If you’re a fan of Dragon Ball, you’ve probably noticed a curious detail about one of its most popular characters. Future Trunks, the time-traveling son of Vegeta and Bulma, famously has blue hair. This seems straightforward until you remember that his mother, Bulma, has bright blue hair herself. But for many fans, a question lingers: if Saiyans are supposed to have only black hair, why isn’t Trunks’s hair black like his father’s?
The Simple Answer from the Real World
The most direct reason comes from the creator of Dragon Ball, Akira Toriyama. In the world of manga and anime, character design needs to be clear and distinct. Toriyama gave Trunks his mother’s hair color as a simple, visual way to show his heritage. It makes him instantly recognizable and connects him directly to Bulma. In the black-and-white pages of the original manga, this distinction was less about the specific color and more about creating a unique silhouette and style for the character.
How Saiyan Genetics Play a Part
While pure-blooded Saiyans like Vegeta are consistently shown with black hair, the rules seem to change for hybrids. Human DNA introduces a lot of variability. We see this with Trunks’s half-Saiyan counterpart, Goten, who also has black hair, demonstrating that there isn’t a single, predictable outcome. Trunks simply inherited a very prominent trait from his human mother. You can think of his blue hair as a dominant human gene expressing itself, which is a perfectly reasonable explanation within the fantastical world of Dragon Ball.
A Deeper Look at Character Identity
Beyond genetics, the hair color serves a deeper narrative purpose. Future Trunks is not just a Saiyan warrior; he’s also a brilliant scientist and a beacon of hope from a dark future. His blue hair visually sets him apart from the other Saiyans. It symbolizes his humanity, his intellect, and the hope he carries from his mother’s lineage. He is a perfect blend of both worlds: possessing the incredible power of a Saiyan prince but tempered by the compassion and ingenuity of his human mother.
So, while it might seem like a small animation choice, Future Trunks’s blue hair is a key part of his identity. It’s a clever design decision that honors his parentage and makes him one of the most visually unique and beloved heroes in the entire series.