You remember the PSP? That sleek, black rectangle of untapped potential. Back in 2007, while most people were obsessing over the looming release of Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on the PS2, a handheld sequel quietly dropped that, honestly, had no right to be as good as it was. Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai Another Road wasn't just a portable fighter. It was a weird, ambitious experiment. It asked a question fans had been debating for years: what if Future Trunks didn't just save his timeline, but actually had to deal with the fallout of Majin Buu showing up in a world with no Goku?
It's fast. Way faster than you’d expect for a game running on a handheld from two decades ago. While modern games like Dragon Ball FighterZ are beautiful, they’re locked in a 2D plane. Another Road gave you that 3D burst-movement freedom, and it did it with a "What If" story that actually felt like it mattered.
What Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai Another Road Got Right About Future Trunks
Most Dragon Ball games just rehash the Raditz-to-Buu timeline until your eyes bleed. We've played the Cell Games a thousand times. But Another Road took a detour. It focuses on Future Trunks’ timeline. In this version of events, Babidi and Dabura show up in the future to resurrect Majin Buu. Since Trunks is the only defender left, he has to travel back to the past to recruit the Z-Fighters to help him save his dying world.
It’s basically the Goku Black arc before that was even a thing.
The narrative structure is surprisingly dense. You aren't just fighting; you're moving across a map, making choices that actually change the outcome of the stage. You have to protect cities. If you let a city get destroyed while you’re busy fighting a Saibaman, your rank drops, and the story might branch. It’s stressful. It makes you feel the weight of Trunks’ responsibility.
The game uses the "Aura Burst" system. Basically, you're constantly dashing. It creates this frantic, high-speed chess match where managing your Ki isn't just about big beams—it’s about mobility. You can cancel animations, teleport behind enemies, and chain combos that look like they came straight out of the anime's peak choreography. Honestly, the fluidity here puts some modern arena fighters to shame.
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The Roster and the "Another Road" Gimmick
You get 24 characters. That sounds small compared to the 160+ in Sparking! Zero, but these characters were built with a "quality over quantity" mindset. Every character feels distinct because of the Booster Card system.
Instead of just leveling up, you collect cards. These cards fit into a grid. You might find a card that boosts your Ki recovery but drops your defense. Or maybe you find one that turns your Ultimate attack into a one-shot nuke. It adds a layer of strategy that keeps the repetitive nature of fighting games at bay. You aren't just playing Goku; you're playing your version of Goku built for a specific mission.
The roster includes:
- Future Gohan (A fan favorite that rarely got shine back then)
- Bardock
- Cooler (Final Form)
- Janemba
- Broly (The legendary version, not the Super version)
Getting to play as Future Gohan in a "What If" scenario where he survives and helps Trunks fight Majin Buu is pure wish fulfillment. It’s the kind of stuff we used to write fanfiction about, and here it was, fully voiced and playable on a bus ride to school.
Why the Gameplay Loop Still Holds Up in 2026
If you go back and play it today on a PSP or through an emulator, the first thing you’ll notice is the frame rate. It's solid. Dimps, the developer, knew how to optimize the hardware. They used a cel-shaded style that ages incredibly well. While realistic graphics from 2007 look like mud today, Another Road still looks like a vibrant moving comic book.
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The combat isn't just button mashing. You have the "Tactical Shield" and "Burst" mechanics. If you time a block perfectly, you can deflect a Kamehameha into the background. It’s satisfying. There’s a specific "clash" mechanic where if two players dash into each other, you have to spin the analog stick—or mash buttons—to win the struggle. It’s a literal thumb-killer, but it captures the intensity of the show.
Managing the Map: Not Your Average Fighter
The "Another Road" mode is where the meat of the game is. You're presented with a world map divided into sectors. You have to fly to different points to engage enemies. But here’s the kicker: your health doesn't just magically refill. You have to manage your HP and Ki across multiple encounters.
Sometimes, you’ll find yourself protecting a city with only 10% health left, praying you can land a Perfect Guard so you don't lose the mission. It’s this persistence of damage that makes the game feel more like an RPG-lite than a standard arcade fighter. You have to think: "Do I use my Ultimate now and drain my Ki, or save it for the next fight?"
Common Misconceptions and Technical Hurdles
A lot of people think Shin Budokai Another Road is just a port of Budokai 3. It’s not. While it shares some DNA, the mechanics are streamlined for handheld play. There’s no "Dragon Rush" (that annoying rock-paper-scissors mechanic from Budokai 3 that everyone hated). This makes the game much more skill-based and less about luck.
Another weird thing? The Japanese version is actually titled Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai 2. For some reason, the Western release got the Another Road subtitle. It caused some confusion back in the day, with fans thinking it was a spin-off rather than a direct sequel to the first Shin Budokai.
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Performance Tip: If you're playing this on original hardware, the load times can be a bit chunky. If you're using a modern handheld emulator, cranking the resolution up to 3x or 4x makes the cel-shading look crisp enough to pass for a modern indie game.
The Lasting Legacy of the Shin Budokai Series
We don't really get games like this anymore. Nowadays, DBZ games are either massive open-world RPGs like Kakarot or competitive-focused fighters like FighterZ. Another Road occupied that middle ground. It was a "pick up and play for 5 minutes" game that also had enough depth to keep you occupied for 50 hours.
The "What If" storytelling was bold. It didn't just give us a different ending; it built an entire alternate reality. It treated Future Trunks like the protagonist he deserves to be. It gave us a glimpse into a world where the stakes were actually high because there were no Dragon Balls to just wish everyone back to life.
How to Get the Most Out of Another Road Today
If you’re looking to dive back in, don't just rush the story. The real depth is in the Z-Trial mode. This is where the game tests your actual mastery of the mechanics. There’s a "Survival" mode and a "Time Attack" mode that are brutally difficult if you haven't mastered the Aura Burst cancels.
- Master the Aura Burst: Don't just fly; burst. It consumes Ki but makes you nearly untouchable.
- Prioritize the Map: In the story mode, always check which cities are under attack first. Losing a city is a fast track to a Game Over, regardless of how well you fight.
- Card Synergy: Don't just equip the strongest cards. Look for cards that complement your playstyle. If you like playing as Piccolo, focus on Ki regeneration cards to spam the Special Beam Cannon.
- Learn the Teleport: Timing your 'X' button press right as an attack hits is the difference between a win and a loss in the higher difficulty tiers.
Dragon Ball Z Shin Budokai Another Road remains a high-water mark for handheld fighting games. It’s a testament to what happens when developers take a mobile platform seriously and try to tell a story that isn't just a carbon copy of the source material. It's fast, it’s frantic, and honestly, it’s still one of the best ways to experience the tragedy and triumph of Future Trunks.
To really experience the game's depth, focus on unlocking all the Booster Card slots for your favorite character first. This allows you to experiment with builds that can bypass the game's steep difficulty spikes in the later chapters of the Trunks saga. Once you've cleared the main "Another Road" path, go back and intentionally fail certain objectives; you'll be surprised at how many hidden dialogue sequences and alternate battles are tucked away in the branching paths of the timeline.