Look, the Game Boy Advance era was a weird, experimental goldmine for anime fans. While most developers were just cranking out lazy 2D fighters to cash in on the Goku craze, Webfoot Technologies was busy building an actual action-RPG trilogy. It’s been decades since Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury hit the shelves in 2004, and honestly? It’s still the peak of that specific handheld era. Most people remember The Legacy of Goku II as the breakout hit, but Buu's Fury is where the mechanics finally caught up to the ambition. It wasn't perfect. Not by a long shot. But it captured the sheer, chaotic escalation of the Majin Buu saga better than any $60 console game of its time.
The game picks up right where the previous one left off. You start in the afterlife, Goku's dead—again—and the World Martial Arts Tournament is looming. It’s a vibes-based RPG. You’re not just mashing buttons; you’re managing stat points, equipping weighted clothing to grind experience, and flying across a world map that actually feels like the Dragon Ball world.
The Stat Point Trap and Why Customization Mattered
One thing people often forget about Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury is how much control it gave you over the characters. Every time you leveled up, you got three points to dump into Strength, Power, or Endurance. If you were a kid playing this in the mid-2000s, you probably dumped everything into Strength and Power because, well, it’s Dragon Ball. You want to hit hard.
But there’s a nuance here that modern games sometimes miss. The "Power" stat didn't just boost your Ki blasts; it determined how quickly your Ki recharged. This created a legitimate tactical choice. Do you build a glass-cannon Vegeta who can spam Final Flash but dies if a Saibaman sneezes on him? Or do you build a tanky Gohan? Most of us just wanted to see the big numbers, but the fact that the choice existed in a GBA licensed game was kind of revolutionary.
The equipment system was equally deep, if a bit clunky. You could find items like the "Z-Sword" or various scouters. If you equipped the heavy weights, your movement slowed to a crawl, but your XP gains skyrocketed. It turned the game into a constant internal debate: "Do I want to actually enjoy walking, or do I want to hit Level 100 before I fight Broly?"
It Wasn't Just About Buu (The Movie Cameos)
If you strictly followed the title, you'd think the game only covered the pink demon. You'd be wrong. One of the coolest parts of Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury was how it folded in the movies. You get the Broly – Second Coming plotline and the Fusion Reborn arc with Janemba.
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Janemba’s boss fight in the Hive is legendary for being a massive spike in difficulty. The game doesn't hold your hand. If you haven't been grinding, Janemba will absolutely wreck your day. This inclusion of non-canon movie content made the world feel huge. It wasn't just a retread of the episodes you'd already watched on Toonami; it was a "Best Of" compilation of the entire late-Z era.
Gogeta makes his debut here too. The fusion mechanic was a big selling point. You actually had to perform the dance via button prompts. If you messed up the sequence? You got Veku—the fat version of the fusion—who had terrible stats and was basically a joke character until the timer ran out. It added a layer of stakes to the combat that simple menu-based fusions lacked.
The Level 60 Barrier and the Grind
Let’s be real: the game had some pacing issues. There’s a point where you hit "Level Gates." You’ll see a giant door with the number "60" on it, and if your character isn't that level, you aren't getting through. It was a transparent way to force players to explore and fight random encounters, but it also made the world feel like it had some internal logic. You couldn't just stumble your way into a fight with Kid Buu as a weakling.
Grinding became an art form. Most players figured out that the best way to level up was to find the areas with the Shadow Warriors or the dinosaurs near the End of the World. You'd slap on those weighted boots, put on a podcast (or, back then, just listen to the incredible 16-bit renditions of the Faulconer score), and fly in circles.
The Sound of 16-Bit Bruce Faulconer
We have to talk about the music. For many Western fans, Dragon Ball Z is the Bruce Faulconer soundtrack. The heavy synths, the industrial metal vibes, the "Vegeta’s Hell's Bells" theme. Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury used MIDI versions of these tracks, and they slapped.
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Even through the tiny, tinny GBA speaker, hearing that distorted guitar riff when you transformed into a Super Saiyan 3 felt earned. It gave the game an identity that felt distinct from the Japanese versions of the show. It felt gritty. It felt like the stakes were actually high, even if you were just looking at a handful of pixels on a three-inch screen.
Why the Gameplay Loop Still Holds Up
The combat is basic top-down action. You have a punch, a block, and a Ki button. Simple. But it’s the variety of Ki attacks that keeps it interesting. Goku has the Kamehameha and the Spirit Bomb. Gotenks has the Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack—which, by the way, was hilariously fun to use in this game because the ghosts actually had AI and would hunt down enemies.
There's also the "Hercule" factor. Yes, you can play as Mr. Satan. It’s mostly for a specific side quest where you have to gain "Hercule Points" by doing ridiculous things to maintain his reputation, but it’s a great bit of fanservice. The game didn't take itself too seriously. It knew that Dragon Ball is as much about the comedy as it is about the screaming and the glowing hair.
Common Misconceptions and Frustrations
One thing that still trips people up today is the "Missing Dragon Balls" or the "Lost Exhibits" quests. These were the bane of completionists. You had to scour the entire map—from the City to the Grand Kai’s planet—to find these tiny sprites. If you missed one exhibit for the Capsule Corp museum, you weren't getting that 100% save file.
People also complain that the game is too easy once you figure out the "Power" stat. If you pump everything into Power, you can basically one-shot most bosses with a fully charged beam. While that's true, it actually feels lore-accurate. By the end of Z, these characters are literal gods. They should be one-shotting things.
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The real challenge wasn't the combat; it was the navigation. Some of those late-game maps, like the inside of Buu’s body, were absolute mazes. I spent hours as a kid just trying to find the exit of a cave that looked exactly like the entrance. It was frustrating, sure, but it gave the game a sense of scale that modern, hand-holding RPGs often lack.
How to Play It Today (The Practical Side)
If you're looking to dive back into Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury, you have a few options. Finding an original cartridge is getting expensive. Prices on secondary markets have spiked because people are realizing that these GBA titles are actually high-quality RPGs, not just licensed shovelware.
If you do find a copy, make sure the internal battery (if it's a bootleg) or the flash memory is working. Nothing kills the vibe like losing 20 hours of progress because your save file corrupted.
For the best experience, you should aim for:
- Character Focus: Don't try to level everyone equally at first. Pick a "main" (usually Goku or Gohan) to clear the level gates, then use the high-level areas to power-level the rest.
- Stat Distribution: Keep a 2:1 ratio of Power to Strength. Endurance is mostly a waste if you get good at the "teleport" dodge (pressing the block button right before an impact).
- The Scouter: Use it constantly. It’s not just for lore; it reveals enemy weaknesses and helps you find those annoying hidden items for the museum.
The Actionable Bottom Line
If you want to experience this game properly in 2026, don't just rush the main story. The joy of Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury is in the side content.
- Complete the Museum Exhibits: It forces you to explore the hidden corners of the map you'd otherwise skip.
- Find the Z-Sword: It’s a classic moment for Gohan and actually provides a massive stat boost early on.
- Unlock the Secret Ending: You need to get all characters to a high level and finish the museum to see everything the game has to offer.
Stop treating it like a fighting game and start treating it like a Zelda-lite RPG. The 16-bit era was the only time Dragon Ball games felt like true adventures rather than just arena brawlers. Grab a GBA, ignore the modern 4K graphics of Sparking! Zero for a weekend, and lose yourself in the grind. You won't regret it.