Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot retells the classic Z story with incredible accuracy, living up to the promise made by Bandai Namco that it would be the most faithful telling of Goku's story in a video game to date. However, that's not to say that it's 100% accurate, as that's impossible in any adapted game. Sometimes, things have to be cut because they don't translate well to the video game world, as is the case with a few of the story arcs in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
It's worth noting that most of what Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot skips over is filler content, meaning it was never really considered canon and can easily be skipped over for the sake of brevity. In many ways, this is understandable, as there are many who hate filler with a passion, and DBZ: Kakarot includes often-skipped-over canonical moments as well (such as Yakon and Pui Pui). When faced with a choice between canonical and filler content, it's clear what the choice is. Either way, canonical or filler, here are the major story arcs currently missing from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
Snake Way
Goku's journey down Snake Way happens in the background of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, which is unfortunate as it would have been a fun area to play during an intermission of sorts. Here, Goku faces off with the Princess Snake, falls off several times, and more. Understandably, it was likely cut due to being mostly filler content and lack of serious plot development, with the game focusing more on Gohan's training instead during this time.
Garlic Jr. Saga/Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
The Garlic Jr. Saga is a filler saga taking placing between the Frieza and Trunks sagas, during a time in which Goku and Vegeta are both absent from Earth. Gohan must stop Garlic Jr. who has taken over the earth with a Black Water Mist. As filler content that is loved by some but hated by others, it was likely skipped in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot for just that, as well as being reliant upon the Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone movie.
Other Worlds Saga
Set between the Cell Games and the Great Saiyaman Saga, this saga sees a deceased Goku clean up Frieza, his lackeys, and Cell with the aid of Pikkon in Hell before entering a tournament to receive a lesson from the Grand Kai. Alongside being filler content, players do not actually get to spend any time in the Other World outside King Kai's planet, so it's not surprising it was skipped. That's also ignoring the fact that these enemies can be brought back and fought again with the game's Dragon Balls, which would be needlessly repetitive.
Dragon Ball Z Broly Movies
Broly is a special case in many's eyes. While he may not have been considered canon until a recent Dragon Ball Super movie, he has had quite a few prior movies dedicated to him. He's considered the "legendary Super Saiyan" due to an incredibly power level, but he's enraged by the memory of baby Goku crying in a crib next to him. However, just because Broly is counted on now doesn't mean he always will be. A recent Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot data mine found evidence suggesting Broly's Second Coming movie (and presumably the first) would be DLC if it wasn't cut content.
Dragon Ball Z Movies
Broly, however, is far from being the only antagonist to appear in a movie. There have been tons of Dragon Ball Z movies that didn't make the cut, once again due to the fact that movies have never really been factored in the canon. As such, here's every DBZ movie missing from Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot.
- Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone
- Dragon Ball Z: The World's Strongest
- Dragon Ball Z: The Tree of Might
- Dragon Ball Z: Lord Slug
- Dragon Ball Z: Cooler's Revenge
- Dragon Ball Z: The Return of Cooler
- Dragon Ball Z: Super Android 13!
- Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan
- Dragon Ball Z: Bojack Unbound
- Dragon Ball Z: Broly - Second Coming
- Dragon Ball Z: Bio-Broly
- Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn
- Dragon Ball Z: Wrath of the Dragon
- Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods
- Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F
Gods of the Universe Saga
The final two movies listed above, Battle of Gods and Resurrection F, make up a post-Kid Buu story Saga that essentially segues in Dragon Ball Super. Notably, its omission is odd, as the events are considered somewhat canonical since it's essentially recapitulated in the current iteration of the show. That doesn't mean it's not set to appear in the game, though. As it stands, a recent leaked revealed two playable Dragon Ball Super characters in DBZ: Kakarot, namely Beerus and Whis. It would stand to reason that they would unlock as playable characters after beating this Saga, but it's doubtful Kakarot would extend any more into "Super" than that.
Super itself deserves the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot treatment from head to toe, so while it would be interesting to have the whole game expanded upon with the show, it doesn't seem likely to do it justice that way. In other words, it should be treated more like a sequel.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
