Play Dragonballz Online

Pick Goku, charge up tiny pixel Kamehamehas, and fight through janky but satisfying 8-bit brawls against Frieza’s crew—just don’t throw your controller when Raditz cheap-shots you for the tenth time.

File size: 512 bytes

Game Overview

Dragonballz on NES is that rough-around-the-edges but weirdly charming adaptation of the anime we all played as kids. You pick Goku, Vegeta, or Piccolo (obviously Goku first) and jump into side-scrolling brawls against Raditz, Frieza, and the gang. The sprites are tiny, but that little pixelated Kamehameha charge-up still feels awesome when it actually lands.

It’s janky by today’s standards—enemies love cheap hits, and some moves are borderline useless—but there’s something about the chunky sound effects and those crunchy 8-bit renditions of the show’s themes that just works. Pro tip: Vegeta’s dash attack is broken if you spam it right. Just don’t expect to beat it in one sitting unless you’ve got the patience of a Zen master.