Tankōbon Title Page
Kanzenban Title Page
Full Color Title Page

Chapter Information

Chapter Synopsis

“The future…” Trunks, pretty young, is a Super Saiyan, and he’s practicing against a grown-up, one-armed Gohan. Gohan tells Trunks he’s doing well, and the two break from stances. They both sit down, on a cliff overlooking a city, and Gohan says that Trunks may have surpassed him. Trunks says his arm will never come back now that all the senzu are gone, but Gohan says what’s gone is gone. Trunks mentions that his mom always says that when he wears that dōgi, he looks just like his father Goku, and it always surprises her. Gohan says he wears it because he wants to be strong like his father, although unfortunately it’s not that simple.

There’s an explosion in the nearby city, obviously caused by the artificial humans. Gohan turns Super Saiyan, telling Trunks to stay here. Trunks wants to go too, thinking he’s strong enough now. Gohan does the old “look over there” thing, and pops Trunks on the neck when he’s turned away, knocking him out. Gohan says, “Should you die, there would be no warriors left to protect the Earth. Years from now, you’ll be the last warrior able to defeat those artificial humans.” Gohan then flies off into the city. No. 17 is blowing up some buildings, but No. 18 tells him to stop, and suggests they go somewhere else. There’s a hiding place with lots of humans to the north. No. 17 says if they kill everyone, they’ll have no more fun. No. 18 says they can kill people with a car as a game, as she blasts some guy behind her who’s trapped under some of the wreckage.

Gohan suddenly flies in and kicks No. 17, knocking him into a pile of rubble. No. 18 laughs at him as he gets up, with his clothes all tattered. No. 17 is annoyed, since he liked this outfit. It’s not as durable as his body, and now he only has four of these outfits left. No. 17 tells Gohan he’s doing well for getting out alive, it’s been about a year now. Gohan says he’s trained this time, and now it’s their turn to get beaten up. No. 17 doubts that, and says last time he only used half his power. Gohan freaks out, and No. 17 says he won’t let him get away this time. No. 17 rushes at Gohan, while No. 18 smirks. Meanwhile, Trunks wakes up, and freaks out that he can’t feel Gohan’s ki. Trunks flies over the city, until he spots Gohan lying dead in the street. He lands next to him, and screams with tears rolling down his cheeks, pounding the pavement in frustration.

“Then about three years later…” Trunks, now older, takes some groceries inside, saying hi to his mom. She’s busy working on the time machine, and says it’s finally able to charge enough energy for a round trip. It takes eight months just to charge it, so they don’t have time to test it. It would’ve come out better if the lab hadn’t been destroyed, though. Trunks says now he’s probably strong enough to defeat the artificial humans. Bulma tells him he’s so naive. He certainly has gotten really strong, but she doubts he could be that much greater than Gohan was three years ago. Trunks insists that he’s strong enough though, and then there’s a radio briefing saying that the artificial humans are currently 300 kilometers south of West City. Trunks thinks that’s nearby, and then sets off, in spite of his mom’s objections. Trunks thinks today he’ll get revenge for all the people who’ve been killed.

“Five days later, in a little hospital outside of West City…” Trunks is lying in a hospital bed, with Bulma in a chair next to him, reading. Trunks says she was right, he’s still no match for the artificial humans, and thinks he was lucky to get out alive. Bulma says he has strong luck, just like his mother. Trunks says when his wounds heal, he wants to ride in the time machine. Bulma says first they need to get some medicine for Gohan’s father, because she thinks that if he hadn’t died from the heart disease, the world wouldn’t have ended up like this. Trunks asks if he was really that strong. “He was certainly strong, but… No matter what tremendous things happened, somehow or other, he always seems to do something. He would give you such a mysterious feeling.” Trunks says he wants to meet his own father too, and Bulma tells him not to get his hopes up about that. Some time passes, and Trunks is prepared to leave in the time machine. Bulma gives him the medicine, and then he leaves for the past.

Chapter Notes

Weekly Shōnen Jump

• As part of a double-issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump just before the O-Bon holiday in Japan, this bonus chapter was drawn with a few full color pages, and was originally published as a double-feature alongside Chapter 386.

Author’s Comment

• Each issue of Weekly Shōnen Jump features short comments from the various series’ authors, giving fans a brief insight into their current thoughts, ranging from series-related announcements to trivial happenings in their personal lives. Akira Toriyama’s comments from this issue were:
  今週のトランクスの読切を原作にしたTVのDBZ特別版が年内に放送される予定です ＜明＞

  ---

  A Dragon Ball Z TV special based on this week’s Trunks one-shot is planned for broadcast within the year. <Akira>

  Said television special — Defiance in the Face of Despair!! The Remaining Super-Warriors: Gohan and Trunks — aired 24 February 1993, just over six months later from this chapter’s original release (see “Adaptations” below).

Page Breakdown

The majority of the Dragon Ball series was drawn in black and white, but chapters were occasionally published with color pages. This breakdown notes how many full-color, limited-color, and black-and-white pages appeared in this chapter. As the tankōbon volumes were not released with these colors intact, any color pages shown are taken from the kanzenban release.

Adaptations

The bonus chapter Trunks the Story –A Lone Warrior– has been adapted into several other forms of media since its original manga debut. The following is a list of adaptations that directly cover these events in some sort of self-contained, comprehensive form. NOTE: Several story elements may be (and often are) heavily adjusted from the original manga version.

Original Illustrated StoryRelease Date: 12 January 1993 (JP)

孤独の未来戦士!! トランクス
Kodoku no Mirai Senshi!! Torankusu
The Lonely Future Warrior!! Trunks

I’m Trunks. At the time of my earliest memories, my father Vegeta was no longer in this world… When imagining my father, whose face I didn’t even know, it would always only be from behind. In order to make a new future for humanity, I went to the world of the past. And then I met my father Vegeta…!!

Story: Aya Matsui · Illustrations: Minoru Maeda

Dragon Ball Z Television SpecialAir Date: 24 February 1993 (JP)

絶望への反抗！！残された超戦士・悟飯とトランクス
Zetsubō e no Hankō!! Nokosareta chō-senshi • Gohan to Torankusu
Defiance in the Face of Despair!! The Remaining Super-Warriors: Gohan and Trunks

The artificial humans have left the future in shambles, killing all of the Z Warriors but two: Gohan and Trunks. As the two battle to save the future, Gohan is killed and Trunks finally obtains the power of the Super Saiyan. However, even that is not enough to defeat such evil, so the young boy travels to the past in search of hope.

Script: Hiroshi Toda · Art: Hiroshi Washizaki
Animation: Minoru Maeda · Director: Yoshihiro Ueda

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot: Paid Downloadable ContentRelease Date: 11 June 2021 (JP)

-TRUNKS- 希望の戦士
-Torankusu- Kibō no Senshi
Trunks: Warrior of Hope

Experience the fierce fight of Trunks’ life in the world of despair in this New Story Arc! Goku has died from the virus in his heart, and the world was destroyed by the androids. The surviving warriors, Trunks and Gohan, will fight to protect the planet.

Developer: CyberConnect2 · Distributor: Bandai Namco