It was 2010. The PlayStation Portable was in its twilight years, but it was still kicking out some of the most ambitious handheld titles ever conceived. Enter Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team. Most fans at the time were busy looking toward the next-gen consoles, waiting for something that could live up to the legacy of Budokai Tenkaichi 3. What they didn't realize was that Spike had quietly shrunk that massive, chaotic 3D fighting engine into a UMD disc that fit in your pocket.
It’s weird.
If you look at the game today, it feels like a relic, yet the mechanics are deeper than most modern mobile brawlers. It wasn't just a port. It was an experiment. For the first time, you weren't just 1v1 dueling in a desert; you were managing a battlefield with four fighters at once. It changed everything about the rhythm of a Dragon Ball fight.
The 2v2 Dynamic: Chaos in Your Pocket
Most Dragon Ball games follow a predictable rhythm. You punch, you vanish, you charge your Ki, you throw a beam. Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team threw a massive wrench into that cycle by introducing the tag mechanic. This isn't just about swapping characters like in the Budokai or FighterZ series. No, both your characters are on the screen at the same time.
Imagine you’re playing as Goku. You’ve got Piccolo backing you up. While you're busy trading blows with Frieza, Piccolo is actually there, in the 3D space, pelting Frieza with Ki blasts or, more importantly, keeping Cooler off your back. It’s hectic. Sometimes it's frustrating. But when it clicks? It feels more like the actual anime than almost any other entry in the franchise.
The AI was surprisingly competent for the hardware. Usually, handheld AI is a joke. Here, your partner actually responds to your actions. If you knock an opponent into the air, your teammate might fly up to intercept them for a follow-up. This "Synchro" system meant that positioning mattered more than just raw power levels. You couldn't just mash "Triangle" and hope for the best because getting flanked by two enemies at once is a quick recipe for a "Game Over" screen.
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Does the Roster Still Hold Up?
People love to complain about rosters. "Why isn't [insert obscure movie villain] here?" is the constant refrain. Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team features 70 playable characters. By modern standards, that's huge. By Tenkaichi 3 standards, it's a bit slim. But look closer.
Every character has their transformations. You aren't just picking "Super Saiyan 2 Gohan" as a separate slot; you’re transforming mid-battle. That’s a feature many modern games, looking at you Xenoverse, often struggle to implement with the same fluid feel. The game covers everything from the Saiyan Saga through the Majin Buu Saga. While it misses out on Dragon Ball GT or the newer Super content (obviously, given the year it was released), the core DBZ experience is remarkably complete.
Actually, the character models are worth mentioning. On a PSP screen, they looked crisp. On a modern emulator or a PS Vita, the jagged edges become more apparent, but the animations remain top-tier. Spike reused many assets from the console versions, which sounds lazy, but it actually ensured that the "weight" of the hits felt right. When you land a Kamehameha, the screen shakes just enough to make it feel earned.
The Dragon Walker Mode: A Mixed Bag
So, let's talk about the campaign. It’s called Dragon Walker. Instead of a standard menu or a hub world, you move a little chibi version of your character across a map. It’s... fine. It attempts to add some RPG flavor by letting you take side paths or engage in optional battles to get stronger.
Honestly, the dialogue is standard DBZ fare. You’ve heard these lines a thousand times. "I'll never forgive you, Frieza!" and all that. But the novelty of the 2v2 combat keeps the repetitive nature of the story mode from becoming a total slog. The real meat of the game, however, isn't the story. It's the "Battle 100" mode.
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Why Battle 100 is the Real Challenge
If you want to test your mettle, this is where you go. It’s a series of themed fights with specific conditions. Some of them are genuinely brutal. You might face a team that has regenerating health or enemies that can one-shot you if you aren't careful. It forces you to actually learn the "Z Counter" and "Sonic Sway" mechanics.
Most players skip the tutorials. Big mistake. Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team uses a complex control scheme that involves holding R and pressing face buttons to access different tiers of moves. It’s not "press X to win." You have to manage your Ki, your blast stock, and your positioning relative to your partner. If you’re too far away, you can’t help them. If you’re too close, you might both get caught in a single Area-of-Effect ultimate.
The Technical Wizardry of the PSP
It’s easy to forget how underpowered the PSP was compared to a PS3. Yet, here was a game handling four high-poly models, massive destructible environments, and particle-heavy special moves without the frame rate dropping into the single digits.
The developers achieved this through some clever tricks. The environments are slightly smaller than the ones in the console Tenkaichi games. The textures are lower resolution. But because the PSP screen was small, your brain filled in the gaps. Even today, if you boot this up on a handheld like the Retroid Pocket or an Odin, it looks "right." It captures the aesthetic of Akira Toriyama’s work better than some of the 3D games that came after it.
Customization and "Sensu Beans"
You can’t just walk into a late-game fight and expect to win. The "D-Point" system allows you to buy "Z-Items" to buff your stats. Want more health? There’s a capsule for that. Want your Ki to charge faster so you can spam Final Flash? You can do that too.
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This customization adds a layer of strategy that is often missing from "flat" fighters. You have to build a loadout that complements your partner. If your AI partner is a glass cannon, you might want to equip items that make you a tank so you can draw the enemy's aggro. It’s a level of tactical depth that most people totally overlook because they think it's just a "button masher."
Common Misconceptions
One thing people get wrong is calling this a "Tenkaichi 3 Lite." That’s unfair. While it shares the name and the engine, the 2v2 focus makes it a distinct beast. In Tenkaichi 3, the focus is on 1v1 technical mastery. In Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team, the focus is on situational awareness.
Another myth is that the game is "broken" or "unbalanced." Look, it’s a Dragon Ball game. Broly is going to be stronger than Krillin. That’s just the law of the land. However, within the context of the game's mechanics, even "weaker" characters are viable if you use the tag system correctly. Solar Flare actually matters when it can stun an enemy and leave them open for your partner's Spirit Bomb.
How to Play It Today
If you still have your PSP, the best way is the original UMD. But let's be real—most people are using PPSSPP. The good news is that the game scales beautifully to 2x or 3x resolution. There is also a massive modding community.
Because the game engine is so solid, fans have created "ISO mods" that add characters from Dragon Ball Super, like Ultra Instinct Goku or Jiren. These aren't just reskins; they often include new move sets and voice lines. It’s a testament to the game's base quality that people are still modding it fifteen years later.
Moving Forward with Tenkaichi Tag Team
If you’re looking to dive back into this classic, don't just rush through the story. The real longevity of Dragon Ball Z Tenkaichi Tag Team is in its depth of play.
- Master the Vanish: Stop relying on blocking. Learn the timing to vanish behind an opponent during their combo. It’s the only way to survive the "Battle 100" higher tiers.
- Invest in "Ki" Items early: In the shop, prioritize items that increase your starting Ki or Ki recovery speed. Being able to use your signature moves more often is better than a small bump in physical defense.
- Coordinate with the AI: Use the d-pad commands to tell your AI partner whether to "Search and Destroy" or "Stay Close." Changing their behavior mid-fight is often the difference between winning and losing a 2v2 match.
- Explore the Mod Scene: If the base roster starts feeling stale, look into the "Team Tag" mod communities. They have revitalized the game for a new generation.
Ultimately, this game serves as a bridge between the classic era of Dragon Ball gaming and the modern "arena fighter" trend. It proved that you didn't need a home console to have a massive, explosive experience. It’s a bit rough around the edges, and the camera can sometimes get stuck behind a mountain, but the core heart of Dragon Ball is there. It's loud, it's fast, and it's surprisingly smart. High-level play requires genuine skill, making it a must-play for anyone who claims to be a fan of the franchise's gaming history.