Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot recently got its latest DLC, Trunks - The Warrior of Hope, on June 11, 2021. This DLC incorporates the events within Trunks’ timeline before he travels back to save Goku from his heart disease and help the Z fighters take on the androids in the past. This DLC has a few sad moments, but nothing was as heartbreaking as taking control of Gohan in his final fight against 17 & 18.
[Warning - spoilers for The Warrior of Hope below.]
The DLC begins with a young Trunks looking to become stronger and wanting to train with an Adult Gohan - the only remaining member of the Z fighters. Over the years, Gohan has been taking on the androids all by himself, yet he is unable to match their strength, as the androids have wiped out Piccolo, Krillin, and even Vegeta. Taking Trunks on as a disciple, Gohan trains Trunks to be Earth’s last hope for weeks on end, hoping that it might be enough to destroy the androids for good if Trunks can obtain the power of a Super Saiyan.
Players get to roam with Gohan, doing side adventures and listening to talks between the two about when the androids first appeared in this timeline. There’s even a quest to go visit Chi-chi, the mother Gohan hasn’t seen for months after she got mad at him for fighting the androids alone. Players will get to know these future versions of beloved characters as the story progresses, which makes the final fight between Gohan and the androids that much more devastating.
Gohan's Showdown Uses Mechanical Changes To Emotional Effect
Despite not achieving Super Saiyan status, Trunks is raring to go, but Kakarot's Gohan is doubtful: After already losing an arm in the last fight, Gohan knows he can’t protect Trunks and fight the androids. With a chop to the neck, Trunks is knocked out and Gohan flies off to confront the androids one last time.
Gohan arrives on the scene, but after a decade of fighting, the androids have begun to see him as a nuisance. The fight kicks off and players are thrown into a tough battle, and when both androids are defeated, it seems as though Gohan has truly finished them off. Then the androids emerge from the rubble to reveal they’ve only been using 50% of their full power.
Almost completely out of energy, Gohan transforms into a Super Saiyan once more. Players then have to control a Gohan unable to use his attacks. Masenkos fizzle out, rush attacks don’t connect, and normal punches bounce off the androids. Players are forced to fight an unwinnable battle, its end a seemingly foregone conclusion. Gohan is eventually slammed to the ground with the androids towering above him in a final cutscene, and Gohan charges a one-handed Kamehameha against their final attack - a mirrored image of his alternate timeline beam struggle with Cell. But this final push isn’t enough, and the androids push it back with ease. Gohan falls to the androids, his final thoughts focused on Trunks, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC's Warrior of Hope.