There are many reasons to love the Dragon Ball franchise right now, even with the tragic loss of Akira Toriyama. For example, the latest anime has been resonating with fans pretty well, as they’ve enjoyed the new adventures of Goku, Vegeta, and the rest of the Z-Fighters as they head to the Demon Realm to unravel a dangerous conspiracy! Then, there are the games, which continue to get great content and, in regards to the newest entry from October, sell incredibly well and unite the fan base both by praising the series and complaining about what characters need to be nerfed. It’s always an ongoing process with these kinds of games.
However, if you’re in Los Angeles next month, you’re going to want to check out the Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour Event on January 18th & 19th at the Shrine Auditorium. Why would you want to go to this event? First, it’s a massive get-together of franchise fans, where you’ll get to celebrate the franchise’s 40th anniversary, attend panels, get exclusive merch, and so much more.
Part of that experience will be facing off against other gamers in tournaments based around Dragon Ball Sparking Zero. To be clear, these tournaments, as noted by ComicBook.com, are meant to be more “casual” or “welcoming.” This means that you won’t have to worry about your favorite character likely being banned due to hax or too many Senzu beans. The “Dramatic Showdown,” as it’s being labeled, is meant to be fun and encourage the various people to play the game, even if they haven’t tried it outside of the beta.
Who knows? Maybe you’ll meet a rival there or help get the game more sales! Nothing wrong with either! There will even be special Custom Battles that you can try out that were made specifically by one of the game’s producers.
If you’re a fan of other games from the series, there are tournaments centered around multiple titles, so even if you don’t want to be in one, you might try one of the others! Even the card battle games are getting tournaments at the “Battle Hour” event.
For those who are fans of the anime, there will be special panels not only talking about the newest series but also showing off some art that Akira Toriyama made for the show before his passing. So, if nothing else, consider going to the event to honor him and show love for a franchise that has been making people happy for decades.
