The Frieza Saga was the first huge climax of the Dragon Ball Z franchise, where Vegeta turned his back (if somewhat temporarily) away from his evil means and Goku became the legendary Super Saiyan in his battle against the titular antagonist. In Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, fans of the franchise will once again be able to explore Namek, take on the Ginyu Force, and ascend to this new level of power. However, unlike past games, there's more depth to the Frieza Saga than ever before.
It begins with the Z fighters traveling to Namek and ends with the climactic fight between Frieza and Goku. Because of the climactic role this saga has in the DBZ franchise, the story is already pretty well-known. However, with the addition of Bonyu and the fact that Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has mentioned exploring avenues that have less detail, it'll be interesting to see what changes about this.
The Ginyu Force and The Wrath of Frieza
Little has been shown about the initial stages of the Namek story arc through the battle with the Ginyu Force. It stands to reason that players will get the chance to explore Namek as Kid Gohan and Piccolo before delving right into the story, completing the game's various sidequests, image training, and unique content, before diving into the major fights leading up through Goku's conflict with Frieza. As a result, it stands to reason that at least some of the following fights will appear in DBZ: Kakarot.
- Gohan vs. Krillin (Image training)
- Gohan (Krillin support) Vs. Stone Giant, Sea Creatures, and Raiti and Zaacro (though, if any are cut, it's likely these)
- Vegeta vs. Cui
- Gohan vs. Dodoria
- Vegeta vs. Dodoria
- Vegeta vs. Zarbon
- Gohan vs. Guldo
- Vegeta vs. Recoome
- Gohan vs. Recoome
- Goku vs. Recoome
- Goku vs. Burter and Jeice
- Goku vs. Captain Ginyu
- Vegeta vs. Frieza's soldiers
- Gohan vs. Captain Ginyu (Goku's body)
- Vegeta vs. Jeice
- Gohan, Krillin and Goku (Captain Ginyu's body) vs. Captain Ginyu (Goku's body)
- Vegeta vs. Captain Ginyu (Goku's Body)
- Vegeta vs. Captain Ginyu
What will be interesting to see is how the body swap works exactly. While fighting Ginyu in Goku's body makes sense, it would be hilarious if players got to play as Goku in the frog body. For now, that question goes unanswered.
Goku vs. Frieza
Frieza partakes in a ton of battles throughout his various forms, and it seems like that a fight or two get cut for the sake of time. However, fighting Frieza with a variety of DBZ: Kakarot's playable characters in a variety of forms does seem likely. From this portion of the Frieza Saga, it seems likely that these will be condensed down, perhaps even combining some fights in essence.
- Vegeta vs. Frieza's first form.
- Gohan, Vegeta, and Krillin vs. Frieza's second form.
- Piccolo/Vegeta vs. Frieza's second form
- Piccolo/Gohan vs. Frieza's third form
- Vegeta vs Frieza's final form
- Vegeta/Goku/Piccolo vs. Frieza's final form
- Goku vs. Frieza's full power final form.
Skipping some forms makes some sense too, but how exactly Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot handles this remains to be seen.
The Super Saiyan & Sidequests
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot would be simply incomplete without the moment where Goku becomes a full blown Super Saiyan. This moment has already been showcased a few times in screenshots and trailers, though the full climactic battle between Goku and Frieza has not been shown in its entirety. It stands to reason that every major encounter will be there, however, as well a solid fight or two after the case.
What's unclear is what'll happen after. Goku learns instant transmission some time after this fight, and while the game is dedicated to answering questions, the time Goku spends between Namek and Earth is a grey area. There's no indication based on Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's full map that there would be areas explored by Goku at this time, so it's likely to remain that way.
Little has also been shown of Namek, but the layout of the planet suggests that the fishing mini-game will remain there, thus implying there will be a way to complete other, if not all, mini-games found on Earth. As far as sidequests go, it's likely to be packed with Namekians needing help in a vein similar to the sidequests found on Earth. Plus, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot's original character Bonyu will appear at this time, likely either prior or during the fights against the Ginyu Force.
Playable Characters
Thus far, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has showcased 9 playable characters, but of course, not every single character will be playable in the Frieza Saga. Footage shown thus far confirms that, to some extent, Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and Kid Gohan will be playable during this Saga. Due to the time skip between it and the Trunks/Cell Sagas, this is also likely the last time players will be able to play as Kid Gohan.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot releases January 17, 2020, for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.