In the world of video games, the storytelling approach of having a bunch of guys fight one another seems to flourish. Franchises like Mortal Kombat have lore and mythology that spans fictional generations, but it’s mostly an excuse to put two fantastical warriors in the Thunderdome. And so it seems tailor-made for adapting a series like Dragon Ball.
Dragon Ball is gigantic, about as gigantic as a franchise based on a Japanese manga can ever attempt to be. Created in the mid-'80s, it hasn’t just spun this popularity off into over 260 million volumes sold but also hundreds of anime episodes, massive amounts of merchandise, and a borderline household name. “Frankly, I don’t quite understand why it happened,” its creator, Akira Toriyama, has said. “The role of my manga is to be a work of entertainment, through and through.”
It’s hard to find a story that more blissfully embraces that role. Dragon Ball’s story centers around Goku, a rambunctious, eternally combative dude with spiky hair who dreams of nothing but fighting more and more powerful opponents. It’s a simple formula, one seemingly perfect for a long-running series in which narratives are essentially relayed through trials and battle.
So why didn’t Dragon Ball find a proper home in video games until the release of 2018’s Dragon Ball FighterZ, a prodigy by all accounts?
Photograph: BANDAI NAMCO Entertainment
