Summary
ManyDragon Ballfans are eagerly awaiting the arrival ofDragon Ball: Sparking Zero, the next arena fighter from the franchise. Although it may sound like an average game for the series, the truth is thatDragon Ball:Sparking Zerois anything but, owing to it being the inheritor of theDragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichilegacy. Back on the PlayStation 2, theBudokai Tenkaichitrilogy was legendary for collecting the most originalDragon Ball,Z, andGTcharacters ever seen in an anime-accurateDBZbattle simulator, and fans have been waiting for anotherDragon Ballgame to top it ever since.
It looks like that successor has finally arrived, asDragon Ball: Sparking Zerohas pulled out all the stops to meet and exceed modern fan expectations. The art style and animation quality ofSparking Zeroare a step up from the last fewDragon Ballarena fighters, and the initial launch roster has been demonstrated as thelargest baseDragon Ballfighting game castyet. EvenBudokai Tenkaichi’s mechanics are coming back with accuracy other titles inspired by it couldn’t manage. That’s not to say the otherDragon Ballgames made betweenBudokai Tenkaichi 3andSparking Zeroare worthless, but their best ideas should be saved for another time.
Dragon Ball Games Have Turned Character Creation Into A Staple
By this point,Dragon Ballgame fans should be familiar with custom avatars. Whether they are part ofDragon Ball Heroes’ gang of avatar characters, a member of the many races available inDragon Ball Xenoverse 1and2, or acivilian Survivor fromDragon Ball: The Breakers, plenty ofDragon Ballgames have dedicated slots for original player creations. Some games, likeDragon Ball Xenoverse, even put these characters into their stories’ spotlight and let them shine with all the greatness of a regularDragon Ballhero.
Ultimate Tenkaichi’s Hero Mode Is More Influential Than Most Realize
The original globalDragon Balltitle that introduced custom characters was 2011’sDragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi. Hero Mode only allowing players to make male Saiyans isarchaic byDragon BallXenoverse’s diverse race standards, but it still allowed players to live out an authentic adventure of gathering the Dragon Balls and saving the world from Omega Shenron. Since then,Dragon Ball Xenoverse’s refinement of the idea has become successful enough that others Shonen Jump games likeNaruto to Boruto: Shinobi Striker,One-Punch Man: A Hero Nobody Knows, and evenJump Forcehave adopted the idea, but that doesn’t meanDragon Ball: Sparking Zeroshould do the same.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Doesn’t Have Room For A Custom Character
As appealing as the ultimateDragon Ballfight simulator supporting custom player avatars sounds, that’s not whatDragon Ball: Sparking Zerois going for. The game is intended topay homage toBudokai Tenkaichi’s legacyof being a celebration of all thingsDragon Ball, and original characters lie outside that scope. Dream matches and what-if scenarios, even ones included inSparking Zero’s single-player content, are all still part of the conversation, but anything likeUltimate Tenkaichi’s Hero Mode would be missing the point. It just isn’t on fans’ wish lists forSparking Zero.
Other Dragon Ball Games Should Revisit Character Creation, But Not Sparking Zero
That’s not to sayDragon Ballshould abandon the idea of custom fighters with their own campaigns; in fact, it’s still supporting fan creations throughDragon Ball Xenoverse 2andThe Breakers’ ongoing updates. Getting rid of a successful trend it helped establish isn’t inDragon Ball’s nature, so fans should expect another evolution ofUltimate Tenkaichi’s Hero Mode, even if it’s years away. Until then, however,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois perfectly fine pursuing the goalsBudokai Tenkaichiset for it, and fans should have plenty ofDragon Ballfanservice on hand either way.
