Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks
Region 1 VHS Cover
ドラゴンボールZ(ゼット) 絶望への反抗!!残された超戦士・悟飯とトランクス
(Doragon Bōru Zetto Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi • Gohan to Torankusu)
Anime television film
Directed byYoshihiro Ueda
Written byHiroshi Toda
Music byShunsuke Kikuchi
StudioToei Animation
Licensed by
Original networkFuji TV
English network
ReleasedFebruary 24, 1993
Runtime48 minutes

Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, known in Japan as Dragon Ball Z: Defiance in the Face of Despair!! The Remaining Super-Warriors: Gohan and Trunks (Japanese: ドラゴンボールZ(ゼット) 絶望への反抗!!残された超戦士・悟飯とトランクス, Hepburn: Doragon Bōru Zetto Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta Chō-Senshi • Gohan to Torankusu) is a TV special anime based on Akira Toriyama's Dragon Ball manga series. Originally airing in Japan on February 24, 1993, between episodes 175 and 176, the special is based on an extra chapter of the manga series. It depicts the original post-apocalyptic future in which Goku dies from the heart virus and a teenage Trunks tries to defeat Androids 17 and 18 (native name:人造人間), biologically-enhanced humans who were originally programmed to murder Goku and his allies, before their immense destructive power destroys the Earth completely.

Plot

In an alternate timeline, Goku succumbs to a viral heart disease. Goku's death, being the result of natural causes, means that he can no longer be revived with the Dragon Balls. Six months later, Piccolo, Vegeta, Krillin, Tien Shinhan, Yamcha, and Chiaotzu are killed by Android 17 and Android 18. With the death of Piccolo, Earth's guardian, Kami, dies as well and the Dragon Balls are permanently rendered unusable, making it impossible for anyone to be revived.

Thirteen years later, most of humanity has been killed by the androids who routinely terrorize the planet, while Gohan, the sole survivor of the battle, repeatedly fails to defeat them despite having achieved the Super Saiyan transformation. He decides to train Trunks, the adolescent son of Vegeta and Bulma, who struggles to become a Super Saiyan. The two confront the androids together only to be defeated, with Gohan losing his arm in the process. After recovering from his injuries, Gohan challenges the androids by himself and is killed. Enraged by the death of his master, Trunks finally becomes a Super Saiyan.

Three years pass and Trunks fights the androids by himself only to be defeated once again. After recovering from his injuries, Trunks uses Bulma's newly-made time machine to travel twenty years back and give Goku the cure for his heart virus, hoping to discover something in the past that will help them defeat the androids when he returns.

Cast

Character name Japanese voice actor English voice actor
(Funimation, 2000 - original/2008 - remastered) (AB Group, c. 2003)[1]
Trunks Takeshi Kusao (teen)
Hiromi Tsuru (baby)		Eric Vale (teen)
Stephanie Nadolny (baby)		Doug Rand (teen)
Jodi Forrest (baby)
Gohan Masako NozawaDameon Clarke (future)
Stephanie Nadolny (child)		David Gasman (adult)
Jodi Forrest (child)
Android 17Shigeru NakaharaChuck HuberDoug Rand
Android 18Miki ItōMeredith McCoySharon Mann
Bulma Hiromi Tsuru Tiffany Vollmer Bloomer
Sharon Mann
Ox-KingDaisuke GōriMark Britten (original)
Kyle Hebert (re-dub)		Paul Bandey
Chi-ChiNaoko WatanabeCynthia CranzSharon Mann
Krillin Mayumi Tanaka Sonny Strait Clearin
Sharon Mann
Vegeta Ryō Horikawa Christopher R. Sabat Vejita
Doug Rand
Piccolo Toshio Furukawa Big Green
Ed Marcus
Tenshinhan Hirotaka Suzuoki Tien Shinhan Tenshin
John BurgmeierSharon Mann
Yamcha Tōru Furuya Christopher R. SabatDoug Rand
Kame Sennin Kōhei Miyauchi Master Roshi Ed Marcus
Mike McFarland
Puar Naoko WatanabeMonika AntonelliJodi Forrest
Oolong Naoki TatsutaBrad M. JacksonDavid Gasman
Turtle Daisuke GōriChristopher R. SabatEd Marcus
Announcer Shinobu SatouchiUnknownDavid Gasman
ShopkeeperShinichiro Ohta
ClerkKazunari Tanaka
WomanNaomi NagasawaSharon Mann
NarratorJōji YanamiDale D. Kelly (original)
Kyle Hebert (re-dub)		Ed Marcus

Notes

Goku is listed in the credits of this special, despite not having any lines.

Music

Funimation soundtrack

The following songs were present in the English version of Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks, as well as its accompanying soundtrack CD, with exception to most of Dream Theater's music, "Home" being the only track showcased in the soundtrack from them and "Prelude" by Slaughter. The soundtrack also contained remixes of other songs.

  1. Bootsy Collins with Buckethead - Shackler
  2. Neck Down - Garden of Grace
  3. Triprocket - Immigrant Song
  4. Dream Theater - Regression
  5. Dream Theater - Overture 1928
  6. Dream Theater - Fatal Tragedy
  7. Dream Theater - Through Her Eyes
  8. Dream Theater - Home
  9. Dream Theater - The Dance of Eternity
  10. Dream Theater - Beyond This Life
  11. Slaughter - Prelude
  12. Slaughter - Unknown Destination

However, the TV special on Double Feature, there is an alternate audio track containing the English dub with original Japanese background music by Shunsuke Kikuchi.

Reception

Anime News Network's reviewer Chris Shepard stated: "It is interesting... Gohan and Trunks are both understandable characters who I was really able to get into and sympathize for during their battles" but also felt a "good understanding of the happenings of the TV series is recommended". He also felt that the action sequences were exceptional and did not "overdo themselves". He expressed some disappointment in the English dub as the storyline sounded "completely alien" to the Japanese subtitles. For his final grade he noted "[the] Dub doesn't contain the original music... [it] isn't true to the original" but was pleased overall.[2]

John Sinnott of DVDTalk praised the television special, seeing it as being separate from the other episodes of Dragon Ball. He believed this to be a positive attribute. Regarding the Blu-ray release of the film he was less impressed with the color and aspect ratio, citing them as not particularly "exciting". However he expressed joy at Funimation leaving the original Japanese soundtrack and the English voice dubs in, describing them as "enveloping". For fans of Dragon Ball he recommended watching the episode as it "worked a lot better than the average theatrical film since they follow DBZ continuity and expand the story while filling in details". Like Shepard the Sinnott review advised those who are not familiar to the Dragon Ball franchise to avoid the episode but that fans will enjoy it. In conclusion he felt the film was enjoyable at best.[3]

Releases

It was released on DVD and VHS in North America on October 24, 2000. Later a double feature was released with a second special and Bardock – The Father of Goku with digitally remastered widescreen format on DVD on February 19, 2008, then on Blu-ray released on July 15, 2008. The second special was re-released to DVD on September 15, 2009, in a remastered-widescreen single-disc edition.

References

  1. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z: Big Green Dub Cast - Behind The Voice Actors". Retrieved December 30, 2016.
  2. ↑ "DVD Review by Chris Shepard: Dragon Ball Z The History of Trunks". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
  3. ↑ "Dragon Ball Z — The History of Trunks / Bardock: Father of Goku (Blu-ray". John Sinnott. DVDtalk.com. August 20, 2008. Retrieved 2009-04-15.
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