A Japanese series, it only makes sense most of Dragon Ball’s video games would come from Japan. At the same time, Dragon Ball’s appeal is universal. Whether you’re in Japan, the United States, Europe, or Latin America, Dragon Ball is a franchise that anyone from any culture can find something to appreciate about.
It’s also a franchise with a good chunk of games not made in Japan. Not a lot, mind you, and most were rather predictably developed in the United States, but it’s interesting to note which Dragon Ball games didn’t actually come from Japan. Honestly, the results aren’t that surprising.
8 The Legacy Of Goku
The Legacy of Goku released at the right place and at the right time, earning it some nice sales. Unfortunately, fans were met with one of the worst games on the Game Boy Advance. A mess of an action RPG that was short, grindy, and just no fun at all. Worse yet, it mangles the Saiyan and Freeza arc’s stories.
The Legacy of Goku would somehow see a surprisingly improved sequel down the line, but this first game is a mess from start to finish. It’s one of the least Dragon Ball games around, and it’s honestly a shock The Legacy of Goku was able to spin-off into its own sub-series.
7 Collectible Card Game
Dragon Ball Z had a card game for a while. It still does, but it’s not quite the same as it was. It’s actually good now. Jokes aside, the original Dragon Ball Z card game is a fond memory for many of us who got into the series during its Toonami days. In many respects, Dragon Ball Z cards were just as noteworthy as Pokemon cards. (For the six of us who collected them.)
Collectible Card Game was an attempt at bringing the physical card game into the gaming medium, and it’s horrible. It’s even worse than Legacy of Goku. This should’ve been Dragon Ball’s Reshef of Destruction, but it’s an ugly, messy game you won’t want to play for more than a few minutes.
6 The Legacy Of Goku II
Credit where credit is due, The Legacy of Goku II might very well be the best sequel on the Game Boy Advance if only because of the jump in quality between Legacy of Goku I and itself. This is a game that learns every single lesson worth learning from its predecessor and manages to reapply all its concepts into something not only more competent but legitimately good.
Good level design, good gameplay, good boss fights– The Legacy of Goku II has it all. Better yet, it focuses on a unique section of the series where Goku isn’t in the spotlight all that often. And unlike the first game, this results in Gohan, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Trunks serving as the story’s leads 90% of the time.
5 Taiketsu
Taiketsu is infamously one of the worst Dragon Ball Z video games there is. A 2D Tekken-esque fighting game, Taiketsu is one of the ugliest, worst playing games on the Game Boy Advance. Not just a bad fighting game, but a bad Dragon Ball game too, with the series’ identity noticeably quite absent.
Taiketsu also marketed itself as the first Dragon Ball game to feature Broly, which was just a blatant lie considering Super Butoden 2 exists (and is a much, MUCH better game). Taiketsu is quite possibly the single worst game on this list, and playing it for a single round will tell you why.
4 Buu’s Fury
A sequel to The Legacy of Goku II and the final entry in The Legacy of Goku trilogy (kind of, but we’ll follow up on that,) Buu’s Fury is the most RPG oriented of the three games. It has equipment, some proper side quests, and even stat customization. It makes for a very easy game, but a rather dynamic one.
Plus, it’s one of the only games in the series to focus on the Buu arc and really give it the time to breathe. The level design, unfortunately, isn’t as good as The Legacy of Goku II’s, but Buu’s Fury is still an excellent sequel and a really nice adaptation of the end of DBZ.
3 Transformation
Dragon Ball GT: Transformation is technically a sequel to Buu’s Fury. It is not an action RPG, it does not even resemble the previous three games, and its overall quality is more in-line with the original The Legacy of Goku than anything else. It’s honestly a really sad end to what was an otherwise surprisingly good sub-series.
As if to add insult to injury, Transformation ends on a cliffhanger that was never resolved, leaving The Legacy of Goku adaptation stuck in a very awkward limbo. Considering how good The Legacy of Goku II and Buu’s Fury were, you really have to wonder why the devs decided to make Transformation a slow beat em up.
2 Sagas
Anyone who was around leading up to Sagas’ release understands how bad of a game it is. It was being marketed as the Dragon Ball game. The game that would actually capture the feel and tone of the anime, translating it masterfully to the video game medium. Instead, what we got was pure garbage.
Stinking to high heaven, Sagas is a migraine waiting to happen. It has terrible level design, health sponge bosses, an abysmal combat system, and truly ear grating music. It is one of the worst video games ever made, and a sin against the franchise on the same level as Dragon Ball Evolution.
1 Online
Developed in South Korea, Dragon Ball Online was actually something of an “official” continuation of sorts before Dragon Ball Super adopted that role. With a timeline penned by Akira Toriyama, Dragon Ball Online chronicled a world of history that occurred after the end of the original manga. Most of it, very cool.
Tragically, Dragon Ball Online didn’t really have the legs to last, and much of its lore was repurposed between both Xenoverse and Heroes. Dragon Ball has been doing its own thing since Battle of Gods, and it seems highly unlikely Toriyama will revisit any concepts from Online. It wasn’t a bad game, though. A bit light as far as most MMOs go, but the Dragon Ball fan service makes it worth it.
NEXT: Dragon Ball: 10 Best Games That Adapt The Anime’s Story
