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The most recent hit Dragon Ball Z game, Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot has crossed 4.5 million downloads since its January 2020 release. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is one of many Dragon Ball Z videogames which aims to retell the story of the mainline series.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s unique trait is that it functions primarily as an open world game. While the execution was met with some criticism, the overall approach and decision itself were praised commercially and critically.
Follow along as this article breaks down why Dragon Ball Z itself is so beloved, and why Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot translates that feeling so well.
Why are Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot so popular?
With Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot recently surpassing 4.5 million downloads, some are surely wondering why both this specific game and Dragon Ball Z in general are so beloved.
The original Dragon Ball Z anime series was originally imported to the United States in the 1990s, where it made cultural waves. The effects of these are still felt today, with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot and other endeavors of the franchise maintaining its cultural relevance. Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot in particular, does a great job of rekindling love for the series via its open world gameplay.
Dragon Ball Z follows the story of Son Goku and his closest friends known as the Z Fighters. Many of these characters are from the prior, original Dragon Ball series, yet as Dragon Ball Z goes on, many more original characters arrive. Being a fighting Shonen at its core, the series understandably was incredibly popular with young children everywhere, specifically boys.
Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot retells the story of Dragon Ball Z (as do many other Dragon Ball games), yet the open world twist truly reinvents the storytelling. Commercially speaking, fans everywhere praised how fresh the game felt compared to previous franchise entries.
While the game is essentially a nostalgia trip, it’s a fresh take on a familiar stroll and clearly has staying power passing 4.5 million downloads nearly two years later.
Wrapping up
CyberConnect2’s Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot crossed 4.5 million downloads nearly two years after its release date, showing the franchise's staying power amongst fans. Dragon Ball Z in and of itself has been an American cultural staple since the 90s, so Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot crossing 4.5 million downloads is no surprise.
What is surprising is the positive response to Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot’s open world system, which some fans claim greatly enhanced the reliving of the Dragon Ball Z story. While the map was somewhat underfilled and content recycled, fans still praised the idea, despite critiquing the execution.
Be sure to keep up with all Dragon Ball video game, manga, and anime news as 2022 progresses.
