When Bandai Namco and Toei Animation unexpectedly announced a new Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi game at the Dragon Ball Battle Hour event earlier this year, the ripples it caused within the gaming community were undeniable.
Unfortunately, it’s been months since that announcement. To make matters worse, save for the Dragon Ball manga, a re-hash of the events of the Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero film, the franchise has been relatively quiet lately.
Thankfully, a series of cryptic updates from voice actors for the upcoming Dragon Ball Z game bring good tidings.
Dragon Ball Z fans might remember the Budokai Tenkaichi series, a chain of celebrated PlayStation 2-era fighting titles. These iconic games carved a niche for themselves with their fast-paced 3D brawls, allowing players to re-enact some of their favorite Dragon Ball match-ups. The last iteration, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3, hit the shelves way back in 2007. Since then, there’s been an extended hiatus, making the recent announcement all the more unexpected.
Enter Sonny Strait, the voice actor famed for his roles as Krillin and Bardock in Dragon Ball Z. An enigmatic video on his TikTok feed led to rife speculations about his involvement in the new Budokai Tenkaichi game. In the clip, Strait alluded to having recorded voice lines for a game that required “a lot of screaming.”
Considering Dragon Ball Z’s penchant for intense action sequences filled with powerful screams, the dots seemed easy to connect. Strait’s history with the franchise only cemented these speculations further. The beloved voice actor had lent his tones not only to Krillin and Bardock but also to characters like General Blue in past editions of the game.
But, the math doesn’t quite add up for some fans. If we were to believe that Strait was hinting at his involvement in the new Dragon Ball game, then it’s intriguing to consider that voiceover recordings have begun when, just months ago, it was supposedly in “very early” development stages. Historically, English dub voiceovers usually happen towards the tail end of game development, leading some to wonder if the game is further along in development than Bandai Namco has led us to believe.
EXCLUSIVE!
MAJOR update on the NEW ROSTER for #BudokaiTenkaichi4 including NEW playable characters from #DragonBallSuper as well as a tidbit about 1 v 1 VS battles in the game.
You heard it here first.
Watch & Share 👉 https://t.co/xEx3m1D1Qa
Thx! 💯💯 pic.twitter.com/tvqdKC6qCu
— Geekdom101 (@EmperorBigD) August 11, 2023
These speculations received a further boost from Geekdom101, a notable Dragon Ball content creator. They indicated that various voice actors had commenced their English dub recordings for the game. If these rumors hold water, it’s an exciting indication of the game’s progress, implying a possible release around the summer or fall of 2024. Geekdom101 also stirred the pot further, suggesting that multiple Gods of Destruction and Angels from Dragon Ball Super might be making their debut in the game.
By gathering the information from various sources, we can paint a clearer picture – Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 4, or whatever it will be called, will be here sooner rather than later.
Keep in mind, one of the most recent Dragon Ball games, Dragon Ball Z Kakarot, began recordings roughly 8-9 months before hitting the market. Using this as a yardstick, some fans believe that the new Budokai Tenkaichi game could potentially be in its final stages of development.
But as with all speculations, it’s essential to approach with caution. While many signs point towards the new Dragon Ball Z game’s imminent release, there’s no concrete confirmation. The game remains, for now, without an official title or a clear release window.
With events like Gamescom on the horizon though, fans are eager for Bandai Namco to shed light on this project.
In the meantime, Bandai Namco is expected to drop one of the most highly anticipated games this year, Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon, on August 25.
