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Players who wanted to play through the entirety of Dragon Ball Z's riveting story in the most definitive manner possible can now enjoy the same with Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. The game is a love letter to this beloved anime series and features a massive amount of content that takes players from the emergence of Raditz to the final fight against Kid Buu. A big draw of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is the fact that multiple playable characters can be tried out in the game. All of these characters are beloved fan favorites and are quite a blast to try out in battle.
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The DLCs for this game have been excellent in their own right, allowing players to check out new forms, intense battles, and whole new DBZ: Kakarot playable characters to boot. The game is a love letter to all fans of Dragon Ball, and this can be seen in the many DBZ: Kakarot characters that players can control in this amazing game. While the fun factor of controlling each fighter in the game varies quite a bit, players can rest assured that each battle-hardened veteran does a great job of justifying their inclusion in the game, making the game pretty engaging for the majority of its runtime.
Updated on January 5, 2025 by Ritwik Mitra: Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is one of the best video games for players who want to play an active role in the series' epic story. Players unlock several transformations and take out numerous threats as they save the world time and time again from maniacal tyrants who have a thirst for death and destruction. Throughout the main story and its many DLCs, players will get to control several DBZ Kakarot playable characters who are pretty powerful and bring pain to their enemies as they use a wealth of unique abilities along with awe-inspiring transformations to turn the tide of battle in a flash.
17 Goten
Can't Be Controlled In Battle, Is Only Playable During A Segment Before The 25th World Martial Arts Tournament
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Base Game
It's surprising that the game even allows players to control Goten in the first place, even though Goku's youngest child barely has a role to play in the major battles of the series outside of his fusion with Trunks. Perhaps this is why players can only control Goten for the briefest of instances.
He can only be moved around during the start of the 25th World Martial Arts Tournament and doesn't participate in any battles. Still, it's quite entertaining for fans of the series to control Goten regardless, even though the lack of any participation in any fights makes him the least interesting DBZ Kakarot playable character.
16 Kid Goku
Present At The Start Of The DLC Documenting The 23rd World Tournament
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Chaos at the World Tournament
The 23rd World Tournament is an interesting piece of DLC for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, taking the combat of the series and adding a fresh spin to it by removing the concept of flight altogether. This leads to grounded battles against powerful opponents, with players having to dodge more efficiently and time their combos so that they don't get taken out by powerful attacks. This DLC starts on a high note, with players controlling Kid Goku during his confrontation against the Great Demon King Piccolo.
It's a great introduction to how grounded combat works, with players slowly learning the ropes as Kid Goku and fighting against this powerful opponent, setting the stage for the arc that this DLC covers. Kid Goku is pretty fun to control in battle, and it's a shame that players only get to play as him in this solitary encounter before the time skip that leads to the introduction of Teen Goku.
15 Pan
Goku's Granddaughter Who Can Be Controlled In The World Tournament DLC
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Chaos at the World Tournament
Pan is a fun character in Dragon Ball Z who was finally introduced in Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero as a valuable member of the main cast. She is partly the reason why Gohan finally gets serious about fighting, going toe-to-toe with the Red Ribbon Army, and unlocking a new form in the process.
In one of th e newer Kakarot DLCs, players get to control this character during the 28th World Martial Arts Tournament, even if this moment is as brief as they come. Still, that doesn't take away from how fun it is to control Goku's powerful granddaughter for a bit, making her one of the most novel DBZ Kakarot playable characters fans will have a great time with.
14 Kid Gohan
Gohan's Playable Form During The Early Story Arcs Of Dragon Ball Z
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Base Game
Out of all the Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot playable characters, Gohan is the only character who grows throughout the entire series. The earliest iteration of this character might not be all that powerful, but he's still fun to play with at times. The fact that players don't need to spend too much time with this character also makes time with Kid Gohan special.
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Using the powers of this young fledgling Gohan in both the Saiyan and Frieza Saga makes for an entertaining time as players control this legendary character before he reaches his true potential. His powers are still quite fun to use, even though they might be somewhat underdeveloped.
13 Kid Vegeta
Playable In A Side Story Added In The Bardock DLC
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Bardock - Alone Against Fate
Bardock - Alone Against Fate is a great piece of DLC that players will have a great time with. Given Goku's central importance as a character, it's only a given that players would like the idea of playing as his father and witnessing his story as a Saiyan warrior. However, while Bardock's story is pretty great in its own right, the fourth DLC for DBZ: Kakarot also features a side story where players can play as Kid Vegeta as well!
For what it's worth, Kid Vegeta's story is pretty short and doesn't have too many highlights to speak of. While the background of this character and his reaction to the destruction of Planet Vegeta is pretty interesting to witness, this side story certainly doesn't stick around and just gives a taste of what Kid Vegeta's powers were really like.
12 Tien Shinhan
A DLC Lets Players Control This Character During Some Pivotal Dragon Ball Events
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Chaos at the World Tournament
Tien is a character who initially comes across as a villain who stands in Goku's way before both characters earn each other's respect and become steadfast friends. This character was extremely powerful when he was introduced, and it's a shame to see that the current iteration of Tien is nowhere near as important as he used to be, even if he did play a decent role during the Tournament of Power.
The fact that players could control this character during the 5th DLC for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot was a pleasant surprise for many players, who cursed his absence in the base game. Controlling him using the new grounded combat system makes for a great time, even though he doesn't stick around for too long in the game.
11 Piccolo
The Iconic Namekian Who Holds His Own For Most Of Dragon Ball Z
- Forms Available: True Namekian Fusion
- Playable In: Base Game
The beloved Namekian of the series is a joy to control during the first half of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. While people can argue that Piccolo's relevance to the plot wanes over time, there are still times when he proves his usefulness in the series.
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A great example of this is an epic battle for the ages against Android 17 when Piccolo fuses with Kami to get a massive power boost. It's a great battle in Dragon Ball Z and is replicated fairly well in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. Piccolo has other moments where he shines, and he's a fun character to control. However, there's only so far that Piccolo can reach in terms of power before the Saiyans end up taking center stage.
10 Teen Goku
A Focal Character Players Control In The 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament
- Forms Available: None
- Playable In: Chaos at the World Tournament
The events of the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament serve as the final arc of the original Dragon Ball show, and fans were more than happy to see this story be adapted in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot. The tournament ends with a confrontation between Piccolo Jr. And Goku in a battle for the ages.
The fact that this story allows players to control Teen Goku makes for a great time, and players have to get used to the fact that they can't fly around freely like they could as this character's adult variant. This adds a fresh spin to things, and players will love experiencing this rich history of the Dragon Ball franchise firsthand.
9 Bardock
Goku's Father And A Fun Character To Control In His DLC
- Forms Available: Spirit of the Warrior Race
- Playable In: Bardock - Alone Against Fate
Bardock is Goku's father and one of the most interesting characters in the show. The OVA that builds on his backstory is pretty interesting, giving a glimpse of Bardock's personality and how he decided to stand up against Frieza after realizing that this tyrant would destroy Planet Vegeta in its entirety. Players who loved this side story can now play through the same courtesy of a new piece of DLC released for Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, aptly named Bardock - Alone Against Fate.
Bardock is a ton of fun to control, with his special moves being pretty flashy despite lacking any Super Saiyan boosts. While he does get infused with the Spirit of the Warrior Race throughout the story, this is more to add some variety to his gameplay than anything else. That being said, controlling Bardock is still pretty novel in its own right and a blast for fans of the series.
8 Gotenks
The Fusion Of Goten And Trunks Is As Powerful As They Come
- Forms Available: Super Saiyan, Super Saiyan 3
- Playable In: Base Game
The fusion of Goten and Trunks makes for a powerful fighter who truly shines during the Buu Saga. Gotenks might be a goofball, but there's no denying the massive power he boasts that helps him stand toe-to-toe against Majin Buu. He's a great character to mess around with, as is the case with most of the fusion characters on this list.
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However, Gotenks' time in Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot is fairly brief, as was the case in the series as well. As a result, he doesn't get the time to shine and show his true potential all that much in battle. Thankfully, the Switch release of Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot lets players spend more time as this fused character.