Best tournaments in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero

Important takeaways

• The Cell Games tournament in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero offers high stakes and strategic gameplay on a balanced map with limited recovery.
• The Tournament of Power has unique rules, such as out-of-bounds and no-fly, which add high stakes to team battles with no recovery.
• Sparking Zero's World Tournament mode offers a nostalgic and dynamic experience with intense beam attacks and out-of-bounds rules.

Tournaments have always been a central part of the Dragon Ball universe, showcasing intense battles, epic power-ups and fan-favorite moments. In Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, tournaments are an optional gameplay element that offers competitive modes that challenge players' skills with a variety of rules and settings.

You can create your own tournament in the game and face the CPU or other players, but here we rank the pre-made tournaments and their rules. Some offer very authentic experiences from the show, while others are just a good excuse to have fun with your friends.

6 Second world tournament

Only dead people allowed

The Other World Tournament is based on the time Goku spent dead after the Cell Games developing his Super Saiyan 3 form. At the time it was an interesting concept, but as a tournament it was nothing we hadn't seen before; a square arena with out-of-bounds rules.

In Sparking Zero, there isn't even a scene to represent it, and because of that, the out-of-bounds rules don't apply. This makes it the most vanilla version of a tournament you can have, with one-on-one battles and a full recovery after each match.

The biggest problem with this tournament mode is the random stage, as some stages are a bit awkward to play in. The worst are the ones with water in them, as the game doesn't look as good underwater, and some fights can get a bit confusing.

5 Tournament of the Destroyer

A brotherly dispute

The Tournament of Destroyers was unfortunately skipped in all the story modes of Sparking Zero, although there are several characters that made their debut there. Cabba, Frost, and Hit all made their first appearance there, and all of their fights were memorable.

At least that Super Arc is referenced in the aptly named tournament style Tournament of Destroyers, where teams face each other without the ability to switch characters. This makes the order you place your character in matter, as you won't be able to switch to someone until the one you're playing has been defeated.

Still, as a representation of the Tournament of Destroyers, it leaves much to be desired. It has the same random map problems as the Other World Tournament, and the team rules, while fun, don't really represent how the tournament evolved in the series.

4 Cell game

A fight for survival

If you want a proper tournament with high stakes, then Cell Games is for you. The scene is much more balanced, as the Cell Games map has no bodies of water while offering plenty of junk to hide behind, making it a great strategic map while still being straightforward.

You use a single character, but you don't fully recover after each match; instead, you only get about 20 percent of your max health back. This means that your performance after each match is important and that you stay focused even if you are sure that you will win; every stroke can mean a loss as you make your way to the finals.

If you're playing against the CPU, finals is one area where this mode shines, as Cell is always a participant, and if you're playing solo, he'll always be your last match. It makes it feel like you're fighting for the right to challenge Cell to a final duel; not quite what happened in the series, but close enough.

3 Yamcha game

Just for fun

The Yamcha games can be the most challenging to conquer when playing on your own, unless you lower the CPU difficulty significantly. This is because while it may seem like a fairly standard tournament mode, you don't get to choose your character; it's completely random.

As such, you may end up having to use Mr. Satan while having to face Baby Vegeta and countless Gogetas. Sure, you can just reroll the tournament until you get a character you like, but part of the fun is beating the odds and destroying the tournament with whatever fate throws at you.

2 Tournament Of Power

All are grounded

The Tournament of Power has the only map from Dragon Ball Super, and it is very well represented in Sparking Zero. This map has two special rules, the out-of-bounds rule that we know from classic tournaments, and the no-fly rule, which means that once you're knocked out, you're out.

On top of that, this is a team fight with no recovery, so once you lose a character, they're gone for good. This is much higher stakes than you'd expect from Cell Games, as you could barely have made it to the final battle with two or fewer characters, while your opponent could have all five.

1 World tournament

The most dynamic

World Tournament is only as good as the map you have to play it on, which is a great trip down nostalgia lane. With out-of-bounds rules, they are much more present here, as touching anything other than the small arena you start the fight in will mean an instant loss.

The best part, though, is when players launch their all-out beam attacks that have big, explosive consequences. When this happens, the announcer starts yelling at the crowd to clear the area, and your attacks continue to wipe out crowd spots.