Where the Hell does the Trunks who killed Cell come from?

[hleV]

Timeline 3 Trunks goes back to Timeline 1, doesn't get killed because Timeline 1 Cell isn't there to kill him, and comes back to Timeline 3.

What do you mean Cell isn't there to kill him? If H3 Trunks goes to H1 (which H1 Trunks does as well when he goes back from H2, meaning that either one overwrites another or that it doesn't make any sense to begin with), they both arrive at the same time. And at that point in time Cell still hadn't travelled to H3.

[rereboy]

Okay I have a question. So saying that Timeline 4 was created after Trunks attempted travelling from Timeline 3 to Timeline 1 following the Cell Games. Shouldn't there have already been a paradox when Trunks went back to his "own time" after giving Goku the warning in timeline 3? At that point Cell was already on earth in Timeline 3 in his shell meaning the events that lead to Goku and the others training in the Time Chamber were already set to happen which would also mean that Timeline 4 was already set to happen and therefore could have existed already. Anyway I'm getting confused.

It depends on how we see it. The paradox could have been created when Trunks goes back the first time and Timeline 4 is created at that moment. Hoever, since Trunks doesn't do anything differently the events of the Timeline only start to differ when Trunks comes back the second time so its possible that an actual paradox was only created on the second time.

Personally, I tend to believe that the paradox was created in the first voyage, but the differences only become clear after he comes back the second time.

[B]

Timeline 3 Trunks goes back to Timeline 1, doesn't get killed because Timeline 1 Cell isn't there to kill him, and comes back to Timeline 3.

What do you mean Cell isn't there to kill him? If H3 Trunks goes to H1 (which H1 Trunks does as well when he goes back from H2, meaning that either one overwrites another or that it doesn't make any sense to begin with), they both arrive at the same time. And at that point in time Cell still hadn't travelled to H3.

You have to remember H3 is a copy of H2, and H1 is independent. H3 Trunks isn't going to run into H2 Trunks when they both attempt to return to H1 because in H3, all of the H1 business has happened. Cell is there in H3. He already killed H1 Trunks. There's nothing in H1 that can happen to H3/Series Trunks, save for running into the Androids, which we know he doesn't, because he takes care of them in H4.

[GogetaSSJ2]

Wait a sec hold the phone...theres a 4th timeline?

[GogetaSSJ2]

Dear lord. there are three, possibly more things I don't get.

1) Cell traveling back in time a year before Trunks results in the main timeline/Timeline 3. I'm following everything until right here. What happens when a year goes by and Trunks arrives to kill Freeza in Timeline 3; wouldn't that create a new timeline? It's not a problem in Timeline 2, where supposedly there's no Cell...
2) What timeline does the Trunks who comes back to Timeline 3 when the three years are up come from?
3) Timeline 1/?/Main Series Future Trunks leaves Timeline 3 after the Cell Games and creates Timeline 4. So... the scene when Trunks is running towards Bulma at the end of the Cell arc... this is Timeline 4, and the Bulma Timeline 1 is... left alone forever wondering what happened?

EDIT: This is so confusing but I think this topic's original question is my #2; can't be sure!

Or is there? How do we know if there is no Cell in that timeline? It should make sense for a Cell to exist in that timeline since Cell already exists in the original timeline and every other timeline created had their own Cell too. Sounds like the Cell in Timeline 2 was never resolved or the DBZ crew had to find out the hard way that Cell exists if they got no warning of any kind...

[Puto]

Well, yeah. In Timeline 2, presumably Cell wakes up 30 years later and gets obliterated by the fighters, who're probably at GT-level by then.

[andrewtuell1991]

Okay, I think I'm finally close to understanding this whole time traveling/split timeline mess. Let's try this; instead of tracking the history of the individual timelines, I'm gonna list the different Trunks', Cells, and Androids and show you where I disagree.

The Cells
*T1 Cell - The one who kills T1 Trunks and travels to T3 where he gradually grows into the Cell most of us think of. He is killed by SSJ2 Gohan.

*T2 Cell - Not much is known of this Cell or any of the 2nd Timeline for that matter. He either a) dies the same way as T3 Cell or b) as Puto's post suggests, eventually grew to 1st form Cell but got curb-stomped by GT-level Goku and co.

*T3 Cell - This Cell was the one killed by Kuririn and T4(?) Trunks in Dr. Gero's basement.

*T4 Cell - The Cell killed by Post-Rosat Trunks at the end of the Cell arc.

The Androids
*T1 Androids - Only 17 and 18. Were somehow killed by T1 Trunks who then tried to travel back to T2 to tell Goku and co. but was killed by T1 Cell.

*T2 Androids - Again, not much is known about this mysterious 2nd Timeline.

*T3 Androids - 16-20. The ones seen in the manga/anime

*T4 Androids - Only 17 and 18. Killed by Post-Rosat Trunks at the end of the Cell arc.

The Trunks'
*T1 Trunks - The one from the 2nd TV Special/Extra Chapter. He travels to T2 to warn Goku and co. of the impeding doom. He apparently found a way to kill the T1 Androids and then tried to travel back to the T2 timeline to tell Goku and co. but was killed by T1 Cell.

*T2 Trunks - Again, not much is known about this mysterious 2nd Timeline. Probably grew up similar to T3 Trunks.

*T3 Trunks - Grew up to be cocky Kid Trunks. Better known as being one-half of Gotenks.

*T4 Trunks - Very similar to T1 Trunks. This Trunks, I believe, was the one who warned the T3 Z-Warriors about the Androids. He is also the one who re-appears after SSJ Vegeta kills 19.

While I mostly agree with rereboy and Marco Polo's charts, the one thing I disagree with is the creation of the 4th Timeline. My theory is this: When T1 Cell killed T1 Trunks and travel to T3 Timeline, he created a clone of T2 Timeline and thus created 2 Future Trunks. One Trunks (T1) arrived in a timeline where Cell hadn't appeared one year before (the unknown T2 Timeline), and a 2nd Future Trunks (T4) arrived in a timeline where Cell had appeared one year prior (the main T3 manga/anime timeline). When T4 Trunks tried to return to his native timeline, a copy of the T1 timeline was created to avoid the paradox of two Future Trunks' existing.

So what do you guys think? Where am I right and where am I wrong? Any suggestions of your own?

[GogetaSSJ2]

Okay, I think I'm finally close to understanding this whole time traveling/split timeline mess. Let's try this; instead of tracking the history of the individual timelines, I'm gonna list the different Trunks', Cells, and Androids and show you where I disagree.

The Cells
*T1 Cell - The one who kills T1 Trunks and travels to T3 where he gradually grows into the Cell most of us think of. He is killed by SSJ2 Gohan.

*T2 Cell - Not much is known of this Cell or any of the 2nd Timeline for that matter. He either a) dies the same way as T3 Cell or b) as Puto's post suggests, eventually grew to 1st form Cell but got curb-stomped by GT-level Goku and co.

*T3 Cell - This Cell was the one killed by Kuririn and T4(?) Trunks in Dr. Gero's basement.

*T4 Cell - The Cell killed by Post-Rosat Trunks at the end of the Cell arc.

The Androids
*T1 Androids - Only 17 and 18. Were somehow killed by T1 Trunks who then tried to travel back to T2 to tell Goku and co. but was killed by T1 Cell.

*T2 Androids - Again, not much is known about this mysterious 2nd Timeline.

*T3 Androids - 16-20. The ones seen in the manga/anime

*T4 Androids - Only 17 and 18. Killed by Post-Rosat Trunks at the end of the Cell arc.

The Trunks'
*T1 Trunks - The one from the 2nd TV Special/Extra Chapter. He travels to T2 to warn Goku and co. of the impeding doom. He apparently found a way to kill the T1 Androids and then tried to travel back to the T2 timeline to tell Goku and co. but was killed by T1 Cell.

*T2 Trunks - Again, not much is known about this mysterious 2nd Timeline. Probably grew up similar to T3 Trunks.

*T3 Trunks - Grew up to be cocky Kid Trunks. Better known as being one-half of Gotenks.

*T4 Trunks - Very similar to T1 Trunks. This Trunks, I believe, was the one who warned the T3 Z-Warriors about the Androids. He is also the one who re-appears after SSJ Vegeta kills 19.

While I mostly agree with rereboy and Marco Polo's charts, the one thing I disagree with is the creation of the 4th Timeline. My theory is this: When T1 Cell killed T1 Trunks and travel to T3 Timeline, he created a clone of T2 Timeline and thus created 2 Future Trunks. One Trunks (T1) arrived in a timeline where Cell hadn't appeared one year before (the unknown T2 Timeline), and a 2nd Future Trunks (T4) arrived in a timeline where Cell had appeared one year prior (the main T3 manga/anime timeline). When T4 Trunks tried to return to his native timeline, a copy of the T1 timeline was created to avoid the paradox of two Future Trunks' existing.

So what do you guys think? Where am I right and where am I wrong? Any suggestions of your own?

Sure lets go with it. I've had enough of this mindf*ck of a topic