Goku powers up in ‘Budokai Tenkaichi 4’

Anime fans have been given a sneak peek into Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero, the sequel to the 16-year-old Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3.

An explosive announcement trailer was unveiled at The Game Awards last week. Since the release of Bandai Namco’s third instalment of the game in 2007 on PlayStation 2, the upcoming 3D arena brawler’s trailer showcases a quantum leap in visual fidelity, harnessing the power of Unreal Engine 5.

In the trailer, Goku and Vegeta engage in a fierce battle reminiscent of their first brawl in the Gizard Wasteland of the Saiyan Saga. However, this time around, they have reached new levels of power as they transform into their Super Saiyan Blue forms.

Along with the graphical update and the development of established characters, new playable fighters were revealed. The Dragon Ball Super series, launched in 2015, spawned the Universal Survival Saga, which featured Bergamo and Jiren. Both characters are seen in the trailer.

The game’s full roster has not yet been revealed, and it is unclear whether the Gammas, Cell Max, and other characters from the latest movie, Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, will be included.

“This is the Dragon Ball fighting game players have been waiting for, bringing a new sequel for one of the most beloved game series based on the franchise to a new generation of players,” says Mike Chang, VP marketing and digital business at Bandai Namco Entertainment America. “Sparking! Zero continues the legacy while adding new genre-defining features made possible only with the latest game platforms to deliver one of the most immersive anime game experiences of all time.”

Developed by Spike Chunsoft, the original architects of the series, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero will release on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and PC via Steam.

*Visit Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero’s Steam page here.

*Visit Bandai Namco Entertainment’s website here.