Warning: Spoilers for Dragon Ball Super chapter 89The already unsettling attraction that Trunks feels for Mai in Dragon Ball Super's latest arc just traversed even further into taboo territory. While Dragon Ball has never been known for its romance, Super's latest is bound to cause a stir for all the wrong reasons.

In Dragon Ball Super chapter 89 by story writer Akira Toriyama and artist Toyotarou, Mai, unfortunately, can't help herself but fall head over heels for Saiyaman X-1 who's Dragon Ball's Goten in disguise. She even describes the emotion as a long-forgotten feeling that just came over her. Yes, it has been exceptionally quite long.

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Dragon Ball Super Makes Trunks' Crush on Mai So Much Worse

Mai falls in love with Goten as Saiyaman X-1 in Dragon Ball Super chapter 89

What makes this particular attraction different from Trunk's crush on Mai is that Trunks is undoubtedly unaware that Mai is more than 80 years old in Dragon Ball Super since there's no proof that anyone told him about Emperor Pilaf's true origins. Even if Trunks did know Mai's true age, he lacks the maturity and experience to realize how wrong they are since he's still a teenager. But Mai's an adult and has no excuse not to know better. Despite the fact she doesn't realize that Saiyaman X-1 is Goten and that his disguise could make it difficult for someone to accurately pinpoint his age, Saiyaman X-1 is clearly quite young, especially when compared to Mai who's over 80. Then again, this latest chapter also proves how perceptive Mai is, especially compared to Trunks and Goten, which is another troubling development for her character in this particular regard.

Dragon Ball Super Sets Up a Gross Love Triangle

Mai from the Dragon Ball anime.

The real tragedy, however, is that the love triangle established in chapter 89 would have been enjoyable if there wasn't the age issue, especially since Dragon Ball has rarely focused on romance. It's been long-established that Trunks would eventually form feelings for Mai. When he first saw her as an adult after she came with Future Trunks into his own timeline, Trunks was just a kid. And now these latest chapters have done too good of a job conveying Trunks' attraction towards teenage Mai. All of this only makes the fact that she is attracted to Goten crushing for those who have been invested in this particular storyline. It's clear, too, that Goten doesn't reciprocate Mai's affection.

All in all, the aforementioned scenario proves that this is a fun spin on the ubiquitous love triangle trope, and it's exciting to see Dragon Ball Super finally have a go at the romantic comedy genre when romance has been, for the most part, completely ignored throughout the franchise. The only comfort for fans who are having difficulties with enjoying the ride because of the age discrepancy is that Mai might just be experiencing some sort of superhero worship; the thrill of seeing a superhero up close could be clouding her judgment.

Regardless, as Dragon Ball Super artist Toyotarou himself has confirmed that this latest arc will be a romantic comedy, it's clear that this dynamic is here to stay, which means that Mai will still fawn over Goten while Trunks tries to divert her affections to him. This also means that even Dragon Ball Super readers who enjoy a good romance story are actually finding themselves rooting for something they never thought possible - that no one will end up with anybody.

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Dragon Ball Super chapter 89 is available on Viz.com.