6 Best Handheld Dragon Ball Games, Ranked

The Dragon Ball series began as a manga in 1984 followed quicker by an anime in 1986. Since then, the franchise has exploded across a wide variety of media from movies to video games. It’s one of the biggest imports from Japan that virtually most countries have seen.

Players have been getting into games since the NES. One of the biggest sensations during the PS2 era was Dragon Ball Z: Budokai. Other console games have blown up as well and quietly in the background there have been some portable hits. Most of them are a bit more obscure and hard to find now but there is one standout example thanks to the Switch. Let’s look at some fine hidden gems in honor of Akira Toriyama’s grand work.

6 Dragon Ball: Origins 2

Little Goku Gets His Just Deserts

• Platform: DS
• Released: June 22, 2010 (NA)
• Developer: Game Republic
• Metacritic Score: 70

Dragon Ball: Origins is a rare game that focuses on Goku as a child rather than an adult. It is an action RPG that utilizes the touch screen for most actions although players can move with the D-Pad. It follows the main story through Emperor Pilaf’s shenanigans and ends on a good note.

Dragon Ball: Origins 2 picks up where that game ended, going into the Red Ribbon Army saga as well as Goku’s tournament bouts. It fixed a big complaint too, offering players the ability to choose between touch or button controls. The use of buttons made it a better game on the handheld. To fully appreciate Goku’s story, both games are recommended. However, of the two, Dragon Ball: Origins 2 is better from a gameplay perspective simply because of the button feature.

5 Dragon Ball Z: Attack Of The Saiyans

Before Xenoblade There Was This

• Metacritic Score: 73

There have been quite a few RPGs based on this franchise. However, many of them, for whatever reason, have been card-based. There is a literal handful between the NES and SNES including Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiya-jin Zetsumetsu Keikaku and Dragon Ball Z: Legend of the Saiyans. So, it is rare to get a more traditional turn-based one with Dragon Ball Z: Attack of the Saiyans.

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Players can form a party as they traverse through the Saiyan invasion arc from the series. Party members include everyone from Krillin and Tien. It introduces nothing wild to the turn-based genre but it is a solid effort from Monolith Soft. Yes, the very same Monolith Soft that makes the Xenoblade games which is a fun fact.

4 Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy Of Goku 2

A Zelda-Like For Gohan

• Metacritic Score: 75

Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku was a huge game that began a series on the GBA. There were three games in total, all of which played similarly. They were like more action-based Zelda games and ones with more RPG elements too. At the start of this initial entry, Goku is the star but that changes with the sequels.

The other games include Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2 and Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury. Among them all, Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku 2 was reviewed the best and it makes sense. It’s a great arc following Gohan’s mission to defeat Cell. Because of licensing deals, any of these GBA Dragon Ball games will probably never show up on digital stores like the Switch’s GBA library.

3 Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure

A Classic Action Platformer

• Metacritic Score: 75

Dragon Ball: Advanced Adventure is an exceptional adaptation of the original Dragon Ball arc which does not get as much love as Dragon Ball Z does in the video game realm along with the two aformentioned Dragon Ball: Origins games. It loosely ties into events like with the Red Ribbon Army, but it’s ultimately an action platformer and a brisk one at that. The short time span is concise though as the developers did not waste time with filler.

The platforming is solid as is the action with Goku’s trusty Power Pole. The best part about it is the sprites. It’s one of the best-looking GBA games decades later thanks to the art team at Dimps, the developer. They have made some great anime adaptations beyond this like Shonen Jump's One Piece, also on the GBA.

2 Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set

An RPG Saga From Saiyan To Buu

• Platforms: PC, PS4, PS5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, Switch
• Released: September 24, 2021 (Switch Version, NA)
• Developer: CyberConnect2
• Metacritic Score: 78

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot + A New Power Awakens Set is the Switch port of the console game that came out in 2020 with new content. It was developed by CyberConnect2 who had proven they knew how to make good anime games via the Naruto: Ultimate Ninja Storm series. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is not a fighting game though and is instead an open-world RPG.

Players will follow Goku starting from the Saiyan Saga and ending in the Buu Saga. There are extra stories too but those are the main sections hardcore will care about. Plus there are plenty of side quests too in this action RPG that does the series justice from start to finish, offering fans one place to experience how Goku became a legend.

1 Dragon Ball FighterZ

The Ultimate Fighting Game Arrives

• Metacritic Score: 87 (Switch)

Dragon Ball FighterZ started as a console exclusive for platforms like the PS4. It looks best when emulated on a system like the PS5, but given that, it still looks and plays great on a Switch which it later got ported to. It’s the best fighting game this anime franchise has ever received. There were a lot of 2D fighting games before this and they all ranged from poor to mediocre like Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22.

Then the games went into the 3D realm like with the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai series which were well received. However, Arc System Works nails the franchise in 2D at long last. It’s full of Easter Eggs, great voice work from all regions, the models are on point as is the roster, and it’s an all-around fan letter to Dragon Ball Z. It’s not just a good adaptation, but a stellar fighting game that stands among the greats like Street Fighter 2.