The year was 2002. If you owned a Game Boy Advance, you were likely starving for a decent RPG that wasn't Pokémon. Then came Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku. It promised the world. It promised the entire Saiyan and Namek sagas in the palm of your hand. For kids raised on Toonami, this was basically the Holy Grail.
But man, was that first game rough.
Looking back, the trilogy—developed by Webfoot Technologies—is one of the weirdest success stories in handheld gaming. It started as a clunky, almost experimental action-RPG and evolved into what many consider the definitive way to experience the DBZ story in pixel art. If you didn't grow up with a GBA, you might not realize how much of a departure this was from the fighting games that usually defined the franchise.
The Rocky Start of a Legend
Let’s be real for a second. The first Dragon Ball Z: The Legacy of Goku isn't exactly a masterpiece. It’s janky. Goku moves like he’s walking through molasses, and if a stray wolf bites you in the Northern Mountains, you’re basically dead. It was a brutal awakening for fans who thought they were going to be unstoppable Super Saiyans right out of the gate.
Webfoot Technologies, based in Texas, had the monumental task of condensing dozens of anime episodes into a tiny cartridge. They leaned into a Western-style RPG approach. You weren't just fighting; you were solving chores. Remember the lost cat in the first level? Or finding the flowers for the old man? It felt more like Zelda but with a lot more yelling.
One of the weirdest things about the original game was the flight mechanic. You could fly, sure, but you had a "flight charge" bar. Imagine being the most powerful warrior in the universe and having to land because you ran out of "fly juice." It was a strange limitation that frustrated players, but it set the stage for the massive improvements that would follow in the sequels.
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When Everything Clicked: The Sequel Leap
If the first game was a rough draft, The Legacy of Goku II was the polished final thesis. Released in 2003, it’s honestly one of the best sequels in gaming history. They fixed almost everything. The movement was fluid. The world was expansive. Suddenly, you weren't just playing as Goku; you had a roster. Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Trunks were all there.
This game covered the Android and Cell Sagas, which are arguably the peak of DBZ tension. The developers added "Capsule Corporation" hubs and a world map that actually felt like you were exploring the Earth. They also introduced the Scouter. Being able to scan NPCs and enemies for power levels was a genius touch that made you feel like you were actually in the show.
The sound design deserves a shout-out too. While it wasn't the exact Bruce Faulconer score from the US broadcast, Webfoot managed to capture that crunchy, synth-heavy atmosphere that defined early 2000s Dragon Ball. It felt "Western" in a way that Japanese-developed games like Budokai didn't.
Buu’s Fury and the End of an Era
By the time Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury (the technical third game in the Legacy of Goku lineage) dropped in 2004, the engine was perfected. It was fast. It was colorful. It was also, frankly, a bit too easy. You could pump all your stat points into Strength and basically one-shot every boss in the game.
But who cared? We were finally playing through the Fusion Saga.
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Buu's Fury added equipment slots—gloves, boots, accessories—which pushed it further into "real RPG" territory. You could find weighted clothing to increase your experience gain, a direct nod to the training methods used by Goku and Vegeta. It showed that the developers actually cared about the source material. They weren't just reskinning a generic game; they were building a love letter to the fans.
The Missing Piece: Why No Legacy of Goku 4?
It’s a question that still haunts message boards. Why did it stop? The trilogy ended with the defeat of Kid Buu. Logically, the next step would have been Dragon Ball GT or even the original Dragon Ball story. Instead, we got Dragon Ball GT: Transformation, a side-scrolling beat 'em up that... well, it wasn't a Legacy of Goku game. Not even close.
Webfoot moved on to other projects, and the license eventually shifted toward the massive 3D fighters we see today like Sparking! ZERO. The "Legacy" style of top-down adventure gaming essentially died on the GBA.
There is a spiritual successor of sorts on the Nintendo DS called Dragon Ball Origins, but it never quite captured the same magic as those 32-bit sprites. There's something about the GBA's color palette and the specific way those games handled progression that keeps people coming back to ROMs and retro consoles two decades later.
Technical Oddities and Regional Quirks
You might not know this, but the first game had a legendary "anti-piracy" measure. If you played a bootleg copy, the game would often freeze right after the character select or during the first boss fight with Raditz. It was a nightmare for the burgeoning emulation scene in the mid-2000s.
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Also, the naming convention in Japan was totally different. They didn't even get the first game for a long time. When they finally did, it was rebranded. The series is quintessentially "Ameri-DBZ." It represents the era when Dragon Ball was the biggest thing on Western television, and the games reflected that specific cultural hype.
Why You Should Replay It Today
If you’re looking to dive back in, start with the second game. Seriously. The first one is a fascinating historical artifact, but the sequel is where the "Legacy" actually begins.
- The Leveling System: It’s simple but satisfying. Watching your power level number climb into the millions feels exactly how Dragon Ball should feel.
- The Side Quests: Finding the missing Namekians or the Golden Capsules actually gives you a reason to explore the map beyond just following the main story markers.
- The Transformation Mechanic: There’s nothing like hitting a shoulder button and seeing your character's hair turn gold while the screen shakes. For 2003, that was peak technology.
The Legacy of Goku trilogy isn't just nostalgia. It’s a blueprint for how to do a licensed RPG correctly. It respected the player’s intelligence and the fan’s passion. Even with its flaws—and there are many—it remains a high-water mark for the GBA library.
How to Experience the Legacy Today
If you want to revisit these classics, you have a few legitimate paths. Hunting down original cartridges is getting expensive, but it's the most authentic way.
- Check Local Retro Stores: Prices for Legacy of Goku II and Buu's Fury have spiked recently, often sitting between $30 and $60 for a loose cart.
- Verify Your Cartridge: Beware of fakes on eBay. Look for the stamped number on the front label and the "Nintendo" logo on the PCB inside.
- Hardware Options: These games look incredible on an Analogue Pocket or a modded GBA with an IPS screen. The bright colors of Namek really pop with modern backlighting.
- Completionist Run: If you're replaying Legacy of Goku II, try to unlock Hercule (Mr. Satan). It requires getting all characters to level 50 and finding all the character-specific doors. It’s a grind, but it’s the ultimate bragging right.
The most important thing is to play them in order—or at least start with the second one—to see how much the developers learned from their initial mistakes. It's a rare glimpse into a studio figuring out exactly what makes a franchise work in real-time.