Dragon Ball Z is among the most successful franchises in the world. Boasting countless original characters and locations throughout its anime alone, any video game that attempts to include everything will have a difficult task ahead of it. With the recent announcement of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4, the latest entry in a series known for its extensive and granular roster, many players have begun to anticipate a title that brings the entire Dragon Ball Z series together. If Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 hopes to succeed in meeting player expectations, it shouldn't forget about including characters and locations from the series' black sheep, Dragon Ball GT.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4's announcement comes 15 years after the series' last entry. The Budokai Tenkaichi series stands apart from those that came before and after it, due to its remarkable roster and arena combat mechanics. In fact, by the series' third entry, the roster had become so granular that players could choose from even the most minor characters from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball GT. The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series enjoyed the height of popularity among anime and fighting game fans during the PS2 and Wii eras, but, before long, it was left behind. After some moderately successful entries, Dragon Ball Z would find its footing in video games once more with the launch of 2015's Dragon Ball Xenoverse series and 2018's Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Dragon Ball GT Has Become the Series Black Sheep In Recent Years
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When Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi was in its prime, another Dragon Ball property was fresh on the scene. Titled Dragon Ball GT, this anime property delivered Dragon Ball fans the continuing adventures of their favorite Saiyan, Goku, as he battled against all new foes, including manifestations of the Dragon Balls themselves. The series aired in the 90s in Japan, but its popularity peaked between 2003 and 2005 in North America, airing during Cartoon Network's Toonami block.
Despite its popularity, Dragon Ball GT became the series' black sheep in recent years, supplanted by the release of Dragon Ball Super. Though the events of Super technically fit in between Dragon Ball Z and GT chronologically, major changes to the series' universe and characters have called GT's canonicity into question. The popularity of Dragon Ball Super has been reflected in Dragon Ball Z's recent video game adaptations, with Dragon Ball FighterZ, Kakarot, and Xenoverse 2 featuring fighters and locations from the property. With Super Saiyan Blue Goku featured in the announcement trailer for Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4, it appears that this series' next entry will heavily focus on the roster and events of the Super anime series as well.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 Should Feature GT Fighters at Launch
The Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi name holds a certain weight for gamers of that era. The series featured amazing gameplay, but, above all else, a remarkable commitment to showcasing the breadth of its source material. With each entry, the series delivered a growing roster of characters that encapsulated the entirety of the Dragon Ball franchise. Whether from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, or Dragon Ball GT, players could choose from a host of fan-favorite characters the moment that they booted up their copy of the game, before unlocking even more over the course of the title's campaign.
If Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 hopes to continue this legacy, it should include fighters from every Dragon Ball anime series - including GT - at launch. Though the title's teaser trailer denotes a focus on Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 should buck the trend of segmenting its roster of fighters into content-specific "packs" or DLC, as this directly contradicts its greatest strength. Fans are eager to see how Budokai Tenkaichi 4 plans to adapt the series for a modern audience. Given the significant changes that time has brought to both the title's genre and source material, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 has quite the task ahead of it. Until more details arrive, players must wait patiently for the next glimpse at this highly anticipated title.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 is now in development.