Dragon Ball FighterZrecently ended its latest World Tour, which came alongside some announcements. The PC rollback netcode beta forDragon Ball FighterZwill run in spring 2023, with a proper release and next-gen ports coming later. In a surprise move, the game will also receive one more balance patch after it was previously announced that no more were coming. There is a little more time to go before the game assumes what could be its best state, and while it feels good to see a light at the end of the tunnel, there is still more that could be done.
All in all,Dragon Ball FighterZhas been a major step up from the average licensed anime fighting game. Thanks to Arc System Works' pedigree with boundary-pushing cel-shaded animation and over-the-top, deep gameplay,DBFZwill go down in history as a dream game that once felt impossible. Even as thehype forDragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4grows,FighterZwill retain a loyal section of fans thanks to its competitive qualities. There aren’t many goals left forDragon Ball FighterZto reach, but perhaps a sequel could spread the love farther than just Goku and his friends.
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Little is Preventing Dragon Ball FighterZ From Hosting a Crossover
When it comes to the face of Shonen Jump, many casual fans around the world would think ofDragon Ballfirst. However, there are a lot of series that have passed through Jump’s pages, and many are still popular today. There’s a good reason whygames likeJ-Stars Victory Vs.andJump Forceare still being made. Thanks to a lot of shared conventions between popular Shonen Jump works, properties likeDragon Ball,Naruto,One Piece, andBleachcan casually cross over in natural ways, even through fan-made model swaps.
One reason for this is Bandai Namco, the publisher of most modern licensed anime games. With so many adaptational rights falling under its umbrella, some opportunities appear that wouldn’t otherwise exist.Soul CaliburandTekken’s large guest fighter listsare easy to point out, but other projects get in on the action as well. The best examples that don’t involve outright crossover games include Goku gaining a Sage Mode costume inDragon Ball Z: Battle of Z, and returning the favor with a Goku outfit for Naruto inNaruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4. It’s not hard to imagine something more involved happening in one of Bandai Namco’s most popular fighting games.
Dragon Ball FighterZ’s Crossover Fighters Could Build Further Excitement
With its massive installed base and good word of mouth,Dragon Ball FighterZis ripe to receive some crossover characters. These could be anything from a repeat ofBudokai Tenkaichi 3’s Arale cameo (coming fromDragon Ballcreator Akira Toriyama’sDr. Slump),a surprise likeTekken’s Lars appearing inUltimate Ninja Storm 2, or channeling the spirit of a Jump crossover by inviting protagonists from other manga properties.Dragon Ball FighterZmay not have any room left for such a major update, but a hypotheticalDragon Ball FighterZsequel could pick up the slack down the line with additional new content in tow.
One big reason fans want to see crossover characters isn’t just for the crossover itself. If a Jump character in particular were to appear, this could be a tease for something greater. Plenty of fans that would love to see their favorite properties get the traditional fighting game treatment, as something withmore diverse character abilities likeBleachorOne Piecewould really let Arc System Works flex the creativity it has become famous for. That’s not even getting into the dream of Arc System Works' handling a 2DJump Vs.fighter. One crossover character inDragon Ball FighterZwould be worth celebrating, but if it can lead to something greater, that’s even better.
Dragon Ball FighterZis available now on PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One, with PS5 and Xbox Series X/S versions in development.
