Photo illustration by Crystal Simone for Okayplayer.
How the ‘Budokai Tenkaichi’ Series Became the Most Iconic Dragon Ball Video Game Franchise
This is the story of how the Budokai Tenkaichi series became the most iconic in Dragon Ball video game history.
Dragon Ball is truly timeless. There are probably just as many kids today as there were twenty years ago that could tell you about the first time Goku turns Super Saiyan or the final moments of the Buu Saga. Its fandom is built within the fabric of modern pop culture. The series, which began as a manga forty years ago, continues to experience success and relevance in ways many of its contemporaries haven't. Even with the passing of the series' creator, Akira Toriyama, earlier this year, new stories and ventures are still being developed, and the series remains as culturally significant as ever.
In 2024, we are entering a new era for Dragon Ball — one that echoes much of what made the series a global phenomenon at the turn of the millennium. This month, a new animated series, Dragon Ball Daima (the final series written by Toriyama), will begin streaming on Crunchyroll.
At the heart of this renaissance is the revival of one of the series' most beloved video games: a new entry in the wildly popular Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, titled Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. It's the first new title in the franchise after seventeen years, and it brings a refreshing excitement, especially considering everything that has happened in the Dragon Ball universe during that time. New characters, adventures, forms, and rivalries have emerged since the last entry, and fans are eager to explore this updated take on the series. To truly understand the excitement and phenomenon surrounding the Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi series, it’s essential to step back and see how and when the franchise first took shape.
While Dragon Ball released many games throughout the ‘90s, the boom in worldwide sales and popularity didn’t begin until the anime boom in North America due to Toonami, the most popular gateway into anime in the United States of the late ‘90s and early ‘00s. The ever-popular Toonami block, which was almost a daily ritual for millennials, featured shows like Sailor Moon, Inyuasha, Ronin Warriors and Gundam Wing, but without a doubt, Dragon Ball Z was king of the programming block. Dragon Ball Z was much more than just another cartoon, it was a cultural shift. The series became one of the highest-rated shows on cable, often holding its own against giants like ESPN’s NFL coverage or WWF RAW. Everyone was talking about Dragon Ball Z, whether it was in classrooms, online forums and chat rooms, the news, pop culture discussions or on television — it was a cultural phenomenon.
As the series’ popularity continued to rise, so did the popularity and release of the era’s next-generation consoles like PlayStation 2 (2000), GameCube (2001) and Xbox 360 (2005). This boom in gaming was the perfect stage to introduce the ultimate Dragon Ball fighting game, one that combined the stories and action we all loved from the series, with new generation engines to take it to the next level. Enter Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi.
Budokai Tenkaichi not only arrived at the peak of next-generation gaming systems, but it also came at a crucial time for Dragon Ball fans. As the original airing of the series on Toonami was winding down, fans were eager for something that could satisfy their craving for Saiyan-like battles. YouTuber SLOplays, a prominent figure in the online Dragon Ball community, attributes the sustained success of the series to the video game releases throughout the 2000s and early 2010s. "After the series ended, it stayed active and alive due to the yearly game releases and fan-made content that got shared online. The video games really played a large role in the series staying relevant until Dragon Ball Super began," he says. The 2005 release of Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi was one of those titles that played a major part in that.Compared to its predecessors, Budokai Tenkaichi elevated the gaming experience. Special cutscenes, features, and moments were included, bringing the full anime experience to life like never before. James Wilson aka Versace Vegeta, who co-hosts a comprehensive podcast series on Dragon Ball called Subs Lie, Dubs Lie, is currently reviewing each era of Dragon Ball video games for Plug N’ Play Podcast. He shares that Budokai Tenkaichi represented the next step in bringing the anime experience to players.
“There had been a good amount of 2D fighting games or action RPGs for Dragon Ball Z, so it came out at the right time to take the Dragon Ball gaming experience to a full 3D plane,” he says. “Having a game where you felt like you could put yourself into the characters’ shoes by doing full-scale battles changed how we look at Dragon Ball games as a whole.”
The game’s behind-the-back, third-person perspective and 3D combat system allowed players to immerse themselves in the action and intensity of the Dragon Ball Z anime. As opposed to moving in a 2D plane as in previous fighting games, you were given the liberty to fly, dash, and fight in open (and destructible) areas. The roster featured 58 playable characters and 90 playable forms, ranging from Android #16 to Zarbon, and everyone in between from Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT. The story mode, known as Z Battle Gate, allowed players to relive their favorite arcs and recreate classic battles from the series, with a few bonus fights exclusive to the game.
As the series progressed, so did the scope. Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 expanded gameplay to the PlayStation 2 and Wii, increasing the roster to 129 characters. By the time Budokai Tenkaichi 3 was released, the roster had swelled to 162 playable characters, and the game introduced online multiplayer for the first time. The Budokai Tenkaichi series solidified its place in the hearts of Dragon Ball fans, laying the groundwork for later games like Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball FighterZ.
Now in 2024, the entire landscape of gaming and Dragon Ball has evolved from the time of its previous iteration 17 years prior and it’s reflected in the release of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero. In the nearly seventeen years since the last game, the Dragon Ball universe has expanded significantly with new movies, shows, and characters. Dragon Ball Super, a brand-new series, has expanded the lore, introduced new universes and characters, and raised the stakes higher than ever—all of which is reflected in the game.
“What made the [Budokai] Tenkaichi series amazing is how much love and care they put into each character,” SLOplays says. Sparking! Zeroproducer Jun Furutani reinforces this sentiment, "We are putting a lot of effort into this! For example, when Goku starts charging his 'Ki,' the weather and the background change, or the environment shifts," he explains.In addition to playing as fan favorites like Goku, Gohan and Vegeta — who now boast more forms than ever before — the game introduces a universe's worth of new characters. Players can recreate epic, internet-breaking battles like Goku vs. Jiren, cinematic clashes with Broly, or universe-shattering fights against the reimagined Golden Frieza. The customization and battle capture features also promise to enhance the modern gaming experience. Wilson notes, “The amount of customization Sparking! Zero has for the roster is going to make the Custom Battle feature, where players can make their own stories and upload them online, a lot more fun than we realize.”
The hype is real and fans are counting down the days. The Budokai Tenkaichi franchise has always held a special place in the Dragon Ball universe, and its legacy continues to resonate today. These games were never just about flashy battles; they represented a moment in time for Dragon Ball fans — a bridge between the anime we grew up on and the immersive, action-packed experience we craved. Now, with the release of Sparking! Zero, it’s more than just nostalgia. “Most of us were young when the original trilogy was released,” SLOplays adds, “so it’s not only bringing back the old fans, but it’s also an exciting, new experience for all the new fans we have now.”
Those new fans are participating in a legacy of immersion. By expanding the battle locales and injecting the games with the attitudes, beliefs and dreams of the Dragon Ball characters, the Tenkaichi franchise gave the world of DB games the Goku treatment — powering up the gameplay to the point it's way, way over 9,000. Now, Sparking! Zero can push us past our limits once again.
