Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis one of the most ambitious games based on an anime ever developed, adapting the fullDragon Ball Zstoryline of Akira Toriyama’s original manga into an open-world RPG, developed by CyberConnect2. It’s the kind of treatment very few anime and manga franchises get, yet few are more deserving of it thanDragon Ball, which has proven itself to be worthy of its legacy as one of the biggest media franchises in the world.
That said, it’s hard not to imagine some of Shonen Jump’s other smash-hit manga series in this style of sprawling action-adventure. CyberConnect2 proved it’s possible to adapt the story of such a long manga into an open-world RPG, while still offering an experience that was distinctlyDragon Ball.
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While the developer has already announced its next project, a 3D fighting game title based on Koyoharu Gotouge’sDemon Slayermanga, it’s possible that the team will want to return to the JRPG style ofDragon Ball Z: Kakarotfollowing its release. Given that the game’s DLC has already touched upon some of the story ofDragon Ball Super, it might be time for CyberConnect2to stretch its legs outside of theDragon Ballfranchiseand return to theNarutofranchise.
For the uninitiated, CyberConnect2 developed theNaruto: Ultimate Ninja Stormgames, a series of 3D fighting games much like its upcomingDemon Slayerproject. These adapted pivotal parts of the story of Masashi Kishimoto’s beloved manga, while featuring a broad roster of characters from the series. Given the scope of its world and length of its story, here’s whyNarutois a prime candidate for theDragon Ball Z: Kakarottreatment.
“The Name of This Village”
One of the most impressive elements ofDragon Ball Z: Kakarotwas its approach to recreating the world of Akira Toriyama’s manga into an open-world, albeit one that was split apart rather than a seamlessly explorable map. Nonetheless,Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s open world provided something fans had never seen before in aDragon Ball Zgame, a full realization of the world of the manga and the anime, featuring instantly recognizable locations such as the Kame House and Central City.
One thing that Naruto has in spades overDragon Ballis an intense emphasis on its world-building. One of the key pillars of the series are the different countries and cultures that make up the world of the manga and anime. A dreamNarutoRPG would make the entire world of the manga fully explorable, though this seems unlikely given the budget of a title like this would be off the charts, especially since countries like the Land of Snowhave only been seen in non-canon anime films.
However, mostNarutogames, such as theUltimate Ninja Stormgames and Ubisoft’sRise of a Ninja, simply settle at featuring a fully explorable Konohagakure (Hidden Leaf Village) and call it a day. That’s disappointed many fans of the series in the past, who wanted the opportunity to explore the rest of the manga’s world.
ANarutogame that includes the main five countries of Earth, Water, Fire, Water, and Wind, even in a limited form, would fulfill a fantasy thatNarutofans have waited to see for years. DespiteBoruto: Naruto Next Generationsstill continuing serialization, it feels like only a fraction of the world that Kishimoto created has actually been represented in the anime and manga. Games likeXenoblade Chronicleshave provided excellent blueprints forhow developers should represent large, ambitious worlds in JRPGs.
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“True Measure of a Shinobi”
When it was confirmed thatDragon Ball Z: Kakarotwould be yet another video game adaptation of theDragon Ball Zstory, some fans were disappointed. MostDragon Ballgames since the 1980s have directly adapted the manga instead of offering new, original stories. The same can be said forNarutogames. Despite the firstNarutogame, 2003’sNaruto: Konaha Ninpouchoufor the WanderSwan Color,many of the video game adaptations of the serieshave either been direct adaptations of the manga or underwhelming original stories.
WithDragon Ball Z: Kakarot, CyberConnect2 learned from its work on theUltimate Ninjaseries and offered the best adaptation of Toriyama’s manga, leaving no stone unturned. With its Naruto titles, due to the manga’s serialization, it took the developer almost sixteen years to adapt the entireNarutostoryspread throughout 4 mainUltimate NinjaandUltimate Ninja Stormtitles. AKakarot-styleNarutogame would provide CyberConnect2 with the perfect opportunity to adapt the entireNarutostory into a single, sprawling adventure.
This would also giveNarutogames a chance to separate themselves from the stigma surrounding 3D fighting game titles, which many fans have grown tired of after the over-saturation during the PlayStation 2 era. This gives theNarutoseries a chance to offer a distinct, memorable JRPG adventure that both newcomers and series fanatics can enjoy from start to finish.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarotis available now for PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.
