Dragon Ball FighterZ

is a Dragon Ball video game developed by and published by Bandai Namco for PlayStation 4, Xbox One and Microsoft Windows via Steam. It was released on January 26, 2018 for Japan, North America, and Europe. It released for Nintendo Switch on September 28, 2018. Confirmed by Bandai Namco, this game has both Japanese and English dubbing, with the English dubbing being handled by Funimation.
A port for the Nintendo Switch was announced at E3 2018, released on September 28, 2018. Pre-ordering provided players with Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden as well as SSGSS Goku and Vegeta. Open beta began August 10, 2018. A manga adaptation named Despo FighterZ was released.
==Gameplay==
The gameplay borrows concepts from several other fighting games, primarily the Marvel vs. Capcom series' control scheme and team mechanics, with three primary attack buttons and one unique action button plus a few others. Unlike the Arc System Works-developed Extreme Butōden, FighterZ plays out in a scheme much closer to many other of the traditional Arc System Works-developed fighting games (via running on the same graphics as Guilty Gear Xrd). The three primary attack buttons unlike in other fighting games come with a twist; light attacks are the same as in other games, while medium attacks are a mix of both traditional medium and heavy attacks, while a heavy attack is a move that knocks the opponent away with a heavy blow. The unique action button by itself, or with a direction or special move motion allows for a ki blast or ki-based special moves to be performed.
Players each select three characters to form a team. One character is controlled, and can be switched with one of the other characters at any time. Players can also call one of their other characters to perform an "Assist" move, allowing simultaneous attacks and combos with the entire team. All three of a team's characters must be defeated for a match to end.
The universal "Vanish" and "Sparking Blast" moves resemble the Roman Cancel system commonly found in Arc System Works games and the Guilty Gear series' Dust attacks respectively (styled akin to both before Xrd and after Xrd), while the "Super Dash" move resembles the Homing system of Arcana Heart and is akin to the Homing dashes seen in other Dragon Ball fighting games. Just like in the said classic Dragon Ball fighting games, characters can "Ki Charge" to raise their power level akin to other fighting game mechanics that allow for gauge-charging. Also added are the ability to deflect Ki blasts or other projectiles via a parry mechanic, as well as being able to use a Dragon Rush that acts akin to a basic throw that launches the victim away while the attack flight-dashes after them.
Other mechanics involve the usage of the auto-combo system utilized by fighting games as of Persona 4: Arena (tap one button for an automatic preset combo), which now also applies to the medium attack button as well (giving all characters two auto-combos). Forward + medium attack is also a universal overhead attack for all characters, which cannot be chained out of.
Nearly all characters are also planned to have differing playstyles/archetypes apart from each other akin to more contemporary fighting games as opposed to using recycled base movesets such as in the Budokai series.
The characters’ teammate selections may affect the changes on some of their Supers, such as Android 18’s Accel Dance if one of her two teammates is Krillin, and Adult Gohan’s Potential Unleashed Super Saiyan Form during Ultimate Kamehameha if Gotenks is not one of his two selected teammates or Adult Gohan himself not body swap with Captain Ginyu.
An Instant Kill-like cutscene known as “Dramatic Finish” is only for two certain characters on certain stages, if one of them won the match with standing Heavy attack button as an ender.
"Destructive Finish!" can also be triggered whenever a character finishes another off with a huge attack. It has no direct impact on gameplay and is purely for aesthetics.
The story modes explanation for why all fighters are able to fight on even grounds power-wise and thus must rely on technique (or the player's soul inhabiting them to allow them to use more power) to win is due to the waves that inhibit strong people down to a set level.
;Loot Boxes
The game will include the ability to purchase loot boxes, i.e. "Z capsules". These are solely purchased with in-game currency called zeni, earned through winning matches, completing chapters, and completing tutorial challenges. The amount varies depending on the in-game challenge met; for instance, completing the Super Warrior Arc nets 50,000.
The shop is found within the lobby area, in the upper left. Each Z capsule costs 1,000 zeni and contains random cosmetic items, such as profile backgrounds, lobby avatars, character colors, and titles.
Should a player receive a duplicate item, it is transformed into another type of currency - the Premium Z Coin. As with zeni, these coins are not purchasable with real-life money. Ten Premium Z Coins can be exchanged for a single, non-duplicate item of the player's choice.
==Story==
In the main story, Android 16 plays a prominent role - having mysteriously been revived, along with a "mysterious army" of Super Androids who look like the Z Fighters, and then the Z Fighters are taken down left and right. Android 21, an all-new female character, also plays a major role in the story.
There are three story scenarios: the Super Warrior Arc where Goku is the main character, the Enemy Warrior Arc where Frieza is the main character and the Android 21 Arc, where Androids 18 and 21 are the main characters. Each arc features a similar but somewhat different story. The main plot of the game is revealed in the Android 21 Arc.
==Timeline placement==
The events of this game occur after Dragon Ball Z has ended.
The stories of this game occurs sometime after the Universe 6 Saga storyline but before the "Future" Trunks Saga. This is shown by Bulma and Android 18 appearing as they did in Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection ‘F’ and its anime adaption Golden Frieza Saga, while Goku and Vegeta are wearing their regular gi/armor. Gohan also notes that Frieza had returned before the events of the game and Vegeta mentions that Gohan has recently begun training under Piccolo again but has not yet shown the results of his training. Sorbet, although he never appears in the story, is depicted with five fingers in the graphic that shows when his Bad Ring Laser attack is triggered when Frieza fights. This is something the minor antagonist displayed only through the anime adaptation, while his official design only had four fingers in the original movie, as well as its limited manga release. Frieza mentions Piccolo's sacrifice to save Gohan from him, Gotenks when asked by Frieza about Future Trunks, claimed that he doesn't know him and Piccolo is amazed that he has to team up with Frieza, something he thought would never happen. When talking with Cell, Goku notes that he has never been to Hell before. In the Super Warriors Arc, when rescuing Good Buu, Goku notes that Buu is just as asleep as he was during the written test required to participate in the Tournament of Destroyers. The other characters in the beginning of the Super Warriors Arc react as if this is the first time that Goku has his body possessed by someone else.
==Characters==
Name 	Playable Forms	Unlock
Android 16 	
*New model 	Unlocked by default
Android 18 (w/ Android 17) 	 	Unlocked by default
Android 21 	
*True Form (Evil) (Main form)
*True Form (Good) (Story Mode only)	Beat the story mode
Beerus (w/ Whis) 	 	Unlocked by default
Ginyu (w/ Ginyu Force) 	 	Unlocked by default
Cell 	
*Super Perfect Form	Unlocked by default
Frieza (w/ Sorbet, voice only)	
*Final Form
**100% Full Power (during Nova Strike)
**Golden Frieza	Unlocked by default
Gohan (Adult) 	
*Ultimate
**Potential Unleashed Super Saiyan (during Bros. Kamehameha) (if Gotenks is not one of his teammates, or not body swap with Captain Ginyu)	Unlocked by default
Gohan (Teen) 	
*Super Saiyan 2	Unlocked by default
Goku (Super Saiyan) 	
*Super Saiyan
**Super Saiyan 3 (during Meteor Smash)	Unlocked by default
Goku (SSGSS) 	
*Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (SSGSS)
**X10 Super Saiyan Blue Kaio-ken (during x10 Kaioken Kamehameha and Evolved Attack)	Earn 500,000 Zeni or Get A Rank or above in Arcade on Hard Difficulty or pre-order the game
Goku Black (w/ Zamasu) 	
*Super Saiyan Rosé	Unlocked by default
Gotenks 	
*Super Saiyan 3	Unlocked by default
Hit 	 	Unlocked by default
Kid Buu 	
*Pure Majin 	Unlocked by default
Krillin 	 	Unlocked by default
Majin Buu 	 	Unlocked by default
Nappa (w/ Saibamen) 	 	Unlocked by default
Trunks 	
*Super Saiyan	Unlocked by default
Piccolo 	 	Unlocked by default
Tien Shinhan (w/ Chiaotzu) 	 	Unlocked by default
Vegeta (Super Saiyan) 	
*Super Saiyan	Unlocked by default
Vegeta (SSGSS) 	
*SSGSS 	Earn 300,000 Zeni or Get A Rank or above in Arcade on Hard Difficulty or pre-order the game
Yamcha 	 	Unlocked by default
===DLC Characters===
{| class="wikitable" style="border-collapse: collapse; border-color: rgb(170,170,170);" border="1"
Name 	Playable Forms	DLC Pack 	Season Pass	Release Type
Bardock 	
*Base
**Super Saiyan (during Revenge Assault and Final Spirit Cannon Dramatic Finish on Frieza)	1/Classic Movie Saiyans	1 	Same Date
Broly 	
*Legendary Super Saiyan	1/Classic Movie Saiyans	1 	Same Date
Vegito (SSGSS) 	
*SSGSS 	2/Potara Fusions 	1 	Same Date
Zamasu (Fused) 	
*Potara Fusion
**Super Saiyan Rosé	2/Potara Fusions 	1 	Same Date
Goku 	
*Base
**Kaio-ken (form’s powers may increase, if partner(s) down)	3/Base Saiyan Forms 	1 	Same Date
Vegeta 	
*Base
**Saiyan Saga	3/Base Saiyan Forms 	1 	Same Date
Android 17 	
*DBS 	4/Brothers 	1 	Same Date
Cooler 	
*Final Form 	4/Brothers 	1 	Same Date
Jiren 	 	5/Crime Fighters 	2 	Same Date
Videl (w/ Great Saiyaman)	
*Videl
**(World Tournament Arc) -Default Costume
**(Great Saiyanman Arc) - Alternate Costume
*Great Saiyaman
**Base (Bandana & Sunglasses) - Default/Base (Great Saiyaman Helmet) - Alternate
**Super Saiyan (Sunglasses)/Super Great Saiyaman (Great Saiyaman Helmet) (during Justice Revenge)	5/Crime Fighters 	2 	Same Date
Goku (GT) 	
*GT
**Base
**Super Saiyan (during Super Kamehameha, if partners not down)
**Super Saiyan 3 (during Super Kamehameha, if partner(s) down)
**Super Saiyan 4 (during Dragon Fist Explosion, if partner(s) down)	6 	2 	Single
Janemba 	
*Super/Post-Transformation	7 	2 	Single
Gogeta (SSGSS) 	
*SSGSS 	8 	2 	Single
Broly (DBS) 	
*DBS
**Wrathful
**Super Saiyan (during Gigantic Charge, Gigantic Impact, Omega Blaster and Meteor Shower)
**Full Power Super Saiyan (during Gigantic Roar)	9 	2 	Single
Kefla 	
*Super Saiyan	10 	3 	February 28, 2020
Goku (Ultra Instinct) 	
*Perfected Ultra Instinct	11 	3 	May 22, 2020
Master Roshi 	
*Max Power (during Martial Spirit, Turtle Hermit Extraordinaire, Full-Power Kamehameha and The Greatest Kamehameha)	12 	3 	September 18, 2020
Super Baby 2 	
*Strongest Form 2
*Golden Great Ape	13 	3 	January 15, 2021
Gogeta (SS4) 	
*Super Saiyan 4	14 	3 	March 12, 2021
(March 10, 2021 for FighterZ Pass 3 holders)
Android 21 (Lab Coat) 	 	15 	4 	February 24, 2022
===Non-Playable Characters===
*Bulma (DBS) - Story Only
*Old Kai - Story Only
*Shin - Story Only
*Trunks (Base) - Story/Gotenks Intro Cutscene Only
*Goten (Base/Super Saiyan) - Story/Gotenks Intro Cutscene/Bros. Kamehameha or Family Kamehameha/Gohan (Adult) vs. Broly Dramatic Finish Cutscene
*Whis - Story/Beerus Intro Cutscene Only
*Cheelai - Gogeta vs. Broly (DBS) Dramatic Finish Cutscene
*Caulifla - Kefla Intro and Outro Cutscenes
*Kale - Kefla Intro and Outro Cutscenes
====Non-Playable Forms====
*Future Trunks (Base) - Future Trunks Intro Cutscene
*Future Trunks (Spirit Bomb Super Saiyan) - During Sword of Hope/Final Hope Slash Dramatic Finish on Fused Zamasu
*Teen Gohan (Super Saiyan Full Power/Base) - Teen Gohan Intro (Super Saiyan Full Power)/Special and Dramatic Finish Cutscenes (Super Saiyan Full Power/Base)
*Gotenks (Base/Super Saiyan) - Gotenks Intro Cutscene
*Goku (Ultra Instinct Sign) - Goku (SSGSS) vs. Kefla Dramatic Finish Cutscene
*Goku Black (Base) - Goku Black Intro and Outro Cutscenes
*Android 21 (Base) - Story/Android 21 Intro Cutscene
*Vegito (Base) - Vegito Intro Cutscene
*Cooler (Fourth Form) - Cooler Intro Cutscene
*Janemba (Base/Pre-Transformation) - Super Janemba Intro Cutscene
**Saike Demon - Gogeta vs. Super Janemba Dramatic Finish Cutscene (Voice Only)
*Gogeta (Base/Super Saiyan) - Gogeta Intro Cutscene (Base)/Dramatic Finish Cutscene (Base/Super Saiyan)
*Broly (DBS) (Base) - Broly (DBS) Intro Cutscene
*Vegeta (Super Saiyan 4) - Gogeta (Super Saiyan 4) Intro Cutscene and Dramatic Finish Cutscene
===Commentator Characters===
* Android 17
* Android 18
* Android 21
* Android 21 (Evil)
* Android 21 (Good)
* Beerus
* Cell
* Frieza
* Krillin
* Piccolo
* Future Trunks
* Vegeta
* Videl
* Whis
* Yamcha
* Zamasu (Fused)
===Non-Playable Commentators===
* Announcer
* Chi-Chi - DLC
* Caulifla
* Kale
==Battle Stages==
*World Tournament Arena
*Planet Namek
*Planet Namek (Destroyed)
*Rocky Field (Noon)
*Rocky Field (Evening)
*Cell Games Arena
*Wasteland
*Islands
*West City
*West City (Destroyed)
*Space
*Land of the Kai's
*Cavern
*Galactic Arena - 
==Character-Specific Interactions==
Name 	Stages 	Cutscene types	Tips
Bardock vs. Frieza 	Space 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*If one of them wins, one of two different cutscenes will occur, with the one chosen depending on the winner
Krillin vs. Nappa 	Rocky Field (Noon) 	
*Special Intro	
*None
Yamcha vs. Nappa 	Rocky Field (Noon) 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*If one of them wins, one of two different cutscenes will occur, with the one chosen depending on the winner
Goku (Base) vs. Vegeta (Base) 	Rocky Field (Noon) 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Vegeta (Base) with Goku (Base)
Goku (Base or Super Saiyan) vs. Frieza 	
*Planet Namek
*Planet Namek (Destroyed)(Dramatic Finish only)	
*Special Intro (Goku (Super Saiyan) only)
*Dramatic Finish	
*Krillin must not be on Goku (Super Saiyan)'s team (Special Intro only)
*Win against Frieza with Goku (either as Base in Planet Namek or as Super Saiyan in Planet Namek (Destroyed)) (Dramatic Finish only)
Trunks vs. Frieza 	Rocky Field (Noon) 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Frieza with Trunks
Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Broly 	Space 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Broly with Goku
Gohan (Teen) vs. Cell 	
*Cell Games Arena (Special Intro only)
*Wasteland (Dramatic Finish only)	
*Special Intro
*Dramatic Finish	
*Android 16 must not be on Gohan (Teen)'s team (Special Intro only)
*Win against Cell with Gohan (Teen) (Dramatic Finish only)
Gohan (Adult)'s Level 3 Kamehameha 	None 	
*Team-Specific Level 3	
*Ultimate Kamehameha: With Gotenks on Gohan (Adult)'s team, or while Gohan (Adult) himself switched bodies with Captain Ginyu
*Family Kamehameha: With Goku (Super Saiyan) on Gohan (Adult)'s team, but not Gotenks. Only if Goku (Super Saiyan) is not used in Assist or DHC.
Gohan (Adult) vs. Broly 	Wasteland 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Broly with Gohan (Adult), with Goku (Super Saiyan) on Gohan (Adult)’s team, but not Gotenks.
Gotenks' Charging Ultra Buu Buu Volleyball 	None 	
*Team-Specific Level 3	
*With Piccolo on Gotenks' team
Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Kid Buu 	Land of the Kai's 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Kid Buu with Goku (Super Saiyan)
Gogeta (Super Saiyan Blue) vs. Janemba 	Land of the Kai's 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Janemba with Gogeta (Super Saiyan Blue)
Beerus vs. Goku (Super Saiyan) 	Space 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Goku (Super Saiyan) with Beerus, using his heavy attack.
Beerus vs. Goku Black or Zamasu (Fused) 	None 	
*Level 3 Ki Gauge (Hakai)	
*Win against Goku Black or Zamasu (Fused) with Beerus, with both Zamasus' HP gauge must be lower.
Vegito (Super Saiyan Blue) or Trunks vs. Zamasu (Fused)	West City (Destroyed) 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Zamasu (Fused) with either Vegito (Super Saiyan Blue) or Trunks
Android 18's Accel Dance (Couple variant) 	None 	
*Team-Specific Level 3	
*With Krillin on Android 18's team
Goku (SSGSS) vs. Kefla 	Space 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Kefla with Goku (SSGSS)
Goku (Super Saiyan) & Frieza vs. Jiren 	Space 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Jiren with Goku (Super Saiyan) & Frieza
Gogeta (Super Saiyan Blue) vs. Broly (DBS) 	Planet Namek (Destroyed)	
*Dramatic Finish	
*Win against Broly (DBS) with Gogeta (Super Saiyan Blue)
Gogeta (Super Saiyan Blue) vs. Gogeta (Super Saiyan 4) 	Rocky Field (Evening) 	
*Dramatic Finish	
*If one of them wins, one of two different cutscenes will occur, with the one chosen depending on the winner
==Pre-Order Bonus and Editions==
The CollectorZ Edition
*The game
*Three Art Boards
*An Exclusive Steelbook
*A 7" statue of Super Saiyan Goku
The Ultimate Edition
*The game
*FighterZ Pass (8 new characters)
*Anime Music Pack (11 songs from the Anime)
*Commentator Voice Pack
Pre-Ordering the game grants purchasers
*Early unlock for two characters Super Saiyan Blue Goku and Super Saiyan Blue Vegeta
*2 Exclusive Lobby avatars
*Early access to the Open Beta
*Pre-Order Theme PlayStation 4 Digital Only
The FighterZ Edition
*The game
*FighterZ Pass (8 new characters)
*Android 21 Unlock
The Legendary Edition
*The Game
*FighterZ Pass (8 new characters)
*Android 21 Unlock
*FighterZ Pass 2 (5 new characters)
*FighterZ Pass 3 (5 new characters)
*Android 21 (Lab Coat) Unlock
*Commentator Voice Pack
*Stamp: Girls Pack
==Reception==
Publication 	Score 	
IGN 	8.5 of 10 	
Game Informer 	9.25 of 10 	
GameSpot 	9.0 of 10 	
Famitsu 	36/40 	
Review compilations	Review compilations 	Review compilations
Game Rankings 	86.8% (based on 36 reviews) 	
Metacritic 	87% (based on 74 reviews) 	
whatoplay 	PC: 8.50/10PS4: 8.84/10Nintendo Switch: 8.86/10Xbox One: 8.11/10	
The game shipped 2 million copies a week after release, making it the fastest selling Dragon Ball video game to date. It reached #2 in the sales charts in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the USA, behind Monster Hunter: World in all cases. It also debuted at #2 behind Monster Hunter: World in Japan with 68.731 sales in the first week at retail. By March, the game had sold 2.5 million copies. By November 2018, the games sales had increased to 3.5 million copies sold. By March 2019, sales increased further to 4 million copies sold. By December 2020, the games sales increased to 6 million copies. In November 2021, sales of 8 million copies were announced.https://www.nintendolife.com/news/2021/11/dragon-ball-fighterz-and-xenoverse-2-have-now-sold-over-8-million-units-each The game was announced to have reached the 10 million milestone in May 2023.https://www.eventhubs.com/news/2023/may/10/dragon-ball-fighterz-10-million/
Critically the game received high praise, citing the art style, combat system, cast of playable characters, and story mode as positives. Several called it the best Dragon Ball game, and one of the best fighting games in years. The online connectivity is one of the aspects that has been criticized about the game.
==Trivia==
*This is the last game where Hiromi Tsuru voiced Bulma before her untimely passing in 2017.
*This is the first game where Matthew Mercer reprises his role as Hit from Dragon Ball Super, as opposed to Aaron Roberts who previously voiced the character in Xenoverse 2.
*This is the first game where Laura Bailey does not voice Trunks. Instead, he is voiced by Alexis Tipton, who has been voicing the character since Dragon Ball Super.
*This is the first game where Daman Mills voices Frieza.
*Yamcha appears dressed in his Turtle School gi. Like Krillin's appearance in both this game and Dragon Ball Super, the gi is faded compared to Goku and Gohan's gi, appearing as a more pale orange color. Additionally, Adult Gohan's Gi is colored differently from Goku's, using a more saturated orange color.
*This is the second international video game (after Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22) where Mr. Satan is referred to as "Mr. Satan" in the North American version, whereas in games prior to them, he was referred to by his edited name, "Hercule".
*Excluding DLC, Teen Gohan, Hit and Goku Black are the only initial playable characters not to be in the game’s story mode for timeline reasons.
**Kid Buu and Future Trunks are not playable in the story mode, as Kid Buu was already reincarnated as Uub at that point in the timeline, while Future Trunks has a similar reason to Goku Black’s prior to the beginning of the "Future" Trunks Saga; only their NPC clones are in place of original Kid Buu and Future Trunks.
**Hit and Goku Black are the only non-storyline involved playable characters who are neither mentioned on the game’s storyline as well.
**Beerus, despite appearing in Story Mode, is neither playable nor as a fightable NPC boss.
*This game has Japanese voices by default instead of English voices.
*The pre-release localization altered the line about Goku being proud of his son by adding the line "...finally" as soon he said about him being proud which gives the impression that Goku isn't actually that proud of him. Due to the backlash of this line regarding Goku's characterization, this line was removed in the final release.
*Yamcha, Bardock, Vegito, and Gogeta (both Super Saiyan Blue and Super Saiyan 4) are the only characters to have original What If? Dramatic Finish cutscenes. However, Yamcha’s and Gogeta's What If? Dramatic Finishes are completely original, while Bardock and Vegito’s are inspired from the previous Dragon Ball animated media releases.
*The DLC Base Forms of Goku and Vegeta are not depicted using the same designs as their Super Saiyan or Super Saiyan Blue counterparts. Base Goku wears the Turtle School Gi gained from King Kai, featuring the Turtle School symbol on his chest and the Kai symbol on his back. Base Vegeta wears his full Battle Armor worn during the Saiyan Saga, minus the red scouter he wore upon first arriving on Earth.
*When Vegito uses Final Kamehameha from either side, Vegeta's Potara earring cannot be seen while Goku's Potara earring is always shown.
*Only Videl features two separate usable costumes, her default short-haired appearance and her Orange Star High School Uniform with pigtails, while also affecting Adult Gohan’s Great Saiyaman headwear. It changes from the World Tournament Saga to his original helmet appearance.
**While in default outfit, when Videl uses Justice Revenge, Great Saiyaman's bandana will come off permanently upon transforming into a Super Saiyan. While in her alternate outfit, when Videl uses Justice Revenge, Great Saiyaman will transform into Super Great Saiyaman (Great Saiyaman wearing his helmet while transformed as a Super Saiyan).
***The permanent appearance change is eventually being applied to DBS incarnation of Broly, after he uses Gigantic Roar at cost of his Battle Armor.
*In one of Cell's dialogues with Goku, Goku does not remember going to Hell with Pikkon.
*Fused Zamasu's theme is the only soundtrack has lyrics.
==Gallery==
==References==
==External links==
*Official Japanese website
*Bandai Namco website
==Site Navigation==
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