Toei Animation has released new details about the upcoming anime film Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero ahead of its premiere this April, including additional characters slated to appear in the movie. Among the fan-favorite Z Fighters included in Super Hero is Goten and Trunks, the Super Saiyan sons of Goku and Vegeta, hinting at a much more prominent role than they had in the Dragon Ball Super anime series. More than simply bringing back the two old friends, Super Hero reveals that Goten and Trunks have both received a redesign befitting the movie's place in the Dragon Ball timeline -- one relatively unexplored for the two characters' lives.
With Gohan and Videl's daughter Pan no longer a toddler as she was portrayed toward the end of Dragon Ball Super, Super Hero takes place closer to Dragon Ball Z's epilogue set ten years after Kid Buu's defeat. This timeline placement puts Trunks at approximately eighteen years old while Goten is approximately seventeen. This place in the timeline is further evidenced by Trunks and Goten appearing in the latest promo artwork for Super Hero, revealing the two characters noticeably older than they had appeared throughout Dragon Ball Super, where the two boys were depicted as children and virtually identical to their physical appearances for much of DBZ. This suggests Super Hero will provide a glimpse at the pair's lives only hinted at by the end of DBZ.
At the end of DBZ, Goku and Vegeta were frustrated with how little their sons seemed to care about their martial arts training as they grew older. Goten's passive attitude toward training was attributed to him being more interested in dating, while Trunks was similarly preoccupied. Both teens were forced by their fathers to compete in the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament, where Goten was ultimately bested by his niece Pan. The two characters would appear in the non-canonical Dragon Ball GT as men in their 20s, still ignoring their training, with Goten still interested in dating while Trunks was focused on his duties as the new Capsule Corporation president.
It is unclear if Goten and Trunks are still neglecting their training in Super Hero, with the anime already hinting that Gohan has kept up with his own training as evidenced by his redesign. This contradicts the DBZ epilogue, which depicted Gohan as more interested in his career as a professional scholar and family man than being an active warrior. Super Hero's redesigns for Trunks and Goten reveal the two wearing civilian clothing in contrast to Gohan wearing his training outfit that pays homage to his original mentor Piccolo. The two teens are presumably ready for action, performing the Fusion Dance to form Gotenks, but are performing the dance incorrectly, suggesting the two have let their skills fall by the wayside.
Goten and Trunks only ever briefly leaped into combat throughout Dragon Ball Super and were usually defeated in a matter of moments, with Goku and Vegeta handling the majority of the action instead. It's unclear how large a role the two characters will play in Super Hero, but their confirmed return showcases Trunks and Goten in a relatively new light, virtually untouched by DBZ. At one point in DBZ, Trunks and Goten were positioned as the universe's last hope from total destruction in the face of Majin Buu, and now in Super Hero, the two teens are older and presumably wise enough to help save the day again.
Directed by Tetsuro Kodama, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero opens April 22 in Japan, with a North American release slated for Summer 2022.
