Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO massive character roster may get expanded after release with characters missing from the previous entry in the series, Budokai Tenkaichi 3.
As reported by MondoMega, the game files feature leftovers for content cut from the base game, including characters that were apparently planned but that did not make it in the base roster. Among them are some alternate forms like Great Saiyaman 2, Kibito Kai, Super 17, and the Shadow Dragons from Dragon Ball GT. As such, there’s a very high chance that these characters may be released as DLC characters in the future.
The Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO files also revealed some transformations and base forms have been scrapped, such as Great Ape Goku and SSJ1 Caulifla for transformations, and Garlic Jr., Frost, Ribrianne, Kakunsa and Roasie as base forms. Regarding maps, nothing in the files seems to suggest anything has been cut before release, so there’s no way to tell if missing maps from previous entries in the series will come back at some point.
While it is definitely disappointing that some characters didn’t make it into the launch roster, it is difficult to complain about Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO character lineup, as it currently features 182 characters. Balancing a massive character roster for competitive play was no easy feat, but developer Spike Chunsoft came up with an interesting system that allows players to pick less-powerful characters and still have a winning chance against the most powerful Saiyans in the game, as explained to us during Gamescom 2024 by producer Jun Furutani.
Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO is now available on PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, and Xbox Series S.