Fans ofDragon Ball Supermay be surprised to learn how close the series got to having a spinoff, as evidenced by an interview with artist Toyotarou. While little is known about the proposed spinoff in general, it is known who the story would’ve supposedly starred: Trunks.
Trunks has been a popular character ever since his future counterpart debuted way back inDragon Ball Z’s Android Saga. Future Trunks has been the subject of anime specials before, but no version of Trunks has ever had the honor of solely headlining aDragon Ballseries. Rather than Future Trunks, as many fans might have preferred, the proposed spinoff was actually about the present-day version of Trunks, and likely would’ve featured Goten extensively as well.
Judging by what we ultimately got, some fans may be glad that this spinoff never got off the ground.
Dragon Ball Super’s Artist Toyotarou Wanted a Trunks Spinoff
Trunks' Spinoff Likely Would’ve Been High School Themed
In an interview posted tothe official Dragon Ball website in 2023, which has only been partially translated,Toyotarou says that he was at one point considering doing a spinoff starring young, present-day Trunks, when Akira Toriyama suggested to him that he instead make Trunks the main character of the nextDragon Ball Superarc. ThatDragon Ball Superarc was the High School Saga, set just before theDragon Ball Super: Super Heromovie adaptation. It extensively featured Trunks and Goten, who have taken up Gohan’s mantle as the heroes Saiyaman X-1 and X-2.
In past interviews, Toyotarou has expressed that he enjoyed the Saiyaman arc of the originalDragon Ball, so it should perhaps come as no surprise that he jumped at the chance to make his own version. It seems likely that if there were to have been a spinoff focusing on Trunks created at this point, it would’ve been a more slice-of-life take on Trunks' high school life, as we saw in those few chapters ofDragon Ball Super. Many fans were less than thrilled with this arc as the follow-up to the exciting ending of the Granolah the Survivor Saga, so an entire spinoff dedicated to Trunks' high school antics may not have been well received.
Still, if the spinoff had somehow gone forward, that content would presumably no longer be part of theDragon Ball Supermanga, instead moving directly into theSuper Heroadaptation. There’s also no telling how long such a spinoff might’ve lasted; it’s always possible it would have been little more than a one-shot, covering more or less what we got inSuper.
In the end, Toriyama was probably right to encourage Toyotarou to simply put his Trunks-focused story directly intoDragon Ball Super. While Trunks' character is certainly strong enough to be the lead, such a series would be quite a departure from the usualDragon Ballthat fans know and love. And that’s all without getting into the added work that a spinoff would be, on top of drawingDragon Ball Super. It’s hard to say how serious Toyotarou was about a Trunks spinoff, butDragon Ball Superis probably better off because it didn’t happen.
Dragon Ball Super
Cast
Dragon Ball Super is an anime series set after Majin Buu’s defeat. It follows Son Goku, now a radish farmer, as peace prevails until Beerus, the God of Destruction, appears. Seeking to challenge a legendary warrior, the series revisits events from two Dragon Ball Z films before exploring alternate universes.
