In 2013, Dragon Ball gave Trunks a new love interest, Mai. However, in Dragon Ball Super the two are shown having grown up together and developing a strong bond. That initially seems correct, but there’s one thing fans can’t help but wonder: How old is Mai really?
In fact, Mai she is an adult woman much older than Trunks; a wish to the Dragon Balls turned Mai into a girl Trunks’ age. But her actual age is a bit harder to answer, especially considering how the timeline works in Dragon Ball Super. To determine the real age of Mai it will be necessary to know the timeline of dragon ball and know where you are.
The first age attributed to Mai comes from Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods. Before the events of the movie, the Pilaf Gang used the Dragon Balls to regain their youth, but they became too young and became children. Despite this, when she is asked how old she is, Mai replies “41 years old in March”. Since the Battle of Gods takes place in the year 778, approximately four years after Boo’s Saga (year 774), Mai’s birth year would be 737.
The peculiar thing about Mai’s age is that she is more or less the same age as Goku. At this point in the continuum dragon ballGoku is also supposed to have been born in the year 737. Despite this, by the time they meet in the year 749, Goku doesn’t look older than 12, which fits, while Mai doesn’t look any younger than Bulma. It is possible that Mai has lied about her age, and that she is actually a little older than she wants to admit.
Dragon Ball Super makes this question even more difficult to answer. Unlike the movie, this series picks up a few months after the Saga of Boo. Although Mai’s comment that she is over forty doesn’t appear in the anime, if it is true, at this point she is more believable that she is older than Goku (who should only be 37 in 774).
In any case, it is safe to assume that, chronologically, Mai he is in his late thirties or early forties. As for Mai’s age as a “child”, she’s probably close to Trunks’, if she’s not a bit older.
When she is introduced at this age, she is shown to be slightly taller than him. That changes around the time of Future Trunks, but it’s more likely due to the difference in the development of boys and girls in terms of height. If this is true, then Mai should be at least 12 years old in the year 778.
This is supported by a bonus chapter from the 2016 DBS manga. In this chapter, the Pilaf Gang is shown wishing they were younger around the time Trunks was a baby. They themselves are reverted to babies by desire. Assuming this part of the anime and manga continuity align, it is shown that trunks Y Mai they are more or less the same age.
Notably, despite their physical ages, neither Trunks nor Mai appear older, even though years have passed. Trunks appears to be 8 years old from the year 774. This makes sense in that year, since he was actually 8 years old at the time.
However, at the time of the Tournament of Power (year 780), he should be at least 14 years old. Even “Trunk’s story“, which also took place in the year 780, managed to make Future Trunks look older based on his apparent age. Despite this, Trunks and Mai remain young and marketable for DBS.
Whatever the cause of the eternal youth of trunks Y Mai, we must assume that they are more or less the same age after Mai’s regression. She starts off with what should be her 40th, but goes back to about 8-12 years due to the desire for the Dragon Balls.
This is true whether Trunks and Mai met in the year 774 or 778. Though this doesn’t explain why they still look 8-12 years old in the 780, but that’s the way it is. At the very least, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero looks like it will finally make these two look the age they should be.