Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was a huge success at what it set out to do. From the get-go, fans were told to expect an accurate retelling of the story of Dragon Ball Z in a way that no other game had done before, and that's exactly what they got. Although reaction to the DLC packs has been somewhat mixed. the game is still held highly by most fans thanks to its enjoyable formula and nostalgic vibes. DLC 3 is the final big content update for the game though, so fans that want more are left to look towards a sequel.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot publisher Bandai Namco recently shared a tweet stating that the upcoming DLC 3 about Future Trunks would be the final DLC for the game. This means that despite what many were hoping, there won't be a second season pass that continues into the realm of Dragon Ball Super. With that in mind, the sequel anime is still sorely under-represented in video games, always being relegated to DLC for main Dragon Ball Z games. It seems that the best way to fix that at this point would be to release a sequel to DBZ: Kakarot called Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot.
Dragon Ball Super in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
It's a common misconception that there is already Dragon Ball Super content in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but while this may seem true, it technically isn't. The first two DLC packs introduce elements from Dragon Ball Super like Beerus, Whis, Super Saiyan God, Super Saiyan Blue, and even Golden Frieza, but they are in fact adaptations of two canon Dragon Ball Z movies. Before Dragon Ball Super released, Dragon Ball Z: Battle of Gods and Dragon Ball Z: Resurrection F extended the story of Dragon Ball Z beyond the Buu Saga.
It's for this reason that some surmised early on that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot would never get Universe 6 saga DLC, as this is where the bridge is officially crossed and where Z ends and Super begins. While there is definitely some overlap (both of those movies were also adapted into Dragon Ball Super anime arcs), it seems that Bandai Namco's intent was to keep everything in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot based on canon events from Dragon Ball Z, not from non-canon Dragon Ball Z movies or other shows like Dragon Ball Super and Dragon Ball: GT. This also explains why DLC 3 is focusing on Future Trunks' timeline.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 3 - Trunks: The Warrior of Hope
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's third DLC surprised fans when it was revealed that it wouldn't be continuing on into Dragon Ball Super territory. An early leak showed that DLC 3 would be about Future Trunks, but many assumed this meant the Future Trunks arc from Dragon Ball Super. Instead, players are going back in time to an alternate timeline in which the Androids managed to kill almost all of the Z Warriors. After Goku succumbs to a heart virus, Trunks and Gohan are the only ones left in a desolate world.
This is actually an adaptation of a canon TV special, Dragon Ball Z: The History of Trunks. This 48-minute TV special details what Future Trunks' life was like growing up and shows the events that transpired before he used the time machine to warn Goku and the others about the Android's arrival. Although Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot DLC 3 will be an original retelling of this story, it will still be based on canonical events from Dragon Ball Z as opposed to anything from Dragon Ball Super.
Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot
At this point, there isn't much left in Dragon Ball Z to cover. All of the other movies are considered non-canon, and it wouldn't make much sense to go back to filler arcs that were skipped during the main game. If Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot were to receive a sequel, however, it could focus entirely on the events of Super. Presumably, this game might be called Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot, and would take a similar approach in retelling the story faithfully. There are many benefits to this being its own separate game as opposed to DLC for the existing one.
For starters, there has yet to be a true standalone Dragon Ball Super game, as it is always instead represented by inadequate DLC content. What's more, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's framework isn't really meant to handle too much more growth, as simply increasing the level cap and adding a new skill or two probably wouldn't cut it. A brand new sequel would be made with the understanding that players already know the events of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot or the original anime, and it could set things up properly for the power scaling in Dragon Ball Super.
Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot VS Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot
In terms of story, these two games could function very similarly. Dragon Ball Z has four major arcs, the Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga, Cell Saga, and Buu Saga, and Dragon Ball Super has five depending on how one looks at it. These are the Beerus Saga, Golden Frieza Saga, Future Universe 6 Saga, Future Trunks Saga, and the Tournament of Power. Each one of these sagas could be adapted into its own arc for a Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot game in the same way that the four Dragon Ball Z sagas were. For DLC, the Dragon Ball Super: Broly movie and the ongoing manga arcs could be adapted.
Gameplay would inevitably be different though, as all of the characters would need to start with many of their transformations unlocked. One thing that Dragon Ball Super focuses heavily on is energy efficiency and conservation. During the Tournament of Power, Goku and Vegeta switch between forms frequently in order to conserve energy. This would be an interesting feature to include to help keep all the forms relevant.
There's also an emphasis on side characters, so perhaps Krillin, Android 18, Master Roshi, and others would be playable in some capacity. There are any number of ways that Bandai Namco could make Dragon Ball Super: Kakarot great, but most fans would agree that it needs to happen one way or another.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is available now on PC, PS4, and Xbox One.