Dragon Ball Z video games have been coming out for nearly as long as the anime has been around. There was definitely a learning curve with figuring out the right way to properly depict the kinetic action of the anime series. The more recent titles have gotten a lot better at this, with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot being one of the best examples.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot does an exhaustive job to cover every corner of the Dragon Ball Z universe. New DLC has even started adding chapters from Dragon Ball Super into the game. With this happening, the possibility for movie-based DLC is more likely. Accordingly, here are five movies that should be DLC and five that shouldn’t.
10 Should: The World’s Strongest
It’s hard to get as excited about the earlier Dragon Ball movies due to how each successive one introducing a more powerful villain. So it’s important to think of the second film, The World’s Strongest in context.
If the events of this movie restricted the user Goku’s Kaio-Ken attack and the early characters from the series, then the fight against a giant robotic Dr. Wheelo could actually be really fun and provide a different kind of battle to players. There are some very creative approaches for a boss of that size and the arctic locale is aesthetically pleasing.
9 Shouldn’t: Wrath Of The Dragon
Wrath of the Dragon is the 13th Dragon Ball Z film and the final picture until Battle of Gods takes places over a decade later. Wrath of the Dragon is a big movie that almost operates like Dragon Ball’s take on the Godzilla franchise. As a result of this, the fight and villain feel a little less personal.
The incorporation of Tapion and waging war as Super Saiyan 3 Goku over the scope of the entire city could work under certain circumstances, but Wrath of the Dragon just feels a little too big and sprawling for DLC.
8 Should: Fusion Reborn
The 12th Dragon Ball Z film, Fusion Reborn gets a lot of attention because it introduced the world to Gogeta, the other fusion between Goku and Vegeta. To be honest, the prospect of playing as Gogeta in DBZ: Kakarot isn’t that appealing since Vegito is in the game, but the variety of both Janemba and his otherworldly location is where the DLC would really become interesting. It would also bring Pikkon into the title, which is honestly a more exciting addition than Gogeta and could provide a very different kind of play style.
7 Shouldn’t: Lord Slug
Lord Slug gains points for how it turns the big villain into a renegade Namekian as opposed to the standard Saiyan fare that’s the focus. All of the film’s Namek-related material works really well, as does Piccolo’s reaction to it all. That being said, Lord Slug’s goal is nothing new for the series and none of his entourage really stand out. There are certain elements of this battle that could be creatively done in DLC, but it’s also a particular film that no one is clamoring to see get more attention
6 Should: Cooler’s Revenge And The Return Of Cooler
The 5th and 6th Dragon Ball Z movies tell the connected story of Cooler, Frieza’s brother, so it’s fair to think of them as one big piece of DLC. Cooler’s films have become very popular titles among Dragon Ball fans. Cooler himself is a little reductive, but he has multiple transformations, which would add some excitement to the title. Besides, the prospect of visiting New Namek and having to face off against an entire army of Metal Coolers and robots would make for a very entertaining finale to the DLC that’s not really replicated anywhere else in the game.
5 Shouldn’t: Tree Of Might
Tree of Might, the 3rd Dragon Ball Z film is a victim of the formula to these films and it really plays it safe in terms of both villain and story. Despite this, there’s still a charm to the film when it came out around the idea of Goku fighting an evil Saiyan that for some reason looks just like him,. Tree of Might fruit could be an interesting DLC addition, but all of this material feels more redundant after the canonical introduction of Goku Black. That character would make much better DLC.
4 Should: Super Android 13!
Granted, there are already Androids for players to fight against in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, so the addition of more Androids may seem redundant to some people, but Super Android 13! Has a lot of charm. In the film’s defense, Androids 13, 14, and 15 are all extremely unique and Super Android 13 has a creative design. This is another piece of DLC that benefits from sticking to where it occurs in the timeline. This movie has Future Trunks in the mix and any more DLC with him is a positive thing.
3 Shouldn’t: Dead Zone
Garlic Jr. and his black hole-like Dead Zone are curious elements from the Dragon Ball universe since they do also show up in some filler episodes and basically go through their whole routine again. Garlic Jr. actually gain immortality from the Dragon Balls and his strange character design and group of fighters are somewhat memorable. However, Dead Zone is just too early in the series and the film’s conclusion hinges on a young Gohan’s rage rather than a clever battle. It’d be anticlimactic DLC or they’d have to change the events of the story.
2 Should: Bojack Unbound
Bojack Unbound is a particularly unique Dragon Ball Z film because it’s set post-Cell Saga where Goku is dead. That allows Gohan to be the star of the movie and keeps him in the spotlight. For this reason alone Bojack Unbound would make for unique DLC by taking Goku out of the spotlight. Bojack and his crew are also very entertaining opponents that never get enough attention. The use of under-serviced character and the tournament-like structure of Bojack Unbound makes it a very natural adaptation for the nature of DLC.
1 Shouldn’t: Bio-Broly
Broly is a popular Dragon Ball character and he’s given three Dragon Ball Z films before he gets his canonical appearance in Dragon Ball Super: Broly. Bio-Broly, the 11th DBZ film is really the nadir of the character. DLC that focuses on young Goten and Trunks could be a lot of fun, but this version of Broly is just gross and uninteresting. Broly’s been done enough in other video games that he no longer has the same allure. If he was doing to be done through DLC, it feels like Dragon Ball Super: Broly would be the movie that’s adapted.