With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, the developers perfectly recreated the anime's story in all of its glory. Yet, players don't spend their entire time reliving famous moments. There are also plenty of side missions (or sub-stories, as they're called in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot) that tell small original tales.

RELATED: Hidden Details Everyone Missed In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Some of these quests add to the lore, pay respect to underrated characters, or include fascinating interactions between people who never met in the series. They're fun to play for anyone who's a fan of the source material because they expand on the universe. Here are several of the best ones the game has to offer.

Updated on January 26, 2023, by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is a great way to experience the original story of this legendary series, but that's not the only thing this game is known for. It also adds several side stories that flesh out the game's world and characters even more, making for a great distraction that players can engage with if they want to explore more of what this game has to offer. Some of these side quests are bound to be more memorable than others, and the best of the bunch are mentioned below.

15 Yamcha The Man, The Myth, The Legend

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Yamcha
  • When It Becomes Available: Evil Emperor Frieza Episode 8: Intermission

Yamcha is one of the more memorable characters in Dragon Ball, even if it might be for the wrong reasons. His weakness almost turns into a joke of sorts, with the game using this for laughs as well.

That being said, there are times when he does wish to prove his strength in the game. This particular side story sees Yamcha trying to take the player on to see just how strong he's become, which does paint his character to be a bit more serious... although not by a lot.

14 Goten's Growth

Gohan and Goten in DBZ Kakarot
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn Episode 1: New Encounters

During the Peaceful World saga, Gohan ends up living a fairly peaceful life. The substories here definitely lean into this concept, with this particular sidequest involving Gohan and Goten going to fish to satiate Chi-Chi's anger.

Fishing with Goten is fun enough, but the highlight of this quest is the sparring match between the two brothers. Goten is surprisingly strong, and the player needs to take him seriously if they wish to beat him in combat.

13 The Sins Of The Father

Future Trunks fighting Vegeta in DBZ Kakarot
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn - Episode 8: Finale

The post-game of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is full to the brim with several interesting substories that players can check out. One such story involves Trunks and how he gets to know more about his father.

RELATED: Dragon Ball Z Kakarot: Movies That Should Be DLC (& Others That Shouldn't)

It's a great story, with Future Trunks going to Kami House and learning about the past of the Z Warriors. All of this ends in a great battle against his father Vegeta, where the player must pull out everything in their arsenal to beat this foe.

12 Familiar Face

Mercenary Tao and Master Shen in DBZ Kakarot
  • When It Becomes Available: Attack of the Saiyans Episode 7: Intermission

Mercenary Tao and Master Shen are characters from Dragon Ball that faded into obscurity over time. However, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot places them front and center in a pretty hilarious substory.

After witnessing Chi-Chi being forced into paying protection by these two thugs, Gohan decides to take matters into his own hands. He beats up a bunch of Saibamen that were in the immediate vicinity and tells these two dastardly villains to scram!

11 One Cool Dude

Gohan fighting robots in DBZ Kakarot
  • When It Becomes Available: Evil Emperor Frieza Episode 8: Intermission

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot loves turning Yamcha into the butt of most jokes. This can be seen during the One Cool Dude substory where Puar is worried about his friend, who's currently on a date.

After being embarrassed by a few robots, it's up to Gohan to beat these monstrosities and save the day. He does so... even if it comes at the cost of Yamcha's pride.

10 The Mystery Of The Missing Tail

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Gohan Looking For Tail
  • When It Becomes Available: Evil Emperor Frieza Episode 8: Intermission

A strange fact that some people forget about the Saiyans is that they're born with tails. It's an easily forgotten piece of trivia because, in the later years of DBZ, it barely came up. Characters' tails even stopped growing back like they used to with no explanation for why.

RELATED: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot — Tips To Level Up Fast

However, in The Mystery Of The Missing Tail, Gohan attempts to find answers regarding his absentee appendage. The sub-story serves as a nice way to fill in a gap left by the anime.

9 Yamcha's Alive

Dragon Ball Kakarot Screenshot Of Gohan Watching Yamcha
  • When It Becomes Available: Evil Emperor Frieza Episode 1: Bulma's Advice

Yamcha is everyone's favorite punching bag, and he became a meme in the eyes of the fans when he was blown up by a Saibaman during the Saiyan invasion. The Yamcha's Alive quest takes place when the human is supposed to be dead.

It begins with Oolong thinking he's seen the ghost of his old friend and asking Gohan to find out the truth. It's a surprisingly touching sub-story and makes a nice tribute to the goofy side character.

8 Lone Guardian

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Trunks Seeing Android 17
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn - Episode 8: Finale

Future Trunks returns to the main timeline for this sub-story, in which the Saiyan aims to gather a plant that no longer grows in his time. Along the way, he meets one of the best villains in the series and one-half of his arch-nemesis duo, Android 17.

At this point in the story, 17 has settled down, and he's certainly not as evil as the one that Trunks fought. It's cool to see the two characters interact in these very different circumstances, and it proves to be an interesting meeting.

7 Animorphaline Accident

Dragon Ball Kakarot Screenshot Of Beastmen Talking With Goku
  • When It Becomes Available: Android Terror Arrives Episode 8: Kami's Successor

While watching the anime, many viewers likely questioned why the world of Dragon Ball included so many anthropomorphic beings. These Beastmen regularly appeared throughout the early years, and the show never explained their origins nor why they featured less often in the later seasons.

RELATED: The Easter Eggs Only True Fans Caught In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot​

​​​​​​Thankfully for fans of the show, the Animorphaline Accident mission answers every question about the animal-like humans. Plus, there's the added bonus of some Goku and Oolong interactions, which has rarely been seen since the original series.

6 Piccolo Vs. Goku

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Piccolo Thinking About His Rival
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn - Episode 8: Finale

Before Vegeta came along, Goku's main rival was Piccolo. In fact, one of the protagonist's best fights was against the Namekian. The animosity between the two characters dimmed heavily as the series continued. As a result, viewers never got to witness a true rematch of their classic battle from the World's Martial Arts Tournament.

However, in the aptly named Piccolo Vs. Goku sub-story, the Namekian wants to go at it again. It's great to see the iconic rivalry reignited, and from a gameplay perspective, it's a pretty enjoyable battle.

5 Here It Comes!

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Goku Talking With Arale
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn - Episode 8: Finale

The Here It Comes! quest is a treat for fans of both Dragon Ball and Akira Toriyama's other work, Dr. Slump. It brings the two fanbases together because it includes Arale and her Gatchan friends.

The characters appeared a few times in the various Dragon Ball anime, but this sub-story is the only time they feature in the Kakarot game. During the mission, Goku is tasked with helping them get back to their home. While it's only a short mission, the inclusion of the Dr. Slump alumni makes it a fun one.

4 Your Friend Is My Friend

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Trunks Helping Eighter
  • When It Becomes Available: Android Terror Arrives Episode 4: The Calm Before The Storm

Nobody hated the Androids more than Trunks. 17 and 18 decimated his world, killing some of his closest friends in the process. His awful history with machines built by the Red Ribbon Army is what makes Your Friend Is My Friend such an interesting quest.

Here, Trunks meets another Android in Eighter. Fans of Dragon Ball will know the big guy well, as he's the machine that helped Goku back when the latter was a child, and he's made a few appearances since. He isn't known for participating in great Android fights, as he is a peaceful individual. Thus, his dynamic with the Android-hating Trunks is compelling, to say the least.

3 Krillin's Heart Of Gold

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Krillin Shocked By 18 Appearing
  • When It Becomes Available: Android Terror Arrives Episode 10: Intermission

During the Android and Cell Saga, fans saw Krillin develop feelings for Android 18. By the Buu arc, the two were together. However, the anime didn't show the early days of the pair's relationship or even explain how they became an item in the first place.

RELATED: Hidden Secrets Many Still Haven’t Found In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot

Once again, DBZ Kakarot fills the gap in the lore with Krillin's Heart Of Gold. In the sub-story, Krillin asks out and then goes on a date with his beloved Android. Fans get to see the couple's slightly rocky but ultimately heartwarming start.

2 Super Saibaman?!

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Super Saibaman Powering Up
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn Episode 6: A Shred Of Hope

Despite being stronger than some of the most powerful humans in the series, the Saibamen are not well-respected combatants. Part of the reason is that, upon their first appearance, they got quickly wiped out by the Z Warriors (besides Yamcha). What's more, players have spent years easily beating the green guys in various DBZ video games.

In this sub-story, though, players aren't dealing with only ordinary Saibamen — they have to face a Super Saibaman. This new being has an increased power level and a Super Saiyan-like aura.

1 The Parent Trap

Dragon Ball Z Kakarot Screenshot Of Goten And Trunks
  • When It Becomes Available: Majin Buu Reborn - Episode 8: Finale

There are plenty of exciting potential fights that viewers never got to see in DBZ because they didn't make sense within the narrative. For instance, besides the odd bit of sparring, Goten and Trunks never went up against their fathers.

That changes in The Parent Trap sub-story, as the kids manage to trick their dads into a battle. They better their odds by combining into one of the strongest fusions in the series, Gotenks. Players have to show that when it comes to combat, youth is no match for experience.

Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.

MORE: Pro Tips For Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot You Should Know