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Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3 on the Wii remains one of, if not the, greatest Dragon Ball game of all time.

Ridiculous name aside, Tenkaichi 3 broke ground in numerous ways, the most notable being having the largest roster in any video game at the time with an absurd 161 playable characters. Sure, half of them were transformations but what else is new? The Wii version was also the first time the series had online multiplayer, so you could play as Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta while some weirdo across the world was playing as Arale. To be honest, Arale was kinda OP so honestly gg’s to Gogeta. 

I want to talk about the Wii version specifically. Growing up as such a massive Dragon Ball fan, this version of the game made a dream come true. Being able to put my hands together with the Wii-Mote and Nunchuck and actually do a Kamehameha, or lift my arms in the air for a Spirit Bomb had middle-school me so incredibly giddy–even when the motion controls didn’t work half the time.

As a game, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 felt like Spike Chunsoft had found their footing with the 3D-arena fighter format. I know hardcore fighting game enthusiasts will say games like these are for casuals, which, sure, but Tenkaichi 3 felt polished with its mechanics, combos, and the different character-specific abilities you had at your disposal. 

It’s far from perfect, but this game will always hold a special place in my heart.