Dragon Ball Sparking Zero is the long-awaited return of the Budokai Tenkaichi series, arriving 17 years after Dragon Ball Z Sparking! Meteor. Developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Bandai Namco, the game launched on PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC on October 11, 2024, with Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions following on November 13, 2025. The roster spans Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball Super, Dragon Ball GT, and theatrical films, making it the most character-rich entry in the Sparking series to date.
What makes Dragon Ball Sparking Zero different from previous entries?
The name drops the "Z" from previous titles because the roster now extends well beyond Dragon Ball Z. Characters from Dragon Ball Super television arcs, theatrical films, and Dragon Ball GT all share the same roster, and the title "Zero" signals a fresh starting point rather than a continuation. The game runs on Unreal Engine 5.1 and targets 60fps across all platforms.
Two control schemes are available: a newly adjusted standard layout and a classic mode that mirrors the Meteor control scheme. The primary difference between them is that the up/jump and down inputs are swapped. An assist system lets newcomers automate combo execution, chase inputs, fall recovery, and revenge counters. Crucially, using assists carries no damage penalty and works in online matches too.
Over 180 fighters at launch
How many playable characters are in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero?
The base game launched with 181 playable characters plus 1 special character, surpassing the 161 in Sparking! Meteor and setting a new series record. Son Goku alone accounts for more than a dozen roster slots across his Dragon Ball Z early, mid, and late periods, Super forms including Super Saiyan God and Super Saiyan Blue, Ultra Instinct Sign, Ultra Instinct, and Dragon Ball GT variants through Super Saiyan 4.
Characters with multiple transformation states are treated as separate roster entries. Vegeta, Son Gohan, Future Trunks, Frieza, and Cell each appear in several distinct forms. The fusion characters Vegito and Gogeta appear across both their Z and Super incarnations, while characters like Broly have both the original theatrical version and the Dragon Ball Super: Broly film version.
DLC character packs
Post-launch content expanded the roster significantly. DLC Pack 1 ("Hero of Justice") added 11 characters from Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero, including Son Gohan Beast, Orange Piccolo, Gamma No. 1, Gamma No. 2, and Cell Max. DLC Pack 2 brought 8 Dragon Ball Daima characters. An additional standalone DLC added Shallot from Dragon Ball Legends. DLC Pack 3 added 6 more Daima characters.
The large-scale NEO DLC, announced October 2, 2025 and releasing April 20, 2026, adds over 30 characters. This pack includes several characters absent from the base game, such as Super 17, King Piccolo, Bardock Super Saiyan, Tao Pai Pai, General Blue, and Gohan's Grandfather, among many others from the original Dragon Ball series.
What game modes does Dragon Ball Sparking Zero include?
Episode Battle
Episode Battle is the primary single-player story mode. Eight characters each have their own episode arc: Son Goku, Vegeta, Son Gohan, Piccolo, Future Trunks, Frieza, Goku Black, and Jiren. Each episode is split into a story presentation section and the actual battles. Goku's episode runs from the Saiyan Saga through the Tournament of Power.
The IF Story system is where Episode Battle gets genuinely interesting. At certain junctions, winning too convincingly or meeting special hidden conditions branches the story away from the canonical outcome. These alternate routes are marked with a "Sparking Episode" notification in the lower left corner of cutscenes. Some IF routes produce entirely separate story arcs, while others simply end the battle early with a brief alternate conclusion.
Examples of IF routes include Goku defeating Raditz without Piccolo's help, Vegeta awakening as a Super Saiyan during the Namek arc, and Vegeta and Trunks stopping Perfect Cell with a combined attack. The conditions for IF routes are hidden on a first playthrough but become visible in battle details after clearing.
Eight character story arcs
Custom Battle
Custom Battle contains three sub-modes. Extra Battle provides high-difficulty original situation fights with special victory conditions and mid-battle event cutscenes. Edit Mode lets players set their own characters, pre- and post-battle cutscenes, dialogue, and rules, then share the result online. World Library is where you download and play battles created by other players, or submit your own replays.
Battle and Training modes
The standard versus suite covers online ranked matches, casual matches, custom online lobbies, and offline play. The World Martial Arts Tournament mode supports up to 8 players online or local. Training mode includes both a guided tutorial and a free practice environment.
Challenge modes
King Kai's Requests tasks you with clearing difficult battle conditions set by King Kai. Whis's Stamp Book assigns various in-game tasks from Whis, and completing these also rewards Dragon Balls used for summoning.
Complete tasks to earn Dragon Balls
How does the Dragon Ball summoning system work?
Three separate Dragon Ball sets exist in the game, each tied to a different dragon.
Shenron requires 7 Earth Dragon Balls collected through battles and other activities. Shenron grants one wish from a limited selection covering in-game rewards like Zenny, costumes, and items.
Porunga requires 7 Namekian Dragon Balls and grants three wishes. Namekian Dragon Balls are the hardest to collect since they drop randomly in versus mode rather than through structured challenges. A specific method involves equipping Vegito (Super) Super Saiyan Blue with the God's Flag item and the Stardust Blaster skill, then using that skill immediately at the start of a match against a COM Satan opponent set to weak difficulty in offline 1P vs COM. Repeating this process 25 to 50 times accumulates the necessary Dragon Balls.
Super Shenron requires 7 Super Dragon Balls and grants one wish with no restrictions, including unlocking playable characters and earning large quantities of Zenny. Super Dragon Balls are obtained by winning the Episode Battle Power Contest. Combining Goku Black and Zamasu can be unlocked by wishing to Super Shenron.
What are the core combat systems?
Sparking Zero carries forward the series' foundational mechanics while adding new tools. Rush attacks, derivative combos, Dragon Dash pursuit, the counter system, Impact Actions, and mid-battle transformations all return. New mechanics include the short dash, Revenge Counter, Vanishing Assault, and skill stock management.
The number displayed beneath a character's portrait during battle represents their skill stock, which functions identically to the blast stock from previous Sparking games. Skill stock fuels special moves and can also be spent on the new ultra-short wave technique, which deflects incoming energy blasts.
Team battles support up to 5 characters per side. Two formats exist: free character selection and a cost-limited format where each character carries a point value based on their power level and transformation state. In the cost format, the same character can appear at different costs depending on which era or transformation form you select.
Fusion and Potara earring combinations work in battle without time limits or damage-based de-fusion. Players can choose to transform or de-fuse voluntarily at any point.
How does the Store and Customize system work?
The store replaces the Evolution Z system from previous Sparking titles. Using Zenny earned through gameplay, you can purchase characters, costumes, and performance items. The store inventory expands as your player level increases, so progressing through modes unlocks more options over time.
Player cards are visible to other players and can be customized with backgrounds and other cosmetics. The My Data section tracks player level, records, and titles.
Store expands with player level
How did Dragon Ball Sparking Zero perform at launch?
Within 24 hours of its October 11, 2024 release, cumulative worldwide sales exceeded 3 million copies. By February 4, 2025, that figure had surpassed 5 million, making it the fastest-selling Dragon Ball game in franchise history. Roughly 90% of sales came from Western markets and the United States as of November 2024.
Critic reception landed at 81/100 on Metacritic and 82 on OpenCritic, with 86% of critics recommending the game. Steam reviews sit at "Very Positive" with 88% positive across over 46,000 ratings. Previous Sparking entries all scored 72 on Metacritic, so clearing 80 represents a meaningful improvement for the series.
The opening theme "ZERO" was performed by Hironobu Kageyama, who previously sang Dragon Ball staples including CHA-LA HEAD-CHA-LA. It marks his first Dragon Ball game opening contribution since Raging Blast 2.
For more on the Sparking Zero experience, check out our Sparkball beginner strategies for related competitive game fundamentals, or browse our full Sparkball strategy guides for additional gaming resources. You can also read our Sparkball in-depth review for a comparable look at how modern competitive games are evaluated.