Dragon Ball Z is well-known for its many iconic scenes. From the epic beam struggle between Goku and Vegeta to the first Super Saiyan transformation to Gohan’s and Goku’s father-son Kamehameha, the show has no shortage of great moments. Arguably one of the more popular ones is Trunks sudden appearance in the beginning of Androids Saga (or Trunks Saga, depending on how you prefer to split the series). Becoming only the second Super Saiyan to ever appear in the entire franchise, his swift annihilation to Frieza and his troops easily made it one of the coolest scenes in the entire show.

That moment alone endeared Trunks within the fandom, and he has become one of the fan favorites in the franchise. His purple (sometimes blue) hair, his capsule corps jacket, and, most importantly, his sword, have been ingrained in the minds of Dragon Ball fans everywhere. He has a cool factor that is sorely missing within a majority of the main cast, including Goku. Goku can be a great character as well, but he lacks certain attributes that make Trunks such a fan favorite.

Goku did a lot of awesome things within Dragon Ball, yet Trunks was able to do a lot of things that Goku couldn’t do. That made him just as great, maybe even better. That is why we are going to count the Fifteen Things That Trunks Can Do That Goku Can’t. We all know Trunks is great, now let’s see what makes him a better character when compared to Goku.

15 That Burning Fire

Trunks has a completely different move set than Goku. Rather than using the typical Kamehameha, he uses a variety of different Ki-based attacks when facing his enemies. This includes the Buster Cannon, Finish Buster, Heat Dome Attack, and Burning Slash. Debatably, the Burning Attack is his coolest move, and probably his most memorable. Burning Attack is when Trunks does a variety of quick arm gestures before placing his palms forward and firing a Ki-blast from his hands.

He has used the move several times throughout the franchise, most notably during his assault towards Frieza on Earth. What makes the move so unique is the fact that Trunks had to do numerous arm gestures before he fires it. Though most of the Ki-moves in the show generally need to be in a specific pose, the Burning Attack needs Trunks to do a series of seemingly random movements in order for the move to work.

14 Weapon Of Choice

One of the main things that differentiates Trunks from the other heroes on Dragon Ball Z is the fact that he fought using a weapon. Everyone else in the main cast simply fought barehanded, including Goku. In the show, everyone used some sort of martial arts technique that did not rely on using tools. Trunks using a sword in his early appearance was very unorthodox at that time. A hero actually using a weapon against a foe was rarely seen by fans at that point, and it made Trunks stand out from the rest.

His sword was unfortunately short-lived within the original show. The edges of the sword shattered during his fight with Android 18 in the present, and he would remain swordless for the rest of the Androids Saga.

13 All The Rage

When Goku first transformed into a Super Saiyan in his fight against Frieza, it opened the floodgates for future transformations. Since the introduction of the original Super Saiyan, there has been Super Saiyan 2, Super Saiyan 3, Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (or just Super Saiyan Blue), Super Saiyan Rosé, and finally Super Saiyan Rage (or Super Saiyan Anger). What is Super Saiyan Rage? Honestly, I don’t really know.

Super Saiyan Rage has the outer appearance of Super Saiyan 2, however, the blue aura of Super Saiyan Blue is mix with the golden aura of Super Saiyan 2. Trunks’ pupils disappear when he is in this form and his hair also spikes further up. It is unknown what this transformation really is, yet apparently gave Trunks the strength to hold off against Zamasu and Goku Black for a while.

12 Some Seriously Impressive Strength

It’s been theorized among fans that half-breed Saiyans may actually be stronger than full-bred Saiyans. The theory has been supported by Gohan’s character arc up till the Cell Games Arc, when he surpasses his father and becomes the strongest warrior on Earth. The whole idea of half-breeds being more powerful than full-breeds was seemingly abandoned by the end of the Buu Saga, where the full bred Saiyans Goku and Vegeta saved the Universe from Kid Buu. The theory has been brought up again in Super, particularly during the Future Trunks Saga.

When Trunks escapes to the past to get help for his future, he trains with Goku and Vegeta. Having unlocked Super Saiyan 2, he spars with the full-blooded Saiyans. He was able to keep up with Super Saiyan 3 Goku, forcing the latter to turn into Super Saiyan Blue to beat him. The entire saga suggests that Trunks has the potential to surpass both Saiyans, with the climactic battle with Zamasu and Goku Black further implying that Trunks may actually be stronger than Goku and Vegeta.

11 The Sword In The Stone

The Z-Sword is an ancient weapon from the Planet of the Kais, stuck within the ground. Within the Z-Sword is Elder Kai, trapped inside by the God of Destruction, Beerus. The sword has been stuck in the ground for thousands of years. Great power is promised to those who wield it, but only if they are able to lift off from the ground. In the main timeline, Gohan was able to lift the sword up.

In Trunks’ timeline, the sword remained stuck until Supreme Kai and his assistant, Kibito, came to Trunks to train him. Bobbidi and Dabura were coming to Earth to release Majin Buu, and Supreme Kai needed Trunks help to stop them. Supreme Kai then takes Trunks to the Planet of the Kais, where Trunks is able to lift up the Z-Sword.

10 Those Annoying Androids

Trunks comes from a future where two Androids have pushed humanity to the brink of extinction. Androids 17 and 18 were pretty much unstoppable in Trunks’ future, having killed almost every Z Warrior on Earth. Gohan was somehow able to survive facing them alone for over a decade, however, even he is killed by the two robots. Goku was also never murdered by the Androids; he would die from a heart virus before the Androids ever arrived. After Future Gohan perishes, Trunks is left as Earth’s sole protector.

For a few years, he would continuously lose fights against the Androids, until Bulma, his mother, invents a Time Machine to have him travel to the past to save one timeline from the Androids threat. During his time in the alternate past, he trains with Vegeta, his father, in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. By the end of the Cell Games Arc, he returns to his future and destroys Androids 17 and 18 with ease.

9 Cell-Shocked

Cell is the only main enemy that Goku was never ever able to defeat. He was able to overcome Vegeta, beat Frieza, and even destroy Kid Buu. Cell is the only one that made Goku admit defeat. He knew he did not have the power to defeat Cell, and put all his faith with Gohan, who he knows has surpassed him. His faith in his son is what lead Gohan in defeating Cell at the end of the Cell’s Games Arc. Gohan wouldn’t be the only person who kills a version of Cell, however.

You see, Cell came from an alternate future where Trunks was able to defeat the Androids. Since Cell needed Androids 17 and 18 to achieve his perfect form, he kills that timeline’s Trunks and travels to the main timeline. After the Cell Games, Future Trunks would then travel back to the future to easily annihilate the Androids. Instead of being killed by Cell, as foretold by the original Cell, he was strong enough to overcome his version of Cell and kills him with a Heat Dome Attack.

8 Defeat Zamasu

Zamasu is one of the most difficult foes that Goku, or any of the Z Warriors, has ever faced. Zamasu was an apprentice of a Supreme Kai from one of the twelve parallel universes. Having a strong dislike towards mortals, he believes they should all be wiped out. In order to achieve his goal, he uses the Super Dragon Balls, planet-size Dragon Balls from Universe six and seven, to gain the strongest body in the universe. That is how he was able to get Goku’s body, becoming Goku Black. He then travels to the past to team up with his past self, and the two Zamasus would then travel to Trunks’ future timeline in order to carry out their plan.

Even with the combined efforts of Future Trunks, Goku, and Vegeta, Zamasu and Goku Black couldn’t be stopped. The two Zamasus would then fuse together with Potaras, becoming Fused Zamasu. Goku and Vegeta would then fuse to become Vegito again, finally being able to overpower Zamasu. Unfortunately, Vegito was not able to finish off Zamasu before the fusion worn out. That is where Future Trunks comes in, and uses the Spirit Bomb Sword to slice Zamasu in half.

7 Five Minutes Or Less

The fight between Goku and Frieza on Planet Namek was notoriously long. The duel between the two lasted around 20 episodes, and it is considered to be one of the longest fights in anime history. The fight went to crazy lengths to stretch it out as long as possible. When Frieza decides to explode the planet, he unintentionally gave Goku a five-minute time limit to finish him before the planet is destroyed. The five-minute time limit is one of the most ridiculed aspects of the entire show, especially among fans.

When Frieza miraculously survived his fight with Goku and the destruction of Namek, he sets his sights towards Earth. Fans were probably expecting another epic fight with Frieza, one that may surpass the original fight on Namek in length. Yet instead of one of the longest fights in the shows history happening, one of the shortest fights in the show’s history happens. When Frieza arrived on Earth, that is when Trunks mysteriously shows up and makes short work of Frieza and his goons.

6 Shutting Buu Down

The entire opening act of the Majin Buu Saga was about the Z-Warriors trying to prevent the resurrection of Majin Buu, a supposedly malicious entity that can bring about the end of the universe. They failed, mostly because Vegeta chose to betray everyone and become Majin Vegeta. Majin Buu is awoken by the evil sorcerer Bobbidi, and Buu and his succeeding forms would be the major threat for the rest of Saga.

In Trunks’ future timeline, however, he was able to successfully stop Bobbidi from awakening Buu. Having been prepared by the Supreme Kai, Trunks is able to make short work out of Bobbidi and his servant, Dabura. He defeats Dabura relatively fast, highlighting the fact that he is a character who gets things done in a quick manner.

5 Time Patrolling! (In Xenoverse Canon)

Dragon Ball Online was a massively multiplayer online role-playing game, released in East Asia around 2010. Taking place in the far future, the game center around a vastly changed Earth that features entirely new characters and settings. In the game, the players have the option to time travel to key Dragon Ball moments from the past. Trunks, who has become a Time Patroller, aides the player’s quest through time.

Despite major contribution from Dragon Ball’s creator, Akira Toriyama, the servers for Online were shut down around 2014. Elements of Online would be reincorporated in the Xenoverse video games, where Trunks is a major character. He is once again a Time Patroller in Xenoverse, but now he is one of hundreds. He helps the player in their quest to protect history from anomalies. Despite the fact that Goku would be a valuable asset to have among the Time Patrollers, he is never made an official member by the Supreme Kai of Time.

4 Yu-Gi-No Way!

The late 90s and early 2000s was a time when a lot of the most popular animes ever would start airing in the United States. Dragon Ball Z wasn’t the only major anime to reach American airwaves during that time, other extremely popular animes starting airing during that time as well. These animes include Pokémon, Digimon, Cardcaptors, Yu-Gi-Oh, and many more. As you can imagine, there is a lot crossover among fans for the many different anime shows.

There is a story about a kid named Tyler, who was a big fan of anime, particularly Yu-Gi-Oh. After surviving liver cancer and going through some risky surgery, the Make-A-Wish foundation was able to get him to design a card for the popular Yu-Gi-Oh card game. Probably unsurprisingly, this card looks a lot like a very popular character from another super famous anime. His card, Tyler the Great, with his spiky blond hair and cool sword, has been noted by other fans to look very similar to Trunks.

3 Future Patrol

While most of the dirty work of protecting the Earth lies sorely on Goku, he at least has the support of the other characters to fight against the many different opponents. He’s never really alone, which is something you can’t say about Trunks in the future. Even though Future Trunks had Future Gohan for most of his life, when Gohan is finally killed by the Androids, Trunks is left alone in protecting the future. The odds are almost always stacked against him–he can never catch a break.

Even when he is able to defeat the Androids from his future, he still had to deal with Dabura and Bobbidi to prevent Majin Buu’s revival. He was able to prevent them from awakening Majin Buu all by himself, something that the Z-Warriors of the main timeline fail to do. Not long after that, he had to face off against Goku Black by himself.

2 Who Needs Dragon Balls?

The Dragon Balls, for a long time, were connecting to Piccolo and Kami, two halves of the same coin. If either one dies, the other will also disappear, as will the Dragon Balls. When the Androids of Trunks’ future arrived and killed almost every Z-Warrior, Piccolo was also killed. With Piccolo gone, Kami disappeared, and with Kami gone, the Dragon Balls were turned to the stone, making them useless. Trunks then lived in a world where he could never use the Dragon Balls, unlike the main timeline.

In the main timeline, the heroes are constantly using the Dragon Balls to fix all their problems. It’s literally their get-out-of-jail-free card. If a catastrophe happens, or a major character dies, the cast can just summon Shenron and make it all go away. The Dragon Balls have never been an option for Trunks.

1 Sealed With A Kiss

Goku has been married to Chi-Chi since the end of the original Dragon Ball, and they have two sons together. Despite Goku’s constant negligence towards his responsibilities and wife, somehow Chi-Chi puts up with it. Why she does put up with it is anyone’s guess, especially after the bombshell of a revelation that hit fans last year in Dragon Ball Super. During the Future Trunks arc in Super, Trunks needed to revive Mei, his love interest, via mouth-to-mouth. He is able to save her, but Goku then makes a startling comment. Goku innocently reveals he has never locked lips with anyone.

This startling truth puts Goku’s and Chi-Chi’s relationship in a whole new light. How does a man with two children, one of which is also married and has a kid, never kissed his wife?