The tragic death of Akira Toriyama earlier in 2024 has cast a pall over the popular Dragon Ball franchise. While there's a new show coming soon, it was the end of an era for the long-beloved anime. That might by why Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is coming at the exact right time. A reboot of the beloved Budokai Tenkaichi series, Sparking Zero is a love letter to every era of the popular franchise — and an excellent tribute to Toriyama's legacy.

Sparking Zero is a 3D arena fighter, going back to the basic gameplay from the older Budokai Tenkaichi games. The basic combat and controls can be picked up in a moment, and most characters can fly freely across the map.

It's a game that is both simple and incredibly complex. Characters have two different primary resources: Ki Bar and Skill Count. The Ki Bar is the standard Dragon Ball Z-style power meter that powers up by charging. The Skill Count bar fills over time and is used for a number of different features. If your Ki Bar is full and you have at least one Skill Count, you can also charge past your limit to enter a Sparking mode, during which you can freely spend Ki. There are up to five different people in your party who you can swap between, but there's a cooldown between each one.

Each character has five special moves: two Ki attacks, two Skill Count abilities, and an Ultimate attack that can only be done in Sparking mode. The attacks that cost Ki tend to be either long-range beam blasts or special charge attacks that perform a combo when you hit them. Skill Count abilities tend to be distinct abilities and buffs, such as moves like Solar Flare or Kaio-ken. Skill Count can also be used to transform characters into different forms, which further powers them up and changes their skills.

The combat is straightforward, and it takes very little time to learn how to use the moves. Where the game gets complex — arguably too complex — is when it comes to movement and dodging. There are multiple ways to close in on enemies, including standard flights, dashes, a high-speed super dash that can be further modified to start you behind you opponents, a vanishing assault that teleports you behind them, a homing attack that lets you chase a rushing opponent, and more.

There's an overwhelming list of available defensive options. There's guard, which has both high and low block options. There's Super Perception, where you can hold down the circle button to dodge attacks at a cost of Ki, which can be upgraded to a Sonic Sway to instantly dodge all of an enemy's rush attacks. You can use Super Perception against Ki attacks from a distance to reflect them, but this costs Skill Count instead of Ki. There are Z-Counters that let you teleport behind an opponent who is teleporting behind you, and there are Revenge Counters that let you combo break but can be countered by another counter. There's a parry mode where you can knock back enemies who are attacking, and there's an instant-dodge evasion. This list doesn't even get into the minigames that kick off if certain moves collide.

Yes, the list of defensive options is massive, and each one requires different timing and resources, and they occasionally have convoluted names. They are also introduced with incredibly fast speed and often share the same button input but with different timing or at different distances. It's a lot to take in, and it's very easy to see how players can get overwhelmed, especially if they enjoyed the more instantly accessible battles of Xenoverse or Kakarot.  

If you spend the time to master the combat mechanics, there is not a Dragon Ball game that comes close to portraying the actual fast-paced, high-speed battles of the anime: characters constantly blocking, dodging, evading, catching each other's blows, reflecting energy blasts, and meeting each other for beam struggles. It's all interspersed with transformations, cool attacks, and environmental-wrecking damage. It's incredibly cool to watch and play. You're just going to need to invest a lot of time to play it in multiplayer mode or overcome the occasionally annoying AI in single-player mode.

It's also worth noting that balance is not a serious factor in Sparking Zero. There's some attempt to assure every character is at least viable, but the notes we were given mentioned certain characters are "unabashedly overpowered," and that is the truth. If a character is exceptionally strong in the anime, then they'll be exceptionally strong in the game. For multiplayer, there's a balancing factor where you have a cost limit. Stronger characters require more cost, but players should still expect to suffer if you have Hercule fight Jiren.

The actual gameplay is divided into a number of different modes, most of which are traditional arcade-style fighting matches. The real star of the show is the Episode mode, which allows you to control one of a wide variety of characters, ranging from Goku or Piccolo to Freeza and Jiren. You'll play through the events of the anime, right down to realistic power levels, so a fight between Goku and the Ginyus might be relatively low-stress, but the fights between Krillin and Freeza will be awfully difficult.

Part of the reason for this — and the major appeal of the mode — are the "What if?" scenarios. These scenarios occur when you do something to break canon, such as winning an unwinnable fight, making a different choice (such as refusing to team up with Piccolo to fight Raditz), or surviving when you shouldn't. Many of these lead to small alternate endings, but several lead to entirely new branching plot paths with their own storylines.

For example, take the first fight with Raditz. If you forgo Piccolo's help, that causes Krillin and Master Roshi to help Goku. Perform well in the fight, and they can use a combination of moves to allow Goku to defeat Raditz without dying. That creates an echo effect that leads all the way up to Goku and Vegeta teaming up to defend Earth from Freeza, while the rest of the cast handles the Ginyu Force. It's the kind of thing that will only appeal to die-hard fans of Dragon Ball Z, but it is also the kind of thing that has been long demanded. It's a massive step up from Xenoverse 2, which tended to revolve around the same concept except someone is perhaps glowing in a different color. There are some extremely cool surprises hidden in this mode.

As if that weren't enough, you can also create your own "What if?" scenarios. These can be built using a surprisingly robust in-game engine that allows you to create cut scenes by combining different dialogue options, followed by setting up special fights with unique traits. These self-made scenarios are more basic, lack voice acting and feel more canned, but the mere ability to create them is pretty cool.

Presentation is an important part of Sparking Zero. It's probably the best-looking Dragon Ball game by a huge margin, with only ArcSys' gorgeous FighterZ giving it a run for its money. Everything is beautifully animated with incredibly detail, and it's faithful to the show animations, right down to exploding environments. The minor details shine, and the gameplay is generally buttery smooth. It's a raw delight to watch in motion, and a replay of a fight can sometimes feel like you're watching the show. My only complaint is that some of the in-between cut scenes are done in simple static shots that look a tad cheap, but it is a minor issue. Likewise, the audio is excellent, with all of the actors returning to reprise their roles. My personal favorite bit of this is the "Girl Talk" feature, where Videl, Chichi and Bulma's actresses get the chance to voice the characters gossiping about every character from the franchise.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is in an easy running for the best Dragon Ball game ever made. The surprisingly in-depth gameplay is combined with a love for the franchise that seems to radiate from every aspect of the game. The combat might end up being a little frustrating for someone who just wants to bash together their favorite characters, but once you've learned how to play, it feels absolutely fantastic, and it's a genuine labor of love that fans will adore.

Score: 8.5/10