Although Dragon Ball Z has appeared in a ton of video games, there's no doubt that many are looking forward to the forthcoming release of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. As an action RPG, it is dedicated to telling the complete story of Kakarot, the Saiyan more commonly known as Goku, complete with filler and original content. The game has confirmed that it will begin with the arrival of Raditz on Earth and at least extend through to the final fight with Kid Buu, but there's cause to believe that there may be more here than what meets the eye.
It's immediately clear that, while it is seemingly restricted to the Z Saga, the game is up for exploring what others have not. It has showcased Goku and Piccolo getting their Drivers' licenses, Gohan playing baseball at his high school, but what's not clear is how extensive this is. There are a few filler arcs and episodes like the Garlic Jr. Saga that remain unconfirmed, but what we do know is that there will be at least one story arc added to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot as DLC. The question then becomes: is this from Dragon Ball Z? A movie? Original or filler? Dragon Ball GT? or could it actually be something from Dragon Ball Super?
The season pass promises 2 new episodes and a new story, and one of those episodes is likely the pre-order bonus Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot sidequest. The phrasing here draws attention, as assuming the episodes are the sidequests, then a story would suggest that it's an arc, though it's not likely to be a full saga. Now, this new story could prove to be original content for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but since this game is based on providing a detailed account of the Z saga, that doesn't seem to be too likely. Filler content seems even less likely, as many immediately discredit anything considered filler and wouldn't really go over well as DLC.
As such, that makes it being something from Dragon Ball Z unlikely, since all the high points have been hit, and ruling out original and filler content leaves Dragon Ball GT, Dragon Ball Super, or a movie. Given the major changes that happen at the beginning of Dragon Ball GT, though, with Goku being turned into a kid and the crew setting out on a journey across the stars, it doesn't seem this story could be derived from that, simply leaving Super or a movie.
Of the two, a movie storyline seems to be most likely. There's a plethora of fan-favorite movies to choose from as well, such as the Tree of Might, Lord Slug, Super Android 13, or even one of the movies featuring Broly. Of these, and considering the popularity of Broly, that seems to be the safe bet, especially after the character has received some renewed attention following the latest Super movie. But, of course, Dragon Ball Super - at least an arc of it - cannot be fully ruled out either due to the way it begins.
At the beginning of Dragon Ball Super, Goku attains Super Saiyan God level and goes toe to toe with the God of Destruction, Beerus. This God of Destruction arc then carries over to the Golden Frieza arc, Universe 6, and so on and so forth. Many speculate all of this could be DLC, though there's nothing to substantiate that, but even if players were only able to play the very first story arc, it would make many fans of the franchise happy. Not to mention, it wouldn't necessarily feel like a lot was left off with the way the arc goes, in contrast to the initial stages of Dragon Ball GT.
Ultimately, it's hard to say for sure, but that's actually the exciting part. There's no official confirmation, but there is a new story coming to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot as DLC. What that actually is remains to be seen, but with all of Dragon Ball Z practically covered, where else could the game go to tell as much of Kakarot's story as possible?
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot launches on January 17, 2020 for PC, PS4, and Xbox One.