The good news for Gotenks fans? The fusion is set for a big screen return. The bad news? Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero is continuing the time-honored tradition of making his character a joke. When Dragon Ball Z introduced Goten and Trunks as the sons of Saiyan protagonists Goku and Vegeta, both kids held great promise. Trunks was a younger version of Dragon Ball‘s sword-swinging badass from the future, while Goten was the secret Super Saiyan trained by his mother. When the young warriors were touted as humanity’s only hope of defeating Majin Buu, Goten and Trunks felt like the future of Dragon Ball, but once they finally fused, the resulting Gotenks was nothing but a goofy troublemaker who wasn’t up to the task.
Goten and Trunks have suffered even greater disrespect during the Dragon Ball Super era – largely because we’ve hardly seen them. Whenever a fight breaks out or the Earth is in danger of imminent destruction, Goten and Trunks are put on babysitting duty, cast to one side while the grown-ups do battle (despite everyone being perfectly happy to rely on them against Buu…) Goten and Trunks have done as much for Earth in Dragon Ball Super as Master Roshi’s pet turtle, but the upcoming Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie provides an opportunity to stop their rot.
Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘s official poster shows Goten and Trunks performing the Fusion dance – something we’ve barely seen in the modern era. That’s great news, hinting toward a bigger and better role for Gotenks, and perhaps even a fight against Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘s main villain. Alas, there’s a problem. As Dragon Ball fans know all too well, the Fusion dance must be flawlessly executed in order to yield a worthy warrior, and the slightest slip-up will result in a fusion that’s overweight, lacking muscles, or otherwise unhelpful on the battlefield. Though the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero poster does include Goten and Trunks doing the Fusion dance, they’re not doing it right. Goten’s index finger has slipped over the top of Trunks’ opposing digit, ruining their symmetry.
This small detail suggests Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘s villains – Gamma 1 and 2 – show up, prompting Goten and Trunks to plump for the Fusion option. They fail, and are stuck as a weakling for the remainder of the story. By the time their 30-minute limit expires and the hybrid comes undone, Goku and Vegeta (or Gohan, hopefully) will already be saving the day. That means Goten and Trunks will continue being nothing more than a source of comedy (and is it comedy, really?) in Dragon Ball Super. The real shame is how much potential is going to waste here. Goten and Trunks might’ve been kids back in the Buu saga, but both are visibly older in Super Hero. Fans would’ve understandably been anticipating Goten and Trunks might get meatier roles in their teenage years. Akira Toriyama has other ideas.
Perhaps Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero‘s rough treatment of Goten and Trunks shouldn’t be surprising, given everything poor Gohan has endured. After replacing his father as Earth’s hero during the Cell Games, Gohan went through his much-maligned Great Saiyaman phase, failed to defeat Buu despite being strong enough, then gave up fighting altogether. To say he was rusty during Dragon Ball Super‘s battles would be an understatement. If there is a glimmer of optimism for Goten and Trunks, it’s that Gohan finally looks to be getting his long-deserved spotlight in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Maybe in another three films, it’ll be Gotenks’ time to shine.