Play Dragonball Online

You side-scroll through rough 8-bit landscapes, then battles flip to this weird card system where you pick punches or dodges—clunky but weirdly addictive once it clicks. Spotting manga moments like Goku’s Nimbus flight makes up for the jank.

Developer: Bandai

Genre: Action

Released: 1986

File size: 161 bytes

Game Overview

Dragon Ball on NES is one of those weird, charming relics from 1986 that somehow captures the spirit of early Goku adventures while being nothing like modern fighting games. You'll run through side-scrolling stages, sure, but then combat suddenly turns into this card-based minigame where you pick attacks from a hand—kinda janky at first, but oddly satisfying once you get the hang of it.

Fighting the Red Ribbon Army feels appropriately scrappy, and yeah, the graphics are basic even for 8-bit, but there's something endearing about seeing Goku's tiny sprite flying on the Nimbus. The real magic kicks in when you recognize moments straight from the manga, like collecting Dragon Balls or that brutal fight against Tao Pai Pai. Just don't expect it to hold your hand—this is the kind of game where you'll die a lot until you memorize enemy patterns.

If you're into retro anime games or just curious about Dragon Ball's gaming roots, it's a fascinating time capsule. Just maybe keep a walkthrough handy for the moon logic bits.