TLDR;
This video explores the retro history of Dragon Ball video games, focusing on titles that were never released outside of Japan and a localized title that went horribly wrong. It covers the early games released for the Famicom, Super Famicom, and other obscure consoles, highlighting the evolution of gameplay from action-adventure to card-based RPGs and fighting games. The video also discusses the localization changes made to Dragon Ball games for North American audiences and the eventual release of Dragon Ball games in North America and Europe.
- Early Dragon Ball games were simple LCD handhelds and a top-down shooter for the Super Cassette Vision.
- Bandai's localization of "Dragon Ball: Shenlong no nazo" into "Dragon Power" for North America involved significant changes to characters, story, and gameplay.
- The Super Famicom era saw the release of popular fighting games like "Dragon Ball Z: Super Butoden," which had a unique screen-splitting feature.
- Many Dragon Ball games were released exclusively in Japan for various consoles, including the Famicom, Super Famicom, Game Boy, and obscure platforms like the Bandai Playdia and Apple Pippin.
Introduction [0:01]
The video introduces the topic of Dragon Ball's influence on anime, comics, and pop culture, highlighting its status as one of the most well-known and beloved series. It mentions the various iterations of the franchise, including Dragon Ball Z, GT, Super, and the recent film Dragon Ball Super: Broly. The video also notes Dragon Ball's success as a video game franchise, with over 50 million games sold, surpassing other classic franchises like Street Fighter and Mega Man.
Early Dragon Ball Games [3:13]
In February 1986, less than two years after the debut of the Dragon Ball manga, the Weekly Shonen Jump series premiered as an animated television show produced by Toei Animation. As its popularity rose, the first Dragon Ball video games were released as two standalone LCD handhelds: Dragon Ball: Pilloff no Gakushu and Dragon Ball: Kaiketsu Son Goku. These games featured multiple game modes based on the Dragon Ball storyline. Epoch, the creator of these handhelds, also developed the first home console Dragon Ball game, Dragon Ball: Dragon Daihikyō, for the Super Cassette Vision system. This game was a top-down shoot-'em-up where players controlled Goku on the Flying Nimbus, using his power pole and energy blasts to defeat enemies.
Dragon Power: A Localized Disaster [4:46]
Tose Software developed Dragon Ball: Shenlong no nazo for the Famicom, published by Bandai. The game's 14 levels allowed players to explore various settings while defeating enemies and bosses. Bandai decided to localize the game for North America, transforming it into Dragon Power. Bandai America took liberties with the story, characters, and gameplay, drawing inspiration from "Journey to the West." Goku was changed from a boy with a monkey tail to a monkey-like character. The dragonballs became crystal balls, and Goku's Kamehameha attack was renamed "wind wave." Bulma became Nora, Yamcha became Lancer, and Master Roshi was redesigned and had his character changed to be less creepy. Despite these changes, Dragon Power was featured in the first issue of Nintendo Power magazine.
Famicom Era [9:05]
Shenlong no nazo was also localized for France, with virtually no changes from the Japanese original. Dragon Ball: Daimaō Fukkatsu and Dragon Ball 3: Gokū Den replaced the action-adventure gameplay with a card-based RPG system. Players moved Goku on a game board, gathering information and battling opponents using attack cards. Neither game was released outside of Japan, although Goku Den was released for the WonderSwan Color in 2003. As the 80s turned into the 90s, Dragon Ball transformed into Dragon Ball Z, with Goku growing into a muscle-bound child and the adventures taking on a slightly more mature tone.
Super Famicom and Arcade Games [11:12]
Bandai continued releasing Dragon Ball games for the Famicom, including Dragon Ball Z: Kyoshu! Saiyan, Dragon Ball Z 2: Gekishin Freeza!!, and Dragon Ball Z 3: Ressen Jinzōningen, all of which retained the card battling system. Dragon Ball Z: Gekitō Tenkaichi Budokai was released with the Datach Joint ROM System, requiring players to scan cards to unlock fighters. Dragon Ball Z Gaiden: Saiyajin Zetsumetsu Keikaku featured a card-based RPG gameplay and an original storyline. Dragon Ball Z: Atsumare! Gokū World allowed players to answer trivia and progress the plot of the Cell Saga. The first Super Famicom game was an enhanced remake of the first and second Dragon Ball Z games for the Famicom, known as Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu. Dragon Ball Z: Super Butōden was a classic 2D fighter that allowed players to maneuver their fighters far away from each other, splitting the screen with a colorful line. Super Butōden was followed by sequels and spin-offs for the Super Famicom, Sega Mega Drive, and Sega Saturn. Super Butōden 2 was released in North America and Europe in 2015 as a digital pre-order bonus for the Nintendo 3DS. Banpresto brought the fight to the arcades with Dragon Ball Z, housed in a cabinet designed by Akira Toriyama. The arcade game was followed by Dragon Ball Z 2 and VRVS, which put players over the shoulder of their favorite Z warrior.
Late 90s Obscure Titles and North American Release [16:56]
From 1994 to 1996, nearly a dozen more Dragon Ball games were released, including RPGs for the Game Boy, more games for the Super Famicom, and the first Dragon Ball game for the PlayStation, Dragon Ball Z: Ultimate Battle 22. Other titles included choose-your-own-adventure games for the Bandai Playdia, an art design title for the Apple Pippin, and a strategy-based fighting game for the PC Engine. In 1996, Dragon Ball Z was introduced to a wide North American audience. The first official Dragon Ball game to be released in North America was the 1997 fighting game Dragon Ball GT: Final Bout. The game was also released in the UK and other regions of Europe.
Conclusion [19:11]
The video concludes by reflecting on the evolution of Dragon Ball video games from early pixelated titles to high-quality hits like Dragon Ball Xenoverse and Dragon Ball FighterZ.