Honestly, it’s kinda ridiculous when you think about it. We have been playing Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z games for literally decades. Most franchises die out or get rebooted into oblivion after ten years, but Goku just keeps finding new ways to punch people in the face on our television screens. It isn’t just nostalgia either. There’s something specific about how these games evolved from clunky 2D fighters on the NES to the visual spectacles we see today in Dragon Ball FighterZ or the massive open-world vibes of Kakarot.
If you grew up in the 90s, your first exposure might have been those weirdly slow Butoden games or maybe the Legacy of Goku series on Game Boy Advance. Those GBA titles were actually pretty rough around the edges, but they captured a sense of adventure that modern fighting games sometimes miss. You weren't just fighting; you were collecting herbs for some random NPC while the fate of the world hung in the balance. It was weird. It was tedious. We loved it anyway.
The Era That Changed Everything: Budokai vs. Budokai Tenkaichi
Most fans will argue until they’re blue in the face about which series is better. You’ve got the Budokai crowd (the 2D-ish plane enthusiasts) and the Budokai Tenkaichi loyalists (the "I want to fly anywhere" crowd).
The original Budokai on PS2 was a bit of a shock. Seeing 3D models of these characters felt like a fever dream in 2002. But it was Budokai 3 that really nailed the "V-Skill" mechanics and the teleportation counters. It felt fast. It felt like the anime. Then, Spike Co. Ltd decided to flip the script with Budokai Tenkaichi. They moved the camera behind the shoulder. Suddenly, you weren't playing a fighting game; you were simulating a planetary-level threat.
Why Tenkaichi 3 is the "Holy Grail"
People still pay insane amounts of money for a physical copy of Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Why? Because the roster was bloated in the best way possible. You could play as Frieza Soldier #2 or King Vegeta. It didn't care about "competitive balance" in the way modern eSports titles do. If you picked Broly, you were a tank. If you picked Chiaotzu, well, good luck. That lack of balance is exactly what made it feel authentic to the source material. It wasn't about frame data; it was about the power fantasy of blowing up a mountain.
Modern Day: FighterZ and the Shift to Serious Gaming
For a long time, Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z games were dismissed by the "pro" fighting game community. They were seen as "arena fighters"—basically party games where you mash one button to do a cool combo.
Then Arc System Works entered the room.
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When Dragon Ball FighterZ dropped in 2018, everything shifted. They used a 2.5D style that looked better than the actual show. Seriously. The way the light hits Goku's hair during a Level 3 Super is a technical marvel. They took the 3v3 tag mechanics from games like Marvel vs. Capcom and infused them with pure Saiyan energy. It was the first time we saw Dragon Ball at EVO, the biggest fighting game tournament in the world. It proved that these games could be deep, technical, and brutally competitive.
But it also sparked a divide. Some players missed the simplicity of flying around a giant map. They felt trapped in the 2D plane. This tension is exactly why Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was such a smart move by Bandai Namco. It pivoted away from the competitive sweat-fest and leaned back into the "RPG" elements. It let you just be Goku. You could fish with a prosthetic tail. You could fly through rings of Z-Orb energy. It was a love letter to the fans who just wanted to live in that world for a hundred hours.
The Microtransaction Problem and Xenoverse
We have to talk about Xenoverse. It’s been out for years and still gets DLC. It’s the "MMO-lite" version of the franchise. You create your own character, which is basically what every kid in 1998 was doing with colored pencils and notebooks.
Xenoverse 2 is a bit of a double-edged sword. On one hand, the customization is insane. You can mix and match moves from everyone. On the other hand, the grind is real. The RNG for getting specific moves like "Spirit Sword" or "Data Input" can be soul-crushing. It introduced a live-service model to Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z games that hasn't really left. We see it now in The Breakers, that weird asymmetrical horror-style game where you play as citizens hiding from Cell. It was a bold experiment, but it showed that the branding alone can't always carry a mediocre gameplay loop.
What People Get Wrong About the Power Levels
There is a common misconception that every Dragon Ball game needs to be "balanced."
If I'm playing as Beerus, the God of Destruction, and I'm struggling to beat Krillin, the immersion is broken. Games like Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero (the spiritual successor to Tenkaichi) understand this. They are leaning back into the "DP" (Destruction Point) system. This means characters are ranked by power. In a team battle, you can have a team of five weaklings or one super-powered fusion like Vegito. This is the "nuance" that makes the genre work. It’s not about being a fair fight; it’s about the drama of the encounter.
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The Technical Wizardry of Cell Shading
If you look back at Sagas on the GameCube, it looks... rough. The transition to 3D was hard for anime games. They tried to make characters look "realistic," and it ended up looking like plastic action models.
Modern Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z games succeeded because they stopped trying to be 3D and started trying to be "playable 2D." The technique involves using 3D models but "locking" the shadows and lines to mimic hand-drawn animation. This is why FighterZ looks timeless. It won't age the way Budokai 1 did. When you see a "Dramatic Finish," it’s often a frame-for-frame recreation of the manga. That level of fan service is what keeps the sales numbers in the millions every single time a new trailer drops.
The Licensing Maze
Ever wonder why we don't see certain characters? The rights to Dragon Ball are a mess of different companies—Shueisha, Toei Animation, and Bandai Namco all have a seat at the table. This is why some games only cover the "Z" era and ignore the original "Dragon Ball" or "GT." It’s often a matter of what characters are included in specific licensing packages for that fiscal year. It’s boring corporate stuff, but it dictates whether or not you get to play as Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta or Kid Goku.
The Impact of Fan Mods
We can't overlook the PC scene. Fans have taken games like Xenoverse 2 and FighterZ and added things the developers never would. Characters from Dragon Ball Daima, ultra-realistic textures, and even brand-new story arcs. This community keeps the older games alive long after the servers should have gone dark. If you're still playing these on a console, you're only seeing half the picture. The modding scene is where the real experimentation happens.
Practical Steps for the Modern Player
If you are looking to jump into Dragon Ball Dragon Ball Z games right now, don't just buy the first one you see on sale. They all serve very different "vibes."
For the Competitive Soul: Get Dragon Ball FighterZ. It’s a masterpiece of mechanics. Just be prepared to spend hours in training mode learning how to "reflect" and "super dash" properly. The skill ceiling is astronomical.
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For the Lore Junkie: Go with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. It’s the most complete retelling of the story. It includes stuff from the filler episodes—like Goku and Piccolo getting their driver's licenses—which is honestly peak content.
For the Creative Type: Xenoverse 2 is your home. The ability to make a "Majin" or a "Namekian" hero and take them through time-distorted battles is still unmatched.
For the Chaos Seeker: Wait for or play Sparking! Zero. It’s all about the spectacle. It’s about 150+ characters, destructible environments, and the kind of visual noise that makes your eyes bleed in the best way possible.
Stop looking for the "perfect" game and start looking for the one that fits how you want to interact with the world. Do you want to study frame data or do you want to throw a spirit bomb at your best friend while sitting on a couch? Both are valid. Both are why this franchise refuses to die.
The future looks like more "Sparking" style games, moving away from the rigid 2D structures of the last five years and returning to the open-arena chaos that defined the PS2 era. It’s a cycle. We’re going back to our roots, but with 4K textures and better netcode. Honestly? It's about time.
Check your platform's store for "Definitive Editions" usually bundled during seasonal sales; these games are notorious for having $100+ worth of DLC if you buy them piece-by-piece. Always wait for the bundle.