If you want better load times
Choose Virtua Fighter 5 R.E.V.O. World Stage. It scores 4.8 vs 2.0 for load times, with a 4.1 overall score.
Dragon Ball FighterZ Review
Bottom Line
Choose Dragon Ball FighterZ for stunning anime-style fights, approachable-but-deep combat, and strong Switch portability. Skip it if repetitive story fights, lobby menus, DLC costs, or inconsistent online matchmaking will frustrate you.
Best for
Best for Dragon Ball fans and fighting-game players who want flashy 3v3 matches with simple inputs, high spectacle, and real competitive depth. Switch owners especially benefit from strong handheld performance and local-play flexibility.
Not for
Not for players who mainly want a rich single-player story, frictionless menus, large base rosters without paid DLC, or consistently smooth online matchmaking. It also may frustrate players who dislike aggressive, fast tag fighters.
Verdict
Dragon Ball FighterZ earns its reputation by translating Dragon Ball’s speed, spectacle, and fan service into a real 3v3 fighter rather than a shallow license tie-in. Reviewers consistently praise the cel-shaded visuals, dramatic effects, responsive combat, and unusually low barrier to entry, with enough depth for serious players to keep labbing teams. The tradeoff is that the surrounding structure is weaker than the fighting itself: story mode often becomes a clone-filled grind, the lobby-driven interface annoys many reviewers, and online quality ranges from smooth to frustrating depending on platform, timing, and matchmaking. Its best qualities are immediate and lasting, but its weakest modes can feel padded.
Feature Scorecards
Summary
61 reviewed features-
Very positive 4.5-5.021 (34%)
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Positive 3.5-4.415 (25%)
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Neutral 2.5-3.416 (26%)
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Negative 1.5-2.49 (15%)
Pros highlights
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Combat is the central strength: reviewers praise the 3v3 tag system, speed, accessibility, depth, and the way fights feel powerful and readable.
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Reviewers repeatedly describe the game as unusually approachable for a fighting game, thanks to simple inputs, auto-combos, and shared commands, while still leaving room for deeper play.
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Graphics quality receives near-universal praise, with reviewers calling the game gorgeous, stunning, anime-like, and one of the best-looking Dragon Ball titles.
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Fun factor is very high across reviews, from casual play to online battles, though some story and online problems blunt the experience.
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Roster reactions are generally positive around variety and team options, but several reviews complain about duplicate Goku/Vegeta variants, limited base counts, or DLC-heavy expansion.
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Online stability is mixed: several reviews report smooth matches or solid netcode, while others mention lag, disconnects, crashes, or lobby problems.
Cons highlights
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Narrative quality is mixed to poor: some enjoy the fan-service story, but many call the plot lackluster, overstuffed, bloated, boring, or repetitive.
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Matchmaking is one of the biggest recurring concerns, with long waits, hit-or-miss results, and awkward friend matching.
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Difficulty balance is mixed: arcade can offer welcome challenge, but story mode is often too easy and some arcade spikes are frustrating.
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Tutorial quality is sharply mixed, with some reviews praising comprehensive or intuitive training and others calling tutorials under-explained or repetitive.
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Pacing is a story-mode weakness, with repeated easy fights, padding, and uneven progression dragging down otherwise exciting combat.
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User interface design is one of the clearest drawbacks, because the forced lobby hub and online-first structure often get in the way.
Compared With Category Average
Compared with other Video Games, this product is above average in accessibility options, monetization fairness, frame rate stability, near average in user interface design, tutorial quality, below average in live-service support, cross-play support, load times.
Comparison summary
61 compared features-
Above average 0.4+ pts higher30 (49%)
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Same as average within 0.3 pts13 (21%)
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Below average 0.4+ pts lower18 (30%)
Largest category differences
| Attribute | This product | Category average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| live-service support | 2.0 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
| cross-play support | 2.0 | 3.8 | -1.8 |
| load times | 2.0 | 3.7 | -1.7 |
| mission variety | 1.9 | 3.4 | -1.5 |
| accessibility options | 4.8 | 3.8 | +1.0 |
| mission design | 2.0 | 3.4 | -1.4 |
| monetization fairness | 4.3 | 3.1 | +1.1 |
| frame rate stability | 5.0 | 3.7 | +1.3 |
Consider This Instead
If you want better DLC value
Choose Street Fighter 6. It scores 5.0 vs 2.5 for DLC value, with a 4.2 overall score.
If you want better user interface design
Choose Kirby Air Riders. It scores 5.0 vs 3.0 for user interface design, with a 4.3 overall score.
If you want better save system reliability
Choose BlazBlue Entropy Effect X. It scores 5.0 vs 1.8 for save system reliability, with a 4.0 overall score.
Compared in Reviews
Products reviewers directly compared with this model, grouped into quick takeaways.
Blaz Blue
- Worse: accessibility for casual fighting game players FighterZ is framed as easier to enjoy than Arc's deeper Blaz Blue games.
DOOM
- Compared: Switch port achievement The port is compared with high-profile Switch ports while still being praised as impressive.
Guilty Gear games
- Worse: accessibility for casual fighting game players FighterZ is framed as more approachable than Arc's Guilty Gear games.
FAQ
Is Dragon Ball FighterZ beginner-friendly?
Yes. Reviewers repeatedly praise its simple inputs, auto-combos, and shared commands, while noting that advanced players still have deeper team and combo systems to master.
Does it feel faithful to Dragon Ball?
Very much so. Reviews highlight anime-like visuals, dramatic finishes, character-specific dialogue, familiar voice acting, and attacks pulled from manga and anime moments.
Is the story mode worth playing?
It can be worthwhile for fan-service scenes and learning the basics, but many reviewers criticize it for repetitive clone fights, weak pacing, and a lackluster plot.
How is online play?
Online play is inconsistent across reviews. Some report smooth netcode and few lag issues, while others cite long matchmaking waits, lobby problems, disconnects, crashes, or low player counts.
Is the Switch version good?
Yes. Multiple Switch reviews praise stable performance, strong handheld visuals, portability, and local play, though Joy-Con comfort, online population, and loading or lobby friction get caveats.
Are there predatory microtransactions?
Most reviewers say monetization is relatively fair because loot capsules are cosmetic and often earned with in-game currency, but some still dislike randomized capsules and DLC pricing.
Sample Expert Reviews We Analyzed
These are a few of the reviews included in our analysis.
Video Reviews
YouTube - Pleitos Review
- Review score
- 4.4
Article Reviews
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