The Warrior's Daughter by K8tj17 is a Dragon Ball Alternate Universe Fic.
What if it was Bulla/Bra— not Trunks— that travelled to the past to warn the Z-Fighters of the Androids? In this retelling of the Android Saga, Bulla is forced to fight for the future and reconcile her feelings about her own identity and that of her father's.
It can be read in FF.net
and AO3.
Tropes found in this fanfiction:
- Abusive Parents: Vegeta keeps being as abusive as he was at this point at canon, frequently mocking and threatening Bulla even after finding out about her real identity. When Bulla, who is even less willing to putting with his abuse than Future Trunks, fires back, he complains she does not respect her father.
- Adaptational Badass: As of 2021, canon Bulla/Bra is not interested in fighting or -depending on the universe- she is an average fighter. Here, she is a Super Saiyan.
- Adaptational Early Appearance: In canon, Bulla is born at Age 780 and shows up in the epilogue of the original series. Here, she is born at Age 766 and shows up at the beginning of the Android Arc.
- Adaptational Protagonist: Bra, instead of Trunks, is Vegeta and Bulma's firstborn, and so she's the one who experiences humanity's genocide at the hands of the androids, gets trained by Gohan, and travels to the past to fix it all. In canon, she never even trains as a fighter and is, at best, a minor character. Additionally, the canonical Androids and Cell Arcs focus on Gohan's Character Development while Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks act as supporting cast. Here, the story is told primarily from Bra's perspective and she takes a more active role in both bonding with her father and defeating the androids. Trunks' death in the canon is used to punish Vegeta. Bra's death is a Heroic Sacrifice key to defeating Cell.
- Babies Ever After: At the end, Chi-Chi announces Goku she is pregnant again.
- Back from the Dead: Bulla is wished back to life after the Cell games.
- Boom, Headshot!: Gohan kills Cell by shooting one ki blast through his head. Unfortunately, the energy beam goes also through Bulla's head, who was holding Cell in place to give Gohan a shot at him, aware that it would kill her.
- Brainwashing for the Greater Good: At the end, the Z-Fighters ask Shenron to wipe the Earth's people's memories clean from everything about 17 and 18 so the Androids can start over with a clean slate.
- Curb-Stomp Battle: Bulla knew she could defeat Frieza's forces, but she thought they might pose a threat. They did not."And to think I thought you'd be a challenge," Bulla said disappointingly.
- Heel Realization: When Vegeta sees his daughter dying by Heroic Sacrifice, he realizes how big of an ass he has been.
- Heroic BSoD: Gohan falls into depression after being forced to kill Bulla when fighting Cell. It is so severe that both Chi-Chi and Goku -who hardly ever gets bothered by anything- become worried.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Bulla puts Cell in a chokehold and then shouts Gohan to shoot Cell through the head, aware that the energy beam will also kill her."Gohan!" She screamed. "I can't hold him much longer."
"Bulla, but..." his heart sank.
"Don't worry about me," she said, Cell writhing against her. "Just get him!"
"You'll die!"
"You died for me once," Bulla replied, gritting her teeth. "It's my turn to repay the favor." - Ignored Epiphany: Gero sometimes met Lapis and Lazuli's mother while she was searching for her missing children, and he felt a very brief twinge of remorse... which he proceeded to completely squash down.Gero never returned to that village. Was it relief what washed over him when he found out [their mother] was dead, that she would no longer send search crews every year on the anniversary of their [children] disappearance? Or was it a sense of sadness that he had caused this innocent woman to suffer? He reasoned with himself for many, many years that he had done those kids a favor. He made them elite fighting machines. He gave them a purpose.
- In Spite of a Nail: Despite all changes, Gohan still is the one who kills Cell, Vegeta's child dies during the final battle, and their death leads Vegeta to reconsider his own behavior.
- Kid Hero: Deconstructed. Gohan falls into a depression after killing Cell, and Chi-Chi sadly points out this is exactly what she feared, because young kids should not be forced to fight monsters. And Gohan has been forced into battles since he was four.
- Kill Us Both: In the final battle, only Bulla and Gohan are still standing and able to fight Cell. Unfortunately, their combined might isn't enough. Bulla figures out where all of the Ki that Cell absorbs goes —a weird, pulsing gland in his (now tore-open) head— and decides to restraint him in a chokehold so Gohan can send a Ki attack to pierce Cell's head. This will also pierce hers and they are both aware. Gohan hesitates but Bulla reminds him that it's the only way and that he (in the alternate timeline) died for her too and that she wants to repay the favor. Since Piccolo dies early in the fight, the Dragon Balls won't be available to undo her death.
- Missing Child: Ruby died without finding her missing children, not even finding out what happened to Lapis and Lazuli. It is unlikely that the answer (they were kidnapped and turned into experimental subjects by a revenge-hungry mad scientist) would have reassured her.
- Mook Horror Show: The Frieza Force, who had spent decades spreading fear through the universe, land on Earth but are intercepted by an unknown female. Said female proceeds to transform into Super Saiyan and starts killing them one after another, shrugging off every attack directed against her, as berating them for being a pitiful "challenge".
- My Future Self and Me: As she is staying in her family's house, Bulla meets her baby counterpart.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Gohan falls into a strong depression after Bulla's death, to the point he barely eats anything, prompting his parents' concerned stares.He sat at the table, aimlessly spearing his food. It was unlike him to not eat, and Chi-Chi and Goku looked on with worry.
- "Not So Different" Remark: When Vegeta questions how she can feel sorry for the Androids, Bulla dryly points out they have been turned into weapons to fight in someone else's wars, right like the Saiyans were.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Gohan has a breakdown when fighting Cell. He feels lost and empty, and he barely eats anything. Chi-Chi explains she was opposed to her little boy fighting because she feared this reaction.
- So Proud of You: When Bulma's family is saying goodbye to Bulla, Bulma says she is proud of her incredible daughter. And Vegeta, of all people, says she is a real Saiyan warrior. Bra feels so warmed up she hugs her father.
- Spared by the Adaptation: Goku survives the final battle.
- Supernaturally Young Parent: Due to the vagaries of time-travel, Future Bulla makes it look like her mother got pregnant in her late teenhood.
- Sympathy for the Devil: Bulla, of all people, starts pitying 17 and 18 after reading Gero's diaries and discovering how he turned two runaway kids into biological weapons.
- These Hands Have Killed: Gohan becomes traumatized after being forced to shoot a ki blast through Bulla's head to kill Cell. Not even when she is brought back by the dragon balls and explicitly tells him it was Cell's blame and not his, he stops feeling guilty.
- Time Travel: Bulla travels to the past several times before going back to her own time.
- Title Drop: It happens in the aftermath of the final battle, when Gohan ponders on Bulla's actions.The daughter of Vegeta, the cold and calculated man. The warrior's daughter. She would trade her life for his, for everyone's, and would do it without second guessing.
- "Well Done, Son" Guy: Even though she hates her father's crappy attitude and barely gets along with him, Bulla really yearns for his approval, and she is overjoyed when he says she is a true warrior."You are incredible," she told her daughter. "And I'm so proud of you."
