Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is a love letter to the franchise, and part of what makes it so great are the various Sparking Episodes and alternate endings you can unlock. They’re often born of difficult fights, testing your mastery of the game, and lead to exciting and wild alternate storylines. Follow our guide to unlock every single one.
How to unlock Goku Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero (Dragon Ball Sparking Zero)
Being the series’ protagonist, Goku has more Sparking Episodes and alternate endings than anyone. Buckle up, because you're going to be playing as him for a while.
Pushing the Limit
Right off the bat in Goku's Episode Battle mode, you’re presented with a choice – fight Raditz with Piccolo or go at it alone. If you stick along the canon route but defeat Raditz quickly, you’ll unlock the first Sparking Episode for Goku. The fight is tough, as it was in the anime. If you’re struggling to beat it in time, go to the customize menu and equip some ability capsules to Goku (Z-Early) to give him a boost and grant you the edge you need.
Once unlocked, you’ll progress along the story path that was teased early on during Sparking! Zero’s marketing when Goku goes Super Saiyan on Earth against Vegeta. It doesn’t end there, however, and takes even more twists and turns.
Side by Side
If choosing to fight Raditz alone, Goku doesn’t actually go at it alone as Krillin, Master Roshi, and Piccolo will all join the fray. You’ll have to wear down Raditz’s health quite a bit and fast, because if you don’t you’ll be kicked back to canonical route where Piccolo kills both Goku and Raditz.
When the Side by Side path is successfully unlocked, you’ll again play through alternate events to the Saiyan Saga, this time bringing some of Planet Namek’s fights to Earth.
The Changing Future
This is a tricky one to unlock. Before entering the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Goku is given the option to go help in the battle against Android 17 and Cell. While fighting Cell, you must defeat him and avoid getting hit by his solar flare. If Cell lands a Solar Flare, the story will go back to the canon route.
Once Cell is defeated sans Solar Flare, The Changing Future happens in full force. The Androids finally get their chance against Goku.
Other Paths and Endings
- On Namek, if you defeat Jeice without deflecting his Crusher Ball, you’ll get some alternate cutscenes where Jeice and Burter’s roles are reversed.
- If you defeat Frieza without using a Spirit Bomb, you’ll be treated to the “A Hard-Earned Victory” alternate ending.
- During “The Cell Games Begin!” Goku must defeat Cell before losing too much health – prompting him to concede the fight to Gohan – to unlock the alternate ending.
- When fighting Majin Buu in “A New Power Awakens,” you must defeat him before losing too much health the unlock the secret ending. Utilize Sparking mode as much as possible to quickly wear down Buu’s health and automatically transform into the more powerful Super Saiyan forms.
- If you can quickly defeat Frieza in Super’s Frieza’s Resurrection Arc, you’ll get an alternate cutscene showing Goku defeating Frieza without the need of Whis’s help. Try to get into Sparking mode quickly and lock Frieza into a melee combo and cap it off with Goku’s Limit Breaker God Kamehemeha, dealing massive damage before Frieza can turn Golden.
- Goku has two different endings to unlock during the Future Trunks arc. In both “The Truth about Zamasu” and “Into a Third Future” you’ll have to beat your opponents quickly – and I mean quickly – to unlock the endings. Goku Black and Zamasu are no joke, so this will take everything you've got.
- When Goku is rounding up warriors before the Tournament of Power, you can choose between battling with Tien, testing Android 17’s strength, or sparring with Mister Buu. All paths lead to the canon Tournament of Power.
- During Goku’s final battle against Jiren, if you can defeat him fairly quickly – before Vegeta’s dialogue urging you to beat Jiren – you’ll unlock an alternate ending to Dragon Ball Super’s Tournament of Power.
How to unlock Vegeta Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
While Vegeta is Dragon Ball’s secondary protagonist, he doesn’t have as much story content as Goku. Still, the Sparking Episodes and alternate endings he does have give him some great spotlights.
Parental Bond
Vegeta’s first Sparking episode begins after his fight with Android 18. It’s a tough fight – you’ll remember how Vegeta got absolutely wrecked in the anime – and the regular goal is just to “survive the battle." However, if you’re able to defeat her without losing too much health, you’ll begin the Parental Bond episode.
In the following cutscene in the Hyperbolic Chamber, Trunks will talk about a transformation he has cooking. Reduce his health quickly to trigger his transformation, defeat him, and the rest of Vegeta’s Sparking Episode will play out. If you’re unable to trigger the transformation, you’ll end up back on the path of the canonical story.
Number One Spot
This Sparking Episode is one of the easier ones to unlock in the game; simply choose the “shake off brainwashing” option during the “Vegeta’s Wicked Heart” cutscene to prevent Vegeta from turning into Majin Vegeta. However, it may be bugged. When returning to the cutscene, I was not given the option to choose, and instead the game progressed along the canonical route. Hopefully you don’t run into this same bug.
Other Paths and Endings
- After Vegeta allows Cell to become Perfect, you’re in for a tough fight. You’ll need to quickly defeat Cell to unlock the secret. If Vegeta’s health gets reduced to around two bars remaining, he’ll start talking about needing his Final Flash. Defeat Cell before this dialogue to unlock a secret ending.
- During Majin Vegeta’s climatic fight against Majin Buu, you can avoid Vegeta’s demise and unlock the “A Strong Dad” ending by quickly defeating Buu. It’s a tough fight and a quick timer; landing Majin Vegeta’s ultimate blast is a must here, possibly more than once.
- If Vegeta can quickly defeat Kid Buu while buying time for Goku to charge ki, you’ll be rewarded with an alternate ending to the Buu saga and a bonus battle. Kid Buu is tough; he’ll charge in quickly and won’t let you build up ki. You’ll have to find your spots and land Vegeta’s ultimate attack to have a chance.
How to unlock Gohan Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
Gohan may not always be the most beloved character by fans, but he’s a blast to play as in Sparking! Zero. He also gets perhaps the best Sparking Episode, and I implore you to do your best to avoid any spoilers around it.
The Strongest Warrior
Gohan’s out of fighting shape when Frieza returns in the Frieza’s Resurrection arc, meaning even the Frieza Force Solider can pose a challenge. If you quickly defeat him and deal a good amount of damage to Frieza before taking barely any yourself, you’ll unlock Gohan’s only Sparking! Episode, which is the most surprising story content in the game.
Other Paths and Endings
- During Gohan’s “Unleashed Rage” fight, if you can defeat Cell before Gohan says he deserves to suffer, you’ll unlock an alternate ending.
- Defeating Dabura quickly will prevent Majin Buu’s summoning in an alternate ending.
- If Ultimate Gohan smartens up and defeats Super Buu quickly in “Lust for Power,” you’ll be treated to an alternate ending (and, more importantly, ensure Kid Buu doesn’t destroy the Earth).
- During Gohan’s final Episode Battle, if you can quickly defeat Dyspo – and avoid his and Gohan’s dual ring out cutscene – you’ll be treated to Gohan continuing his time in the Tournament of Power just a little bit longer.
How to unlock Piccolo Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
Just like in the anime, Piccolo doesn’t do too much battling, but, when he does, his battles are momentous. Thankfully, Sparking! Zero gives him some great Sparking Episodes.
Piccolo’s Struggle
You’ll have to quickly defeat Frieza and not “struggle” against him – a.k.a losing too much health – to unlock Piccolo’s bonus battle. Just like in the anime, Third Form Frieza will spam ki blasts, and especially his ultimate blast, to make mincemeat of Piccolo. Utilize Sparking mode as much as possible and land some Special Beam Canons to take chunks out of Frieza’s health before he does the same to you.
A Mentor’s Guidance
Unlocking Piccolo’s “A Mentor’s Guidance” is one of the easiest episodes to unlock. Simply choose to help Goku during his battle with Android 19 and you’ll be set on an alternate story path starring everyone’s favorite green alien.
Other Paths and Endings
- When the Saiyans attack, defeating Nappy quickly will prevent Piccolo’s death by his hands and the story will make a brief diversion from the canon. Piccolo joins the battle against Vegeta before the story progresses to Namek on the canon path.
- Piccolo’s fight against Android 17 can lead to a somewhat difficult to obtain alternate ending. Essentially, you have to defeat Android 17 and Cell before losing too much health – around a bar or so. You may have to throw most tactics out the window and hang back as much as possible, spamming ultimate blasts from Sparking mode.
How to unlock Future Trunks Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
While he doesn’t have playable story content from Dragon Ball Z, Future Trunks stars in his own Dragon Ball Super arc and throws you in the fray against Goku Black from Trunks’ perspective.
Shining Hope
Like Goku’s Episode Battles, Trunks’s fights against Goku Black and Zamasu are incredibly challenging – more so for Trunks as he doesn’t have the power of a Super Saiyan God. You’ll have to quickly defeat Black and Zamasu to unlock “Shining Hope.” Best of luck.
Inherited Pride
After the battles against Goku Black and Zamasu are finished, Trunks is offered a choice – stay in the present or return to his timeline. Remaining in the present will unlock Trunks’s second Sparking Episode, full of father-son bonding time, and let you correct one of the anime's missed opportunities.
How to unlock Frieza Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
The mostly a villain, sometimes a hero gets only a few Episode Battles, but a good chunk of them can lead to a branching path of some sort.
Frieza Force Joins The Fray
To unlock Frieza’s Sparking Episode, you’ll have to triumph against Goku and Vegeta during the Frieza’s Resurrection arc. Defeating them quickly will unlock the episode. It’s not a terribly difficult fight, but Frieza’s transformation has to wait for dialogue to progress, so it can be a bit tedious. Rely on Golden Frieza’s skill to enter Sparking mode quickly and don’t be afraid to spam his ultimate to clobber your Saiyan foes.
Other Paths and Endings
- Frieza can unlock an alternate ending early on, branching from the “A Blast from the Past” fight. It’s a bit of a challenge as you’ll have to lower Goku’s health and defeat Krillin, Gohan, and Piccolo before Goku’s Spirit Bomb is ready. Getting as much melee damage out of combos in Sparking mode before blasting off his ultimate move is the way to go.
- During the “Legendary Super Saiyan” fight, don’t transform Frieza and emerge victorious to unlock the alternate ending. Utilize Frieza’s skill to keep jumping into Sparking mode and you should gain the upper hand over that monkey.
- Defeat Trunks in a somewhat easy fight to unlock an alternate ending where Mecha Frieza gets a chance for revenge on Goku.
How to unlock Goku Black Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
Goku Black’s Episode Battles are available from the very beginning of the game, giving you the chance to check out him and Fused Zamasu before you’ve even unlocked them. Goku Black and Zamasu may have failed in the anime, but Sparking! Zero gives them ways to enact their Zero Mortal Plan.
Proof of Justice
In Goku Black’s second fight, “Act Three Begins,” you’ll have to – you guessed it – defeat Vegeta and Goku quickly to unlock Black’s Sparking Episode. Super Saiyan Rose Goku Black is pretty powerful, so defeating them is rather doable and you can even use the dialogue as a sort of timer during the match. Once Black says he can sense Zamasu’s ki – often when Goku had about a bar of health left on my failed attempts – is when you know you missed your chance.
Other Paths and Endings
- You’ll unlock “Responsibility as a God” if able to beat “The Ultimate Fusion” quickly. Two different endings can branch from this fight, though they’re very similar.
- “The Universe Gains a New Legend” unlocks if you can beat Vegito without transforming into Half-Corrupted Zamasu.
- If you’re knocked down to about four bars of health when battling Vegito, Zamasu will transform into his Half-Corrupted form. Carry on to beat Vegito and unlock the “Universe Illuminating God” ending.
- The canonical goal in “Sin, Gods, and Punishment” is to get hit with Trunks’s ultimate Final Hope Slash. If you’re able to avoid it and defeat Vegito and Trunks, you’ll also carry on to “Universe Illuminating God.”
How to unlock Jiren Story & Alternate Paths in Sparking Zero
Dragon Ball Super’s strongest antagonist is the eighth and final character to get Episode Battles. Because he only appears in Super’s concluding arc, his story content is limited, but his battles are some of the toughest the game has to offer.
True Strength
Jiren is given a path option immediately upon starting his saga. Choosing to finish off Kale will progress his story along the canonical route, while picking the “wait and see” option will send the Tournament of Power along a new path in his only Sparking Episode and give Jiren some new opponents. It’ll eventually kick you back to “Ultimate Climactic Battle” for the chance at a new ending.
Other Paths and Endings
- You can unlock the short “Strength Is Absolute” ending by quickly and decisively defeating Frieza, 17, and Goku at the end of the Tournament of Power.
Stay with Pro Game Guides for more guides on Dragon Ball Sparking! Zero, like how to transform and fuse during battle.
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