Spawning over three decades and several different manga, movies, and TV shows, Dragon Ball definitely has an expansive roster of characters. Unfortunately, Dragon Ball FighterZ seemed to shortchange players in this area. Compared to past titles, like Budokai Tenkaichi 3, which boasted over 150 playable characters, the roster here seemed small.
Granted, it’s hard to design a large number of fighters and make them feel unique, and FighterZ has definitely improved its roster in the three years since the initial launch. Sometimes, though, you just want to kick back and play as your favorite characters from the show regardless of their similarity to others. Mods can help with that, and FighterZ has plenty to go around.
10 Caulifla, A Saiyan From The Multiverse
Among other things, Dragon Ball Super‘s Multiverse melees brings a fresh batch of Saiyans to eager fans. The most enjoyable is easily Caulifla, a rough-and-tumble warrior whose boundless energy can’t be contained. Testing her limits against Goku gets her fired up beyond belief, and she lights up the screen with every bout.
She’s partially in the game already as Kefla, the fused version of her and her friend and possible lover, Kale, but this mod lets players crush the competition as the rowdy little psycho herself.
9 Ryu, A DLC Character From Street Fighter
Guest characters are par for the course in fighting games, especially in today’s age of DLC. Why not invite the front runner of Street Fighter, one of the most popular fighting franchises of all time?
The flashy moves and anime sensibilities already make this Capcom series every bit as crazy as Dragon Ball. Let Ryu show these rainbow-haired weirdos how it’s done. With the martial arts and energy blasts flying everywhere, he should feel right at home. Which is more powerful: a Hadouken or a Kamehameha wave?
8 Stephanie Nadolny as Goku and Gohan
Nadolny was Funimation’s original English voice for Gohan and Kid Goku, playing the characters through Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, Dragon Ball GT, and the mass of movies and games that came after. Starting with Dragon Ball Z Kai, the company replaced her with Colleen Clinkenbeard, who has never measured up in the eyes of many fans.
The wholesome heroism and powerful energy that Nadolny brought to the roles gave way to shrill screams and dispirited annoyance. That was also the case for FighterZ, until these mods came out. Thanks to past recordings, Teen Gohan and the GT version of Goku now have Nadolny’s voice instead of Clinkenbeard’s. Nostalgic fans everywhere, rejoice.
7 Manga Colors & Shading
The look and feel of FighterZ already emulates Dragon Ball brilliantly. It’s truly an anime come to life. What if it sheered more toward the manga, though?
Many aesthetic aspects of the original comics were slightly different than their anime adaptations. Maybe the orange is a lighter tint; perhaps, the shadows are more pronounced. These may not seem like much, but the little details can make a world of difference. As such, any character sporting these mods can be easily be distinguished from their counterparts. It’s like night and day.
6 Imperfect Cell, A Variant Of Cell
Like many Dragon Ball characters, the insectoid android, Cell, comes in many forms. FighterZ only includes one of these forms for the sake of focus and uniqueness, and it makes sense that this inclusion would be “Perfect” Cell.
That being said, Imperfect Cell, the first non-larval rendition of the winged villain, is far creepier with his raspy voice and inhuman features. He also uses his stinger in combat, which is accomplished here by using Cooler (and his tail) as a template. The work that went into crafting all the aesthetic details of this mod can’t be discounted. Cell’s second form isn’t included, but that’s probably for the best to spare players from his weird blackface lips.
5 Bardock The Brilliant Scientist
The Ocean dub of Dragon Ball Z did a lot of things right, but it’s still peppered with weird little quirks that have made many fans chuckle and spawned many a meme. Whether these were due to censorship or ignorance, they’re still fun to look back on. One example came when Vegeta turned into a Great Ape without the full moon. He accredits the ability to Goku’s father, describing him as “a brilliant scientist.”
In reality, Bardock was a warrior with no scientific knowledge to speak of, but that didn’t stop modders from running with this looney idea. Granted, these skins are limited to his lobby avatar instead of his in-game fighter. However, the bobble-headed visual is arguably more amusing.
4 Super Saiyan 4 Vegeta
Although Dragon Ball GT proved divisive at best, several elements have stuck around throughout the years. One of these is Super Saiyan 4, a radical departure from previous transformations and much more striking than recent ones. GT Goku can power up to this form for one of his attacks, but what about his rival? Is he just not enough of a Scorpio?
This mod evens the odds and gives Vegeta his own simian form from that show. Match him up against his Super Saiyan Blue counterpart and see what happens. Do a Dragon Ball Heroes-style crossover. And don’t worry, his biker-esque base form isn’t included, so he thankfully doesn’t have the mustache.
3 Mr. Satan, Using the Nappa Skeleton
A common source of comic relief, Mr. Satan has often been popular in the games as a joke character. It’s surprising that FighterZ has never implemented in any official capacity. Well, fret not. The champ is back, afro and all.
Using Nappa as a template was a smart move since he looks fairly goofy as it is, both in his oversized proportions and cartoonish faces. Sadly, this means that Mr. Satan doesn’t have his more comedic attacks, such as exploding video games, but it still works.
2 Tapion, Using Trunks’ Skeleton
This is what would happen if the Supreme Kai wasn’t a worthless waste of space. No, that comparison doesn’t just come down to looks. Tapion is also the harbinger of death, an ancient being who comes to warn the heroes of an apocalyptic threat. The difference is that he fights his own battles, so it’s about time he (and other movie characters) got a little respect.
Using Trunks as the mod’s template is a poetic callback. They sport the same noble, no-nonsense attitude, so it makes their common movements and mannerisms appropriate. Tapion even passes his sword to the young Saiyan at the end of their adventure. Sure, this doesn’t make sense from a continuity perspective, but it’s still a nice touch.
1 Sonic The Hedgehog
It’s hard to believe this is even real. Sonic the Hedgehog, a character known for fast-paced platforming, has been thrown into a big-time fighting game. However, it’s not that out-of-the-blue (no pun intended), really. This cocky little rodent has done more than his fair share of fighting. Plus, being faster than the speed of sound, he’d probably be more than happy to test his reflexes against the Dragon Ball roster.
On top of that, he’s delved into the anime landscape before with Sonic X. This combined with his streamlined design, means that he fits the aesthetic in a weird way. Of course, it helps that he’s based on Teen Gohan, one of the smallest and quickest combatants in the game. All these elements come together beautifully and ensure that the mod captures the essence of Sonic. Who knew that he’d be such a great fit? It just shows the creativity that comes from fan inspiration, one of the many perks of the modding community.
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