Dragon Ball

About

Dragon Ball by Tose is a side-scrolling action game where you play as Goku and Bulma during their early quest to collect the seven magical orbs. Released in 1986 for the Famicom and NES, it tasks you with navigating platforming sections and battling enemies through simple but punchy combat. The game mirrors the first two manga volumes, pitting you against familiar foes like Oolong and Yamcha. Combat leans into brawling mechanics, letting you dodge, punch, and kick through waves of obstacles. The single-player journey is linear and straightforward, focusing on exploration and basic boss fights. As one of the earliest licensed Dragon Ball games, it holds a cult status among series veterans. The North American release rebranded it as Dragon Power without the manga ties, while European and Japanese versions kept the name. Though its graphics and mechanics feel dated by modern standards, it remains a curiosity for fans of the franchise’s history. Its inclusion in later compilations like J Legend Retsuden hints at its nostalgic value. Short and unpolished, it’s a snapshot of early 80s anime video game design.

Storyline

The game follows the first two volumes of the Dragon Ball manga, as the young monkey-tailed boy Goku (along with his teenage friend, Bulma), embark on a quest to find all seven Dragon Balls, in which it is believed that collecting them grants the user any wish they desire. Along the way, they encounter various characters, including turtle hermit Master Roshi, shapeshifting anthropomorphic pig Oolong and desert bandit Yamcha.