Dragon Ball Sparking Zero: The Case for Ultra Ego Vegeta at Launch

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Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO

By Cameron Lucas

Published Mar 20, 2024

The upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is set to continue the legacy of the Budokai Tenkaichi franchise, but it also has the potential to surpass its predecessors by adapting to the modern landscape of the overall series in one key way. It's unknown how much longer the manga will proceed or if it will ever be brought to animation outside of movies, but the inclusion of a recently introduced fan-favorite Vegeta form could allow Sparking Zero to better honor the modern state of Dragon Ball.

Super came as another follow-up to Z years after the controversial GT, and it brought a fresh spin to the series during its anime run that has affected all other related media. With the manga having outpaced the adaptation for multiple arcs, however, the future addition of manga-exclusive content within upcoming games has become an uncertain prospect. Despite the lack of precedent for including characters ahead of their anime appearances, Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has the chance to break the mold for one stand-out character who might not make it in otherwise.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Confirms 11 More Characters for the Roster

Bandai Namco's upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero confirms 11 more fighters from Dragon Ball Z and Super for its playable roster.

Ultra Ego Vegeta is One of Sparking Zero's Best Potential DLC Characters

Vegeta's Ability to Tap into the Power of Destruction

The power-up of Goku's Ultra Instinct was seemingly unmatched for a while in Super's story, but Vegeta has since been able to utilize his own similar form in a recent arc. While Ultra Instinct draws from the power of the Angels to allow its user to better dodge and counter opponents, the mechanics of Vegeta's Ultra Ego transformation involve an extreme self-indulgence that bolsters his power as he receives damage in battle. Including Ultra Ego as at least a bonus DLC fighter would be sure to generate hype, but there's even more that the form could represent for Sparking Zero's post-game support in that case.

Tapping Into Dragon Ball Super's Manga Arcs

There's a solid selling point in Ultra Ego Vegeta alone, but having him appear as the face of additional content centered around the Granolah Arc of Dragon Ball Super as a whole could serve as a worthwhile formula to keep the game updated after it eventually arrives.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero's massive potential roster is already inclined toward making cuts to prioritize certain characters. So, it might make sense for Ultra Ego to be the face of a set of characters dedicated to its respective story arc in a style that can be extended to the Moro Arc and beyond.

Vegeta Could Fall Behind the Rest of Dragon Ball's Main Cast Without Ultra Ego

Sparking Zero is Already Likely to Feature Ultra Instinct and Gohan Beast

The Super Saiyan Blue forms of both Goku and Vegeta are the most canonically powerful forms of the two that have been confirmed so far, but there's a high probability that these aren't the furthest evolutions of these characters that Sparking Zero will feature. Ultra Instinct Goku, with its prominent presence in the Super anime, has understandably been featured in high-profile releases like FighterZ, and the same could easily become true for Gohan's Beast form in Super following the Superhero Saga movie adaptation. If the other main characters all receive their latest transformations within Sparking Zero while Vegeta is still stuck with SSB, this central Dragon Ball figure could fall behind in the latest entry of what is arguably the franchise's most prolific line of video games.