While some Dragon Ball fans may lean towards the modern re-releases of Dragon Ball FighterZ or Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, all eyes are on the upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. This title is the next installment in the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi lineage, having switched to the Japanese “Sparking” subtitle. Dragon Ball fans active during the PS2 era hold the original Budokai Tenkaichi trilogy in high regard, as it offered both a compelling Dragon Ball battle simulator and one of the most thorough playable rosters in the franchise. The hope now is that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will update both of these aspects for a new generation of players.

At the moment, details for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero are still slowly trickling out. Emphasis has been placed on the game's environmental destruction, which looks good alongside the beautifully cell-shaded characters. Sparking Zero’s roster was implied to be 164 fighters at launch, with individual forms filling character slots like in past Budokai Tenkaichi titles. That means plenty of transformations are included alongside characters from at least Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super’s anime runs, with more likely on the way. It's a strong-sounding roster, but a particular kind of transformation has been worryingly absent.

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The Argument for Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero to Add Non-Canon Super Saiyan 3 Forms

Plenty of transformations will be present in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, but the game can do better than just including every established form.

Fusions Are A Rare, But Important Part Of Dragon Ball Z

Dragon Ball has built up an impressive number of different ways characters can transform, ranging from the traditional stage-based Super Saiyans to unique power-ups like the Namekians’ giant forms. With Great Ape Vegeta already confirmed for Sparking Zero’s roster, it seems this level of variety should be present in the new game as expected. The freedom to shift between different forms was a Budokai Tenkaichi trademark, giving players the option to gradually power up throughout fights or start as a weaker version of a later form.

Then, there are fusions. Performed through various means, like the Potara Earrings, the Fusion Dance, or special methods like Namekian merging or Buu’s absorption, Dragon Ball has so many fusions that they even have their own transformations. Some examples of Dragon Ball’s canon fusions include:

• Vegito
• Gogeta
• Gotenks
• Merged Zamasu
• Kefla

Extended Dragon Ball media introduces new ones as jokes or hypotheticals all the time, and Dragon Ball Fusions for the 3DS was even based around the concept. Budokai Tenkaichi pushed fusions to even greater heights, but it's up in the air whether Sparking Zero will follow suit.

Recent Dragon Ball Games Haven't Given Fusions Much Love

Older Dragon Ball titles featured fusions sporadically, typically as distinct characters and sometimes requiring special skills or items. Budokai Tenkaichi 2 made big waves when it added teams to its fighting system, allowing players to fuse certain duos into their merged selves. This was all in service of providing the best Dragon Ball simulation possible, and it became a standard feature for the rest of the Tenkaichi and Raging Blast games. Unfortunately, 2011’s Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Tenkaichi was the last appearance of this fusion mechanic, and few games since then have done anything like it.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Is Following A Decade Without Mid-Battle Fusions

The Dragon Ball Fusions RPG was based around this concept, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot eventually patched in unlockable skills to fuse into Gotenks and Vegito, but that was it. Increased emphasis on co-op multiplayer, custom characters in games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse, and other mechanical shake-ups left dynamic fusions without a home. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero hasn't shown any fused fighters yet, but is expected to use iconic techniques from the anime just like Budokai Tenkaichi, and mid-battle fusion is one. Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero will hopefully bring fusion mechanics back to DBZ’s fighting games after their long hiatus.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Franchise

Dragon Ball

Platform(s)

PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Developer(s)

Spike Chunsoft

Publisher(s)

Namco Bandai

Genre(s)

Fighting , Action

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