Summary
AmongDragon Ball’s upcoming projects,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerostands out. Serving as the next entry in the acclaimedBudokai Tenkaichi3D fighting game series,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerointends to carry on its legacy by giving fans the tools to faithfully recreateDragon Ball’s battles. Uniting characters from across the franchise,Sparking Zerowill immerse players inDragon Ball’s high-flying martial arts and ki blasts with impressive cell-shaded characters and destructible environments. With the recent tragic passing of Akira Toriyama,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeroshould be a fitting celebration of the world-renowned manga he created.
Currently, 40 characters and forms have been revealed forDragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s cast. Its launch roster was teased to have 164 slots, meaningplenty moreDragon Ballcharactersshould be on their way. According to an early leak, adapting characters up to the end ofDragon Ball Super’s anime isSparking Zero’s priority at launch, which has held true so far. However,Dragon Ball Supermovies should also be fair game, so Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo should be included atSparking Zero’s launch.
Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo Are A Big Deal For Modern Dragon Ball
The Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo transformations both debuted in the 2022 filmDragon Ball Super: Super Hero. Much of their popularity came from them being the first new transformations Gohan or Piccolo had received in canonDragon BallsinceDragon Ball Z’s Buu Saga. They also brought both characters back into relevance, significantly raising their power levels and justifying the duo having more screen time together. Fans had been worried aboutDragon Ballforgetting its extended Z Warrior casteven after they were assembled for the Tournament of Power, so this was a good way to future-proof more characters for later storylines.
Dragon Ball’s Supporting Cast Have Needed New Forms For A Long Time
Notably, these forms also gave Gohan and Piccolo significant redesigns, something else they’d been in need of. Piccolo had long suffered from a static appearance, since Namekians only had fusions and giant forms as established transformations, but Gohan wasn’t faring much better. HisUltimate form, also known as “Mystic” or “Potential Released” Gohan, amounts to a light-gray aura that can be stacked with basic Super Saiyan transformations. After evenDragon Ball FighterZstruggled to make that look cool, seeing Gohan finally get a unique transformation to match Goku’s Ultra Instinct and Vegeta’s Ultra Ego was cathartic.
New Forms Are Top Priority For Dragon Ball Games Like Sparking Zero
Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo’s main stumbling block is that they are recent additions toDragon Ball, butDragon Ballgames are working to correct that. Apart from various mobile and arcade titles adding these forms,Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2made them DLC in 2023.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeroshould also include them, but this time as part of its base roster. The lack of new Gohan andPiccolo forms across much ofDragon Ball’s lifemeans that they haven’t gotten many new forms or moves in games, either. It would be fitting for the return ofBudokai Tenkaichito include them in its refreshed and expanded cast.
There’s No Reason Sparking Zero Can’t Launch With DBS: Super Hero Content
Not to mention, even if the rumor of animatedDragon Ball Supercharacters taking priority proves accurate, Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo should still be eligible forSparking Zeroalongside theSuper Heromovie’s villains Gamma 1, Gamma 2, and Cell Max.Dragon Ball Super’s canonizedBroly joiningSparking Zero’s roster before hisDBZselfis ample evidence that this can happen. AlthoughDragon Ball Super: Brolyis an older film, Broly’s inclusion still puts theDragon Ball Superfilms on the table. With the release date ofDragon Ball: Sparking Zerostill uncertain, there should be plenty of time to include Beast Gohan and Orange Piccolo in the game’s initial cast.
