You’re hovering over the button. Raditz has Gohan, Goku is struggling, and Piccolo is charging that beam. Usually, you just let it happen. Goku dies, the story moves on, and we all wait for the Saiyan Saga to get serious. But in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, the game basically looks at you and asks: "What if Goku lived?"
That’s the hook.
These aren't just minor "oops" moments. They are massive, lore-altering shifts known as Sparking Episodes. For the first time since the Budokai Tenkaichi days, we actually have a high-budget way to see what happens if the villains win or if a different hero steps up. It’s chaotic. It’s honestly a bit overwhelming if you’re trying to 100% the Episode Battle mode because some of the requirements to trigger these "What Ifs" are incredibly specific. You can’t just win; sometimes you have to win fast.
The Art of the Sparking Episode
Finding every Dragon Ball Sparking Zero What If requires more than just button mashing. The game uses a branching path system. Most of these are tucked away in the character sagas for Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Future Trunks, Frieza, Goku Black, and Jiren.
If you look at your map and see a dotted line leading nowhere, you’ve missed a turn. Usually, the game gives you a hint. It might say "Defeat the opponent quickly" or "Reduce health within the time limit." But "quickly" is vague. In the world of Sparking Zero, that often means under two minutes. Sometimes under one.
Goku’s Side of the Story
Goku has the most paths, which makes sense. The biggest one everyone talks about is The Side of Justice. To get here, you have to choose to "Work Alone" when Raditz shows up instead of teaming up with Piccolo. Sounds like a death sentence, right? If you manage to beat Raditz solo—which is a genuine pain on the default difficulty—you trigger a reality where Goku never dies.
Think about the ripple effect.
If Goku doesn't die, he never goes to King Kai’s planet. He never learns the Kaio-ken or the Spirit Bomb. When Nappa and Vegeta arrive, the Z-Fighters are in a completely different spot. The game actually follows through on this. It isn't just one cutscene. It’s a series of fights that change the entire trajectory of the Namek saga. You’ll see characters like Krillin and Gohan taking on roles you wouldn’t expect because the power scaling shifted the moment Goku decided not to take that Special Beam Cannon to the chest.
Another wild one is Pushing the Limits. During the struggle with Beerus, if you manage to actually put up a fight and win, the God of Destruction's interest is piqued in a way that bypasses a lot of the Resurrection ‘F’ drama.
Vegeta’s Pride and the Butterfly Effect
Vegeta’s What Ifs are almost all centered around his ego. Honestly, would we want it any other way?
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In the Parental Bond path, the focus shifts during the Cell Games. If Vegeta manages to defeat Cell before he reaches his Perfect Form, or if he handles the Trunks situation differently, the story veers into a timeline where Vegeta actually acknowledges his son much earlier.
The most interesting one, though, is Vegeta’s Tragic Awakening. This happens during the Babidi saga. If you play your cards right and refuse to succumb to the Majin influence—or rather, if you handle the fight against Pui Pui and Yakon with extreme efficiency—Vegeta takes a more proactive role in stopping Buu’s resurrection before it even happens. It’s a "What If" that feels like wish fulfillment for every Vegeta fan who hated seeing him go "M" mode just to get a power boost.
Frieza and the Villain Perspective
It’s rare for a Dragon Ball game to let you win as the bad guy and have it actually mean something. Frieza’s campaign is a masterclass in "what could have been."
In the path Frieza’s Philosophy, the tyrant actually succeeds on Namek. If you crush Goku before he can turn Super Saiyan, you get to see a universe where the Frieza Force remains the dominant power in the galaxy. There’s a specific branch where Frieza achieves his Golden form much earlier or under different circumstances, leading to a showdown with the gods that feels like a fever dream.
The requirements for Frieza’s secret endings are some of the hardest in the game. You are often forced to fight against the clock while the AI is in "Ultra Instinct" mode, dodging everything you throw.
How to Trigger Branching Paths Every Time
If you're struggling to unlock a specific Dragon Ball Sparking Zero What If, you need to look at your difficulty settings. You cannot unlock many of these secret paths on "Lower" difficulty. The game forces you to play on the standard setting to earn the "Canon" or "Sparking" rewards.
Here is the basic logic the game uses for its triggers:
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- The Choice Trigger: These are easy. The game stops and gives you a text box. "Go with Piccolo" or "Go it alone." Your choice directly leads to a different map node.
- The Time Trigger: This is where most people get stuck. If a mission has a secondary objective like "Defeat [Character] as quickly as possible," you usually have about 90 to 120 seconds. If you see the dialogue start to loop or the enemy starts talking about "running out of time," you’ve already failed the "What If" trigger.
- The Health Trigger: You must keep your health above a certain percentage, usually 50% or 70%, while also winning quickly. This is meant to simulate a "crushing victory" that changes the narrative.
Trunks and the Hope of the Future
Future Trunks has a path called Embattled Future. We all know the story: Trunks goes back, kills Mecha Frieza, gives Goku the heart medicine, and the rest is history.
But what if Trunks stayed in the past longer? Or what if he went back and found that Black Goku had already arrived earlier than expected? There is a specific route in Sparking Zero where Trunks trains with Gohan in the present day to a point where they become an unstoppable duo. It’s a touching nod to their relationship in the History of Trunks special, but with a much happier ending.
The Jiren and Goku Black Wildcards
Jiren’s "What Ifs" are fascinating because they explore his psyche. In the Strength is Justice branch, Jiren’s refusal to cooperate with his team leads to a different conclusion for the Tournament of Power. It's less about a "new story" and more about how the final battle would have looked if Jiren hadn't been pushed to his emotional limit by the Universe 7 team.
Goku Black’s paths are just pure chaos. One path allows Zamasu to succeed in his "Zero Mortals Plan" much faster, leading to a confrontation with the higher-tier deities that we never got to see in the anime.
Practical Steps for Completionists
If you are hunting for the Platinum trophy or just want to see every cinematic, you have to use the Dragon Orb.
Dragon Orbs are items you can find or wish for using the Dragon Balls (Shenron or Porunga). When you use a Dragon Orb on a specific mission, it significantly eases the requirements for the "What If" triggers. For example, if you can’t beat Raditz fast enough to unlock Goku's secret path, a Dragon Orb will give you a wider time window.
Don't waste these on easy missions. Save them for the "Goku Black" or "Jiren" battles where the AI is notoriously aggressive.
Also, keep an eye on the Gallery. After you finish a mission, check the flowchart. If there’s a grayed-out box, that’s a path you haven’t taken. Hovering over it sometimes gives a cryptic hint.
Actionable Next Steps for Players
To master the branching paths and see every secret in the game, follow this progression:
- Turn off Lower Difficulty: You won't see the "What If" triggers on the easiest setting. If a fight is too hard, go to training mode and practice your "Sonic Sway" and "Perception" counters.
- Focus on Goku’s Saga first: It acts as the tutorial for how the branching system works. Unlock the "Side of Justice" path to get a feel for how much the story can actually change.
- Collect the Dragon Balls: Don't just play the story. Do the Zen-Oh and Whis challenges to get Dragon Balls. Use them to wish for Dragon Orbs, which are essential for the harder "Timed" triggers.
- Watch the Dialogue: If the enemy starts saying unique lines you don't remember from the show, you've likely triggered a "What If." Stop playing defensively and go for the kill to lock it in.
The beauty of these scenarios is that they treat the source material with respect while being completely unafraid to break it. Whether it's Gohan actually keeping up with his training or Frieza becoming the hero of the multiverse (in his own twisted way), the "What If" system is the real heart of the game. It turns a standard retread of Z and Super into a playground where your skill actually dictates the fate of the universe.