Tear Jerker / Dragon Ball Super Future Trunks Arc

Please Wake Up...

Let's just get it out of the way up front: the Future Trunks/Goku Black arc of Super might well be the hardest-hitting story arc, in emotional terms, in the entire history of the Dragon Ball franchise. Trunks is the page image of the main Tear Jerker page of Super for a reason, the poor guy.

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As a Moments page, all spoilers are unmarked, as per policy. You Have Been Warned.

Episodes 47-51

Episode 47

• The segment at the end of Episode 46 and the episode preview for Episode 47 just shows you how dark and heart-wrenching the saga is going to be. After the world was thought to be in peace after Future Trunks killed Imperfect Cell and the Androids, we see him running in panic from a shadowy threat (possibly Goku Black). Even the music is different ... instead of the upbeat one we usually get, we get a tragic one that really drives the point home. Future Trunks is even shown crying at one point, and Future Bulma is nowhere to be seen in any promotional material for the saga ...
• We also see who's presumed to be Future Mai during it, judging how she's just by herself, it's heavily implying that in this timeline Pilaf and Shu are dead and she's the only one left. Considering how the three were always together throughout Dragon Ball, that's rather sad to see.
• Episode 47 proper is just as tragic as expected. Black Goku kills Future Bulma right in front of Future Trunks, if obscured by shadows, and shoots Future Mai with a Ki blast... and he doesn't even know she barely survived that.
• To make it worse for Future Trunks, the person destroying his world and killing his precious few remaining love ones looks exactly like Goku all way down to his actual voice. The person he traveled back in time to save, fight alongside, and even gave his life to protect his world, is now the face of the person killing everyone.
  • As bad as that is for Trunks, it has to be far worse for Future Bulma. Goku and her were extremely close, with Bulma being Goku's first friend since his grandfather died. The Goku of this time is long dead, taken away by a heart virus, and thus couldn't save them when the androids attacked. Bulma built the time machine not only to warn the others in the past about the androids, but also to give Goku the medicine to the virus that will eventually kill him. Although present Goku still dies, he died on his terms. Now, after all these years, when sees her childhood friend alive again, he's a mass-murderer who ends up destroying the world even worse than the androids. It is also the final face she sees as Black Goku kills her.
  • It's arguably even worse in the English dub; Bulma actively screams in desperation at Trunks to flee Black before she gets killed.
  • The people of Earth got it just as bad. Keep in mind, these are the same people who survived the androids. They all experienced the terror of being hunted and reduced to playthings by two cyborg punks and managed to survive. Now, just when they are finally moving on from that nightmare and rebuilding their broken world, this horrendous bastard comes out of nowhere and destroys it all, and unlike the androids, he doesn't screw around with it. While the androids were terrible, they kept humanity alive for almost twenty-years since killing humans was a game to them. Humans were allowed to somewhat live since the humans still went to amusement parks, shop, eat decently, and got the news. Even Cell kept himself on the down low since he was eating people to build power. Black Goku doesn't just let his presence be known, he patrols the skies looking for people to kill and rain destruction on cities. Those who do survive can barely find food, and are reduced to eating cat and dog food. The people of Earth survived one nightmare and was plunged into an even worse nightmare. To add even more bitterness, when Goku Black attacked the Earth, we see a city still under repair from the android attack.
    • To highlight the sorry state of things, we go from one the series many Food Porn scenes, this one involving Beerus, Whis, Goku, and Vegeta enjoying fresh lettuce and ramen, to Mai and Trunks sharing an old tin of meat. Its stated to be a big deal because its not pet food. When its opened it looks expired and raw, but Mai and Trunks are uplifted by it anyway.

Episode 48

• Something must be said if Future Trunks's first thing to do upon waking up in the present timeline is try to beat the living shit out of Goku. Trunks must've been so traumatized by Black that his mind can't even tell the difference between Goku and Black (and it doesn't help that last Future Trunks knew, the real Goku was dead and didn't want to come back). He's immediately haunted by the events of Black killing Future Bulma and Future Mai, and everyone (even Beerus and Whis) watched in horror as Trunks lashed out. What makes this sadder is that Goku was initially the first person that Future Trunks befriended... and even when he was looking for allies (when escaping from Black), he remembered Goku, Gohan, and Vegeta.

Episode 49

• Future Trunks crying when he sees present time Bulma. He literally falls to his knees and is close to tears. After seeing his mother murdered by Black Goku, you can fully understand why he reacts like this. He also feels pain when he sees present time Mai for similar reasons.

Episode 50

• This episode continues to lay the hurt on poor Trunks. After his time machine is destroyed, Trunks looks so miserable and whispers that he's failed everyone in his time.

Episode 51

• The episode also lays into us the revelation that Vegeta also took Future Bulma's death hard. And he is angry, despite what his poker face displays. It's to the point that he intends to seek out and kill Goku Black in retribution for his inexcusable crime.

Episodes 52-56

Episode 52

• After meeting Gohan's family, and seeing how happy they are, Trunks lets himself imagine what his life might have been like had Black not come into the picture: a peaceful life with his mother and Mai. It's enough to bring him to tears, since as far as he knows, it's no longer possible in his timeline.
• Trunks realizing how happy Gohan is, and choosing not to disturb his tranquility.

Episode 53

• In an episode mostly filled with humorous moments, Trunks' reaction to Present Android 18. He immediately draws his sword, and is 100% ready to kill her before Krillin hurriedly stops him. Kid has very clearly got some PTSD. Luckily 18 understands, and jokes with Trunks a little, but Trunks obviously looks very stressed out the entire time.

Episode 54

Episode 55

Episode 56

Episodes 57-61

Episode 57

• Future Mai sending Goku, Vegeta, and Future Trunks, who are all injured, back to the present timeline with the time machine. Before they depart, Future Trunks gets very worked up as of why Mai is not leaving with them. He does not want to leave her a second time, especially in the hell that is the future timeline.

Episode 58

• The episode gives us the absolutely crestfallen expressions of the Resistance members once news spreads that their greatest hope to defeat Black, Trunks and his companions, were defeated handily, could be hard to bear. Doubly so when even Mai's impassioned Rousing Speech doesn't seem to work on them anymore.

Episode 59

• The episode gives us Gowasu's betrayed and hurt expression when Whis and the gang expose Zamasu's attempt to murder him for his Time Ring. The elder Kai genuinely believed that Zamasu had changed his stance on mortals and went back to the non-interventionalist ways of the Kai. It only gets worse when Goku tells Zamasu of all the horrible things his future counterpart has done and Zamasu displays no remorse whatsoever, actually expressing pride in the fact that his genocidal dreams have come to fruition.
• In a very weird way, Zamasu's subsequent demise at Beerus' hands can also be seen as this. Yes, he was a psychopathic xenophobe and wholeheartedly deserved his fate, but he was still a prodigy Kai who would soon be Gowasu's successor as the Supreme Kai of Universe 10. Had he learned to overcome his hatred of mortals, he probably would have been a great Supreme Kai. It's such a shame to see such potential wasted. The scene is made all the more tragic by the fact that even Gowasu expresses sorrow over his death despite everything Zamasu had done.
  Gowasu: Not to be...

Episode 60

• The episode reveals Goku Black's true origin. He is essentially a Zamasu from another timeline who ultimately resorts to killing Goku after switching bodies. The gravity of this doesn't truly hit until you realize there's ANOTHER timeline where Goku died... but unlike where he went out peacefully like with the heart virus, here, he got viciously obliterated and got to die knowing that this monster is going to kill everyone he knows and loves while wearing his skin.

Episode 61

• When Black and Zamasu cornered Goku, Black taunts him with the fact that after switching bodies, he immediately went to kill Goku in his original body then went to kill Chi-Chi and Goten. Goku was so pissed from the fact that Zamasu had stolen his body and killed them with said body he briefly went berserk, but that wasn't enough to avenge them. It's sadder when we remember the last time he went this berserk, it really didn't do anything.
• Trunks on the other hand, refused to go down and went to his Rage Breaking Point because Black and Zamasu told him because of his time-traveling that everything was his fault. He got so pissed that he transformed into a new form of Super Saiyan, where his aura bares gold and blue colors all while obtaining pure white eyes.
• The final moments of the alternate Chichi and Goten were the horrific sight of someone using Goku's body to murder him in cold blood. When Chichi tries to get her son away from Zamasu, we get an obscured scene of Chichi and Goten screaming as Zamasu murders them as well.
• Future Zamasu's reaction to Goku Black killing Gowasu. Sure, Zamasu wanted to eventually kill him, but he looked devastated when he sees his master slain under himself. He might have had his own agenda, but Zamasu did seem to care about Gowasu to an extent.

Episodes 62-67

Episode 62

Episode 63

• Gowasu seeing Future Zamasu and Goku Black, the extent of his student's evil sinking into him for the first time. He outright collapses when the duo tell him that they have destroyed the Super Dragon Balls, throwing away any chance of redemption in the process.

Episode 64

• Future Zamasu grabs Bulma by the neck, causing Trunks to mentally relive the moment of his own mother's death. Though it becomes a Moment of Awesome when Trunks uses the Evil Containment Wave in a rage.

Episode 65

• It's a subtle thing, but the episode reveals that Kame House survives in the future, and its sole remaining inhabitant is Turtle. While this may seem like a heartwarming fact, you now realize that of the original cast of Dragon Ball, Turtle, Yajirobe, and Android 8 are the only survivors in this timeline. On top of that, Turtle had to live alone without the presence of Master Roshi, his best friend.
• Speaking of future Android 8, the fact that he's by himself implies that poor Snow is likely dead. Though whether she died because of the androids or Black is unknown.
• When Fused Zamasu launches a finishing attack on Trunks, Vegeta throws himself in front of the blast to save his son. A moment that shows how far his Character Development has come from when he first met Trunks, let alone his very first appearance.

Episode 66

• The episode brings Zamasu's descent into madness and all-consuming self-righteousness to a head with his own arrogance coming back to bite him and reducing him to exactly what he sought to destroy: a barbaric savage concerned only with destruction. This isn't too bad since he had it all coming, but one brief image adds another aspect to Zamasu's downfall that hasn't ever been seen in any major Dragon Ball villain: he reflects on everything he's had to do to get this far, and starts to cry tears of dismay. In spite of how elated he was to have achieved almighty power and come to the cusp of winning, Zamasu actually takes a moment to visibly show regret for everything he's done, showing that he actually does acknowledge that what he's doing is evil, even if he wouldn't dare stop. In contrast to the slew of shamelessly evil villains that Dragon Ball has had up until now, Zamasu is a Knight Templar whose own morals have reduced him to a monster. And he knows it. And he doesn't like it.
• Gowasu's words about Zamasu's Half-Corrupted Form, wondering if such a hideous, insane, and corrupted form was truly what his student was seeking. The statement is not delivered with any bitterness or anger, but rather a quiet wistfulness, as if Gowasu is truly saddened above all else to see his once naive yet pious pupil turned into a mockery of who he once was. The English Dub takes it further, bringing an And Then What? to the equation even. This statement sums up just what the true conclusion of Project Zero Mortals would be; and truly makes one wonder: was it all really worth it, even for a heartless bastard like Zamasu?
  Gowasu: Zamasu seeks beauty, yet look at his body, distorted by hatred and rage. I wonder...is that really the result that he craved? A broken, misshapen god alone in a vacant cosmos? How fulfilled will he be then?

Episode 67

• We have in our hands the first Pyrrhic Victory for the heroes. In the end, even though it cost him his very sentience and existence, Zamasu won, and there are no more mortals, and through Future Zen-Oh's intervention, no more Earth, or Universe, or future timeline. Future Trunks has truly lost everything. The only thing that makes it a Bittersweet Ending is that Zamasu is stopped from infecting the present, and possibly other, timelines.
  • This is made worse if you remember Future Android 8, and his village were also destroyed. People were happy to see them alive... and now they are dead. Gone.
  • Even worse. Remember, afterlife in this franchise is physical. So, it was also destroyed. Future Trunks and Mai won't see their friends and loved ones again, even after death.
  • It's even a serious case of Dramatic Irony, summed up best by Wiz and Boomstick in DEATH BATTLE!:
    Wiz: It took Zen-Oh — the Omni-King, the most powerful being in all of creation — to step in and erase that entire timeline just to stop Black's rampage. How... ironic. Zamasu's higher calling was the eradication of all mortal life in the entire universe, and he stole the strongest mortal's body to do it. But in the end, he was always doomed to fail. His quest for power meant nothing against a being that would always be stronger no matter what he did or who he was.
    Boomstick: And the universe ended up being destroyed anyway. It's like one big cosmic joke, with no one left to laugh at it.
• Future Mai's cries of anguish upon learning that everyone she and Trunks had fought to protect from Black's rampage are dead, rendering all their efforts to save what was left of their world for naught.
  Future Mai: It can't be... they can't be! (begins shooting at Infinite Zamasu, to zero effect) No, no, NO! What have you done to them, you son of a bitch!? They were innocent people just trying to hang on! After all that, they can't be dead!
• By the end of the episode, as Future Trunks and Future Mai travel to a better future, Trunks catches a glance of Gohan, who arrived to see him off. Trunks then bursts into tears, remembering his timeline's Gohan, and he can't help but to beat himself up over the thought that he failed to protect the world his mentor left behind.
• Gowasu lamenting how everything turned out, seeing the new Time Ring as his sin. The poor man tried to train his pupil for good, but only ended up destroying an entire timeline. He seriously needs a hug.
  "I failed you, Zamasu. We both did."

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