There are fighting games, there are anime games, and then there is Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 3. Released late in the PlayStation 2's lifecycle, this title is widely considered not just the peak of the Budokai Tenkaichi series, but arguably the greatest Dragon Ball Z video game ever made. It is a masterpiece of fan service that still holds up today due to its sheer scale and faithful adaptation of the source material.
While the PS2 lacked the high-definition resolution of later consoles, Budokai Tenkaichi 3 used every trick in the book to look stunning on CRT televisions. The aura effects were cell-shaded beautifully, blending 2D anime lines with 3D movement. The transformation sequences—from Super Saiyan to Super Saiyan 4—were unskippable cinematic events that made you feel the power-up in your bones.
Audio-wise, the PS2 exclusive features the legendary Bruce Faulconer-inspired score (Kenji Yamamoto’s rock-synth hybrid tracks) that fans associate with the Toonami era. The voice acting is dual-audio (English and Japanese), but the English cast—Sean Schemmel, Christopher Sabat, Laura Bailey—deliver career-best performances. When Goku screams "KA... ME... HA... ME..." and the controller rumbles, it is pure nostalgia. dragon ball z budokai tenkaichi 3 playstation 2 exclusive
Moreover, the PS2's hard drive (via the network adapter) could be used to store replays—a feature far ahead of its time.
It has been nearly two decades, and the Dragon Ball gaming community is still asking the same question: "Why haven't they made a Tenkaichi 4?" There are fighting games, there are anime games,
We had Raging Blast, we had Battle of Z, and we had Kakarot. All good games in their own right, but none captured the arcade-style, arena-fighting perfection of Tenkaichi 3. The announcement of Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero has fans buzzing, largely because it is viewed as the spiritual successor to this PS2 classic.
While Budokai 3 offered a more traditional 2.5D fighting game experience, the Tenkaichi series took the fight into full 3D. Tenkaichi 3 perfected this formula. It has been nearly two decades, and the
It captured the speed of the anime perfectly. Zipping behind an opponent to land a crushing combo, teleporting (Z-Counter) to dodge a Supernova, and taking the fight from the ground to the sky in seconds felt fluid and intuitive. The game utilized a "behind-the-back" camera angle that made you feel like you were piloting the anime, rather than just pressing buttons in a fighter.
The "Dragon History" mode was also a massive improvement over its predecessor. The "What-If" scenarios were the highlight. We finally got to see what would happen if Bardock survived and fought Frieza head-on, or if the Z-Fighters took on the Androids differently. It rewarded fans for their knowledge of the lore while surprising them with original content.
This is the story mode, but unlike simpler beat-em-ups, it’s a pseudo-board game. You move pieces on a map, triggering battles, cutscenes, and branching "What-If" paths. For example, what if Raditz turned good? What if Vegeta kills Frieza on Namek? The PS2’s robust disc space allowed for these diverging narratives without sacrificing combat quality.