A cornerstone of millions of childhoods, Dragon Ball Z is a beloved anime series that champions courage, friendship, and perseverance. What's more, Dragon Ball Z will be making the leap to tabletop in the form of the Dragon Ball Z: The Board Game Saga, which is due to arrive on Kickstarter on June 9.
Those who have long been in the market for a Dragon Ball Z board game will recall how the Board Game Saga was originally slated for a 2020 release but has since been stuck in limbo. This new Kickstarter, currently previewed on Launchoracle, promises to deliver a campaign experience that mirrors the episodic pacing of the Dragon Ball Z anime.
Dragon Ball Z: The Board Game Saga promises to be a cooperative game for between one and four players, where you'll battle iconic villains from the series across 12 story-driven episodes. You'll follow the same trajectory as Goku did in the series as you strive to collect all seven of the eponymous Dragon Balls.
Of the Z Fighters themselves, it looks as though (at the very least) Goku, Gohan, and Krillin will all be playable as you traverse a range of familiar locales from the show. As you do this, you'll be able to find items, recruit allies, learn new techniques, and, perhaps most importantly, increase your power level. Though we don't know if this will make the title worthy of our best board games list, the commitment to Dragon Ball Z's central themes bodes well.
What catches my eye, however, is how strongly Dragon Ball Z: The Board Game Saga leans into the artwork of legendary manga artist Akira Toriyama, who wrote and illustrated the Dragon Ball Manga between 1984 and 1995. His work not only defined a new aesthetic era for anime as a whole but also heavily influenced Western media.
Though Toriyama is no longer with us, the bold, playful aesthetic of Dragon Ball Z remains a pop culture mainstay. I sincerely hope that the upcoming board game does justice to the Dragon Ball legacy.
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