Trunks won’t be able to capitalize on the royal blood flowing through his veins, but a new piece of fanart just turned him into King of the Saiyans!
In the anime and manga world of Dragon Ball, the fan-favorite Z-Warrior known as Trunks is a half-Saiyan with incredible strength and skill, reaching and, at times, surpassing the immense power of Goku, Vegeta, and even his future mentor, Gohan. And although the Saiyan race as a whole is now all but wiped out, a new piece of fanart shows what Trunks would have looked like as a member of the royal family.
Recently shared on the social media platform now known as X, username @DBSKAKERU1 is a Japan-based creative talent who draws Dragon Ball as a “hobby,” yet creates enough professional-looking fanart that would impress even the series’ creator Akira Toriyama and the current Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotarou.
Consistently uploading manga-accurate art featuring not just Trunks but other Z-Fighters like Goku, Gohan, Broly, Piccolo, Chi-Chi, Bulma, Videl, and more, @DBSKAKERU1 also draws non-canon variant versions of these same characters, with each new piece bringing something unique and never-before-seen to the Dragon Ball community.
Trunks has one of the best Super Saiyan designs in the entirety of Dragon Ball, with a new cosplay video showing how it can happen in live-action!Trunks Becomes Saiyan Royalty In Epic Fanart Image
The only son of Vegeta, the one-time Prince of All Saiyans turned King of Nothing after Planet Vegeta and the entire Saiyan race were taken out by a vengeful Frieza, Trunks would have technically been next in line for the Saiyan throne once Vegeta passed on, laying claim to a birthright that unfortunately no longer exists. A Trunks-centric moment that will never come to pass outside of fan fiction, it’s easy to see with how capable and accomplished he is as a character that Trunks would excel as a leader and king, especially after showing what he could have looked like in the role thanks to @DBSKAKERU1’s inspired fanart.
Dressed in a version of the Dragon Ball’s iconic Saiyan armor, @DBSKAKERU1 gives an adult version of Trunks the royal makeover he deserves, made complete by a flowing red and blue cape and a thousand-yard stare that could quite possibly start or end a war with a glance. Brandishing longer hair and his signature sword used to handily defeat Frieza, the destroyer of his race, in Dragon Ball Z’s canon, it can be reasonably assumed that in this skewed timeline Trunks already dispatched Frieza before he took out Planet Vegeta, cementing him as a Saiyan king who redefines what it means to be a badass.
New Fanart Depicts Trunks As the Ruler of All Saiyans
So while it’s unfortunate that Trunks will never get the chance to reap the benefits of having royal Saiyan blood flowing through his veins, it’s fun to see talented artists like @DBSKAKERU1 come up with unique “what if?” scenarios that can’t be seen anywhere else. Dragon Ball’s Trunks would undoubtedly be one of the best leaders in the history of the Saiyan race — especially since he would most likely buck the warmongering tactics of his father for a more fair yet firm rule — so it’s good to know that if he were ever able to take on the title, he would look the part too.
Source: @DBSKAKERU1
