appear if there are no dominant traits masking them.

So, Goku would be 'tt', two recessive 'tail=yes' genes. If ChiChi is anything but 'Tt', with the 'tail=yes' being masked but still able to be passed on, then either Goten would have a tail, or Gohan wouldn't.

So, either tails are not recessive, or ChiChi is part Saiyan.

[Akira]

I studied this stuff in college, and I can tell you the previous poster is correct, the "recessive trait" cannot explain it at all if you understand how genetics work.

Toriyama may have said that once as a joke or maybe he didn't fully understand it. I don't ever remember reading anything about him having said that, but I don't deny it is possible somewhere he said such a thing. The best answer is the one I gave that they knew the dangers of Oozarus and had them removed.

[Tenka-Ichi]

The recessive trait theory can work if "not having a tail" is the recessive trait and both Goku and Vegeta are Tt and both Bula and Chi-Chi are tt. Gohan would have gotten T from Goku and t from Chi-Chi making him Tt, and thus having a tail. Goten would have gotten t from Goku and t from Chi-Chi making him tt, thus no tail, same goes for Trunks but from Vegeta and Bulma.

But Then again, humas don't have a "tail" chromosome, and if saiyans do then that would give them 24 where humans only have 23, making cross-breeding between the two impossible. I say they just had them removed at birth.

[Kodoshin]

Attempting to apply real world science to a fantasy world (where we cannot be sure it applies at all) = headache

[Jerseymilk]

Toriyama may have said that once as a joke or maybe he didn't fully understand it. I don't ever remember reading anything about him having said that, but I don't deny it is possible somewhere he said such a thing.

Taken from the October 12th edition of AskVegettoEX:

Q. Was it ever clarified why Trunks never had a tail like Gohan? - A.P.

A. Sorta kinda... but not in DragonBall. In the first issue of the domestic Shonen Jump (January 2003), a fan asks Toriyama why Goten and Trunks don't have tails, to which Toriyama simply replies:

"It seems that tails are a recessive trait."

What does this mean? One of two things:

1) Toriyama planned this from the start (unlikely), or
2) He forgot about tails by the time he came up with Goten and Trunks, and thus never bothered to explain the details of their tail situation

[Chaos Saiyajin]

I've just always gone with 'They were removed at birth' kinda thing. I dunno...I also believe that Bra and Pan had tails at one point as well...