Like many anime series, Dragon Ball features characters with hair colors that would be considered highly unusual in reality. Shades of blue, purple, green, and even pink are all fairly common in this universe, with major characters such as Bulma and her son Trunks sporting these vibrant hues.
Bulma is famous for her blue hair, which she styles in a variety of ways, while both Future Trunks and Young Trunks were initially depicted with purple hair in Dragon Ball Z.
However, this detail underwent a significant change in Dragon Ball Super, where Future Trunks was suddenly given the same blue hair as his mother—despite his present-day counterpart continuing to have purple hair.
This discrepancy has led to confusion among fans, prompting a closer look at the history of Bulma and Trunks’ hair color and the inconsistencies that have emerged over time.
Bulma’s Hair Color
A lesser-known fact among fans is that, in the original Dragon Ball manga, Bulma’s hair was actually depicted as purple. This shade closely resembled the hair color that Trunks would later become associated with.
However, in the first chapter of the manga, Bulma’s hair was colored blue, which led the anime adaptation to follow suit and portray her with blue hair instead of purple. Interestingly, her father, Dr. Brief, also shares a similar light blue hair color in the anime.
When Trunks was first introduced in the manga, he was drawn in colored illustrations with the same blue hair as his mother.
However, when the Dragon Ball Z anime was produced, Toei Animation decided to give him Bulma’s original purple hair instead of blue. This choice, while seemingly simple, set the stage for the inconsistencies that would arise in later adaptations.
Future Trunks’ Hair Color
Dragon Ball Super attempted to address this inconsistency by giving Future Trunks blue hair, finally aligning his appearance with that of his mother and maternal grandfather.
This change made sense in terms of genetics, as Saiyans typically have dark hair rather than blue or purple hues.
Despite this adjustment, the anime treats Future Trunks’ blue hair as if it has always been that color, even though longtime fans recognize him best with his original purple-haired look.
What remains unexplained, however, is why Young Trunks in the main timeline continues to have purple hair.
This inconsistency appears to be an arbitrary decision or possibly an oversight by Toei Animation. In fact, Akira Toriyama’s own character designs for Dragon Ball Super originally depicted Kid Trunks with blue hair instead of purple.
It is possible that Toei Animation chose to maintain Young Trunks’ purple hair in the anime to preserve his widely recognized and iconic design.
Since most previous merchandise, figures, and promotional materials featured Trunks with purple hair, keeping it the same may have been a deliberate choice to ensure continuity with older representations.
This way, Kid Trunks’ established look remains “accurate” in the eyes of fans, even if it contradicts the appearance of his older self in Dragon Ball Super.
