Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Has the Perfect Answer to Overpowered Characters

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Has the Perfect Answer to Overpowered Characters

As a seasoned gamer with over two decades under my belt, I can confidently say that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero has left quite an impression on me. This game is a testament to what can be achieved when developers truly understand their source material and aren’t afraid to embrace its inherent absurdity.


The game “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero” is highly praised for several aspects, but its extensive content stands out the most. This game offers a playable character roster exceeding 180 individuals, an accomplishment that’s impressive even for experienced developers. Such a large roster might seem overwhelming to players, who could worry about encountering an unbalanced chaos. Luckily, “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero” has a thoughtful answer to this concern.

The topic of character balance within the game has been debated for quite some time before its release. In the expansive world of Dragon Ball, there are characters whose power levels make them virtually invincible in a fight with others. When questioned about this issue, the lead developer of Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero seemed to imply that they would rather not address it directly.

Destruction Points Bring Competitive Balance to Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s Roster

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Has a Wildly Unbalanced Roster

It’s not an overstatement to note that the diverse cast of characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero appears challenging to keep balanced. The sheer size of the roster is one issue, but the inherent nature of Dragon Ball adds another layer of complexity. For instance, a character like Yamcha would stand little chance against Goku at his peak power.

In contrast to many contemporary anime fighting games that have handled this issue gracefully, Dragon Ball FighterZ, despite its characters being somewhat overpowered, manages to maintain a fair balance overall. Unlike Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, which was inherently unable to achieve perfect equilibrium, the developers of Dragon Ball FighterZ opted not to strive for such perfection on an individual character level from the outset.

Characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero are modeled based on their power levels as depicted in the original series, leading to a significant disparity between characters that some might find obvious. This discrepancy sparked a heated debate among fans over who would win between Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta and Base Cabba, a discussion that continues long after the game’s release. This design decision effectively recreates the epic battles that are synonymous with Budokai Tenkaichi, but it may turn off competitive gamers due to the imbalance among characters.

Destruction Points Help Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Stay Competitive

It seems that the creators of “Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero” are continuing to strategize about the game’s competitive side, thanks to a cleverly designed aspect. The game introduces a ranking system, similar to a tier list, which assigns a Destruction Point value to each character. This value indicates their overall effectiveness in the game. This system mirrors the fan-created ratio format used in fighting games such as “Marvel vs. Capcom 2”, and has significantly improved the competitive modes of “Sparking Zero”.

In Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, I can gather a team consisting of anywhere from 1 to 5 characters, but remember, the total Destruction Points (DP) for my squad should never exceed fifteen. It’s all about finding the right balance. Each character in this game has a Destruction Point value ranging from 1 to 10. At the moment, Mr. Satan is the only one with a humble 1 DP, while five characters are at the max. Beerus and Whis are known for their immense power among the bunch, with the rest being Fusions that I can unlock as well.

In most cases, a character will be less expensive when they appear in their basic form rather than any transformed or fused versions. Additionally, transforming or fusing during a match provides distinct advantages over starting with these enhanced states. Characters like Goku and Vegeta from Dragon Ball Super exemplify this, each costing 5 DP in their base forms and demonstrating strong character potential. This encourages players to manually trigger transformations, influencing character choices and adding an exciting visual aspect to the gameplay.

This system prevents players from overloading their team with extremely strong characters and instead gives weaker characters an opportunity to shine. While Yajirobe may only require two Destruction Points (DP), his Senzu Beans offer significant benefits that offset his weaknesses. Destruction Points not only contribute to competitive balance, but they also highlight the distinct qualities of each character in the roster, regardless of their strength level.

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2024-10-16 18:33