In terms of video game adaptations, Shonen Jump shows no signs of slowing down. Whether it’s with current properties likeMy Hero AcademiaandDemon Slayer,ongoing Jump series likeOne PieceandJoJo’s Bizarre Adventure, or with semi-retired franchises likeFist of the North Star, there’s a game for every fandom. That goes double forOne Piece’s fellow Big Three members,Dragon BallandNaruto. Despite their original manga runs having ended years ago, both have continued with sequel anime and manga and are showing no signs of slowing down.
That goes double for their game outings.Dragon BallandNarutoretain much of their popularity today, and the more adaptations released to take advantage of that, the better. Updates for old games and new titles come out all the time for these properties, and some of them have even been good enough to bring in new fans. However, with so many games coming out all the time, feelings of burnout are inevitable. Several problems like scattershot game quality have contributed to this, but one other understated yet large issue is the tendency to adapt the same stories over and over.
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Too Many Naruto and Dragon Ball Games Retell Their Plots
It isn’t a universal flaw that every licensed game has, but too many do nonetheless. The most iconic parts of bothDragon Ball, particularlyDragon Ball Z, andNarutoare their epic fight scenes. Clashes between heroes and villains are at the core of their stories, and recreating them often involves bringing in chunks of the narrative surrounding them. This has led to an unfortunate situation where a lot ofDragon BallandNarutogames trot out the same story beats and characters, just with varying amounts of fluff in between them.
Some games have been able to get away from this, such as theDragon Ball Xenoversetitles showing the struggles of the Time Patrol andNaruto: Clash of Ninja Revolution 2featuring an original storyline centered aroundBlack Ops ninjas called the Anbu. Even so, these games can’t fully escape the need to include characters and parts of the source material. Direct adaptations have been going on for many years, and all ofNaruto,Dragon Ball, andDragon Ball Zhave been adapted partially or fully multiple times. With even recent titles likeDragon Ball Z: Kakarotand theUltimate Ninja Stormseries remaking storylines present in older games, it’s not clear when this trend will stop.
Naruto and Dragon Ball Games Could Get New Material Soon
Fortunately, there is some variety to be found even among these many adaptations, and they supply hope that things can be done differently. The recentNaruto to Boruto: Shinobi StrikerandDragon Ball Z: The Breakersmay not have significant story content, but they do make a point of trying new gameplay styles. There are also plenty of past games with original storylines, such asNaruto Shippuden: Dragon Blade Chroniclesand the narratives in theXenoverseseries andDragon Ball FighterZ.
In addition, it seems like withUltimate Ninja Storm 4concluding theNaruto Shippudenera andDragon Ball Z: Kakarotadapting all ofDBZin one highly produced package, these franchises may be ready to move on.Kakarotis now adapting the Bardock special and the finalTenkaichitournament from the originalDragon Ball, and it could continue adaptingvariousDragon Ballarcs like theXenoversegames. This could be a precursor to more classicDragon Ballcontent, or evenDragon Ball Superfinally getting its own game. Meanwhile, rumors indicate that the nextUltimate Ninja Stormgame will cover the Boruto era in earnest afterUNS4adapted its first movie. Hopefully, the next few years ofDragon BallandNarutogames will come with plenty of content that players aren’t used to seeing.
