Dragon Ball Has a Ton of Material to Explore After DBZ: Kakarot
In the past few years, Dragon Ball Z games have been consistently great titles. Xenoverse 2 mastered the feel of Dragon Ball combat and combined it with endlessly customizable movesets, while FighterZ is one of the best fighting games currently on the market that still maintains a stunning visual style. Now, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot represents an imperfect yet very satisfying retelling of the classic Z-saga in an action-RPG format that merges stripped-down Xenoverse-style combat with a faithful recreation of the tale everyone knows and loves.
Dragon Ball z is almost a perfect source material for all genres of games, with its core themes of character growth, the search for power, and constant high-skill combat. Where many anime games fall short of mainstream popularity, Dragon Ball has managed to carve out a space in the video game market with its competitive titles and the wide appeal of the source material. However, now that Kakarot has retold the essential story so well, what is next for Dragon Ball games?
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has its flaws, from lackluster side content to various story omissions and inaccuracies. However, at the same time, it is the best retelling of Dragon Ball Z in any recent video game,and offers quite a lot of interesting new interpretations of various characters and events. Whatever the final verdict is out on how well Kakarot tells the story, it is now the most definitive way to experience the story of Dragon Ball Z in a game. There is no reason for another game to tell the same story again, especially since it is so well known, but much like superhero movies that endlessly retell the origin story of famous characters, audiences won't put up with hearing the same story again and again.
There is certainly room for sequels to FighterZ and Xenoverse 2, but both of those titles have quite some life in them yet. Their formats allow DLC to constantly add new characters and transformations, and won't require a continuation of their stories for a while. Even with sequels or expansive add-ons, these games will need to shy away from re-treading the same ground that Kakarot has traveled so thoroughly. Another great option for Dragon Ball Z games are remakes and remasters of classic titles, but most fans would likely be much happier with all new content that still feeds their Dragon Ball nostalgia.
The most obvious next step to many Dragon Ball fans is to make games that tell the stories of Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball GT, or even some of the one-off movies that made Broly famous before he was canon. While none of these have quite the same wide recognition as Dragon Ball Z, they are all extremely popular with fans and deserve their time in the limelight. One story that very few Dragon Ball Z fans seem to consider though is that of the original Dragon Ball series.
While many fans might at first be skeptical of a series in which Goku is a child who doesn't even realize he is a Saiyan, a skillful adaptation into a good game could be extremely compelling. Many fans of Dragon Ball Z are aware of the plot of the original Dragon Ball manga and anime, but haven't sat down to watch over 150 episodes of Goku's childhood adventures.
A game that dove into that story could enlighten many fans on details about the origins of their favorite characters, as well as some of the figures that become obscure in Dragon Ball Z. This was back when Piccolo was, for all intents and purposes, really a demon king, when Tien was a genuine threat, and Yamcha was actually relevant to the plot. Dragon Ball Z Kakarot did well to redeem characters like Radditz, so a quality adaptation of Dragon Ball could be a fun way to redeem many characters that are now nothing more than jokes. Dragon Ball GT could also provide a similar dive into some of the lesser-known plotlines that are nonetheless interesting to explore.
Dragon Ball Super is the most obvious next ste, and will likely be the main source of future Dragon Ball game material. Super has introduced and re-introduces some of the series' most iconic characters and is a true continuation of Dragon Ball Z's story after the Buu arc. Perhaps the most exciting contributions of Dragon Ball Super are the godly transformations that Goku and Vegeta learn, and the introduction of Broly into the canon as a good character with a genuinely compelling backstory.
While retelling stories that are true to the source material is a great way to go, there is far more potential for games to go wild exploring alternate perspectives, timelines, and possibilities. While there are plenty of characters to play as in Kakarot, some parts of the story could be completely revitalized by playing from another perspective. For example, a game that has the player occupying the shoes of Vegeta before he came to earth could give insight into the future of the character and the past of Frieza. On the other hand, a game that had Trunks as a main character would be a great way to explore one of the best characters and arcs in the franchise.
What-if scenarios are a good topic for games as well. Dragon Ball Xenoverse is already one big exploration of a what-if timeline, but with a fanbase as passionate and knowledgeable as Dragon Ball Z has, there are a lot of ways to re-imagine the timeline. One of the most popular what-if scenarios is the prospect of Gohan becoming the main character after he goes Super Saiyan 2 and becomes the most powerful Dragon Ball Z character for a short time.
If Goku had stayed dead (as was originally intended) and Gohan became the main character after the Cell Saga, Dragon Ball Z would look very different with a lead who thinks of violence as a necessary evil. Fans have already seen some of what Gohan could become due to the multiple timelines of the Cell Saga, but many wonder where the story would have gone had Toriyama kept Gohan in the spotlight.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is out now for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.
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