Bandai Namco recently released a Dragon Ball FighterZ character trailer for Dragon Ball Super Broly, which build built an incredible amount of excitement but still ended in a disappointing "coming soon." The character has been coming soon for quite some time now, and fans are eager for the chance to play Broly.
Broly has always been a fan favorite among Dragon Ball fans, and his original incarnation from the movie Dragon Ball Z: Broly – The Legendary Super Saiyan is already in Dragon Ball FighterZ. This new fighter, for the uninitiated, is an alternate version based on the canon events of Dragon Ball Super.
Broly is being released as part of the season 2 FighterZ pass. The peculiar thing is that Broly was announced all the way back in January of 2019, along with the announcement of Jiren, Videl, and Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan (or just Super Saiyan Blue) Gogeta. Since then, all the other fighters on this season pass (including Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta) have been released, except for Broly.
In January, Broly was announced, but no gameplay footage was shown. Both he and Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta were shown at the end of Jiren and Videl's gameplay trailer, and this incarnation of Broly is noticeably different from his Dragon Ball Z counterpart. Rather than staying in Legendary Super Saiyan form at all times, Broly spends most of his time in Wrath State, only transforming into the Legendary Super Saiyan upon use of his ultimate attack. Wrath State is a form unique to Broly and grants him all the strength and power of a Great Ape, while not changing his physical form.
News on Broly has been mostly silent since his announcement in January. The good news is that fans probably don't have to wait much longer, as November's new gameplay trailer likely means that he will legitimately be releasing soon because this is the most detailed look thus far. Broly is still utilizing his signature green energy and trademark brutal fighting techniques. At one point in the below trailer, he's even seen grabbing Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta by the foot and slamming him repeatedly on the ground. His fighting style is relentless, showcasing powerful but quick moves that fit well with the canon of Dragon Ball Super's Broly.
Though it may seem shocking that Broly has yet to join the roster of Dragon Ball FighterZ, it isn't all that out of the ordinary for this game. Even with the first season pass, fighters released incrementally over time rather than all at once. Broly may have kept the fans waiting a little longer than others, but that is no cause for concern. This new gameplay trailer should erase any doubt fans might have about Broly's coming.
Additionally, the arrival of Broly marks the end of season 2 of Dragon Ball FighterZ. Season 1 lasted the entirety of 2018, and season 2 will likely wrap up at the end of 2019. It only makes sense that season 3 must be in the works. This is very exciting, as it means fans may be seeing new fighters soon. Bandai Namco started announcing fighters in January of this year, so it stands to reason that a new list of fighters will be revealed in January 2020.
The decision to add another Broly to the game seems somewhat strange, but it wouldn't be the first time that multiple incarnations of the same character appeared in Dragon Ball FighterZ (or any other Dragon Ball game for that matter). Even the main characters, Goku and Vegeta, have Super Saiyan Blue forms and base forms as separate playable characters.
But while Goku and Vegeta are examples of playable characters at different points of their lives, the two Brolys are not from the same timeline. This is due to the somewhat confusing notion of what is considered canon in Dragon Ball, but many diehard fans will be familiar with their differences.
The original Broly debuted in one of the Dragon Ball Z movies before Dragon Ball Super. He was beloved back then too, but some fans harbored a love-hate relationship with him. This is because, despite how cool he is, his driving force and motivation for what he does was simply getting vengeance on Goku, who cried as a baby and kept him awake. This felt like a pretty lackluster backstory for such an incredible antagonist.
Once Dragon Ball Super began, all of the movies from Dragon Ball Z were declared non-canon. This allowed the creators to start with a fresh slate. Broly was recently reintroduced in Dragon Ball Super: Broly, and his reception was overwhelmingly positive. His powers are now more well explained and his backstory is now more relatable and less silly. The officially canonized Broly serves to remove all the things people didn't like about Broly, while maintaining the things they did.
It's no wonder Bandai Namco relished the chance to portray Broly in its game in a new way. He has so much potential as a character that he has fans clamoring for his release. He isn't just a reskin or copy, but his own character. From the footage we've seen, he will play substantially differently from the original Broly.
Overall, Dragon Ball Super's Broly is looking to be a spectacular addition to an already spectacular cast. Though we don't have a solid release date yet, it is safe to speculate that Broly should be playable by the end of the year. That said, much of this is just speculation. There is still a lot that we do not know about Broly. How will he hold up against the other fighters in the game? How will he play? And perhaps more importantly, when will players get the chance to play him? Hopefully there will be more info in the coming days.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is out now for Nintendo Switch, PC, PS4, and Xbox One.