After years of wondering and waiting, Spike Chunsoft and Bandai Namco have revived theDBZ: Budokai Tenkaichispin-off line withDragon Ball: Sparking Zero, and fans everywhere are thrilled. With stellar player numbers on Steam before the game’s normal edition even came out, it already seems like celebrations for this beloved series’ revival are in full swing.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s art style, animations, and abundant hidden interactions have done theDragon Ballfranchise justice so far, and there’s still plenty to experience in the secret-filled Episode Battle story, online modes, and player-driven Custom Battle.
This is coming off of a streak ofDragon Ball Xenoverse 1and2,FighterZ,Kakarot, andThe Breakers, soDragon Ballfans are eating well right now.Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerois expected to continue receiving additional content for years to come thanks to its strong launch sales, and the first season pass is confirmed to be pulled from theDragon Ball Super: Super Heromovie, andthe new animeDragon Ball Daima. Additions from the former are already hotly anticipated, but one of them is expected to use an uncommonDragon Ballcharacter archetype that hasn’t really existed in fighting game DLC before.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero May Go Where No Fighting Game Has Before
In addition to introducing new forms forDragon Ball’s supporting cast, theSuper Heromovie also brings back the originalDragon Ball’s Red Ribbon Army as its main villains. Gamma 1 and Gamma 2 are confirmed to represent them inSparking Zero’s first season pass, but still unannounced is another foe, Cell Max. As his name suggests, this feral giant is an attempted iteration ofDBZ’s Cell who fought an enlarged Orange Piccolo at the end of the film. He has appeared as a raid boss inDragon Ball Xenoverse 2, butSparking Zerohas space for him to make a playable debut.
Giants Barely Exist In The Fighting Genre
Cell Max and Orange Piccolo could make history as the first “giant” fighting game characters ever added as DLC, assuming they do join inSparking Zero’s DLC. True “giants” in fighting games are typically just bosses or super modes, even inXenoverse. For reference,“big bodies” likeStreet Fighter 5’s AbigailandMarvel vs. Capcom’s Sentinel are more common, and typically don’t subvert a game’s mechanics as much. OnlyTatsunoko vs. CapcomandGundam Battle Assault 2included multiple giants on their main rosters, while other examples likeAkatsuki Blitzkampf’s Blitztank andCapcom Fighting Evolution’s Hauzer are more like big body hybrids.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Is Uniquely Equipped To Handle Giants
Arena fighters typically avoid giant fighters just like any other fighting game variant, but there’s one exception.Budokai Tenkaichihas included playable giants ever since its first entry in 2005, andSparking Zerohas maintained that tradition. Even though these games are more focused on fanservice than competitive balance, theTenkaichi/Sparkingseries has settled on giant design reminiscent ofTatsunoko vs. Capcom’s standout examples, forgotten as they are. Giants have high amounts of super armor, big damage, and bigger health pools, but can struggle to hit grounded foes right beside them. They also have some character-specific throw animations, and a couple of mechanics are altered for them alone.
What Fighting Games Can Learn From Sparking Zero’s Giants
Balance issues crop up as a result, andSparking Zerois once again united withTvCin this regard. Nowhere is this more evident thanSparking Zero’s Great Ape Vegetabeing an early story roadblock, whileTvC’s PTX-40A and Gold Lightan warp gameplay so much that tier lists based on standard match-ups don’t apply to them. Still, more fighting games should learn fromSparking Zero’s example, as having a template giant around helps when designing more. WithDragon Ball: Sparking Zeropotentially buffing giants with its new team combo mechanic, it’s clear that there’s still room for fighting games to experiment with this rare archetype.
