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Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO puts its What If stories inside Episode Battle, where choices and battle conditions can split a character’s campaign into alternate paths. The strongest picks combine a meaningful change to the main story with a route that continues beyond a single altered scene. Below are six standout examples and the in-game menu to check for their unlock conditions.
What are the What If stories in Sparking! ZERO?
The game’s Episode Battle mode retells events from eight perspectives: Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Jiren, Future Trunks, Goku Black, and Frieza. In certain stages, a choice or a battle condition can branch the story into a “What If” scenario. Bandai Namco describes these as stories that branch when players fulfill conditions in certain stages; its mode handbook also notes that secondary battle objectives can affect outcomes. Bandai Namco’s What If announcement and official game page explain the mode and its perspectives.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO PS5 | $39.88 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Dragon Ball Sparking Zero - Compatible for PS5 - UK PAL | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero, 1 PS5-Blu-ray Disc | $48.48 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
DRAGON BALL Z: Kakarot - PlayStation 5 | $21.92 | Buy on Amazon |
PCGamesN’s October 9, 2024 guide reports 14 Sparking Episodes. That is a dated guide’s count, not a newer official publisher total. Its examples below are useful route signposts, but the in-game Battle Details menu is the better source for the requirement in your current version.
The best What If routes
This is an editorial shortlist, not an official ranking. The order favors routes with a clear story divergence, an interesting character perspective, and more than a momentary detour. Unlock conditions are summarized from PCGamesN’s guide; check Battle Details before attempting a route because the guide is from 2024 and does not establish a universal time limit.
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- Engage in heart-pounding, high-speed 3D battles that stay true to the anime and video game series
- This game contains breathtaking visuals and authentic combat moves like beam clashes, rush attacks, and movements too quick for the eyes to see
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- Watch the environment respond with stunning realism, and leave a trail of destruction in your wake as you battle to your heart’s content
| Route | How to unlock | Why it stands out |
|---|---|---|
| Goku — The Changing Future | In “Hyperbolic Time Chamber,” choose to help. Then defeat Cell without being hit by Solar Flare. | The combat objective directly changes the outcome of a major fight, making this one of the clearest examples of a battle condition shaping the story. |
| Goku — Side by Side | Choose to go it alone in “The Earth’s Mightiest Duo?!” Then defeat Raditz quickly in “Raditz vs The Turtle School.” | The route combines a consequential opening choice with a follow-up fight objective, so both decisions and performance matter. |
| Goku — Pushing the Limit | Choose to work with Piccolo in “The Earth’s Mightiest Duo?!” Then defeat Raditz quickly in “Rematch and Result.” | It offers a contrasting Goku path from the same early decision point, giving the player a direct alternate take on the opening conflict. |
| Vegeta — Number One Spot | In “Vegeta’s Wicked Heart,” choose to shake off the brainwashing. | This is a choice-led route built around Vegeta’s response to a defining personal conflict, rather than a speed challenge. |
| Vegeta — Parental Bond | Defeat Android 18 quickly in “Wind-Up Doll.” | A combat-focused branch in Vegeta’s campaign, it rewards winning the encounter under the condition shown for that stage. |
| Future Trunks — Shining Hope | Defeat Zamasu and Goku Black quickly in “Twisted World.” | Its future-era character perspective gives the alternate path a different emotional frame from the early Goku and Vegeta branches. |
These route summaries and names come from PCGamesN’s October 9, 2024 unlock guide. The guide’s general speed advice is not a guaranteed threshold for every fight. A Bandai Namco update notice dated April 21, 2025 identifies version Ver.2011.010.003.007.006 and says some Episode Battle stages were rebalanced, so older difficulty and timing advice may not match every version. See the official update notice.
How to check and unlock a route
- Open Episode Battle. Select the character campaign containing the episode you want to branch.
- Open Battle Details for the relevant stage. Read the listed battle condition before starting; the requirement may be a decision, an objective, or both.
- Make the choice or meet the objective. For example, the Goku routes above require a specific choice in “The Earth’s Mightiest Duo?!” followed by a Raditz fight condition.
- Confirm the branch in the story flow. Continue through the resulting episode path; some routes require meeting a later condition rather than only selecting the first choice.
Use Battle Details rather than assuming that “quickly” means the same number of seconds in every encounter. PCGamesN’s 2024 guide offers examples, but it does not provide a reliable universal cutoff, and later stage balancing can affect challenge difficulty.
Rank #2
- UK PSN Account Requirement: UK PSN account may be required for any online features
- Legendary Budokai Tenkaichi Gameplay: Experience the iconic gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series elevated to new heights with enhanced mechanics and controls
- Extensive Character Roster: Learn and master an incredible roster of playable characters, each with signature abilities, transformations, and techniques
- Authentic Dragon Ball Combat: Harness the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever to appear in DRAGON BALL with faithful recreations of their abilities
- Regional Compatibility: Physical game disc compatible with PlayStation 5 consoles in UK PAL regions
What you need to play them
The What If routes are part of Episode Battle in Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO. Bandai Namco lists physical and digital editions and regional platform options on its official product page. Its page describes editions bundling the game with Super Limit-Breaking NEO, but the available information does not establish that NEO or a premium bundle is required for the base game’s What If paths. Check the regional store listing for current platforms and edition availability.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Experience the story of DRAGON BALL Z from epic events to light-hearted side quests, including never-before-seen story moments that answer some burning questions of Dragon Ball lore for the first time
- Play through iconic DRAGON BALL Z battles on a scale unlike any other
- Fight across vast battlefields with destructible environments and experience epic boss battles that will test the limits of your combat abilities
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Rank #3
- Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero takes the legendary gameplay of the Budokai Tenkaichi series to a whole new level.
- Use the destructive power of the strongest fighters ever competed in Dragon Ball!
- Learn and master an incredible group of playable characters, each with individual skills, transformations and techniques.
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