Publisher Bandai Namco has revealed some new details about the roster of the upcoming fighting game Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero alongside the release of a stunning new trailer.
The latest entry in the long-running Dragon Ball: Sparking! (previously known as Budokai Tenkaichi) fighting game subseries, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an upcoming 3D brawler set in the hugely popular world of the Dragon Ball franchise. This is the first new entry in the series in over 15 years and offers the chance to duke it out as some of the most powerful characters in the Dragon Ball universe in intense battles.
Today, a new post on the official Bandai Namco blog has revealed the first 24 characters that will be appearing in the game’s absolutely gigantic roster - which seems to contain over 160 entries. These characters are:
- Goku (Z - Early)
- Goku (Z - Mid)
- Goku (Z - Mid), Super Saiyan
- Goku (Z - End)
- Goku (Z - End), Super Saiyan
- Goku (Z - End), Super Saiyan 2
- Goku (Z - End), Super Saiyan 3
- Goku (Super)
- Goku (Z - Mid), Super Saiyan
- Goku (Super), Super Saiyan God
- Goku (Super), Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan
- Vegeta (Z - Scouter)
- Great Ape Vegeta
- Vegeta (Z - Early)
- Vegeta (Z - Early), Super Saiyan
- Super Vegeta
- Vegeta (Z - End)
- Vegeta (Z - End), Super Saiyan
- Vegeta (Z - End), Super Saiyan 2
- Majin Vegeta
- Vegeta (Super)
- Vegeta (Super), Super Saiyan
- Vegeta (Super), Super Saiyan God
- Vegeta (Super), Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan
Over 160 characters is a staggeringly mammoth number for any fighting game, though it's difficult not to notice the sheer abundance of Goku and Vegeta variants that seem to make up most of the first 24.
Although this might seem like a bit of a cop-out for some, this actually isn’t too unusual for the Dragon Ball: Sparking! series. In previous games, different incarnations of the same character have offered slightly different stats or abilities.
Bandai Namco has also released a new trailer for the game that gives us our first real look at its visuals and combat. Centered around the newly revealed versions of Goku and Vegeta, it shows off some small elements of environmental destruction and plenty of flashy special moves. You can watch the full trailer below:
It’s difficult not to appreciate the impressive visuals too, which have a cel-shaded aesthetic that leaves everything looking like it’s been freshly ripped from the page of a manga or a frame of the anime.
Although an official release date has yet to be confirmed, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is currently set to come to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.
For more on fighting games, see our recent Tekken 8 review or our guide to the best fighting games.
