Dragon Ball Z is such a high-octane show that it's no wonder so many games have been released, all attempting to translate this pulse-pounding action into a tactile and visceral experience. The amazing thing is that developers have succeeded in doing this more than once. There are a plethora of Dragon Ball Z games that have come out over the last twenty years or so that have provided a fun experience for fans of the property.
Some of these games are old but they are absolutely worth revisiting just for the nostalgia alone. This is especially true since they were released on platforms such as the PlayStation 2, Gameboy Advanced, Wii, and Nintendo DS.
8 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai (2002)
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai was the first time that the series' story had seen a faithful translation in a video game. Whole cutscenes were created that portrayed some of the show's greatest moments such as Vegeta turning Super Saiyan for the first time, or Gohan Fighting Cell as a Super Saiyan 2, set to some of the best music to ever be associated with the property.
The fighting in this game is also a blast. It's fast and there are lots of moves and combos to learn but it's not overly complicated at all. There are also plenty of characters to play as and fight against, all featuring voice actors from the anime.
7 Dragon Ball Z: Super Sonic Warriors (2004)
One of the standout Gameboy Advanced Dragon Ball games, Super Sonic Warriors is the closest the platform ever got to the show's level of frenetic energy. Characters dart from one edge of the screen to another in no time at all whether they're in the air or on the ground, executing super moves, powering up, etc.
The game is also loaded with cool characters who all have unique attacks, voice lines, and rather nice-looking sprite designs. The story of the game mirrors that of the show/manga, though in a restrained 2D format.
6 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 (2006)
This often forgotten about gem is a substantial upgrade over its rather underbaked predecessor. Tenkaichi 2 offers a faster and more screen-accurate form of combat in comparison to the "from the side" style of the traditional Budokai series that emphasizes intricate combinations and blinding speed.
The game also features the most in-depth story mode of the entire Tenkaichi series, though it doesn't have quite as many playable characters as its sequel does. Not to worry though, there are still 120 characters spanning Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and GT for fans of the series to play with.
5 Dragon Ball Z: Legacy of Goku 2 (2003)
Everybody knows that the first Legacy of Goku game was kind of a mess. It's somewhat incredible that its sequel, Legacy of Goku 2 is considered to be one of the very best Dragon Ball games, period. Though it's named after Goku, the game primarily tells the story of the Android Saga through Gohan's perspective. Gohan, however, is not the only playable character. Goku, Vegeta, Trunks, Piccolo, and Hercule are all playable at one time or another. Each has unique transformations, attacks, and animations.
Combat is fun, fast, and intuitive, even as a Gameboy Advanced Game. The game is also noteworthy for being not only one of the few American-made DBZ games but for being one of only two games to feature the old Bruce Faulconer Musical score as the basis for its soundtrack.
4 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 (2003)
Though some consider this game to be a disappointing sequel to the first Budokai game (in fact it wasn't even included on the HD collection rerelease), Budokai 2 expands on the formula in new and interesting ways. The game features a very non-canonical boardgame like story mode (which extends from Raditz to Buu) in which a wildly different series of events occur, which gives it a unique flavor that very few Dragon Ball games have.
The game also features wacky fusions/absorptions like Goku and Hercule or Majin Bell respectively that don't appear in other games.
3 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 (2007)
DBZ: Tenkaichi 3 is known for being the biggest toy box in all of Dragon Ball. To this day its roster of 140 characters (20 more than Tenkaichi 2) has yet to be overtaken by another game. As a consequence of this, however, the game features one of the most stripped-down story modes of any Dragon Ball game due to having so many characters that need to be featured in it.
As far as combat goes, the game is as fun as its predecessor with mostly the same combos and movement capability, so anyone who was a fan of Tenkaichi 2 should feel right at home playing this game. It also has a few more stages (such as Hell and Frieza's Ship) and fun, energetic music that sets the pace rather well.
2 Dragon Ball Z: Buu's Fury (2004)
Buu's Fury is just as good as its predecessor in plenty of ways, but it also one-ups it in some others. As the name would suggest, Buu's Fury follows the entirety of the Buu Saga of DBZ but it also adds some parts from the non-canon movies as well, such as Broly Second Coming and Fusion Reborn.
The game features a new leveling system that allows for manual stat allocation, and also allows characters to upgrade their energy attacks. The list of characters includes Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Goten, and Trunks. However, fusions are possible later in the game. Goku and Vegeta can fuse into Gogeta while Goten and Trunks can fuse into Gotenks. Buu's Fury is, in many ways, Legacy of Goku 2 but with more content.
1 Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 3 (2004)
This game is still one of the most beloved Dragon Ball to this very day. Unlike Budokai 2 the game leans away from silly non-canonical storytelling and instead tries to be more faithful to the anime and manga (though in a much less cinematic way than Budokai 1). It adds a whole host of new characters from Dragon Ball GT and the DBZ movies, whilst also improving the combat.
The Music is also once again top-notch, though it was unfortunately cut from the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai - HD Collection due to the composer, Kenji Yamamoto being accused of plagiarism. All in all the game is a staple for many Dragon Ball fans and one that demands a revisit every once in a while.