Following years of anticipation regarding details about the next game in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO was announced at The Game Awards 2023. Featuring the signature 3D gameplay style of the Tenkaichi games, this upcoming release from developer Spike Chunsoft appears to be a faithful follow-up despite the difference in name. It may seem like a confusing change, but the title Dragon Ball Sparking Zero makes far more sense in the context of the series’ international history.

Sparking Zero’s reveal trailer came along with most of what fans would expect from a modern update to Tenkaichi, confirming several playable Dragon Ball Super characters. What wasn’t expected, however, was the title of the game itself. Given the titles that came before, many fans had expected that Budokai Tenkaichi 4 would follow the convention of the previous three named releases. Considering the gap in time between these games, it’s not that surprising that a large shake-up was in order, but there’s also more reasoning behind the use of Sparking.

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Dragon Ball Z Sparking Zero's Place in Budokai Tenkaichi

The Budokai Tenkaichi Games Have Always Been Known as Sparking in Japan

While fans of the series in the West have always known them as the Tenkaichi games, the truth is that this name is simply a localization. When the first Budokai Tenkaichi released in 2005, it was actually titled Dragon Ball Z: Sparking in Japan first. The popular sequels that followed weren’t even numbered entries under their original names, known as Sparking Neo and Sparking Meteor.

Sparking Zero is the Fourth Official Budokai Tenkaichi Game

There may have been some similar releases like Raging Blast that came along during the years between Tenkaichi 3 and Sparking Zero, but these two games are actually connected as mainline entries. Budokai Tenkaichi 4 would have just been another name for Sparking Zero, and this separation has been dropped in favor of a unified title.

The Original Budokai Series is Totally Unrelated to the Budokai Tenkaichi Games

The Budokai Tenkaichi Name's Rumored Connection to Atari

While it may be clear that Sparking Zero is simply a new addition to what the West knows as Budokai Tenkaichi, there can still be some additional confusion among fans regarding the inclusion of Budokai in the localized names. The reality is that the Budokai series which predated Tenkaichi is separate, developed by Dimps, and features a completely different 2D style of fighting. This lack of relation between franchises is so apparent that some fans have speculated publisher Atari merely attached the Budokai name to Sparking for fan recognition.

Sparking Zero’s Name Confusion is Nothing New to Dragon Ball Z

Apart from the overall complexity that can be found in the naming of media related to the Dragon Ball franchise as a whole, there is already a history of misleading ambiguity surrounding the Tenkaichi series. The Raging Blast games have been mistaken for continuations of the series by some fans, and Tenkaichi Tag Team for the PSP is simply subtitled Tag Versus in Japan.

Ultimate Tenkaichi is another game that can be mistakenly associated with the series, but its original title of Ultimate Blast before localization makes its different style easier to justify. The introduction of Sparking to the West could take some getting used to, but it has the potential to make the Dragon Ball fighting game series far more simple to grasp as a whole.