History VideoGame / DragonBallFighterZ

In addition to a usual arcade mode, ''[=FighterZ=]'' features a brand new story mode. An army of clones created by the nefarious Android 21 go on a rampage, and villains from the past have also reemerged. Now, Goku, Frieza, and Android 18 will need to enlist the aid of [[PlayerCharacter a mysterious soul that can inhabit their bodies]] to give them the strength to defeat the clones and save the universe.

* AmbidextrousSprite: In battle, most characters facing to the right have their models mirrored. Everything about them, to be exact, even in their intro animations and cinematic attack animations, and whether it's their hair, clothing or poses, they are flipped. Exceptions to this are Yamcha, Bardock, and Broly (DBS)'s scars and logos on certain character's outfits (the kanji on Goku's gi, the Red Ribbon logo on 18's jacket, etc.). In few other cases, the opposite happens; certain animations are correctly depicted when the characters are facing the right side of the screen and is then mirrored when they are facing the left side.

** Z-Coins, contrary to initial fears of being a premium currency, are this when it comes to the unlocks. You can't buy Z-Coins with real-world money; instead, you can randomly get a Z-Coin when popping open a capsule, and you also get one if you got something from a capsule that you already have. Trading in ten Z-Coins will always unlock something you didn't already have as a way to mitigate the frustration of getting the same things over and over.

* AssistCharacter: As with ''Marvel vs. Capcom 2'', any live teammates are capable of jumping into the fight momentarily and launching a single attack (initially these assist attacks were fixed but a game update has changed this so the assist attack can be set while selecting your team) that can give strategic advantages beyond your point character's own abilities. In addition, some characters come with assist characters who perform moves on their behalf (see the [[Characters/DragonBallFighterZ Character Page]]).
** According to the devs, this is the basic design philosophy behind the canonically weaker characters. While they can fight like the rest, their true value comes in their really damn good support abilities (like Krillin being TheMedic with his Senzu Beans, Yamcha's RapidFireFisticuffs being great for building lots of super meter and locking down the opponent, and Tien, via Chiaotzu, being able to stun enemies, as well as cut through their health like butter with the Neo Tri-Beam). [[LetsGetDangerous Though, this can sometimes lose meaning once you see a good Yamcha player take off 60 percent of your life bar with one meter.]]
* AttackReflector: A character can use a Z-Reflect by pressing backwards plus the Special button. The Z-Reflects allows the character to reflect physical attacks, Ki Blasts or parry almost any kind of Super/Meteor Attack. The only exception so far is Videl, who has a Spot Dodge instead.

** Powering up is a staple of ''Dragon Ball Z'' but the power-up function in ''[=FighterZ=]'' leaves you painfully vulnerable in order to charge your ki/super meter. At best you can use it as a feint to get someone to attack you or after a sliding knock-down but doing it out in the open is ill-advised against human opponents.
** [[ZigZaggedTrope ZigZagged]] with Super Dashing. It is a unique attack in that it easily closes the gap between characters, is universally available, is surprisingly simple to execute (a combination of two attack buttons), beats out projectile attacks, can be made mostly safe on block, can be immediately followed up for a combo on hit or for extended pressure during an active sparking blast, and can be made completely safe with certain assists. However, it can be countered by sheer muscle memory or a good read for a full combo (using a down Hard or 2H will always beat it out on the ground, and all characters have some attack that takes priority in air), meaning that you will be severely punished if you abuse it. A good indicator of a player's skill level is how consistently they can counter raw Super Dashes and how well they use it themselves.
** Shenron provides some hefty benefits when activated: significantly strengthening the character's attacks, giving them RegeneratingHealth, restoring their health to full, or resurrecting a downed fighter with 40% health, all of which can pretty much decide a match. But actually getting him to trigger requires the two players to collectively make seven autocombos or combos of specific hit counts (so a 10-19 hit combo gets the one-star ball, a 20-29 hit combo gets the two-star ball, and so on), and then one of the players to have seven full bars of super meter and make an autocombo. Needless to say, by the time seven combos with up to 70+ hits have been performed, chances are the opponent is on their last legs, and those seven bars of meter could probably just be used to kill them with regular super moves. It might be tempting to just gun for the autocombos to get to Shenron as quickly as possible, but that requires sacrificing major damage opportunities and risks giving the opponent a chance to use it instead. For these reasons, most experienced players [[SkillGateCharacters tend to avoid autocombos]] unless they know that Shenron will be summoned due to their inherent predictability and blatantly suboptimal damage.
* BeamOWar: Unsurprisingly this is featured in the game. While it is not an explicit mechanic with a minigame tied to it, like in ''[[Videogame/DragonballZBudokai Budokai 3]]'' and other ''Dragon Ball'' games, beam attacks can still hold each other at bay with their colliding hitboxes. Though if one lasts longer, like the full-power Father-Son Kamehameha when fighting Cell's Solar Kamehameha, that one will "win" the clash and damage the opponent with whatever hitboxes are left.

* CelShading: In the same vein as ''Xrd'', the game features cel-shaded character models that are animated with minimal tweening, so as to resemble 2D sprites, or [[Anime/DragonBallZ the anime]].
* CombinationAttack: An essential aspect of performing powerful combos or applying pressure to the opponent. During a combo, the attacker may call one of their characters in reserve to perform an assist attack independently of the currrently-active character, which can extend the combo far beyond what a single character can do alone. Similarly, during a blockstring, summoning an ally to perform an assist can give the active character the opportunity to get into position to perform an ambiguous mixup, forcing the defender to guess what's coming and try to defend accordingly. It's also possible to switch your active character entirely during a combo (while keeping the combo going!), which (among other applications) is useful for safely benching a wounded character, or switching to a character who benefits more from the situation created at the end of the combo. Various special and super moves are also rendered as combination attacks, featuring two or more characters ganging up on the opponent.

** The computer gains the ability to tag in another character in the middle of being hit - normally impossible for the player.

** Season 3 introduces the Limit-Breaking Power mechanic: when you're left with one single character left, you gain a free Ki bar and a permanent attack buff.

* CycleOfHurting: Deliberately averted: unlike most tag team fighters like ''VideoGame/MarvelVsCapcom'', when one member of a player's team is KO'd, a short cinematic plays of the next fighter's DynamicEntry, after which both players' positions are reset before the fight resumes.

** Android 18's Accel Dance normally has her teaming up with 17, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP3gPFGXL38#t=2m36s but if Krillin is on her team and still alive, he replaces 17.]] Even further, Krillin has his own unique animations for the attack instead of just recycling 17's; he even ends the combo with a Kamehameha. Unfortunately this doesn't apply if 18 and 17 are teamed together (all of 18's AssistCharacter moves that use 17 will only have him wearing his Cell Saga outfit instead of his player character outfit).
** Trunks's Heat Dome uses a similar giant fireball effect as the explosion-styled Meteor Attack. That said, the Heat Dome version has a pillar of energy up the middle of it, since the Heat Dome is basically a KamehameHadoken. The Heat Dome is also a command grab Meteor Attack where he throws the opponent up much like Future Cell. This is unlike most other ''Dragon Ball'' games, where it is simply Trunks shooting his blast upwards and relies on Trunks having a knock-up attack.

** Characters' battle cries will change depending on their opponents as well. For example, if Goku uses his Super Kamehameha against Gohan he'll say "Try this one, Gohan!"; against Frieza he'll say "It's over, Frieza!" or "YouFool"

* GameplayAndStorySegregation: Krillin's Destructo Disc and Piccolo's Special Beam Cannon can be blocked, even when fully charged, unlike how they are depicted in the series (with the former heralded for its ability to cut through anything). [[note]]Early reports from various sites had said they were {{unblockable|Attack}}, and according to WordOfGod it actually was unblockable at one point, but this got changed in development for balance purposes.[[/note]] However, the former does do much heavier ScratchDamage than other supers.
* TheGrappler: As a fast-paced, combo-heavy game, there are not many characters who rely on grappling. However, some notable exceptions are Android 16, Broly and "Super" Broly, who are big strong fighters that use command throws to deal major damage. Android 16, in fact, has a super attack that is guaranteed death for any character caught by it.

* {{Leitmotif}}: Like any other fighting game, all the playable characters have their own music themes, so do the stages. ''Dragon Ball [=FighterZ=]'' uses new, original themes exclusive to this game. If a character has multiple versions of himself, all versions will share the same theme. These characters are Son Goku (three), Son Gohan (two), Vegeta (three) and Majin Buu (two). Fused Zamasu's theme is a DarkReprise of Goku Black's theme. Android 21 is unique for having three different themes, each one being used in one of the three sagas' final boss fights, respectively.

** Super Attacks are strong attacks with cinematic animations that can be used by spending one bar of Ki. Few of them can be stacked by spending additional bars on top of them, with a damage output similar to Meteor Attacks. A few characters are also able to use two different Super Attacks consecutively in a single combo.
** Meteor Attacks are the ultimate moves of every character which also have cinematic animations. You need to spend three bars of Ki to use them. Few of these Meteor Attacks can be stacked by spending additional bars on top of them.

* MultiSlotCharacter: It's a ''Dragon Ball'' fighting game, which has historically been notorious with this trope:

* PaintedCGI: The art invokes the feeling of hand-drawn animation due to the various stylistic choices; cel-shaded materials, lowered frame-rate, all objects having outlines, VFX being hand-drawn, etc. to emulate the made-for-TV animation style of the ''Anime/DragonBallZ''.
* PowerCreepPowerSeep: Comes with the territory of a Franchise/DragonBall fighting game; Beerus, in particular, is a literal [[PhysicalGod God of Destruction]] that can instantly render anything DeaderThanDead. Whereas the majority of the roster are depicted as they were in the original run of ''Z''. But as this is a fighting game, [[https://gfycat.com/FlamboyantClearcutEastrussiancoursinghounds Yamcha]] and other Earthlings can punch far above their weight class. [[note]]WordOfGod shows ArcSys took steps to downplay this, noting that it would be fairly weird for weaker characters such as Krillin and Yamcha to be designed for direct combat when they are canonically so much weaker. So the mechanics of characters like Krillin and Yamcha encourage more support-focused roles for them. Such as Krillin having Sensu Beans, or Yamcha's moveset being fantastic at building up lots of meter for his teammates to use.[[/note]] It's actually a [[JustifiedTrope justified]] example in the game's story. See PowerLimiter below.

* PunchedAcrossTheRoom: Finish an opponent with an attack that would blast them to the other side of the stage and instead of slamming into the opposite "wall", a cinematic knockout will occur where they fly off into some background object instead. In some stages, this is also accompanied by a stage transition.

* RapidFireFisticuffs: In a general sense, this is how the game's [[VideoGame/GuiltyGear Dust]] equivalent is used, à la being called the Dragon Rush mechanic (and also acts as a universal throw attack for all characters). As for more specific examples, Yamcha's Wolf Fang Fist, and some versions of Gohan's Aerial Kick, works in this way here.

** In a similar vein to ''VideoGame/JoJosBizarreAdventureAllStarBattle'', the game's Dramatic Finishers will reward you for doing so yourself. If something about the team compositions or the match's progress lines up with canon, the game will play a recreation of the [[SignatureScene equivalent scene]] from the series at the beginning, end, or middle of the match. Examples including Frieza killing Krillin in front of Goku, Gohan killing Cell with the Father-Son Kamehameha, Yamcha dying to a Saibaman, etc.

* SkillGateCharacters: While the characters aren't that difficult to play, mastering them is a different question. Officially, the lowest "Easy to Use" rank this game has to offer is A, which basically means "not too difficult, but not easy either". The release roster has seven characters ranked A, and 15 other characters are ranked S in terms of "easiness", but even those have some quirks that are not that easy to master. However, there are two initial characters ranked SS, and as the rank implies, they are designed to be as beginner friendly as possible: Son Goku and Vegeta in their regular SSJ forms (for more, see the character page).
* SpecialAttack: Every character has several Special Attacks, which can be performed with quarter-circle-forward or quarter-circle-backwards motion plus one of the four attack button. Most of them appear in form of light, medium and hard versions, the latter being an EXSpecialAttack. Pressing the Special Button instead of one of the other three buttons will trigger a different Special Attack that will always function the same. A few other unique attacks can be used with different button combinations. Super Attacks and Meteor Attacks have similar commands, and comparison to most other fighting games, the commands are quite easy. A Super Attack can be performed with the quarter-circle-forward plus the Dragon Rush or Super Dash button. A Meteor Attack can be performed quarter-circle-backwards motion plus the aforementioned Dragon Rush or Super Dash button.
* StayInTheKitchen: One of Krillin's possible win quote has him telling #18 to stay at home and watch over their daughter Marron.

** Every character has access to a "Sparking Blast", which is usable only once per match[[labelnote:*]]although, if you summon Shenron, you can wish for another use of Sparking Blast[[/labelnote]]. It grants the active character the ability to regenerate blue health, increases the amount of meter gained by hitting the opponent, and increases damage output, with the effect and duration [[ComebackMechanic increasing as your teammates die]]. It also subtly changes the properties of certain moves [[note]]Mainly, it allows the universal "vanish" teleporting attack to be performed without the accompanying attack, which normally tends to knock the opponent out of range of further attacks; and it allows more freedom in cancelling moves into each other, which for example allows the universal overhead move 6M to start a combo, something it cannot normally do[[/note]], enabling much more damaging combos. The Sparking Blast can be activated during a combo, knocking the opponent into the air and bouncing them off the ground, which is itself useful in extending certain combo routes.
* SuperSpecialMove: Several characters who perform the Kamehameha (Including Goku, Gohan, Roshi, Cell, Vegito and Gogeta, and the various alterations of those characters) have an even stronger version as their level 3 super. Cell's for example will shatter the earth around him just as he's charging the attack up, indicating its power. Gohan will perform his Kamehameha with his kid brother, Goten, and their father Goku if he and Gohan are on the same team.

'''Frieza:''' ''[to Goku]'' I'm the strongest in the universe! And that is why... you horrible...! You must... YOU MUST DIE BY MY HAND!!

* ArcHero: [[spoiler:The Androids are a significant part of the plot as well as being the true heroes of the entire story. In the third arc, Android 18 is introduced as a DecoyProtagonist along with 17 with 16 acting as a BigGood, with finally ''Good'' Android 21 joining them (after the death of 16) in order to stop Evil 21.]]

* BothSidesHaveAPoint: PlayedForLaughs in the villain storyline when Cell and Frieza are arguing over who has the right to kill Goku. Frieza mocks Cell for losing to Gohan, arguing if he lost to Goku's son he's no match for Goku. Cell fires back that he actually defeated Goku while Frieza lost to him twice.

** While Pre-Teen Gohan, Future Trunks, Goku Black and Hit are playable in other modes, they don't show up in the Story Mode at all, leaving the story open to the Z Fighters, the Androids and the ''Z''-era villains (and Beerus). All of them are justified, however: since no time travel is involved in the plot, obviously a young Gohan can't return and interact with his adult self, and neither can Future Trunks. Hit lives in another universe altogether, so he will not be affected by the plot.
** Kid Buu subverts this: while the Elder Kaioshin mentions that he was revived, the truth is he is nowhere to be seen.[[note]]Which is consistent, as by this point in the timeline, he was reborn as Uub.[[/note]] Instead, a clone of him serves as his sustitute, while also being the only clone with a personality.
* ContinuitySnarl: ''Like you wouldn't believe''. The second arc where you link with Frieza very heavily implies that it takes place parallel to the first one where you linked with Goku, only this time the villains are the proactive ones once they meet up with the heroes. The third arc, meanwhile, throws ''both'' out of the window by linking the player with Android 18 and the story going down ''very'' differently... and yet they are ''still'' referenced with Krillin and 18's early subplot, as well as characters knowing things that they learned in the previous two arcs. Trying to figure out how things went down is a fantastic way to develop a brain clot.

** Adult Gohan can't use his Bros. Kamehameha since Goten, during the story-mode, is currently fused as Gotenks, meaning he cannot be around to help his brother.

** Normally if you win a fight as Golden Frieza, his victory animation and results dialogue will have him be in his Golden form. In the Story Mode, while you can use Golden Frieza in a case of GameplayAndStorySegregation, if you win as Golden Frieza, he'll instead be in his normal final form, since he isn't able to use it.
** Ginyu won't be able to use his Body Change special during the story-mode. Given how this is a permanent effect, this was likely done to avoid having to justify Ginyu swapping bodies, then magically turning back to normal after the fight.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: Most of the clones are silent and stoic, with no trace of personality. Kid Buu's clones, however, are just as wild, chaotic and loud as he was. [[spoiler:This is setting up that Gero's technology cannot control [[EldritchAbomination Buu's]] cells, which is why Android 21 is so unstable.]]

* TheGhost: While Mr. Satan[=\=]Hercule is mentioned a few times, outside of his lobby avatar, he doesn't make any real appearance. Likewise, Gohan mentions Pan, who is absent. Marron, Krillin and 18's daughter, is also mentioned by Gohan and Krillin, but she doesn't appear on-screen either.
* GodzillaThreshold: The situation is so dire and the threat of Android 21 is so great, the Z-Fighters are pretty much [[EnemyMine forced to ally]] with their fiercest enemies Frieza and Cell in order to stop her. It's definitely ''not'' the ideal solution, but they really have no other choice in the matter regardless.

* InterfaceSpoiler: [[spoiler:Attempting to try accessing Link Events with Android 16 will bring up a message that 16 has no Link Events. This should be a clue that he won't stick around for long. Although, this is justified since he actually has no soul to begin with.]]

* SmallRoleBigImpact: [[spoiler:Dr Gero is barely ''mentioned'', but Android 21, who is strongly indicated to have been his wife when she was human, due to his supercomputer implanting her with Buu's cells, is one of the most potentially destructive and powerful monsters in the franchise. This is highly implied to have been [[GoneHorriblyRight unintentional]].]]

* VideoGameCaringPotential: The characters are aware of the player and will open up to them over the course of the story. Yamcha's, in particular, is him sincerely thanking the player for making him cool again.

** Cell acknowledges the Soul as a potential WorthyOpponent and states that he's looking forward to its further growth, even being willing to offer it a quick and painless death should they fight.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Major praise has been given to all the times where characters roast each other. This has even happened among the Z-Fighters, whom are legitimate friends with each other.

** One starring Android 18 that delves into her and 17's backstory. [[spoiler:[[DecoyProtagonist It's actually 21's story]], fully revealing her backstory, her true personality, TragicMonster status, and [[OnceMoreWithClarity why everything that happened in all routes happened]].]]

* WorfHadTheFlu: Most of the fighters became weaker due to the effect of the waves. Goku doesn't have all of his power due to the entity controlling him and the strange waves, meaning he can't turn into Super Saiyan God Super Saiyan from the get go:

''Dragon Ball [=FighterZ=]'' [[note]]Pronounced as "Fighters", not "Fighter Z"[[/note]] is a 3-on-3 TagTeam FightingGame based on Creator/AkiraToriyama's ''Franchise/DragonBall'' series. Developed by Creator/ArcSystemWorks and published by Creator/{{Bandai Namco|Entertainment}}, it was released for the Platform/PlayStation4, UsefulNotes/XboxOne, and PC on January 26, 2018, and the UsefulNotes/NintendoSwitch on September 27, 2018. Upgraded versions for the UsefulNotes/PlayStation5 and Platform/XboxSeriesXAndS have been confirmed to be in development with Rollback Netcode.