Spoilers ahead forDragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s “The Strongest Warrior” Sparking Episode.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerohas positioned itself as the official successor to the belovedBudokai Tenkaichiseries. Filling those very large shoes has come in all shapes and sizes, from the game’s gargantuan roster to its utterly bombastic battles.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeroalso revived What If scenarios, though this may have come at an unexpected cost.
By all means,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerotakes the What Ifpremise and runs with it. Now called Sparking Episodes, the new What Ifs often feature the kind of interesting and engaging stories that fans have hoped for. Gohan’s Sparking Episode almost certainly takes the cake thanks to one bold decision, but it also manages to expose one of the game’s biggest blind spots.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Can’t Leave What If Characters On the Table
Gohan’s ‘The Strongest Warrior’ Sparking Episode Goes Beyond Sparking Zero’s Other What Ifs
Every Sparking Episode provides its own flavor of fun, but there are still a few that rise above the rest. Some Sparking Episodes don’t necessarily pose an interesting question, and instead just serve as a slightly altered ending. Some simply provide more agency to their protagonists, but thebest What Ifs inDragon Ball:Sparking Zerotake some truly unexpected twists and turns.
In that regard, Gohan’s sole Sparking Episode has to take the cake. Titled “The Strongest Warrior,” players are essentially taken through the lifelong dream of watchingGohan becomeDragon Ball’s main protagonist. The Strongest Warrior at first seems to simply run the routine of boosting Gohan’s relevance in the story, but this quickly becomes a bait and switch. Gohan’s Sparking Episode is easily one of the most inventive stories the game has to offer, and one of the longest Sparking Episodes to boot.
The Strongest Warrior splits from the main narrative during theevents ofResurrection F, with Gohan proving himself strong enough to hold his own against the Frieza Force. Gohan’s story quickly takes shape from here, with the introduction of an unexpected original villain. This character quickly becomes a high point of the game, although their exclusion from the roster is beyond disappointing.
Gohan Black Should Become a Playable Character in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero
The Strongest Warrior accomplishes something not attempted by any otherEpisode inDragon Ball: Sparking Zero. Gohan Black is an aptly named alternate take on Goku Black, and a new character entirely original toSparking Zero. Gohan Black easily represents the best of what Sparking Episodes have to offer, and it’s a shame that he isn’t playable already.
To an extent, this is somewhat understandable. After all,Sparking Zero’s developers likely didn’t want to spoil any players on the character select screen, especially not with regard to the game’s biggest twist. This begs the question of how long fans may have to wait until he becomes playable, assuming he does at all. This is a fair assumption, however, asGohan Black is the exact kind of villainthat fans have been hoping to get out of What Ifs this entire time.
It would be especially unfortunate for Gohan Black to not become playable, as he is essentially alone in this concept. One Sparking Episode seesVegeta become a Super Saiyanmuch earlier, which leads to a unique form, but this is notably different. While the original design for Vegeta could be relegated to a costume, it would be a shame for Gohan Black to not make full use of his power.
Gohan has always been a fan favorite, and Goku Black was a similarly popular part ofDragon Ball Super. Combining the two characters isn’t unheard of, but it’s a pleasant surprise to watchSparking Zerotake such a bold step. Gohan Black isn’t yet playable, although someDragon Ball: Sparking Zeroleakssuggest this may change. Regardless, it would be a shame forSparking Zeroto produce such an interesting concept, only to never reach its full potential.
