Summary
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zerofinally lets you put some respect on Yamcha’s name and stop him from suffering an embarrassing death at the hands of the Saibaman.
As much as I love Goku, Vegeta, and the rest, there are a ton ofDragon Ballcharacters who don’t quite get the time and respect that they deserve.I could go on about Krillin, Launch, Tien, and pretty much any of the early Z fighters, but the most notorious example of this is Yamcha, who was once a powerful and beloved fighter before becoming the butt of every joke.
Despite once being able to stand up to Goku and fight alongside him in Dragon Ball,Yamcha quickly slipped through the ranks and ended up as nothing more than a punching bag to most fans. This all properly started during the Saiyan Saga when Yamcha managed to be killed by a lowly Saibaman and not even make it to the fight against Nappa and Vegeta.
Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero Is Much Kinder To Yamcha Than Most Games
Yamcha’s death scene has become a big meme in the Dragon Ball community, but it’s a fate that the character doesn’t deserve. If you agree with me that the Wolf Fang Fist king deserves better, then Sparking Zero’s earliest what-if battle might be of interest to you, as it finally lets you save him from a cruel end.
If you’re worried I’m giving away too many spoilers, don’t be as saving Yamcha in Goku’s story is the first step in something much more interesting and exciting.
Sparking Zero has a number of special what-if scenariosknown as Episode Battles that are triggered through specific conditions. One of the earliest of these is Goku’s, which can be started by defeating Raditz with Piccolo at the start of the game. Once you’ve done this, Goku ends up surviving the encounter and is there to train on Earth alongside everyone else, including Yamcha, Krillin, Tien, and the rest.
Goku being alive and on Earth as the Saiyans arrive instead of having to arrive after being wished back from King Kai’s planet has a rather large knock-on effect on the story as a whole. Having the main character around means that most of the Z-Warriors end up surviving the battle too, including Yamcha who is saved from the Saibaman thanks to Goku.
Instead of being blown up and lying on the ground like an icon, Goku swats the Saibaman away and saves Yamcha’s life. It’s clear the developers know this is something fans want, as Yamcha appears to be extra grateful for surviving the story’s events than the rest of the saga’s characters.
