With Dragon Ball Sparking Zero recently announced, we wanted to make a list of the top 5 best Dragon Ball games made yet. Making a list of just five games, when the series literally has dozens of titles spanning over seven generations of gaming systems, isn't going to be easy. However, we believe the five games we chose at least deserve recognition as great Dragon Ball titles. Without further ado, let's take a look at our top five Dragon Ball games.

The Top 5 Best Dragon Ball Games

5. Dragon Ball Fighter Z

This 2.5D fighter game brought a massive wave to the competitive fighting game scene. Additionally, it's also one of the most addicting DBZ games to recently come out. Overall, FighterZ might've had a few controversies on the competitive side, but it offers a great fighting game experience. We also like the 2.5D art style, which makes character models and effects look really good.

But what makes FighterZ so good is the addictive gameplay. It's easy for anyone to pick up and play, and you find yourself wanting to play another match. Additionally, this game provides characters from

One thing that keeps Fighter Z near the bottom for us was the game's excessive amount of DLC. Overall, the game contained 24 fighters at launch. After three DLC passes later, the game added 20 more characters. We love an expanded roster and all, but how come half of the game's final roster is hidden behind a paywall? And it's not like these are throw-away characters either. You need to purchase some of the passes if you want:

  • Broly (DBS or DBZ)
  • Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta
  • Android 17
  • Janemba

And so much more. Nevertheless, if you just like the gameplay and don't care about rosters, FighterZ makes up for it with great combat and control.

4. Dragon Ball Z Budokai 3

The final entry in the Budokai trilogy offered the best story mode, best roster, and overall best gameplay in the series. It offered a more traditional 2D fighting game experience, but felt fleshed out thanks its controls and variety of button combos.

We really enjoyed how the story mode worked too in Budokai 3. The game technically had several campaigns following 11 characters throughout their own DBZ adventure. So if you chose Goku, you experience everything Goku went through in DBZ. However, you also had the chance to play as characters like Gohan or Piccolo, too. Along the way, you upgraded your character over time, and got the chance to explore a small open world.

Like Tenkaichi 3, Budokai 3 lets you play as some of the characters from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT. While the roster isn't as large, Budokai 3 offered a nice variety of characters to use from all the major sagas. However, it's the gameplay that made this game stand out, as one of the smoothest 2D fighters at the time.

3. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot offers the entire story of Dragon Ball Z in an action RPG format. To us, Kakarot feels like the Legacy of Goku games from the GameBoy Advanced, but remastered and on console. Obviously there are major differences between the two, but Kakarot offered a great gameplay experience that took you through the entirety of the story.

At this point, we can't recall any Dragon Ball games that followed the entire TV show in one package. Additionally, a the return of many original voice cast members and explorable locations made it more authentic. While other DBZ games offered a story that followed the show, this game did it all at once, and with some neat RPG mechanics.

In terms of gameplay, Kakarot feels pretty good. Building up your party members, setting up your Community Boards, and learning new moves keeps the experience fresh. The combat itself felt fun, with an evolving moveset that saw your characters learn new abilities over time. Additionally, the game actually let you fight alongside fellow Z warriors like Yamcha, Tien, Chiaotzu, or Krillin. While they aren't really used too often, it still feels great to have control over your team.

There are a few things though that keep Kakarot out of the top two for us. One, a lack of Bruce Faulconer music makes the game feel less heavy and a little too cheery. The soundtrack is okay, and some of the old songs from the original Japanese show work fine. However, it just feels weird to see Perfect Cell and not hear his theme. Additionally, Kakarot does feel a bit stretched out near the end of the game, especially during the Buu saga.

Nevertheless, we still love Kakarot despite some of its shortcomings. No other DBZ game offers some of the cool things you can do here, and it offers the best story-mode experience for a Dragon Ball game… on console.

2. Dragon Ball Z Legacy of Goku II / Buu's Fury

It's hard to choose between these two, as Webfoot technologies developed the greatest handheld Dragon Ball games ever made. Buu's Fury offered smoother gameplay, more locations, and the beloved Fusion dance. However. Legacy of Goku II should be credited as the game that led to these improvements.

Those who played the first Legacy of Goku game know that it's bit rough around the edges. Enemies don't knock back if you hit them, making difficult for new players. Additionally, flying was limited to your energy, making it stressful to navigate maps unless you knew exactly where to go.

Thankfully, Legacy of Goku II fixed the combat and exploration completely. It also let you play as several characters instead of just Goku, like Trunks, Vegeta, Gohan, and Piccolo. Buu's Fury perfected the combat, and added even more features to make it exciting. Players not only has access to the fusion dance to play as Gotenks, but you could also visit various worlds like H.F.I.L., Heaven, or Other World. Overall, Buu's Fury brought out the best in the trilogy.

But the best thing about both of these games is that they follow the actual storylines of the show (albeit, in a condensed way). Additionally, they even add more side quests, and even some cameo appearances from some of the movie villains, like Broly or Cooler.  What we loved most about these games was their dedication to accuracy. Even the music at times resembled the Bruce Faulconer soundtrack, which many U.S. fans grew up hearing. Essentially, both Legacy of Goku II and Buu's Fury felt like DBZ on-the-go but with you controlling the characters.

If you have time, we recommend checking out the development video above. It follows the developers as they work on Legacy of Goku II. I

1. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3

Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 3 is hands-down the best Dragon Ball video game ever made. From improved gameplay over the previous two installments, to an astoundingly large roster, Tenkaichi keeps you invested for the long run. Additionally, the more you played the game, the more you earned over time.

What we loved about Tenkaichi 3's massive roster is that you're able to unlock the characters yourselves. Nowadays, you either receive a complete roster right away or need to purchase them separately with real money. However, BT3 came from a simpler time when you earned things based on skill and dedication.

All that aside, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 offered everything you wanted. Not only did the game offer a large roster, but a good amount of maps, some with their own day time variations. In duels, you had complete control over your battle setup. Want to use just Imperfect Cell and take on all the androids (17, 18, 19, Dr. Gero, and even Android 13)? The world is your oyster.

The game even included several great Ape forms for several saiyans, like Vegeta (Scouter), Bardock, Raditz, and more. Additionally, other giant monsters, like Hirudegaarn and Janemba were playable. Overall, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 let you play as almost any character from DBZ, with several additions from Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT.

In terms of game modes, BT3 offered everything from a story mode (including a What If Saga), Tournament, basic duels mode, and more. Heck, you could even visit Chi-Chi, who gives you her description of every character and their form in the game. It's hard to get bored of Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Both Dragon Ball Budokai series offered great titles, but Tenkaichi took the cake.

Overall, that wraps up our list. In hindsight, I suppose I should've called this a best five DBZ games list, since it mostly features games from that show. Rest assured though, that the other series, like Dragon Ball, and even GT had video game adaptations. As we look forward to Dragon Ball Sparking Zero, we hope you had as much fun with these titles as we did.

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