Bojack and Zangya

※Originally published on note, Oct 18, 2024.

　With new ads on TV and the latest Dragon Ball game finally released, yet another Dragon Ball boom has begun — I’ve honestly lost count of how many times this has happened.

　And this time, unbelievably, that character made it into the new game!

　Bojack!

　His design feels less Dragon Ball and more like something out of Dragon Quest VI.

　I’ve actually got a soft spot for Bojack, because he showed up in a SNES fighting game I used to play as a kid.

　Out of only ten playable characters, Bojack made the cut... and even his ally Zangya got a slot!

　Looking back, it’s such a hilariously “of-its-era” decision. I kind of love that boldness.

　Of course, they were probably just added to promote the Bojack movie at the time.

　For kids back then, that must’ve been exciting.

　But for someone like me, who bought the game years later in the 2000s, it was totally baffling.

　Still, that weirdness made my heart race — what other game would add Zangya instead of Android 17 or 18?

　Zangya, beloved by a small cult of DB maniacs — the classic strong female villain type that only Toriyama could design.

　Even for mid-level fans, her name doesn’t come to mind right away.

　And really, when else would we ever get a Zangya story mode?

　Even in the latest Sparking! Zero, Bojack’s in, but there’s no way Zangya will make the cut.

　Around the pre–PS2 era, I was still obsessed with Dragon Ball.

　I picked up an old PS1 fighter at a Second-hand store, only to be crushed by its awkward polygon models.

　If I’d just waited a bit longer, the PS2 era’s great revival of Dragon Ball games was right around the corner.

　Final Bout.

　You could mash light punch forever and kill your opponent in an infinite combo.

　The moves had no impact, the balance was a mess — and yet, somehow, it was charming in its own broken way.

　But The opening movie and theme song are still my favorites among all DB games.

　It’s perfect when Vegeta shows up right at the chorus. Usually he gets sidelined for Cell or Frieza, but not this time.

　Realizing how janky the 3D models were, I figured I’d go back to the Super Famicom days to see some satisfying pixel-art Kamehamehas.

　So I picked up Super Butouden 2.

　Kakarot…!

　I bought it at Second-hand store too... surprisingly pricey for an old SNES game and right there on the character select screen were the Bojack crew.

　Apparently there was a weird secret code to unlock Broly, which later became a meme online.

　So when the game showed me Bojack vs. Zangya,

　I couldn’t help but wonder:

　　did any kid ever actually recognize this as Dragon Ball?

　That vague sense of “what is this?” burned itself into little Nyalra’s memory...

　and even now, seeing Bojack pop up again makes my heart jump a little.

　I’ll never forget that feeling when the title screen loaded for the first time and I thought:

　“Wait… who the hell is Zangya?”