Dragon Ball FighterZ is the newest title coming from critically-acclaimed developer Arc System Works. Best known for for their BlazBlue and Guilty Gear franchise, Arc System Works is one of the best developers of 2D fighting games and boasts some of the best animations in fighting games. Taking over the Dragon Ball franchise is no small feat and figuring out just how to capture the frantic and over-the-top action of the Dragon Ball franchise on a 2D plane without sacrificing the fast paced battles, but Arc System Works looks to have outdone themselves. Dragon Ball FighterZ is easily one of the most anticipated videogames releasing this year.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Story
Dragon Ball FighterZ’s story sees our heroes succumb to some sort of illness as Android versions of themselves begin to appear. Android 16 and newcomer Android 21 take center stage in FighterZ’s story, but to what extent is still unknown. The story is told through three different perspectives: Goku’s, Frieza’s, and Android’s. The story is set to showcase some great cut-scenes and animation that mimic to source material as closely as possible. Bandai Namco has kept the story pretty well under wraps but its clear Arc System Works has done everything they can to mimic the story telling of the manga and anime.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Gameplay Modes
Dragon Ball FighterZ’s will feature a plethora of game modes. Most are still under wraps but the stranded flair of modes should be expected to appear.
Story Mode: A brand new story mode created just for FighterZ will be centered around the new resurrected Android 16 and newcomer Android 21. It’s been reveled that players will be able to level up characters and increase their attributes. The story mode is reminiscent of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai 2 where you moved around on a game board encountering enemies to fight and items to collect.
Versus Mode: Your typical player versus player mode where friends can battle against each other in three on three battles without using online functionality.
Online: Players will be able to enter lobbies where they can watch other players fight or create their own lobbies to battle it out with their friends.. Customize your character avatars and post stickers as emojis.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Gameplay
On paper, Dragon Ball FighterZ is very simple, with commands requiring simple actions rather than acrobatic and complicated strings of button presses. Most actions require only a few buttons, including Supers, but button mashing isn't an instant win in FighterZ. Player’s are able to swap in and out characters from their three selected and pull off double and triple Supers by utilizing your team at just the right time. FighterZ is designed for both casual players and hardcore players to enjoy and have fun.
Pulling off super attacks can eventually destroy the environment and you will continue your battle in a ravaged version of the current level. In online play you can chat with other players by using emoji stickers and messages. What’s great about the online lobbies is the chibi character you get to run around with based on any of the games varied fighters. Ranking battles and tournaments can also be set up for players to participate in.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Battle Locations
A variety of battle locations are featured in FighterZ and most of them are instantly recognizable from the anime and manga. These locations will also show signs of damage from battles. Some locations will even be completely destroyed and left in a wasteland.
Wasteland
Planet Namek and Destroyed Namek
World Tournament Stage
Call Games Arena
Sacred World of the Kais
Space (Above Earth)
West City and destroyed West City
Islands
Dragon Ball FighterZ Characters
Goku
A pure-hearted Saiyan. Goku crash landed on Earth as a baby after his home world was destroyed and raised by an old martial artist named Gohan. Goku displayed incredible strength as a child even competing in the famed Martial Arts Tournament as a child. Goku is essentially the main protagonist of the Dragon Ball franchise and has become a house hold name. Goku has saved Earth from numerous threats and his desire to constantly become stronger and over come mightier challenges is one of his driving forces in life.
Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Goku
Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (Super Saiyan Blue) Goku is the heroes newest form from Dragon Ball Super. Considered a godly power Goku is able to master control of his Ki as well as heavily increasing his speed and power. Although this new form is power Goku is still not able to match the power of the Beerus the God of Destruction its simply next stage in Goku’s evolution.
Vegeta
Vegeta came to Earth the find the mystical Dragon Balls in order to wish for immortality. Once a villain, Vegeta has joined Goku and his friends in protecting the Earth. Descending from a royal bloodline Vegeta is the prince of all Saiyans and feels that as the prince he should be the strongest of them all. His rivalry with Goku is one of the best things to watch unfold in the franchise.
Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan Vegeta
Following in Goku’s footsteps, Vegeta’s ascension to Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (Super Saiyan Blue) came in Dragon Ball Super. Eager to surpass Goku once again Vegeta heads off to train on Beerus’s planet with Beerus’s mentor Whis without Goku’s Gaining the upper hand over Goku at least for a little while.
Ultimate Gohan
After failing to defeat Dabura, Goku and Vegeta started to doubt Gohan was strong enough to defeat Majin Buu. Gohan was taken to the Supreme Kais planet where he would pull a mystical sword out of a stone to help him defeat Majin Buu. Fortuitously for Gohan he accidentally shatters the sword releasing the Elder Kai from his long slumber. The Elder Kai goes on to unlock Gohans Ultimate potential in hopes it would be enough to defeat Majin Buu.
Teen Gohan
With the threat of Perfect Cell, Goku took Gohan to the Hyperbolic Time Chamber to help unlock his latent potential, Gohan is a half Saiyan, the son of Goku and Chi-Chi. He is one of the strongest Z warriors. During the training he unlocks Super Saiyan. During the Cell games, Goku drops out of the fight making his son fight in his place knowing how powerful he is. After Android 16’s demise at the hands of Cell Gohan explodes in fury transforming into a true Super Saiyan 2.
Krillin
Being one of the original characters in the series, Krillin met Goku when they were both just children, they get trained by the great Master Roshi. As an adult Krillin and Goku are incredibly close friends, with Krillin's death at the hand of Frieza being what triggers Gokus transformation into a Super Saiyan. He eventually marries Android 18 after the end of the Cell saga, and doesn't end up fighting as much but still keeps up with his training. He has some of the most powerful attacks including the Destructo Disk, and a move he learnt from Tien, the solar flare which is great for blinding the opponent and escaping from danger.
Yamcha
Originally a desert bandit who is afraid of women, Yamcha meets Kid Goku and Teen Bulma, after awhile they become friends. Though overtime he became the joke of the show, being killed by a Saibaman created by Nappa, then impaled by android 20. He is one of the only Z warriors who ends up getting a job and his own home, he is an incredible successful baseball player and even helps out The Z Fighters in a universal baseball tournament between Universe 6 and 7, not only saving Earth but probably the universe too. He has incredible Ki control allowing him to move the Spirit Ball in anyway he wants, even using his technique for controlling the baseball in matches.
Tien with Chiaotzu
Tien appeared in the original Dragon Ball manga and anime. Serving as a student for the Crane Assassination School, Tien joined the World Tournament to prove he is the greatest martial artist on the planet. After discovering the dastardly ways of his master Tien left the Crane School and eventually joined Goku and the rest of the Z Fighters. His unique abilities made him a powerful ally and he taught the other fighters unique abilities like the Solar Flair, Multiform, and the ability to fly.
Android 16
Another project of Dr. Gero, Android 16 was the only figure made entirely of robotic parts, intended to be the ultimate cold-hearted, ruthless fighter. However, a flaw in his programming gave him a profound humanity that diminished his will to fight, instead wishing to be one with nature and live peacefully. Eventually, Cell began to destroy the ecosystem around him, and the destruction of nature motivated him to fight against Cell rather than with him as he was programmed to do. After many encounters, 16 ultimately fell in combat to Cell's perfect form, but before he was completely destroyed 16 passed onto Teen Gohan what he learned about when to fight and when not to fight, turning the tide of the encounter in the Z Fighters' favor. 16 was never wished back with the rest of fatalities that Cell caused, but Dragon Ball FighterZ sees 16's return, shrouded in mystery. We will find out more on him when the game launches.
Android 18 with Android 17
A former member of the Red Ribbon Army, Dr. Gero went off on his own to create an army of androids by enhancing orphaned children to do his bidding. Android 18, and her twin brother 17, were of those ranks, wreaking havoc on the Z Fighters. 18 soon was absorbed by Cell, another Dr. Gero specimen fighter, to boost his power and grant him his perfect form. After Cell was defeated, the Z Fighters used the Dragon Balls to try and wish for 18 to become completely human once again, but the dragon could not grant this wish. Krillin then wished to remove the fail-safe self-destruct bomb inside Android 18, and Krillin's compassion for her well-being ultimately initiated their relationship together. From there, 18 became one of the Z Fighters, possessing all the benefits of her android components while still maintaining her humanity.
Captain Ginyu with the Ginyu Force
Captain Ginyu is the leader of Frieza’s special forces group. Captain Ginyu proves to be a formidable foe for Goku when they battle on Planet Namek. Realizing he’s losing Ginyu uses his Body Change technique to switch bodies with Goku. In possession of Gokus body Ginyu is able to trick Gohan and Krillin into giving him the Dragon Balls. After learning how to control Ginyus body, Goku arrives just in time to save Vegeta from Ginyus Body Change technique by throwing a frog in between Ginyu and Vegeta, trapping Ginyu in a frogs body.
Perfect Cell
After coming back from Future Trunks timeline using a stolen time machine, Cell is able to absorb Android 17 and 18 and achieve his perfect form. He decides to host a tournament so that everyone can see he is now an unstoppable force.The first person to step in the ring is Hercule, but due to a stomach ache he was knocked out with Goku than Gohan stepping up in an attempt to defeat Cell. After Cell was defeated, Hercule took all the credit for defeating him as nobody has proof that he didn't.
Frieza
Once considered the most fearsome and powerful being all the Universe, Frieza ruled the Universe with an iron fist destroying whatever planets he choose including Goku and Vegeta’s home planet essentially wiping out the Saiyan race. Frieza was defeated by Goku on Planet Namek. Frieza survived the destruction of Planet Namek and set a course for Earth to exact his revenge only to once again be thwarted this time by Trunks. Frieza would return in the movie Resurrection F where he’s revived by henchman loyal to him. He now serves as an important and prominent figure in Dragon Ball Super.
Hit
Hit is Universe 6’s strongest Assassin. Introduced in Dragon Ball Super in a tournament between Universe 6 and 7, Hit was able to defeat Vegeta with ease but had a harder time against Goku. Hit uses an ability called Time Skip allowing him to stop time and move around his opponents to strike them without them even knowing how he moved so fast. Hit became a kind of rival to Goku in Super even putting out an assassination order on himself just to fight Hit.
Beerus
The God of Destruction for Universe 7, Beerus is the opposite of the Kais, going from planet to planet destroying them if they do not please him. Though he doesn't really take his job seriously and is easily angered by small things and then sleeping for several centuries. He has an angel looking over him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid, this angel is a being named Whis. In battle of the gods, we were introduced to Beerus and Whis with their desire for sweet foods. After Goku reaches SSG, Beerus shows his interest in the saiyan race. He has somewhat become a friend to the Z warriors though he still threatens to destroy them when they displease him but the food on earth will always calm him down. In the game you will see Whis appear with Beerus during the character introduction.
Super Saiyan 3 Gotenks
Known as the Mac Daddy by the Dragon Ball Fanbase, Gotenks is the fusion of Goku’s and Vegeta’s son’s Goten and Trunks. After realizing that his time in the human world was running out and he would not be able to defeat Majin Buu, Goku teaches Goten and Turnks the Fusion Dance which would fuse them together and triple their power. Gotenks childish nature and cockiness made him an instant hit with the fanbase.
Majin Buu
A creature that was born at time immemorial, Majin Buu was like a natural disaster going from planet to planet destroying them. Eventually he reached the planet of the Supreme Kai and after fighting the Supreme Kai, he eventually absorbed the Kai, making his evil nature diluted by the pure kindness of the Kais heart. He was eventually sealed away by the evil wizard Bibidi who had been controlling him for awhile now, but after Bibidi died his son Babidi released Buu from his seal. Hercule, earths savior convinced Majin Buu that killing is wrong, and Buu is now one of the strongest Z warriors.
Kid Buu
After losing the absorbed Kais, Majin Buu turns back into his original form: Kid Buu. Goku saves Dende and Hercule warping them with Vegeta to the planet of the Kais. After Kid Buu blows up planet Earth, he slowly makes his way to the planet of the Kais. Goku and Vegeta try to defeat him but they need the power of everyone on earth, after Vegeta has Dende use the Dragon Balls to wish the people of Earth back to life. Their lord and savior, the champion of the people, Hercule was able to convince the people of earth to give energy for the Spirit Bomb to defeat Kid Buu.
Nappa with Saibaman
Nappa comes to Earth with Vegeta during the Saiyan saga to collect the Dragon Balls and wish for immortality. Being confronted by the Z Fighters Nappa is easily able to defeat all the opposition hes up against that is until Goku showed up. In his battle with Goku, Nappa was easily defeated and asked for Vegtas help only to flung into the air and killed by Vegeta.
Trunks
The son of the prince of the Saiyans, Vegeta and the smartest woman on Earth Bulma. Trunks lives in a horrible future in which Androids 17 and 18 have killed most of humanity, his mother Bulma invents a time machine allowing him to go back in time to warn Goku about a heart virus and the upcoming android threat. After coming back again to help the Z Fighters against he androids, he finds that the androids that they’d been fighting were different, and this leads into the Cell arc. He trains with his father in the past to become strong enough to defeat the androids in the future. Although he is eventually able to defeat Cell and the Androids in his timeline, it isn’t all smooth sailing for this time traveling hero.
Piccolo
Once a villain, Piccolo joined forces with Goku to defeat Goku’s brother Raditz. Piccolo than takes it upon himself to train Gohan for the upcoming battle against Nappa and Vegeta. Piccolo would go on to become a staple in the franchise. Piccolo would go on and face Frieza on Planet Namek and would go on to train Gotenks into mastering the Fusion Dance. Piccolo has taken up the mantel as being the mentor to multiple characters in the franchise.
Goku Black
Goku Black is a mysterious fighter from the Future Trunks' timeline, destroying everything and killing everyone he sees. Trunks manages to jump back through time to seek help from the Z Fighters, but the future is so dilapidated that there's nearly nothing left to save. Who is Goku Black?
More will be revealed when Dragon Ball FighterZ launches and as more of Dragon Ball Super is localized. Eight new characters will be added post launch, and those characters, along with other additional game content, will be added to this list as it’s announced.