#tenkaichi warriors

[skeletalheartattack]

About that tag in the commentary...I definitely agree with you there. Like sure MAYBE (a very big maybe) Frieza and Zarbon do have a chummy moment in good days. But people forget at the end of the day, it's all conditional, especially in Frieza's hands. Idk Zarbon's possible prince status could have leverage that, but he's no bestie to Frieza.

honestly you took the words out of my mouth, that's basically how i see their relationship.

everyone seems pretty scared working under Frieza, and rightfully so, and i can honestly see Zarbon feeling the same way, atleast when he's the one having to watch after Vegeta after beating him unconscious. like, him being higher up in Frieza's force only gets him so much i think.

i think you can really feel Zarbons panic after Vegeta escapes, and i feel like it even clouds his mind when battling Vegeta for the last time, because if he doesn't do something about, then Zarbon's on the chopping block... though i definitely have a feeling that even if Zarbon had succeeded in taking care of Vegeta, that things still wouldn't end well for my man.

that said. i kinda wish there was more lore for Zarbon, since the only extra lore we get from him are games and spinoff movies, and it's hard to really know what's true to the actual series, given some movies don't fit anywhere in Dragon Ball's timeline.

[leftpostwerewolf]

Budokai Tenkaichi...FOUR!!! there's no official release date at this time

[tobiasdrake]

Which DBZ antagonist do you like the most?

Boring opinion, I know, but I gotta give it up for the Obvious Choice.

And I'm not just saying that because I haven't had a chance to talk about him yet.

Frieza runs a real estate empire that carries out genocidal acts of gentrification, purging tracts of land of their native inhabitants so he can sell their land for profit. Commenting on this choice for his ultimate villain, Akira Toriyama stated that he made this decision because real estate speculators are the worst people there are.

Fucking based.

From the moment we meet Frieza, he is a monster. Toriyama likes this Big Guy Little Guy dynamic where the Little Guy is the one you really need to watch out for. Frieza is the Littlest Guy ever.

He's so tiny. And yet you know exactly who the most dangerous person in this group is. Zero question.

By the end of this altercation, Frieza reveals one of his signature attacks, giving us our first glimpse of the kind of person and the kind of fighter he is. This is such an important moment for his character and I'm kinda mad that the anime had Dodoria do it instead.

Muri destroys the Scouters and blinds Frieza. I've talked before at length about the devastating impact that this move and the Namekian warriors' attack has on Frieza's campaign.

But once it's done, he has to face the music. He's not getting out of this alive.

In one last desperation play, Muri tells Cargo and Dende to run while blocking them with his body. And that's when it happens.

This is Frieza.

Specifically, this is Frieza's Death Beam. It's never actually given a name, but is generally referred to as Death Beam. We've seen a move like this only once before.

The Dodonpa, signature technique of Tsuru-senryu, first introduced by the assassin Taopaipai, was built for extreme lethality. This is not a technique for fighting; It's a technique for killing.

What makes Frieza's Death Beam stand out from the Dodonpa, however, is its accuracy and its speed. He threads the needle around Muri to hit Cargo before anyone even has a chance to react.

We see its accuracy and speed again six days later, when it finally catches up to the other child fleeing from him here.

The panelwork here calling attention to everyone's reactions as Frieza's ki bullet shoots past them, as his shot threads the needle between all obstacles in his path to strike his target far behind them. Dende is dead before anyone can even process that Frieza fired.

This is the difference between the two techniques. The Dodonpa is a gun. The Death Beam is a sniper rifle. Faced with the physical hurdle of bodies impeding his path, Frieza point-clicked Cargo and Dende to death.

He later executes Vegeta this same way.

Done with you.

All of this context for Frieza's sniping shot serves to set up the stunning subversion when Goku arrives to fight.

Frieza's never seen this before. Goku shouldn't even be able to see the shots coming until they've perforated his lungs. That's how Death Beam works. It's this moment that lays it out: Frieza's about to be tested like he's never been tested before.

Speaking of cool techniques, I've always been partial to this move from his Third Form.

The anime gives Frieza little ki bullets coming out of his fingers but I want to note that we never see a physical projectile when he's doing this. Frieza jams his fingers back and forth in the air while something pulverizes Piccolo.

I've always imagined he's poking the air so fast that it's hitting Piccolo with pressurized air currents. Similar to Goku's Mazoku air current punch from the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai.

But that's just me.

In any case, Frieza's got some fun moves. He's something of a hobbyist martial artist. Which is to say, Frieza has an interest in martial arts. In addition to his Death Beam, Frieza's concocted a litany of other interesting techniques.

He even invented the Kienzan, independently of Krillin.

Though he can remote operate his Kienzan so it's strictly better than Krillin's. Frieza, in his spare time, has come up with a bunch of cool moves. Too bad he has no idea how to use them.

Frieza's greatest weakness is his inexperience. He practices martial arts the way a business CEO who bought a log splitter so he can cut some wood and feel woodsy practices agriculture. Frieza has never had a proper chance to truly experience martial arts, because he was born too powerful.

The only partner who's ever even dirtied his skin was his dad.

And even that isn't much. Frieza's too strong. He wants to pursue martial arts. He wants to hone his technique. But when you win every fight by blinking too hard in the opponent's direction, what even is there to practice?

Frieza created a transformation to seal away his immeasurable ki because he was born with so much ki flowing from him that he can't even contain it. At his peak, Frieza's ki bleeds out of him. He simply can't contain it.

Goku wonders aloud why Frieza took so long, even after the fight turned against him, to go to 100%. Frieza's been all "Oh I'm only using 10% power this is my 50% you made me go to 75%" and Goku's like, "Okay. My dude. What's this about, for real?

This, incidentally, is not a great translation. What Goku's saying here is supposed to be basically, "Perhaps when you use your full power, your body can't handle it."

He is correct.

Frieza's Full Power has a lot in common with Super Saiyan 3. His theoretical maximum ability is wildly different from the reality of what he's capable of, because he bleeds ki like it's going out of style.

So, while other characters wound up earning transformations that make them more powerful, Frieza created a transformation to seal away some of his incomprehensible ki.

Then he created a couple more because even though he could now control his strength and even manipulate the amount of ki he's releasing at a time, he was still too powerful for anyone to ever compete with and needed even more ki sealed away.

Again, not a fantastic translation from the people who brought us "bottom-tier boy", as Frieza's statement here could be interpreted as saying that he gets taken by a berserker rage or something.

What he's saying is more like, "My power is so great that I can't properly contain it."

Point is, Frieza transformed to lock down his ki and seal parts of it away, so he could control the rest better. Then he kept going, locking away more and more and more of his ki. And even at his most nerfed, he's still five times more powerful than the Second Strongest Guy in the Universe.

Frieza has never in his life had the opportunity to be pushed. That's what makes Goku so enthralling to him.

Frieza plays with Goku because he's genuinely having the time of his life. This guy can fight him in his Final Form. Nobody can fight him in his Final Form. He's so happy, he straight-up forgets that he's trying to complete a genocide against Goku's entire race.

He said that five minutes ago. Gohan's hidden power freaked Frieza the fuck out. Saiyans are too strong now. They've gotten too strong. Frieza cannot permit them to keep existing because they're getting strong. Every last Saiyan, every last one, must die. Every single one. Scorched earth, no survivors.

But then he meets a Saiyan martial artist who's a technical master and pushes him more than he ever thought possible and suddenly:

He goes from "Saiyans are TOO STRONG and they all must die because they might threaten me" to "OH MY GOD I'M HAVING SO MUCH FUN CAN I KEEP YOU!?"

It's this desire for a true rival, this opportunity to satisfy his amateur's curiosity about martial arts, that ultimately unravels him. Frieza has one ruthless and pragmatic option for ending this fight once it starts to be too much for him. He can technically stop the fight any time he wants.

But he can't bring himself to do it. He wants to fight. He wants to compete. Frieza's been on the outside looking in at martial arts for his entire life and even when his greatest fears are fulfilled and the Super Saiyan is in front of him, he wants to try.

So when he does attempt to pull his Lethal Ragequit, he pulls back at the last second. He can't bring himself to do it. Goku initially assesses that Frieza held back out of fear of hurting himself.

But later, as Frieza begins unlocking the final chains on his ki, Goku changes his assessment. Noting that if Frieza really held back simply out of a mistake, he could have shot the planet again at any point to finish the job. He's been letting this play out because he can't bring himself to end the greatest fight of his life that way.

This fight is still happening because Frieza wants to compete. I mean, he wants to win, of course, but he wants to win as a martial artist. He's never truly gotten to be a martial artist before.

He is not the guy winning the gold medal at the Tenkaichi Budokai. He has never been that guy. He's the guy who buys up the land the Tenkaichi Budokai is held on and then bulldozes all the people off of it. But in his heart of hearts, he wants to be that guy. That guy is so cool. Frieza wants to play too.

In a sense, by hosting the Cell Games, Cell got to live Frieza's greatest fantasy.

This is who Frieza is. He's the cruel and wicked heir to Genocide Realtors Inc., who is in love with the idea of being Tenshinhan - A desire that exists at odds with - and undermines - his pragmatic business sense, so to speak.

He is the most vile character in the history of Dragon Ball. The worst kind of person. He is also an overeager child whose wealth and privilege prevents him from ever truly enjoying his hobbies, to an extent that he'd be almost pitiable but for all the genocides.

And he is Dragon Ball's greatest villain.

[the-monkey-ruler]

Dragon Ball (1986)ドラゴンボール

Director: Daisuke Nishio Screenwriter: Akira Toriyama Starring: Masako Nozawa / Nori Yanami / Tsuruhiro Mi Genre: Comedy / Animation / Fantasy / Adventure Official site: en.dragon-ball-official.com Country/Region of Production: Japan Language: Japanese Date: 1986-02-26 (Japan) / April 26, 1989 / February 7, 1996 / April 5, 2009 / July 5, 2015 Number of Seasons: 6 Number of episodes: 806 Episode length: 25 minutes Number of Movies: 29 Number of Games: 111 Also known as: Dragonball / Dragon Ball Z / Dragon Ball GT / Dragon Ball Z Kai / Dragon Ball Super IMDb: tt0088509 Type: Reimanging / Appropriation

Summary:

Earth, known as the Dragon World (ドラゴンワールド) and designated as "Planet 4032-877" by the celestial hierarchy, is the main setting for the entire Dragon Ball series, as well as related media such as Dr. Slump, Neko Majin, and Jaco the Galactic Patrolman. It is mainly inhabited by Earthlings (地球人, Chikyūjin), a term used inclusively to refer to all of the intelligent races native to the planet, including humans, anthropomorphic beings, and monsters. Starting from the Dragon Ball Z series, various extraterrestrial species such as the Saiyans (サイヤ人, Saiya-jin) and Namekians (ナメック星人, Namekku-seijin) have played a more prominent role in franchise media.

The narrative of Dragon Ball predominantly follows the adventures of the Saiyan Son Goku; upon meeting Bulma at the beginning of the series, the two embark on an adventure to gather the seven Dragon Balls, a set of orbs that summon the wish-granting dragon Shenlong. Goku later receives martial arts training from Kame-Sen'nin, meets his lifelong friend Kuririn, and enters the Tenkaichi Budōkai (天下一武道会, lit. "Strongest Under the Heavens Martial Arts Tournament") to fight the world's strongest warriors. When Piccolo Daimao, and later his offspring Piccolo, tries to conquer the planet, Goku receives training from Earth's deities to defeat them. Goku later sacrifices his life to save the planet from his estranged brother Raditz, but is revived after training in the afterlife under the tutelage of the North Kaio to combat the other incoming Saiyans, Nappa and Vegeta. He later becomes a Super Saiyan and defeats the powerful alien tyrant Freeza; this sets the tone of the rest of the series, with each enemy the characters face becoming stronger than the last, requiring them to attain further training.

Dragon Ball Super establishes that the franchise is set in a multiverse composed of twelve numbered universes, with the majority of the Dragon Ball series taking place in Universe 7 (第７宇宙, Dai-Nana Uchū, lit. "Number Seven Universe"). Each universe is ruled by a number of benevolent and malevolent deities, respectively called Kaioshin and Gods of Destruction who are appointed by a higher being called Zeno, who watches over the multiverse.

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Ball

Link: https://www.crunchyroll.com/series/G8DHV7W21/dragon-ball

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

💥THE GANG IS BACK!

[COLORED VERSION] 🎨

At least... Apparently DBS gave him his chance.

DRAGON BALL SUPER

Chapter 56: Warriors of Earth Assemble

Even the title is stunning. I mean... the gang is back! The original Dragon Ball isn't dead. But now look at him... In truth, he never stopped getting excited about fighting. Here he's the only one who seems purely motivated. A little reckless, but still cute. That's our good ol' Yamcha.

...how dare you, fools?! I mean, he's one of the very first Earth Heroes! No kidding!

Let him prove it.

Agent Yamcha? Well... It sounds really good. Finally someone who respects his role in this story! I mean... He was Lord Yamcha, the fearsome bandit of the Diablo Desert, one of the best students of Master Roshi, then King Kai, a memorable fighter of the Tenkaichi Tournaments, a loyal friend, a human who has crossed his own nature! I guess "agent Yamcha" is just the minimum... But we make do!

Well well well... Welcome back, Yamcha! You really seem to have remembered who you really are and you can be! You're let it get you down too many times for no reason and this has been your greatest weakness. The only one.

Take your revenge!

This is really touching. He never denied his most famous technique... The one and only Rōgafūfūken! Just look at his fingers put like a wolf fang. I can hear his unmistakable howl!

After all, generally he never denied himself. And his long hair too. I'm so glad they've come back. This is a really important point about his personality. Bulma tried to fix him in many things... Sometimes she has helped him, but other times she has only damaged him. I think Yamcha is slowly retracing his steps to create a better version of himself. Not just a parody.

Oh please... It had been a long time since I had seen him so proud of himself. Look at that cocky pose! Damn, how cute...

Got a real taste. He just realized he can still help and now no one can stop him. Well, sort of. The rest of the chapter doesn't show anything relevant about him. Except for a small part.

We can see Yamcha, but also Tenshinhan, Kurillin and even Chiaotzu, helping Goku with their energy. Like the old days. It's amazing they included them.

Okay, this one hurts a little. It's comforting that Toriyama didn't forget this detail... Yamcha's only wish has always been to get married. Since 1985, when he first appeared. Considering that this line dates back to 2020... It's been a long time, hasn't it? Back then he was a shy 16-year-old boy with many expextations for his future... Now he's a man, he lost so much, but his need for love never changed. So... Does he really have to ask Shenron as he wanted to do so many years ago?! Or worse, wait 1200 years...

Come on, Akira! He doesn't need the dragon balls!

Give him his real chance.

Guys... I would say that all of this is an incredible goal for Yamcha's fans.

He still exists.

He can still make a difference, even a tiny one.

He still can!

GOOD JOB, Yamcha-san! ✌️

[the-musings-of-a-manga-reader]

Tenkaichi

Tenkaichi - Nihon Saikyou Bugeisha Ketteisen

A battle tournament manga series set in the Sengoku Era.

Warlords bring forth their strongest warriors to compete in a tournament being held by a dying Oda Nobunaga. The prize? Japan itself. The Warlord whose warrior wins the tournament will become the ruler of Japan.

This series is one I found while searching for ones similar to Record of Ragnarok and I’m really glad I found it. It’s only at 7 volumes right now but I am loving it. The art, the characters, the fights, all of it I love. 

(I'm a huge fan of the cover art!)

What is my favorite part of this series is that it’s not obvious who the winner of the fights will be. As it turns out, the winner of the fight isn’t decided till around 1 or 2 chapters before the fights end. So not even the creators know who’s going to win till the very end.

Of course, with that being said, there is no protagonist, or better yet you could say all the fighters are protagonists. There’s no character who is definitely without a doubt going to be the winner, at this point, it could be any of them.

When reading these fights I was constantly switching around who I thought would win. “This one will win” and then a chapter later “Never mind this one’s winning”, and it kept switching back and forth because there is no obvious winner. When the winner is not so clear cut it makes these tournament fighting series so much more thrilling to read. The current fight which is fight #5 literally had my heart pounding. Like I'm so anxious over finding out who's going to win this fight because it ended on a cliffhanger. A cliffhanger that seems to make the winner obvious. Or does it? That's the thing! Even tho it looks like we know who the winner of this fight will be, we can't be 100% sure. (Curse the fact that the next chapter doesn't come out for another month)

Honestly, there is so much I could praise about this series. The fights are a good length, in that they don’t feel too short or drawn on. It’s the same with the backstories, they’re just the right length. Character design wise so far I’m loving it. Of course, they aren’t the most realistic or look like anything the actual person but it’s not so bizarre as to take away from the story. Ngl I already have 3 characters who I think are super hot and took multiple screenshots of lol

(Such amazing art. Look at the detail~ There's actually way better art in the series but they contain spoilers so I won't share them here)

Now a little side story about me~

As I mentioned earlier that I found this while looking for a series Similar to Record of Ragnarok, and I had a huge laugh at myself. Because I was looking at the character designs and pointed at a character with a mask on and said “This dude’s probably hot looking under that mask”, only to look at the name and realize it was Sasaki Kojio who happens to be one of my fav fighters in Ragnarok 🤣 I didn’t realize he was in it too. So I had a good laugh over that and it actually made me even more excited to read it

(The fight list)

I highly recommend this series. It's probably one of my new favorites and dare I say, I almost love it as much as Record of Ragnarok. Please go check this series out!

(Screenshots are from the fan scans done by "Problematic Scans")

[demifiendrsa]

DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO – Fused Warriors Trailer [BUDOKAI TENKAICHI Series]

Japanese version

Another new trailer is planned for release at Summer Game Fest 2024 Showcase on June 7.

The newly confirmed characters include:

Trunks (Kid)

Trunks (Kid), Super Saiyan

Goten

Goten, Super Saiyan

Caulifla

Caulifla, Super Saiyan 2

Kale

Kale, Super Saiyan

Gotenks

Gotenks, Super Saiyan

Gotenks, Super Saiyan 3

Kefla

Kefla, Super Saiyan

Kefla, Super Saiyan 2

Vegito

Vegito, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

Gogeta (Super)

Gogeta (Super), Super Saiyan

Gogeta (Super), Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

Fused Zamasu

Fused Zamasu, Half-Corrupted

Screenshots

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is currently in development for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. A release date has yet to be announced.

[ankh-morporkianpostalworker]

Saiyan Pride - From Fatal Flaw to Greatest Strength

Vegeta, Prince of Saiyans, puts a lot of stock in his title of Prince of All Saiyans and goes on and on about his Saiyan pride and abilities as a warrior throughout Dragonball Z/Super (DBZ and DBS, respectively), but throughout the course of the franchise, the tone with which he speaks of his Saiyan pride drastically changes.

At the start of DBZ, he goes on and on about his heritage and pride as though it makes him the coolest person ever, boasting that he'll become the Super Saiyan and overthrow Frieza all by himself. When he dies on Namek, he begs Goku to remember his Saiyan heritage (which means fuck-all to Goku, who was raised as a human). Goku does not, and kills Frieza cuz Frieza's a genocidal fascist dickhead.

In the Cell Saga, we see Vegeta start to chill out, taking a liking to humans. Well, one human at least. Still, he's proud of his heritage as a Saiyan, but it's here that we see the shift into what his pride will become as his greatest asset - it goes from being his pride at being a Saiyan to being his pride in the abilities and strength he's worked to achieve, which is the pride we see him imprint on his son, Trunks. Kid Trunks, that is, but we'll talk about that when we get to Super.

The Buu Saga is where Vegeta's pride is at its worst and its best. He makes a deal with Bobbidy to gain more strength, becoming Majin Vegeta as a result, and he ends up becoming a major factor in the resurrection of the Chaotic Stupid Lovecraftian Nightmare that is Buu. However, its also his pride that allows him to shrug off Bobbidy's control and, in what he believes will be his final moment with his son, he expresses how proud of Trunks he is, before knocking him out to stop him (and Goten, but that's besides the point) from getting killed. He later gets brought back and stuff, but his character arc is all but over at that point and it doesn't really strengthen my argument.

Finally, in DBS, his pride has become what gives him strength. He's proud of everything he's achieved, not just in his strength but in starting a family he's proud of, his motivation in defeating god-to-be Toppo being this pride and desire to protect what he built for himself.

Quick tangent: his pride in his family ties into this fan theory that I have that (at least) male Saiyans are extremely territorial when it comes to their partners and children. Vegeta bitch-slapping Beerus, after Beerus hits Bulma, is the prime example, but we also see it in the usually-peaceful Gohan losing his shit when Videl is getting curb-stomped in the Tenkaichi Budōkai.

Anyways, it's this pride in what a Saiyan achieves for himself, rather than pride in being a Saiyan, that Kid Trunks seems to have inherited from his father. I think that this is mostly because he isn't a full-blooded Saiyan, despite his father raising him as one, since Saiyans are genetically predisposed to aggression, a trait that Gohan, Goten and Trunks don't display as much as their fathers. Trunks' Saiyan pride is most evidently on display when he tries to pick a fight with his future self, insulting the latter and mockingly asking him if he calls himself a Saiyan (invoking his lack of pride and confidence in his fighitng abilities).

[gaminghearts1-blog]

Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors- 20 Years Later

Dragon Ball Z: Supersonic Warriors was quite possibly one of the most underrated DBZ fighting games of the 2000’s decade. Its hard to believe that the Supersonic Warriors game came out 20 years ago for the Game Boy Advance and how overlooked it has been since its release. When most people think about DBZ games from the 2000’s they instantly think about the Budokai and the Budokai Tenkaichi series…

[legion1227]

Games Played/Beaten in 2023: Ranked!

28. Dynasty Warriors 9- 2/5,

As a big fan of Musou games and the Dynasty Warriors franchise, I'm deeply upset at how disappointing and underwhelming the last major entry in the DW franchise was. With a boring open world, dull gameplay, and a monotonous story, there is little to no reason to divulge as much time in the game as they want you to do.

27. Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 Campaign Mode.- 2.5/5.

As someone who does not play COD Warzone whatsoever, the levels playing Warzone-esque are no bother to me and are welcome. Other levels garner minimal intrigue and I wish there were more intriguing stakes in a story that ends way too soon and abruptly.

26. Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order- 3/5

I wanted to like this game more than I did, and while it's in no way bad, I realized after 8 hours that this game wasn't for me. With level traversing as confusing and nerve-wracking as it is, coupled with gameplay that's not as stimulating as I'd like, I feel better off watching someone play through the story instead of playing myself.

25. Prey- 3.5/5

Gifted to me as a present years ago, it took time before I finally gave Prey the good ol college try. Trapped on a space station with shape-shifting aliens, you are tasked with self-destructing the station before the aliens can reach Earth. The stakes are there, and exploring the station is engaging, but the combat falls a bit short to my liking.

24. Granblue Fantasy Versus. 3.5/5

As a fighting game casual fan, I could stand to have more single-player content in my fighting games. Before Granblue dropped its sequel last month, Granblue Fantasy Versus: Rising, I dived into the previous game back in the early Fall. The character designs are quite anime-esque, and the RPG mode is quite fun, especially with a companion, but the fighting game itself lacked weight that other fighting games I played this past year harbored. Other games simply felt better to play than Granblue.

23. Final Fantasy XV- 3.5/5.

While Final Fantasy XVI was on the cusp of dropping this year, I thought it appropriate to replay the previous entry for the first time in years. The main character, Noctis, and his group of royal guards are mostly enjoyable. The rest of the cast, the gameplay, and the open world itself all fell into the same territory of being decent but could've been even stronger if more time was dedicated to each facet. To be fair, both playthroughs I've done have lacked the DLC so I'm unsure how much of a difference it makes on my overall enjoyment of the game. Next time I play, we'll have to see if it does, and maybe I'll rank it higher then.

22. Lego Harry Potter- 3.5/5.

As Playstation Plus made Lego HP one of the free monthly games, it was only a matter of time before I gave it a try as I have a moderate enjoyment of the HP series and a stronger attachment to Lego games in general. Bringing the magical wizard world of HP into Lego opened up many possibilities for endearing storytelling in its usual Lego charm upon replaying all eight movies across the game. Blowing the more recent HP game, Hogwarts Legacy, out of the water, it doesn't hold up as much as another Lego game I played this year that we'll get to later.

21. Attack on Titan- 3.5/5.

Released in August 2016, the Attack on Titan game was developed and produced by Omega Force and Koei Tecmo respectively, the same companies behind the Dynasty Warrior games and numerous other Musou games, AOT covers the first season of the show in game form. It does a good job at capturing the feeling of exhaustively slaughtering titan after titan as a human fighting for humanity, but as a Musou fan, I prefer their other titles immensely.

20. Dragon Ball Z Budokai Tenkaichi 2- 3.5/5

I am unbelievably hyped for the next entry in this franchise. As someone who's played BT3 to death for years, I never got too much time with its predecessor for complex reasons. After snagging a copy for the Wii years ago and completing the story mode just this year, I can say that BT2 is fun and captures the feel of a DBZ fight you see in the show, but it's a much lesser version of BT3 that I can't help but feel after playing that one for years. BT2 has plenty of characters but still lacks against BT3, and many of the fighters have the same rush moves and lack distinction, again, unlike in BT3. The only aspect I enjoy much more in BT2 over BT3 is the execution of the story mode and the What If scenarios at our disposal. And even then, there was room for improvement in some aspects.

19. One Piece Pirate Warriors 4- 3.5/5

My second favorite anime after Dragon Ball Z has two of my favorite Musou games in Pirate Warriors 2 and 3. Pirate Warriors 4 skips plenty of arcs, but still tells the major story beats in the One Piece story with flashy gameplay as you mow down hundreds of enemy fodder with the unique cast at your disposal. Too many characters that were playable in the last Pirate Warriors were axed for newer characters, of only a few feel really fun to play. After a while, Pirate Warriors 4 can become a bit monotonous with its objectives or story beats with the characters accompanied by its gameplay, which is fair to say with almost any Musou game, but it feels more apparent with Pirate Warriors 4 than others.

18. Doki Doki Literature Club- 4/5

Visual novels are not my cup of tea and neither are horror games, but this one was too great. Of course, it's been out for years and I've known some of what happened in the events of the game, but as you have the option to go through different story routes at this high school, the twists and turns and creepy imagery were intriguing enough to make me want to continue. Doki Doki Literature Club deserved the praise it got at the time and still deserves praise for its writing and creativity.

17. Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate- 4/5

This is the last Musou game listed here I swear. Warriors Orochi is peak when it comes to the Musou format. Between hundreds of characters to choose from the Dynasty Warriors franchise, Samurai Warriors, and many original characters and guest characters, the variety at your hand while getting to pick any team of three and mow down enemies is a treat. Character interactions are endearing to any Dynasty or Samurai Warriors fan, the combat is more flashy than other games in its genres, and combined with a more traditional fighting game mode and a mode where you traverse a dungeon with a team of five, WO3U is one of the best games in its genre for certain.

16. South Park: The Stick of Truth- 4/5

The raunchy RPG based on the classic TV show really started picking up steam for me in the last few hours. Playing as a new kid who's moved into South Park, getting to create your combat class, pick up gear, and travel around the town of South Park to interact with the iconic cast or indulge in references and easter eggs as a fan of the series was hilarity incarnate. Performance issues plagued my run that stem mostly from playing on a PS3 for this. I wished the game utilized having more than one companion accompany you in combat, but Stick of Truth is a must-have, or maybe must-replay since its ten years old at this point, for RPG fans or South Park fans.

15. Dokapon Kingdom- 4/5

An underrated PS2 game that combines RPG elements to a classic Mario Party style. In the story of Dokapon, the fictional land is attacked by an army of monsters. The king offers his daughter, Princess Penny, to marry whichever player can finish the game with the most amount of money. It can induce the same amount of rage you would get playing Mario Party with friends, but it's also just as fun. The combat is simple yet thought-provoking, the random encounter events are entertaining with amusing characters, and the art style is cute to look at. It can be hard to obtain the original game these days, but I know a remake titled Dokapon Kingdom: Connect on the Switch exists that is almost exactly like the original, so I would recommend trying it out there if you can and play with friends.

14. Mortal Kombat 11 Ultimate- 4/5.

In anticipation of Mortal Kombat 1 releasing, I bought a physical copy of MK11 to play for a time. The ultimate edition of MK11 separated itself by adding all DLC content such as characters like The Terminator, Spawn, Shang Tsung, etc., and the story mode "The Aftermath." Mortal Kombat 11 continues to be one of the prime examples of what I would like in my fighting games as a casual. The story mode is a stellar cinematic romp to play through, with an amusing option of picking one of two characters at some points when I can. Coupled with an arcade mode worth plowing through with characters having epilogue after completion, the Krypt being a fully explorable place, and a constantly changing tower of fighters to compete against, the single-player aspect is the basis of something I would like to see in future fighting games for people like myself who don't really want to hop online and fight others.

13. Spider-Man: Miles Morales. 4/5

A perfect appetizer that served while waiting in anticipation for Spider-Man 2. Taking the role of Miles Morales as Spider-Man instead of Peter Parker, Miles' story laid a solid foundation following his idle beginning in the first game and before exploring him somewhat further in the sequel. His dynamic with friend turned-enemy Phin is a decent precursor for a more explored friendship in Spider-Man 2 with Peter and Harry, but Miles' arc and assuming his great power AND responsibility is interesting. Miles Morales is short but great from a gameplay perspective more than the story, but it's also hard to go back to this game after playing Spider-Man 2.

12. Crash Bandicoot 4: It's About Time. 4/5

Released back in October 2020, Crash Bandicoot 4 was the first original entry in the Bandicoot franchise in over ten years. Combining the gameplay from the classic games and remakes, but updating it with a futuristic gloss, has helped concoct a supreme platformer. The option to turn either on or off lives helps supply gamers with whether or not they want a challenge, which I appreciate. It's About Time is not only clever with its double entendre name, being literally about time, and also being a well-overdue sequel, but clever in its boss fights, and presentation, adding up to a platformer that was more than worth the time.

11. Doom Eternal- 4/5

Gameplay-wise Doom Eternal is an improvement upon its predecessor, Doom 2016, in almost every way. Between the vast array of weapons and power-ups, there are almost too many ways to rip and tear through the armies of Hell. Traversing level through level with boosters and platforming combined with fast-paced action makes Doom Eternal a triumph in its genre. Story-wise, I prefer the simplicity of Doom 2016 over this, but Eternal is still stunning.

10. Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2- 4/5.

Guilty Gear may not have the amount of single-player content that Mortal Kombat 11 does that I like, but there are some things Arcsys' anime fighter does that I have to give them respect. The character designs are much more unique and stand out more and the gameplay harbors a quicker place that lends to more frantic, fun fights. Its story is confusing and a tad convoluted, but luckily, its characters, in terms of personality /and/ how they play, more than make up the nonsensical anime bullshit that shows up on the screen. Guilty Gear Xrd Rev 2 is a balanced, hard-hitting affair that absolutely is entertaining in is own right.

9. Kingdom Hearts- 4/5

For years, I have tried completing this game, but thanks to the help of a friend, I finally managed to do so. Square Enix and Disney coming together to make its first collaborative effort will forever be iconic. Playing as a young child named Sora and traveling to different Disney worlds like Agrabah from Aladdin, the Coliseum from Hercules, and Wonderland to fight dastardly enemies like the Heartless is sensational. Not every world is made equal, (the jungle world from Tarzan is an awful, confusing mess), but the vibe is immaculate. Working together with Donald Duck and Goofy and enjoying the least confusing KH games is sometimes hard, with boss fights like Sephiroth or definitely the final boss, but it's an easy classic.

8. Final Fantasy X- 4/5.

Possibly my favorite Final Fantasy game to date, or at least on par with the FF7 remake. The cast of characters you play is likable and interesting in gameplay, with their abilities that separate each person from one another. The sphere grid, the system that centers around how you can build and level your character by maxing out their stats or magic, is a system I prefer over the usual level build-up you see in most RPGs. The depth of the story is engaging but comes secondary to the turn-based gameplay that I'm more fascinated by.

7. Persona 5- 4/5

The only RPG played this year I like slightly more than FFX. Persona's sense of style is mesmerizing and helps enhance the experience of a playthrough. As a group of high schoolers look to change the hearts of criminals in over-the-top setpieces that involve the cast diving deep into lavish worlds, the turn-based combat is more bombastic than any other of its kind. I put over 100 hours into Persona and didn't even accomplish everything I wanted. I cannot wait for a replay, but I need to get Persona 5 Royal some day as it has even more content than its vanilla version.

6. Uncharted 2- 4/5

Nathan Drake's second adventure improved upon the first game in so many ways I can't believe. As Drake is tasked with finding the entrance to the lost city of Shambhala, the stakes were as high as ever at that point. As I steadily make my way through the Uncharted franchise, the 2nd game improved from the first with its shooting, level design, and character work with Drake, Sully, and the introduced Chloe among others. From the opening scene where you control Drake trying to escape a train dangling over a cliff, I understood almost immediately how some consider this the best Uncharted game in the series.

5. Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga- 4/5

As someone who played plenty of Lego games growing up with friends and family, one replay after years revealed how this is one of the best Lego games out there. The Complete Saga's name is outdated now, but at the time you had every Star Wars movie from the Prequels and Original Trilogy to go through in Lego form with 160 characters for you to choose from, including overpowered Jedi ghosts and Indiana Jones. Lego Harry Potter is fun but pales in comparison to the weight of swinging a lightsaber around or shooting droids and clones with your blaster. The newest Lego Star War game, The Skywalker Saga, I have not touched, but I know that the original Complete Saga is another classic etched into the echoes of video game history.

4. King Of Fighters 2002- 4/5

This game is not so much for a fighting game casual like myself, but I can't help but be roped into something so special. The KOF series is something I've had a soft spot for since my godparent's son showed me the franchise as a child. It's rough, it's hard, it's unforgiving, it's a classic fighting game in every sense. The characters are special to play and I wanted to learn most of them and see what combination of characters benefit me the most. There really isn't much single-player content to offer and this is a game for the hardcore fighting game fan-based, but there's just a feeling....a sensation to this that's hard to describe or replicate. I never hopped online, but I kept going back to fighting the CPU over and over again with different characters and just playing for several hours. KOF 2002 is an outstanding achievement that captures that feeling of playing fighting games in an arcade in the old days that you can't recapture these days.

3. The Last of Us: Remastered.

After the first season of the Last of Us Show dropped, I dived into the game for the first time in years. The Remastered version, as opposed to "The Last of Us: Part 1" is Naughty Dog's crown jewel. It's quite grounded for a zombie game, it's characters, especially Joel and Ellie, are rich, the ways to take down zombies and fellow survivors alike is gratifying, there's solid reasons why Last of Us is an achievement for Playstation, but these next two games amplify that mindset.

2. Spider-Man 2- 4.5/5

One of the few games I played this year that actually came out in 2023. Everything that made the first Spider-Man game and Spider-Man: Miles Morales so great is improved upon in this in almost every facet. The combat is sublime, being able to switch between both Peter and Miles is excellent, the story may lack in a few areas surrounding Miles, but it's still massive and overwhelming in the best sense. But the definitive aspect of the game has to be traversal. Swinging around the city feels so weighty and impressive- do you know how good it has to be to move around in a world when there is a fast travel option but you don't want to use it because you WANT to swing around the city, or in some cases glide? Spider-Man 2 is a spectacle in so many ways that it will be hard to go back to the previous games. As far as games that came out in 2023, it's my game of the year then. But if we are to take into account every game I played this year, regardless of what year it came out, then there's only 1 game I preferred over Spider-Man 2...

God Of War: Ragnarok

Like many of the other games on this list, GOWR is a sequel that surpasses its predecessors in almost every way. Ragnarok continues the story of Kratos and his son Atreus in a meaningful way as Kratos continues to evolve as a character and an older Atreus grows into his own. What is there to say about the game that hasn't been said already? The voice-acting performances are phenomenal across the board, the combat is righteous and immensely satisfying, and the design of each of the realms are awe-inspiring with top-notch graphics. And with GOWR dropping FREE story DLC in Valhalla, which incorporates a dungeon-like style into the open-world hack-and-slash style only cemented itself as my game of the year. Valhalla not only gives a unique, fun mode for players to lose themselves in for hours but tells a story basically of Kratos going through therapy after the heinous acts he committed in the original three games. The only fault in all of GOWR I had was one section with Atreus, but besides that I adore this game to pieces. And with that, GOWR is absolutely my favorite game I played in 2023.

[nutscentedalien]

Let’s Talk About Majin Vegetables

I started writing this as a joke but kept going since it let my brain avoid thinking about god damn TROMBONES for one freaking moment.

Alright, let’s talk about Majin Vegeta. At a glance our boy seems like a painfully generic angry asshole without any substance or is “meaningless” but I disagree! Here’re some thoughts on what was probably going on in that ENORMOUS FOREHEAD.

Struggles with Motivation

After Kakarot died to Cell, Vegeta lost the motivation to fight. He flies off alone after saying: “I am no warrior, I’ll never fight again”.

Genuinely a sad moment for poor Geets. Of course he eventually kept training but it wasn’t the same. With Kakarot gone, his title of being the greatest Saiyan, his birthright, the only thing driving him, is impossible. Kakarot has permanently stolen it from him (since there’ll never be a fight to regain that title from him again). He probably now only trains to literally pass the time and doesn’t feel inspired.

Identity Issues

Even if he’s becoming a better person he might struggle with feeling like it. Even being domesticated and not killing anymore he doesn’t feel like he can ever fit in with the rest of the ‘Z Fighters’ (except for Piccolo, I always thought they should be better friends! But they’re both terrible at being social so it’ll never happen) or his family because of the unforgivable things he’s done in the past. Instead he embraces them, thinking “I’M NOT INNOCENT”! Feeling more comfortable thinking that, since it doesn’t feel like hiding anything or making excuses for what he’s done.

Even though it might be better than working for Frieza, he’s probably tired of trying to acclimate to Earth and being the only one of his kind left. Yeah Kakarot and the kids are Saiyans by blood but they don’t share his culture, he’s the only one. Also his tail was cut off! The only real visual difference he had from Humans. He might feel an obligation to be the most Saiyan-y Saiyan (violent & bloodthirsty) since the rest aren’t. Besides, he is the pRiNce of aLL sAiYanS and feels like he can’t let himself lose that part of himself.

Mental Strength

Geets might not be the strongest but he’s definitely got mental strength. He’s gotten his ass kicked again and again and has shown how much of a complete stubborn asshole he can be. He’s used to taking orders and working under stronger powers (his King/father and of course Freiza) and using it to his own benefit or just outright defying them. Vegeta knows that agreeing to Babidi’s Majin powers doesn’t mean he’ll have to submit to him. His willpower is stronger and he’s willing to bet on it. This also makes sense why Babidi didn’t take over Vegeta, Vegeta LET Babidi do it. I bet if he actually didn’t want the Majin powers he could have fought it off.

Majin as a Vice

Back to the motivation problem, he jumps at the chance to fight Kakarot again when it seems like he’ll have the chance at the Tenkaichi Tournament. It’s been 7 YEARS. But, on the day of the tournament, even before fighting him, Vegeta can sense that Kakarot has gained more power than him in the otherworld. At the same time, he learns about Babidi’s Majin powers. This is his ONLY CHANCE to kill Kakarot and of course he makes the reckless choice.

Very on brand for Geets, when cornered he makes AWFUL choices. Remember when he fought Kakarot for the first time? And his ego was bruised because Kakarot, some lowly 3rd class nobody, was able to land a few good hits on him, the PRINCE, and Vegeta decided to just blow up the entire planet (which probably would have killed himself too if it hit!). He’s very intelligent but this isn’t a man who’s calm under pressure.

Also Vegeta felt like he’d perform better if he could let himself be his asshole self again. He went so long without having the motivation to truly fight (7 YEARS!) and now that his chance is here he’s pushing aside everything he considered made him “weak” or unmotivated and knows that the Majin powers would help him do that. Having finally overcome his motivation problems he’s diving head (forehead!) first.

Between that and accepting the Majin powers this guy’s got freaking vices, but they DO work and dude is absolutely having a FANTASTIC time. “I have to say…it feels PRETTY GOOD.”

Besides feeling “pretty good”, he’s also LOOKING “pretty good” with the free ~*eyeliner*~ included in the Majin power package.

Notice me!!

When Kakarot has his 1 day on Earth his attention is split, he wants to visit friends, fight in the tournament, eat food, visit his family and then maybe fight Vegeta—in that order. Vegeta’s not his priority. Geets is DESPERATE for senpai to notice him. Also it’s destroying this boy’s very fragile ego that he even has to earn Kakarot’s attention and it’s only adding to his already monumental ire for this man. And especially once he notices Kakarot has surpassed his strength, he realizes he HAS to take the Majin powers to get this bastard to focus on him. Also…the eyeliner can’t hurt, right?

Learning the cost of vices and healthier ways of being motivated

When finally fighting Kakarot he realizes that even though he’s getting what he wants (sort of…) he’s royally fucked up his family in a shit ton of ways and allowed Buu to be revived which just adds to the fucked up things he’s done to his family and everyone else (the world…maybe even the galaxy lol). Motivation to save them is now powerful enough to let him let go of needing to kill Kakarot (at least for now). Also as much as he wants to fight Kakarot it’s both distracting and impossible to ignore Buu at this point.

I ADORE that on their way to see Buu, Vegeta tricks Kakarot and knocks him out. It’s a little treat for himself. Yes he does it so he can face Buu alone and steal that glory, but I like to think he also did it because he just COULDN’T FUCKING RESIST. It’s not beating him but it’s SOMETHING.

Instead of earning his title as the greatest Saiyan by killing Kakarot he instead emulates him

Just like when Kakarot saved everyone by sacrificing himself to Cell, Vegeta realizes he can at least tie Kakarot for that by doing the same with Buu. Also he probably feels like shit after realizing he’s fucked things up and hopes this might atone for that at least a bit (not much, dude still goes to hell lmao). It’s still sort of a selfish action, but at least he’s also doing it for others. Dude has got to start somewhere. It’s not until after he’s brought back to life that he’s able to actually atone for the shit he’s done (at least in Porunga’s eyes) by admitting Kakarot is the best and he’s happy for him, intentionally getting beat up in order to give Kakarot the time to save the day, and not even caring if he dies in order to kill Buu (again).

-

Or maybe all of this is bullshit and dude is just an asshole going through an especially bad mid-life crisis that no amount of push-ups, sit-ups or even juice can fix.

[sapphyreblayze]

"Alright, you asked for this! SOIKDAN!"

I posted this on twitter back in October, but never got around to sharing it here until now - Introducing my Dragon Ball OC, Corsette! She's Yamcha and Bulma's daughter, who's around the same age as Gohan (because that boy deserves more friends his own age). This specific drawing of her is her in her martial arts clothes as a teenager (circa the Buu Saga).

See below the cut for a more extensive character bio, as well as a drawing of her in civillian clothes;

Born during the five year gap between the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai and the arrival of Raditz, Corsette is introduced to the narrative as a wide-eyed young girl who practically worships the ground her father walks on. Bulma and Yamcha's relationship is just as on-and-off at this point as it was in canon, but she's too young to really comprehend that, and just loves when she gets to see her dad.

However, her entire life is upended when Yamcha dies in the battle against Vegeta and Raditz. Mirroring Gohan's determination to bring back Piccolo, Corsette decides she wants to travel to Namek to wish her dad back, with Bulma seeing no reason not to take her since, at this point, they have no clue about Frieza and think Namek will be perfectly peaceful and safe. It's the horrors she sees on Namek that inspire her to want to become a martial artist like her dad and his friends. In contrast to her best friend Gohan who, despite being part of a warrior race, doesn't like fighting and only trains because he has to, Corsette develops a true passion for martial arts, and makes it her goal to become the strongest woman in the world when she grows up.

Her life is once again upended when her mom gets pregnant with Trunks - at first she is resentful of her new baby brother due to not liking Vegeta, however once she realises that he and the warrior from the future she greatly admires are one and the same, she resolves to protect her baby brother so that the Future Trunks would be proud of her, becoming a rather doting big sister. The Android/Cell Saga mostly plays out the same as in canon in this au, however there is one major change during the Cell Games - Gohan's transformation is triggered not by Cell destroying Android 16, but by him killing Corsette, the death of his best friend completely sending him over the edge. Of course Corsette is quickly revived by the dragon, however, her death becomes a defining moment for Gohan, and only furthers his aversion to fighting.

By the time of the Buu Saga, Corsette is a world class martial artist, planning on entering the 25th Tenkaichi Budokai, hoping to achieve what her father never did and being crowned 'strongest under the heavens'. She doesn't attend the same high school as Gohan, instead going to the same school in West City her parents attended, but Gohan introduces her to Videl, Erasa, and Sharpner, around the time of the tournament. Videl's initial attitude towards her is a defensive, quick-tempered one, being jealous that a girl who is just as human as she is is fully knowledgable in ki, however the rivalry soon turns friendly with Corsette's presence spurning Videl on to train harder, and Corsette being glad to have an opponent for once who isn't an impossibly strong alien. Corsette is quick to pick up on Videl and Gohan's feelings for each other and tease them about it, however she isn't one to talk, as she instantly develops a strong crush on Erasa that causes her to become a shy, tongue-tied mess whenever she's around (paralleling Yamcha's initial crush on Bulma in the Pilaf Saga). Erasa for her part thinks Corsette is a total hunk, but anytime she tries to strike up a conversation, Corsette gets too nervous to say anything and runs off.

Of course, like in canon, the tournament quickly goes off the rails with Babidi showing up, and things initially play out as they do in canon - Majin Vegeta, Buu awakening, etc. However, when Gohan is spirited away to the land of the Kai, Corsette is brought along with him, and winds up playing a key role in the rest of the arc. Most notably, the Supreme Kai gives Gohan the potara earrings rather than Goku, and it is she and Gohan who fuse together rather than Goku and Vegeta, fusing to form Gosette, who continues the superhero gag from the Great Saiyaman, being a more serious western style superhero as opposed to the Great Saiyaman's super sentai pastiche.

Like Vegito in canon, Gosette gets absorbed by Buu (in this case due to getting a bit carried away with the superhero thing), and from there, things mostly play out the same as in canon, just with Corsette present and Gohan having a more prominent role. The evil Buu is defeated, the day is saved, and Vegeta and Corsette (whose relationship has been very rocky up to this point) form something of a mutual understanding as a result of his sacrifice; she is one of the people he names before sacrificing himself, and when Baba brings him back to assist in fighting Buu we get a number of comedic scenes of the two of them having matching temper flair-ups towards Goku, showing how they have more in common then they'd like to admit. On the Lookout, she is the one who throws him a thumbs-up rather than Bulma (who instead embraces him), and from there they form a proper stepfather-stepdaughter relationship. Erasa is also on the Lookout with Videl in this au, and is ecstatic to see Corsette again, asking her out on a date now that the world isn't going to end - Corsette, of course, responds by turning into a blushing, stuttering, nervous wreck. Yamcha has no idea where she gets it from.

I could go on into Super and beyond, but I've already written... god, six paragraphs of biography. As you can see, I've had a lot of ideas for her, this is just the broad strokes! Maybe I'll turn it all into a fic, who knows. But for now, have the promised picture of her in her civillian clothes (and in my attempt at a more rounded early Dragon Ball style);

[tobiasdrake]

Haven't had a chance to talk much about the Ginyus yet, so here we go. Talking about the Ginyu Tokusentai/Ginyu Force/Dairy Special Forces requires putting them into context with the greater Dragon Ball universe around them.

Something that has always been incredibly limiting for Dragon Ball's worldbuilding is that, despite much of the brand being about presenting Goku with new ladders to climb, Goku doesn't climb ladders. He leaps from ladder-top to ladder-top.

What this means is, Toriyama had a tendency to be hyperbolic with the challenges Goku was presented. Toriyama doesn't pit Goku against powerful foes. He pits Goku against the most powerful foe, then has to sit back and figure out another arena for Goku to go fight the champion of.

This creates issues of perspective. We don't get to see a lot of development of the worlds Toriyama creates because Goku only shows up to fight the Very Most Powerful Guy and then leaves. And this also means we don't get to see what being the Very Most Powerful Guy means relative to people who are not.

If you followed Dragon Ball Super, you might have noticed that issue with the Tournament of Power. The way the story leaps straight from "Multiple universes exist" to "Goku vs. The Strongest in Universe 6" and then to "Goku vs. The Strongest Guy in the MULTIVERSE!" without even stopping to breathe.

What is that universe even about? Who knows? But this guy sure is their STRONGEST GUY. And that's something that's been with Dragon Ball... honestly, since all the way back at the 21st Tenkaichi Budokai when his second arc adversary was the Earth's legendary ultimate martial arts master.

The whole concept of aliens enters the Dragon Ball universe by way of Raditz introducing the Strongest Alien Race in the Universe.

Shortly after that, Goku is fighting the Strongest Saiyan, who is technically referred to as Strongest in the Universe... right up until a retcon introduces the Planet Trade Organization and Goku fights Frieza, the Actual Strongest in the Universe For Realsies.

So. Yeah. It's hard to get a sense of perspective for how powerful our guys are when they leave Earth because they only ever brush elbows with outlier titans.

But to give some idea, we already know that Earthlings are considered to be a pretty weak species.

Raditz's arrival retroactively explains Goku's destructive Oozaru transformations. This thing?

This is the Doom of the Earth. The planet-killer meant to exterminate every last human being on this planet. Boy, sure would be fun to be in the ring with that, huh?

It's also clearly touching down outside of the ring so I don't know why this wasn't a ringout. Since when is the waiting room's rooftop considered part of the stage? But I digress.

When Goku was three years old, his Oozaru was measured to be sufficient to slaughter this world. That is how weak Earth is on the scale. By contrast, Namek is considered to be one of the more powerful worlds. Vegeta describes Namekian fighters as "extraordinary".

That's something we get to see for ourselves, when Extraordinary Namekian Fighters happen to Frieza Force soldiers like a typhoon.

This is what's considered extraordinary on a standard galactic scale. These are three warriors from one of the stronger races in the universe tearing apart soldiers whose job is to exterminate races. Once they start fighting, Dodoria reads their battle powers as 3,000.

For comparison, Raditz was said to be equivalent to a Saibaman at 1,200. We never got a read on Nappa but he found the idea of Kakarot being at 5,000 unbelievable enough to go into denial, and he shit himself over 8,000.

So, with that in mind, we can understand that these nameless Namekian nobodies are pretty fucking tough, well within the realm of Saiyan ability. They're also familiar with advanced martial arts concepts like ki suppression that the Planet Trade doesn't understand.

There's probably a reason why, despite Namek apparently being well known to the Planet Trade, nobody's seen fit to gentrify this one yet. This is a fight Frieza's more elite forces can win, to be sure. But also, there are easier pickings to be had.

And then we have the Saiyans, said to be the most powerful race in the universe. Raditz, a loser scrub who doesn't know a thing about martial arts, is able to thoroughly humiliate Goku and Piccolo in terms of sheer stats, even after Goku's been trained by Popo.

This guy is the Saiyan equivalent of Appule. Goku's been personally trained by God's right-hand attendant, and Piccolo is the reincarnation of God's evil counterpart; These are not humans of this planet, but two guys who demonstrated five years ago that they're in a realm beyond the humans.

And this loser is still doing this to them. This is what a low-rate Saiyan looks like.

And this is what a Saiyan elite looks like:

Like I said, we're never given an official reading on Nappa but he found 5,000 BP to be ridiculous for Goku to have and 8,000 to be unthinkably terrifying. The Daizenshuu pegs him at 4,000, but they also peg Piccolo at 3,500 which would mean Piccolo and Nappa are closely matched.

I don't know about you but I don't see it. But that may just be me.

In any case, this gives us a general understanding of how powerful the races of the universe are. Earthlings weak. Namekians strong. Saiyans strongest. And then there's outliers.

Throughout the universe, there are... mutants. On rare occasions, an individual is born to a race who have vastly, unbelievably, ridiculously, stupidly tremendous ki.

The Planet Trade employs these mutants for their upper staff. Zarbon and Dodoria are mutants, as are the Ginyus and even Frieza himself. Especially Frieza. The reason we've never gotten elaboration on Frieza's race is because Toriyama didn't want Frieza's traits to be taken as indicative of a whole people.

According to interview, Cold was born with abnormally high power and cruelty for his race, and these traits were passed down to his son Frieza. Whatever species they came from, it is nothing like them.

They're not the only ones. The Planet Trade collects and employs these uniquely ultra-powerful mutants for its elite forces. The Saiyans are the strongest race in the universe, but these mutants are the strongest individuals in the universe.

To grasp how powerful these guys are relative to the rest of the universe, we need to talk Saiyans again for a moment. Raditz? Raditz was the yardstick for what the bottom-tier of Saiyans was. He made Earthlings look like trash, but he would have been eaten alive by those unnamed Namekian warriors.

However, a Saiyan's true strength lies in the Oozaru. Goku as an Oozaru was meant to be able to reduce the standing population of the Earth to 0. Raditz, as an Oozaru? Would still have gotten his teeth kicked in by Vegeta, the Saiyan super-elite. He is so ridiculous, he could win a straight fight with the planet-killing Oozaru.

...I mean, not after being beaten within an inch of his life and taking a Genki-Dama to the face, he can't. But if Vegeta were still at the top of his game, this would be a very different fight.

Meanwhile, the Ginyu Force.

So. Yeah. By the time we get to them, we are far beyond the ordinary limits of the universe. Saiyans are the strongest race, and Vegeta's pressing up against the limit of Saiyan ability. He's one Zenkai away from breaking through the Saiyan ceiling. Goku already has.

And these mutants they're up against are the most powerful freak aberrations of unexplained super-ki ever to have occurred anywhere in space.

IIRC it's never directly stated but for reference, Broly would probably be considered a mutant. Whether he is or isn't, he makes as a pretty solid equivalence. These guys are to their respective races what Broly is to Saiyans. What Uub is to humans.

This is all vital context for understanding the way the Ginyu Force fights.

Because.

Like.

You need to understand.

These guys suck.

On purpose.

From a technical standpoint, they're not good fighters. They're sloppy. Poorly trained around big showy moves that are meant to look cool. Style over substance.

This is because they can get away with it. They are the most powerful beings in the universe; Powerful on a scale that is an order of magnitude beyond everybody else that exists. Even the Saiyans look like shit next to these mutants.

Saiyan super-elite hits Recoome with everything he's got right in the face at point-blank range.

And the mutant takes it like a fucking champ. Vegeta's about to be killed by a man who keeps pausing to do this.

The Ginyu Force is badly trained on purpose. Which isn't to say that they're trained to lose fights, but rather that they aren't trained to compete with an equivalent rival. They can afford a martial style focused entirely on showmanship because there is no competition for them. They're too powerful to ever lose fights. Nobody else in the known universe even compares to their mutant might.

Which, as previously noted, is something Frieza is also afflicted by, in different ways. There is no reason for the Ginyus to hone their skills the way the Earthlings do because. Like. Who's going to challenge them? They're naturally born into being top of the field by a wide margin. They're going to auto-win every fight they ever involve themselves in, so their idea of self-improvement is centered instead on looking as cool as possible while they do it.

This is precisely what the Muten-Roshi worked so hard to prevent Goku from becoming.

Something else I mentioned before is that Trunks demonstrates his serious goal-oriented nature by never naming any of his techniques. He has some distinct and identifiable moves, but none of them have a formal name that he shouts out when firing them. He's here to get the job done, not to show off.

The Ginyus are in the opposite boat. They know they can't lose fights, so they are absolutely, 100% here to show off. They name the shit out of their techniques.

Flying knee? Nah, bro. That is a Recoome Kick.

Running in and throwing a punch? Nuh-uh. Recoome Mach Attack.

Lobbing a ki blast at the opponent? Crusher Ball.

These basic attacks are given huge, flashy names. And, I need to specify, they're English names. Moves like the Kamehameha or Taiyoken or Sokidan or Makankosappo also have names but they tend to be Japanese names with descriptive meanings.

Turtle Destruction Wave, signature move of the Turtle School of martial arts.

Fist of the Sun, an intense blinding art.

Winding Ki Bullet, a remote-operated bullet of ki that Yamcha can manipulate how he likes.

Demon Piercing and Killing Light Gun, a Mazoku technique that pierces and kills.

This is not the same thing. These guys are screaming exotic English words to look cool while throwing hands. "RECOOME KICK!!!" Recoome screams in English as he throws a kick.

There is only one other character in Dragon Ball who fights like this.

That's right. Recoome Kick is the same kind of thing as Satan Miracle Special Ultra Super Megaton Punch. All shouted in English as well. The Ginyu Force is what Mr. Satan would be if he was as formidable as the world believes he is.

They're showmen, even moreso than the Earthling martial artists who were born for a tournament stage. Hell, some of Recoome's moves are inspired by pro wrestling.

They are the ultimate demonstration, both of the unquestionable might of the Planet Trade's human resources, and of the absolute waste that is the Planet Trade's capitalist philosophy towards martial arts. The PTO doesn't train warriors; They scout the strongest guys their money can buy and give them marching orders of "Get 'em." Their super-elites are no exception.

Except the Captain.

Much like Vegeta was with Nappa, Ginyu is the only one who gets it. He sees Goku's reading and immediately assesses that Goku's suppressing his ki. Ginyu knows his shit. He's just never drilled this kind of information into his soldiers, opting instead for cool-looking battle poses.

It makes sense that he understands ki suppression. He's Frieza's highest-ranking officer, and Frieza is the universe's unparalleled master at ki suppression. The lengths Frieza has gone to for the sake of suppressing ki....

But he hasn't taught it to his men. They're learning flashy modeling poses instead of martial arts.

I guess I can see the logic. Powerful as they are, why would it matter? Those three extraordinary warriors earlier were also suppressing their ki, but a range of 1k to haha actually 3k doesn't mean shit to the Ginyu Force. If nobody's true strength can match them then why waste time on tactical study?

But unlike his soldiers, Ginyu himself has the spirit of a martial artist. He doesn't waste time on battle poses or scream "GINYU FLYING PUNCH" in English when he throws a punch or do elaborate two-minute windups for his signature moves.

He's even pretty good at reading people. Ginyu lowballs Goku at 60k before the fight, but reassesses after he's traded blows with Goku a few times and estimates 85k instead.

Goku's official non-suppressed Battle Power at this point in time is 90k. So 85k is a pretty fucking good estimate for a guy who can't sense ki. Ginyu knows his shit. He's as reliant on tech as the rest of the PTO but he's experienced enough to have a strong understanding of what various levels fight like.

This is especially impressive when you remember that he's never fought someone at 90k before. Remember, further up, when he first judged Goku as 60k? He was getting excited about his lowball 60k estimate and saying he's never had a chance like this before.

If he's never fought 60k, he's certainly never fought 85k. He just. Knows enough about how lower levels fight that he can apply that knowledge and extrapolate to higher levels. It's an impressive estimation that demonstrates his experience. Ginyu isn't just the second-most powerful guy in the Planet Trade. He's the best martial artist in the Planet Trade, bar none.

He's also got a... theoretically cool ultimate technique that utterly sucks in practice: Body Change.

He may be the best martial artist in the Planet Trade but he's got nothing on martial arts master and analytical counter-fighter Son Goku. It takes Goku no time at all to realize that Ginyu's technique sucks. He doesn't know how to fight with Goku's ki.

Ginyu-Goku thinks this body will give him 180k BP because that's what he read on the Scouter when Goku used the Kaio-ken. But not only does Ginyu not know how to perform Kaio-ken, he doesn't even know how to use Goku's ki at all. It's not his. It doesn't work the same way. In Goku's body, Ginyu's reduced to a distressing 23k BP when Jeice reads him.

He's not just failing to put out Kaio-ken power. He's getting his teeth kicked in by Krillin. It's embarrassing.

I've heard the theory go around that Ginyu started out weak and worked his way up via Body Changing anyone that was ever stronger than him, but I'm not convinced that's the case. Because this right here? This seems like a critical flaw. It's hard to believe he'd be entirely ignorant of this drawback if he's ever seriously used this technique before.

Ginyu being incompatible with a Body Changed host's ki doesn't seem like something an experienced Body Changer would need Goku to explain to him. In practice, the hypothetically awesome technique is bad for reasons Ginyu wasn't able to foresee, not unlike when Tenshinhan brought Shishin no Ken/Multiform to the 23rd Tenkaichi Budokai. Or Goku's first time attempting Super Saiyan 3 in a living body. Cool in theory but a massive fucking oversight costs him the entire fight.

This seems more likely to be something Ginyu, the only real martial artist in his crew, developed in his own time and showed off to his men. Something he's never actually stress tested, that he's been sitting on and waiting for an opportunity to use in the field.

Whatever the case, it pins an unexpected and interesting capstone on the Ginyu Force. They're a group of clowns who can get away with clownishness because they were born into unparalleled privilege. And they're led by a shockingly well-educated and capable martial artist who's never worked the kinks out of his ultimate technique for lack of adequate competition in a universe that could rarely hope to ever challenge even his weakest man.

[yamcha-thelonewolf]

💥THE GANG IS BACK!

At least... Apparently DBS gave him his chance.

DRAGON BALL SUPER

Chapter 56: Warriors of Earth Assemble

Even the title is stunning. I mean... the gang is back! The original Dragon Ball isn't dead. But now look at him... In truth, he never stopped getting excited about fighting. Here he's the only one who seems purely motivated. A little reckless, but still cute. That's our good ol' Yamcha.

...how dare you, fool?! I mean, he's one of the very first Earth Heroes! No kidding!

Let him prove it.

Agent Yamcha? Well... It sounds really good. Finally someone who respects his role in this story! I mean... He was Lord Yamcha, the fearsome bandit of the Diablo Desert, one of the best students of Master Roshi, then King Kai, a memorable fighter of the Tenkaichi Tournaments, a loyal friend, a human who has crossed his own nature! I guess "agent Yamcha" is just the minimum... But we make do!

Well well well... Welcome back, Yamcha! You really seem to have remembered who you really are and you can be! You're let it get you down too many times for no reason and this has been your greatest weakness. The only one.

Take your revenge!

This is really touching. He never denied his most famous technique... The one and only Rōgafūfūken! Just look at his fingers put like a wolf fang. I can hear his unmistakable howl!

After all, generally he never denied himself. And his long hair too. I'm so glad they've come back. This is a really important point about his personality. Bulma tried to fix him in many things... Sometimes she has helped him, but other times she has only damaged him. I think Yamcha is slowly retracing his steps to create a better version of himself. Not just a parody.

Oh please... It had been a long time since I had seen him so proud of himself. Look at that cocky pose! Damn, how cute...

Got a real taste. He just realized he can still help and now no one can stop him. Well, sort of. The rest of the chapter doesn't show anything relevant about him. Except for a small part.

We can see Yamcha, but also Tenshinhan, Kurillin and even Chiaotzu, helping Goku with their energy. Like the old days. It's amazing they included them.

Okay, this one hurts a little. It's comforting that Toriyama didn't forget this detail... Yamcha's only wish has always been to get married. Since 1985, when he first appeared. Considering that this line dates back to 2020... It's been a long time, hasn't it? Back then he was a shy 16-year-old boy with many expextations for his future... Now he's a man, he lost so much, but his need for love never changed. So... Does he really have to ask Shenron as he wanted to do so many years ago?! Or worse, wait 1200 years...

Come on, Akira! He doesn't need the dragon balls!

Give him his real chance.

Guys... I would say that all of this is an incredible goal for Yamcha's fans.

He still exists.

He can still make a difference, even a tiny one.

He still can!

GOOD JOB, Yamcha-san! ✌️

[jcmarchi]

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Trailer Reveals Fusion Fighters And Teases Summer Game Fest Announcement

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Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Trailer Reveals Fusion Fighters And Teases Summer Game Fest Announcement

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero’s latest trailer has unveiled fusion warriors for its roster. It also seems to tease another announcement on the horizon.

The trailer reveals the additions of Gotenks (the fusion of Goten and Trunks), Kefla (the fusion of Caulifla and Kale), Fused Zamasu, and Goku and Vegeta’s fusions, Vegito and Gogeta. Watch them trade blows in the trailer below: 

[embedded content]

Since each fusion includes the fighters that make them up and their various transformations, the full list of characters joining the roster amounts to 21. Check them out below. 

Trunks (Kid)

Trunks (Kid), Super Saiyan

Goten

Goten, Super Saiyan

Caulifla

Caulifla, Super Saiyan 2

Kale

Kale, Super Saiyan

Gotenks

Gotenks, Super Saiyan

Gotenks, Super Saiyan 3

Kefla

Kefla, Super Saiyan

Kefla, Super Saiyan 2

Vegito

Vegito, Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

Gogeta (Super)

Gogeta (Super), Super Saiyan

Gogeta (Super), Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan

Fused Zamasu

Fused Zamasu, Half-Corrupted

The trailer ends with a message serving as a classic callback to the anime that states, “Next time on Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero: Summer Game Fest 2024.” Could we be getting a release date at Geoff Keighley’s showcase? Given that the game was revealed during another Keighley show, The Game Awards 2023, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero is the next entry in what’s known in the West as the Budokai Tenkaichi series (Sparking is the franchise’s original Japanese name). The roster is only halfway revealed, but we’ve already seen a number of confirmed fighters from Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super, including multiple versions of the same characters. The game has no release window but is coming to PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. You can learn more about the game’s new mechanics and features here. 

[miramiravictories]

N/A = Majin Buu just be existing for the lolz ??? = lmao, the balls that are very Super were made ??? = The gods were having so much drama without Gowasu existing ??? = Who is dafuq is Yamoshi? He fought his race and his race won- ??? = back then, Tapion was just that guy... now sealed in a little box 261 = rip Classic Namek, maybe... 461 = Roshi gets traumatized by King Piccolo or something 732 = King Vegeta gets punked by his old boss's tiny ahh son 734 = Goku is born 749 = Goku's adventure begins 750 = Goku competes in his first tournament 753 = Goku dogs King Piccolo after drinking special water 756 = Junior gets dogged too cuz Goku was trained by like... God 761 = Goku dies 762 = The Saiyans attack and "broski" goes Super Saiyan 763-ish = Cell is bitch-made and devolves after sneaking Trunks 764 = Mecha Freeza gets diced the figgity fuck up and blown-out 767 = The Butterfly Effect bullies Trunks, Vegeta, Cell & 17 774 = The Super Saiyan Bargain Sale is real and peeps forget Buu 778 = Goku kinda becomes a god or something like that 779 = Ayo- there's a couple of Super Saiyan God: Super Saiyans 780 = Go Broly Go Go! Go Broly Go Go! Oh, and a Gohan dies, lmao 780? = Moro swallows a guy and gets neck to go Ultra, but crumbles 781? = Granolah & Gas cheat at life, then Freeza gets a paint-job 782? = Goten & Trunks steal Gohan's entire flow + Trunks simps hard 783 = Gohan Blanco is REAL?!?! minus the blue skin though 784 = Goku sets off to train Uub in off-screen land for eternity 789 = But that other Goku though... He gets turned into a kid! 790 = NOBODY CAN BEAT ME WHEN I'M SUPER 17 & Goku ascends 790 = Meanwhile in another timeline, Miss Buu is born! OMG 791 = Can Majins fuck? Probably, 'cause they become an entire race 793 = Satan retires only to try scamming another way 794 = Pan low-key creates Hero Colosseum; Remote Fighting frfr 796 = Pan teaches randoms how to use their ki 801 = Goku & Vegeta probably kill each other or something 804 = Gohan finally sliced Katchin and wrote a book about it 805 = Goten & Trunks gets zesty with a sword 820 = Satan dies and the Freeza Force try to RoF without a Freeza 821 = Tien & Krillin create schools... Fighting schools... 826 = Yajirobe finally decides to plant some damn beans 834 = Majin Mani Mani is the REALEST Majin to ever Majin, dying 850 = ATTENTION ALL PROUD WARRIORS, HAVE YOU CONSIDE- 851 = Mira bombs Namek with... A SPIRIT BOMB?! Bro cheating 852 = Mira fucking dies, but not before going monkey 889 = OMG Goku Jr. & Vegeta Jr?? What's the Change!Goku doing? 890 = Hi, Beat! Hi, Ultimate Tenkaichi. The world's ending... again...?

900 = The Yardrats really got put on Time Machine construction 940 = Something something, Evil Namekians (hi) start hacking eggs 991 = General Bon, the Animal-human nationalist creates Red.. Pants 998 = Mira threatens Earth and Piccolo... orphans many, legally 999 = Trunks cant help but do Time Breaker shit by snitching on Mira 1000 = Just about everybody's able to box with ki now 2016 = Tekka & Pinich let their intrusive thoughts fuck time-space