Dragon Ball: Sparking Zeromostly succeeds in its attempts to balance attention on the entirety ofDragon Ball’s vast legacy. Still, there is one exclusion that does manage to stick out like a sore thumb.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerogives the spotlight to plenty of obscure and even non-canon segments of the series, but it somehow manages to ignore the story that started it all.
Dragon Ballhad humble beginnings compared to the worldwide phenomenon it is now. Though it may now be hailed as the king of bombastic battle Shonen, the series began with a greater focus on martial arts and an even larger emphasis on lighthearted gags. Unfortunately for veteran fans of the series,Sparking Zerorarely ever gives so much as a nod to theearliest arcs ofDragon Ballwhen it matters most.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Should Give More Spotlight to its Earliest Story Arcs
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Ambitious Episode Battles
Instead of focusing on a singular campaign,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerofeatures eight Episode Battles, with each of them starring a different protagonist. This level of ambition definitely exceeded expectations, but it also created a certain degree of inconsistency. In simpler terms, some characters simply have lackluster stories compared to others.
This is doubly true forDragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Sparking Episodes. While some pose genuinely inventive questions, others are relatively simplistic. Thankfully, Goku’s Saga manages to avoid many of the common pitfalls found in other Episodes. However, the scope ofSparking Zerocreated a whole new problem for its greatest hero.
Some ofDragon Ball’s most enduring concepts and characters were introduced long beforeDBZ. Unfortunately,Dragon Ballitself does not receive much spotlight inSparking Zero.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s full rostertechnically only includes a single character from the early sagas, thanks to Teen Goku. Other characters reference the series, with Roshi’s Jackie Chun outfit being a particular highlight, and yet it’s not unfair to say that the foundation of the series deserves more than an alternate costume.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Overlooks Goku’s Origins
More importantly, Goku’s Episode Battles completely overlook any events beforeDragon Ball Z. This is a shame for a number of reasons, with the largest among them being the unlikelihood that this misstep will be corrected. While it’s possible thatDragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s DLC could add new Episode Battles, this part ofDragon Ball’s history doesn’t seem to be the focus at the moment.
Of course, another major factor that makes this exclusion disappointing is the vast potential behind adapting earlyDragon Ball. This is one section of the series that many fans appear to be the least familiar with, and the quality of other Episode Battles suggestsSparking Zerocould provide a solid way for fans to experience some of these events for the first time. Most importantly, it would allow fans to fight in theBudokai Tenkaichitournamentfrom which the beloved game series gets its name.
Likewise, there is no shortage of iconic characters in the series introduced beforeDragon Ball Ztook over the world. Foremost among them is undoubtedly Demon King Piccolo, who may even see newfound relevance thanks toDragon Ball Daima’s adventure through the Demon Realm. He’s not alone either, with the Red Ribbon Army being prominent antagonists as well, and Android 8 specifically having a history inBudokai Tenkaichi. At the end of the day, Teen Goku’s inclusion in the game feels somewhat half-baked without many of his earliest rivals to accompany him.
Dragon Ballmay seem quaint at this point, compared to how strong characters have gotten inSuperand beyond. That said,Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s overpowered charactersshouldn’t be a reason to leave out the story that started it at all. It would likely be difficult to integrate now, but that doesn’t make it any less worthwhile. Goku currently has one of the best Episodes in the game, and it could be improved even further if players had an opportunity to experience the foundation of his story, much less theDragon Ballfranchise as a whole.
