Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi

Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi, originally published in Japan as , is a fighting video game released for the . The game was developed by Spike and published by Atari and Bandai in the U.S. and Japan, respectively.
The game features 58 playable characters with a total of 90 playable forms from the various TV series and movies. In addition, this game has fully destructible environments. In October/November 2006, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 was released as the game's first sequel.
==Overview==
===Name===
The "Sparking!" in the Japanese title references both the first and last word in the first opening theme to the Dragon Ball Z TV series, "Cha-La Head-Cha-La" (performed by Hironobu Kageyama). However, the opening theme to the game is the TV series' second opening theme, "We Gotta Power" (featured in the Japanese version; the American and European versions includes a different, non-vocal song), which is also sung by Hironobu Kageyama.
The "Budokai Tenkaichi" title of the North American version is a rearranged version of . In the series, the Tenka-ichi Budôkai is a gathering of fighters in a competition for glory, fame, and prize money.
The game is not considered a part of the Budokai series, despite its misleading title. In addition to a completely different game engine, the game was developed by an entirely different company (Spike as opposed to Dimps). The game is also titled differently from the rest of the Budokai series in Japan. Were it a true Budokai game, it would have been Dragon Ball Z 4 in Japan. Speculation on the English re-title is that Atari chose to market the game as part of the Budokai series in order to capitalize on a pre-existing market of fans already familiar with said game series. The English version also uses a great deal of sound effects and background music made for the Budokai series.
===Soundtrack differences===
Further confusing fans in North America, Atari's domestic release of the game does not feature the same music found in the original Japanese version. While Sparking! features actual music from Dragon Ball Z (and two other pieces from the Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball GT where appropriate) as composed by Shunsuke Kikuchi, the American release of the game features recycled music from the Budokai series (composed in Japan by Kenji Yamamoto).
==Gameplay==
The game is quite different from the often-compared Budokai series; it uses a "behind-the-back" camera perspective. Many say that the game feels like a combination of the Budokai series and the game engine from Dragon Ball Z: The Legend for Sega Saturn and PlayStation. Although the engine is more like a typical third-person shooter, it is difficult to master.
Unlike the Budokai series, there are no in-game transformations, but characters can also be selected from the get go in their initial transformation (for example, starting a battle in Super Saiyan, instead of base form).
In the game, a base character can have multiple "forms" to choose from on the character select screen (for example, Perfect Cell is a different "form" from 1st-form Cell, but they are both selected from the base Cell character).
Characters can charge their ki to perform super attacks. Ki charges slower underwater.
There are various classes of characters with special abilities that alter the battle:
*Artificial Humans (Jinzôningen) - Will not show on radar unless locked on to. Cannot charge Ki (unless ki gauge is full, then may charge as normal to enter Max Power mode). Energy absorption models gain ki by absorbing incoming energy dan attacks. Unlimited energy models constantly replenish ki at a consistent rate. The gauge can also be filled as normal by landing successful melee attacks, just like any other character. The characters that have this effect are Android 16, 17, 18, 19, 20 and Super 17.
*Large Characters (ex: Broly) - Do not flinch from smaller characters' melee attacks. The characters that have this "Brick wall" effect are Broly, Bojack, Super Trunks, Great Ape, Great Ape Vegeta and Android 16.
*Great Ape - Do not flinch from smaller characters' melee attacks, and cannot be thrown or hit with a Dragon Dash-type finishing move.
*Scouter (ex: Bardock) - Can lock onto an opponent from anywhere using the scouter, however it takes a few moments for them to turn the scouter on and then begin looking around, but the scouter is broken when the character takes a certain amount of damage. The characters that have scouters include: Raditz, Nappa, Scouter Vegeta, Dodoria, Zarbon, Recoome, Burter, Jeice, Captain Ginyu and Bardock.
*Mr. Satan - None of the other characters "flinch" when hit by his melee attacks (not even when fighting another Mr. Satan).
*Majin Buu - All of Buu's forms recover health slowly over time.
==Game modes==
===Z Battle Gate===
The story mode of the game, Z Battle Gate, progresses similar to the story modes in previous games. Players can select battles from different sagas and proceed through the story of Dragon Ball Z. The battles are bookended, with players given an objective to accomplish such as finishing the battle with a certain special move or within a certain amount of time. The story mode branches out, allowing for a few battles that were not originally in the story. Dragon Balls can be found inside the destructible environment. After clearing some gates, an extra fight may or may not be unlocked. It also shows two new stories when the movie and Dragon Ball GT villains fight the Dragon Team and a tournament which involves Dragon Ball and Dragon Ball Z characters.
===Ultimate Battle===
This new mode pits whichever fighter the player chooses against 100 characters. There are winning points and ranks in this mode. Depending on how the battle went, players get positive or negative winning points. However, if the player ends up with no winning points, the game is over, and the player must start back at Rank 100 (the game starts off at Rank 100). Occasionally, a different fighter (always secret characters) will "break in" (interrupt the fight before it begins). Players get more winning points for defeating them but lose more than usual if they do not defeat them. Also, if the player wins five straight normal fights, someone five ranks ahead will offer a challenge. Completion of this challenge moves the player five ranks up.
===World Tournament===
Similar to the same mode in the Budokai series, the player can enter a world tournament and try to win their way to the top. There are three levels of the basic tournament and a Cell Games mode (which is hosted by Cell). Since characters can fly, characters can leave the perimeter of the arena, but will be called for ring-out if they touch the ground. There are no restrictions to the Cell Games mode, but the last match of the Cell Games mode is always against Perfect Cell. Since there is no money awarded in this game, the prize for winning a World Tournament is a Z-item. The World Tournament mode can be played with several entrants, but if there is more than one human player, then no prize will be awarded.
===Evolution Z===
7 slots for Z-items, but the stronger characters can have as little as 3 slots. There are Z-items that will increase a players Z-item slots, but the number of slots cannot exceed 7. Some Z-Items can be fused together to make new abilities and even characters.
===Character Illustrations===
A unique feature not featured in any of the other Budokai games is Character Illustrations. They list English and Japanese voice actors as well as detailed profiles for all currently unlocked characters. The Character Illustrations reveals the Great Ape featured in Budokai Tenkaichi without armor to be a generic Saiyan warrior, and not any characters in the series (Goku or Gohan).
==Playable characters==
Name 	Transformations	Availability
Android #16 	 	Unlockable
Android #17 	 	Unlockable
Android #18 	 	Unlockable
Android #19 	 	Unlockable
Android #20 	 	Unlockable
Baby Vegeta 	
*Super Baby 2 	Unlockable
Bardock 	 	Unlockable
Bojack 	
*Post-Transformation	Unlockable
Broly 	
*Legendary Super Saiyan	Unlockable
Burter 	 	Unlockable
Captain Ginyu 	 	Unlockable
Cell 	
*1st Form
*2nd Form
*Perfect Form
*Perfect Cell	Starter
Cell Jr. 	 	Unlockable
Chiaotzu 	 	Starter
Cooler 	
*Final Form 	Unlockable
Demon King Dabura 	 	Unlockable
Dodoria 	 	Starter
Frieza 	
*1st Form
*2nd Form
*3rd Form
*Final Form
*Final Form "Full Power"
*Mecha Frieza	Starter
General Tao 	 	Unlockable
Gogeta 	
*Super Saiyan 	Unlockable
Gohan 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Saiyan 2
*Ultimate Gohan	Starter
Goku 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Saiyan 2
*Super Saiyan 3
*Super Saiyan 4	Starter
Goten 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan	Unlockable
Gotenks 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Saiyan 3	Unlockable
Great Ape 	 	Starter
Great Saiyaman 	 	Unlockable
Guldo 	 	Unlockable
Hercule 	 	Unlockable
Janemba 	
*Post-Transformation	Unlockable
Jeice 	 	Unlockable
Kid Buu 	 	Unlockable
Kid Gohan 	 	Starter
Kid Goku 	 	Unlockable
Kid Trunks 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan	Unlockable
Krillin 	 	Starter
Majin Buu (Good) 	 	Unlockable
Majin Buu (Pure Evil)	 	Unlockable
Master Roshi 	 	Unlockable
Nappa 	 	Unlockable
Piccolo 	 	Starter
Raditz 	 	Unlockable
Recoome 	 	Unlockable
Saibaman 	 	Starter
Super 17 	 	Unlockable
Super Buu 	
*Base
*Gotenks absorbed
*Ultimate Gohan absorbed	Unlockable
Super Gogeta 	
*Super Saiyan 4	
Teen Gohan 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Saiyan 2	Starter
Tien 	 	Starter
Trunks (w/ Sword) 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan	Starter
Trunks (Fighting) 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Trunks	Starter
Vegeta 	
*Base
*Super Saiyan
*Super Vegeta
*Majin Vegeta
*Super Saiyan 2
*Super Saiyan 4	Starter
Vegeta (Scouter) 	
*Base
*Great Ape (Vegeta)	Unlockable
Vegito 	
*Base
*Super Vegito	Unlockable
Videl 	 	Unlockable
Yamcha 	 	Starter
Zarbon 	
*Base
*Post-Transformation	Starter
==Battle Stages==
*Earth Wastelands
*Earth Rocky Area
*Namek
*World Tournament Stage
*City (Ruins)
*Mountain Road
*Islands
*Cell Games Arena
*Kami's Lookout
*Hyperbolic Time Chamber
*Supreme Kai's World
==Voice cast==
Character Name 	Voice Actor (Japanese) 	V.A. (U.S. English)
Goku 	Masako Nozawa 	Sean Schemmel
Vegeta 	Ryō Horikawa 	Christopher Sabat
Piccolo 	Toshio Furukawa 	Christopher Sabat
Krillin 	Mayumi Tanaka 	Sonny Strait
Yamcha 	Toru Furuya 	Christopher Sabat
Tien 	Hirotaka Suzuoki 	John Burgmeier
Chiaotzu 	Hiroko Emori 	Monika Antonelli
Kid Gohan 	Masako Nozawa 	Stephanie Nadolny
Teen Gohan 	Masako Nozawa 	Stephanie Nadolny
Adult Gohan 	Masako Nozawa 	Kyle Hebert
Great Saiyaman 	Masako Nozawa 	Kyle Hebert
Future Trunks 	Takeshi Kusao 	Eric Vale
Kid Trunks 	Takeshi Kusao 	Laura Bailey
Goten 	Masako Nozawa 	Kara Edwards
Gotenks 	Masako NozawaTakeshi Kusao	Laura Bailey
Vegito 	Masako NozawaRyō Horikawa 	Sean SchemmelChristopher Sabat
Gogeta 	Masako NozawaRyō Horikawa 	Sean SchemmelChristopher Sabat
Raditz 	Shigeru Chiba 	Justin Cook
Nappa 	Shōzō Iizuka 	Phil Parsons
Majin Vegeta 	Ryō Horikawa 	Christopher Sabat
Saibaimen 	Toru Furuya 	John Burgmeier
Zarbon 	Shō Hayami 	Christopher Sabat
Dodoria 	Yukitoshi Hori 	Chris Forbis
Captain Ginyu 	Hideyuki Hori 	Brice Armstrong
Recoome 	Kenji Utsumi 	Christopher Sabat
Burter 	Yukimasa Kishino 	Christopher Sabat
Jeice 	Kazumi Tanaka 	Christopher Sabat
Guldo 	Kōzō Shioya 	Bill Townsley
Frieza 	Ryūsei Nakao 	Linda Young
Android 16 	Hikaru Midorikawa 	Jeremy Inman
Android 17 	Shigeru Nakahara 	Chuck Huber
Android 18 	Miki Itō 	Meredith McCoy
Android 19 	Yukitoshi Hori 	Phillip Wilburn
Dr. Gero 	Kōji Yada 	Kent Williams
Cell 	Norio Wakamoto 	Dameon Clarke
Cell Jr. 	Hirotaka Suzuoki 	Justin Cook
Dabura 	Ryūzaburō Ōtomo 	Rick Robertson
Majin Buu 	Kōzō Shioya 	Josh Martin
Majin Buu (Pure Evil)	Kōzō Shioya 	Josh Martin
Super Buu 	Kōzō Shioya 	Justin Cook
Kid Buu 	Kōzō Shioya 	Josh Martin
Hercule 	Daisuke Gōri 	Chris Rager
Videl 	Yūko Minaguchi 	Kara Edwards
Bardock 	Masako Nozawa 	Sonny Strait
Cooler 	Ryūsei Nakao 	Andrew Chandler
Broly 	Bin Shimada 	Vic Mignogna
Bojack 	Tesshō Genda 	Bob Carter
Janemba 	Tesshō Genda 	Kent Williams
Baby Vegeta 	Yusuke Numata 	Mike McFarland
Super 17 	Shigeru Nakahara 	Chuck Huber
Great Ape 	Yasuhiko Kawazu 	Shane Ray
Kid Goku 	Masako Nozawa 	Stephanie Nadolny
Master Roshi 	Hiroshi Masuoka 	Mike McFarland
General Tao 	Chikao Ōtsuka 	Kent Williams
Bulma 	Hiromi Tsuru 	Tiffany Vollmer
Mr. Popo 	Toku Nishio 	Cristopher Sabat
Old Kai 	Reizō Nomoto 	Kent Williams
Shenron 	Kenji Utsumi 	Christopher Sabat
King Kai/Narrator 	Jōji Yanami 	Sean Schemmel
==Reception==
Publication 	Score 	
IGN 	8.2 of 10 	
Gamezone 	8.3 of 10 	
GameSpot 	7.0 of 10 	
Review compilations	Review compilations 	Review compilations
Game Rankings 	71.8% (based on 32 reviews)	
Metacritic 	72% (based on 29 reviews) 	
The Budokai Tenkaichi series has been met with average reviews. Numerous reviews praised the games' high fighter count and detailed cel-shaded graphics, as well as the high amount of fan service to Dragon Ball Z fans. However, general players have taken issue with the games' complex controls.
The game sold over 1 million copies in North America and Europe by the fiscal year ending March 31, 2006.http://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-06-dragon-ball-z-tenkaichi-2-preshow-hands-on/1100-6148657/ In Japan the game sold 532,000 copies by the end of 2005.Famitsu 2005 video game sales
==Trivia==
*Evil Buu is referred to as "Majin Buu (Pure Evil)". Also, unlike in the anime (and also unlike the game's sequels) his voice is unusually high-pitched when he says "Buu!" (he doesn't talk at all in the sequels, but his voice is clearly more accurate to the anime)
*If you are Frieza (2nd Form) and you use Pleasurable Frieza Time, Frieza will say "I'll show you HELL!"
*If he is the second player before a battle, Jeice says "Don't play stupid with me, wanker!" In both sequels, this is adjusted so the word "wanker" is cut out. However, you can clearly tell he was cut off when he says "Don't play stupid with me!"
*Though uncut versions of movies and anime refer to him as Mr. Satan, this game, and all others after it, refer to him as Hercule.
*This is the only one of the Tenkaichi games to use just one life bar, though it has a much more considerable amount of health.
*This is the first Budokai-style game to include all the members of the Ginyu Force.
*The voices of Vegeta and Zarbon follow those of the remastered FUNimation episodes rather than the original FUNimation episodes, which differ considerably (and ironically they are both voiced by Christopher Sabat)
*If a player plays any tournament in the game with Master Roshi, the host (or Cell if one plays the Cell Games) will refer to him as "Turtle Hermit", which is his other title (and the spelling of his name in the japanese version of the game)
*This is the only game in the Budokai Tenkaichi series where Captain Ginyu can switch bodies with his featured opponent. In Dragon Ball: Raging Blast and Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 he switches bodies with Goku
*When you use an afterimage-based attack and the other persons uses a high speed rush, if you charge at them to dragon clash, you will afterimage out of the way and the other person will keep hitting you until you press X. They will eventually get a 999 hit combo, and then it will restart from zero.
*This is the only game where you can touch the ground in the World Tournament Stage, as well as touching the roof of the building and going behind the walls near the entrance. In the later two sequels, you float above the grass (except for non-flying characters in Tenkaichi 2) and the wall/roof section is blocked off, but you can still be hit to the ground. In Raging Blast 2, however, you never hit the ground unless you specify Ring-Out in the rules option.
*This game was released in the US in 2005 and featured Janemba, even though Dragon Ball Z: Fusion Reborn was not translated into English until 2006.
*King Kai serves as the narrator for this game. This is most likely becuase his japanese voice actor Jōji Yanami voices both King Kai and the narrator
*Christopher Sabat is erroneously credited for voicing Cell in the game's ending credits.
*Kid Goku has the quote "I'm not this Kaka-whatever guy" versus some characters (including his father), "Kaka-whatever" actually comes from the 17th manga volume chapter Tails of Future Not-Quite-Past in which adult Goku says it to Raditz when Raditz calls him "Kakarot".
==Errors==
*In the character selection screen, Broly's name is misspelled as "Brolli".
*When Super Saiyan 4 Goku defeats Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta, he will speak in Japanese.
*When Super Saiyan Trunks (armor) uses a Finish Buster (English voices), he will say it with his Japanese voice.
**Also in the PAL versions, Kid Buu's voice is completely in Japanese, even with the English voices selected.
*In the post-victory scene for the battle between Chiaotzu and Nappa, Nappa says "Kch... You almost gave me a scare", but the on-screen subtitles display "Kch... That was a lousy thing to do..."
*In the post-victory scene for the first battle between Teen Gohan and Cell, "spoiled" was misspelled as "spolied".
==Gallery==
==References==
==External links==
*Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Official page from PlayStation website
*"Sparking!" Official Website
*IGN coverage
*Gamespot DBZ:BT Website
*Daizenshuu EX - List of playable characters (with images)
*GameWinners.com- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Cheat Codes
*GameFAQ.com- Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi Cheat Codes
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