Here is my interpretation . There are currently six timelines . Timeline 1 is the original timeline . We haven ' t seen this timeline , but Cell says that in his timeline , Frieza and Cold were killed by Trunks . Both the anime and manga say this . Presumably , this Trunks failed to change the fate of the timeline he went to , and never returns to Timeline 2 . Timeline 2 is Cell ' s timeline . Trunks 1 arrives here , kills Frieza and Cold . He warns everyone of the androids and gives Goku the antidote . Despite this , because Trunks doesn ' t come back a second time , even with the antidote , the androids massacre everyone . Trunks 2 goes to Timeline 3 . Upon returning here , he deactivates Lapis and Lazuli and is killed by Cell , who steals the time machine and goes to Timeline 4 . Timeline 3 is another unseen timeline . Trunks 2 arrives , kills Frieza and Cold , and comes back three years later . He gets the blueprints and returns to Timeline 2 , possibly after dealing with Androids 13 , 14 , and 15 consider it Gero ' s first backup plan . Years later , Cell emerges . Because Lapis and Lazuli reformed in this timeline like Timeline 4 , they ' re still active . Cell absorbs them and holds a Cell Games . Timeline 4 a is the main timeline . Cell arrives here , and his presence replicates Trunks 2 as Trunks 5 , with a different history because Cell being there isn ' t what happened in Timeline 3 in that timeline , the only Cell was the one native there . This timeline , on the other hand , has two Cells one from Timeline 2 , and the one native to Timeline 4 . The rest of the series happens . Zamasu bodyswaps , kills Goku , and goes to Timeline 1 . This timeline was completely erased when Beerus killed Zamasu . Timeline 4 b new version diverges when Trunks from Timeline 5 arrives . This is the timeline from Future Trunks Saga onwards . Timeline 5 is Trunks ' s timeline . Timeline 6 is the new timeline created by them warning Future Beerus before Supreme Kai ' s death . Babidi and Dabura get curbstomped by the two Trunks here , and Supreme Kai and Beerus get to live .