After years of wondering and waiting, Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco have revived the DBZ: Budokai Tenkaichi spin-off line with Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, and fans everywhere are thrilled. With stellar player numbers on Steam before the game’s normal edition even came out, it already seems like celebrations for this beloved series’ revival are in full swing. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s art style, animations, and abundant hidden interactions have done the Dragon Ball franchise justice so far, and there’s still plenty to experience in the secret-filled Episode Battle story, online modes, and player-driven Custom Battle.
This is coming off of a streak of Dragon Ball Xenoverse 1 and 2, FighterZ, Kakarot, and The Breakers, so Dragon Ball fans are eating well right now. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is expected to continue receiving additional content for years to come thanks to its strong launch sales, and the first season pass is confirmed to be pulled from the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero movie, and the new anime Dragon Ball Daima. Additions from the former are already hotly anticipated, but one of them is expected to use an uncommon Dragon Ball character archetype that hasn’t really existed in fighting game DLC before.
Dragon Ball: The Strongest Giants in the Series, Explained
Many giant characters have been introduced in Dragon Ball, so let's go over who the strongest ones were in the entire series.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero May Go Where No Fighting Game Has Before
In addition to introducing new forms for Dragon Ball’s supporting cast, the Super Hero movie also brings back the original Dragon Ball’s Red Ribbon Army as its main villains. Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 are confirmed to represent them in Sparking Zero’s first season pass, but still unannounced is another foe, Cell Max. As his name suggests, this feral giant is an attempted iteration of DBZ’s Cell who fought an enlarged Orange Piccolo at the end of the film. He has appeared as a raid boss in Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, but Sparking Zero has space for him to make a playable debut.
Giants Barely Exist In The Fighting Genre
Cell Max and Orange Piccolo could make history as the first “giant” fighting game characters ever added as DLC, assuming they do join in Sparking Zero’s DLC. True “giants” in fighting games are typically just bosses or super modes, even in Xenoverse. For reference, “big bodies” like Street Fighter 5's Abigail and Marvel vs. Capcom’s Sentinel are more common, and typically don’t subvert a game’s mechanics as much. Only Tatsunoko vs. Capcom and Gundam Battle Assault 2 included multiple giants on their main rosters, while other examples like Akatsuki Blitzkampf’s Blitztank and Capcom Fighting Evolution’s Hauzer are more like big body hybrids.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Is Uniquely Equipped To Handle Giants
Arena fighters typically avoid giant fighters just like any other fighting game variant, but there’s one exception. Budokai Tenkaichi has included playable giants ever since its first entry in 2005, and Sparking Zero has maintained that tradition. Even though these games are more focused on fanservice than competitive balance, the Tenkaichi/Sparking series has settled on giant design reminiscent of Tatsunoko vs. Capcom’s standout examples, forgotten as they are. Giants have high amounts of super armor, big damage, and bigger health pools, but can struggle to hit grounded foes right beside them. They also have some character-specific throw animations, and a couple of mechanics are altered for them alone.
What Fighting Games Can Learn From Sparking Zero’s Giants
Balance issues crop up as a result, and Sparking Zero is once again united with TvC in this regard. Nowhere is this more evident than Sparking Zero’s Great Ape Vegeta being an early story roadblock, while TvC’s PTX-40A and Gold Lightan warp gameplay so much that tier lists based on standard match-ups don't apply to them. Still, more fighting games should learn from Sparking Zero’s example, as having a template giant around helps when designing more. With Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero potentially buffing giants with its new team combo mechanic, it’s clear that there’s still room for fighting games to experiment with this rare archetype.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- October 11, 2024
- ESRB
- T For Teen Due To Mild Language, Mild Suggestive Themes, Violence
- Developer(s)
- Spike Chunsoft
- Publisher(s)
- Namco Bandai
WHERE TO PLAY
DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series and raises it to whole new levels. Become a super warrior and experience the earth-shaking, limit-breaking power of DRAGON BALL battles!
Unleash the strength of over 180 fighters from DRAGON BALL Z, DRAGON BALL Super, DRAGON BALL GT, and selected DRAGON BALL movies, all in the base game! Each character comes with their own signature abilities, transformations, and techniques.
Make the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL yours!
Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series, with breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, movements too quick for the eyes to see, and planet-razing ultimate attacks.
Challenge other players online to test your skills, or sit down with friends offline to hone your skills exclusively in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber! Fight your way to become a champion across various tournament modes and victory conditions.
Conquer the action-packed battles from the beloved original story, or discover and unlock new encounters for your favorite Z-Fighters and more. Relive your favorite moments from the series through cutscenes you can experience from the perspectives of eight characters!
Recreate your favorite battles from throughout the DRAGON BALL story, or set up your dream story battle with your favorite characters! Share your creations with other fans and experience the battles brought to life by imaginations around the world.
- Engine
- proprietary engine
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Dragon Ball
- Platform(s)
- PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S
- Genre(s)
- Fighting, Action
- How Long To Beat
- 11 hours
- How Long To Beat (Completionist Runs)
- 80 Hours
- OpenCritic Rating
- Strong
