Why Is the Internet So Hyped for More Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4?
The anime gaming world was thrown quite a curveball when it was recently announced that Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4 was on the way. With the previous entry released in 2007 on the PlayStation 2 and the Nintendo Wii, it's been quite some time since the Z-Fighters battled one another in this series. Some might not know why this series is so beloved and why this announcement has caused such groundswell, so we thought we'd take the opportunity to break down the popularity of the Budokai Tenkaichi series overall.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi first began in 2005, with the fighting game series allowing fans to pick from their favorite heroes and villains from the anime franchise. The fan base has always been there when it comes to those who looked fondly upon picking up a controller and taking control of the likes of Goku and Vegeta. The fighting games under this banner, however, also included story modes, transformations, and many other revolutionary elements not seen in other Dragon Ball games. The continuing age of the internet has also helped in promoting the series, with new and old gamers finding that Budokai Tenkaichi 4 will be working with some beloved memories that merge the worlds of anime and gaming.
Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi's Popularity
Another big reason for the amazing response to the announcement that a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi was coming was simply that many fans of the original series thought it would never happen. Since 2007, the Dragon Ball series has moved on by creating new entries such as Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, Dragon Ball Xenoverse, and Dragon Ball: The Breakers. All these titles explore different facets of the Shonen universe and offer fans alternate modes of play.
Aside from retelling the events of Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball GT, the Budokai series also dove not just into the original series but created unique storylines via a "What If Saga", offering fans stories that had never been seen before. In the "What If" tales, the series would explore wild beats such as Krillin learning Kaioken, Raditz becoming a Z-Fighter, and even a story featuring Zarbon as he managed to evade death in this alternate reality. The games were fit to bursting with content and fans are expecting the same from Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4.
The announcement also made waves thanks to the fact that many believed a fourth entry would never happen, especially considering that the "fighting game hole" for Dragon Ball has been filled by Dragon Ball FighterZ. With Dragon Ball Super elements now in play, as the sequel series debuted following the release of Budokai Tenkaichi 3, there's a lot to potentially look forward to and plenty of new elements for Bandai Namco to explore.