Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero - Sparking Episode Unlock Guide (2024)

One of the most beloved staples of the Budokai Tenkaichi series that Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero brings back is the what-if scenarios, which tell alternate stories about the Dragon Ball universe and how things could have gone differently.

There are a ton of different alternate scenarios and what-if battles in Sparking Zero, but the biggest of these are called "Sparking Episodes". These unique stories are much bigger than previous what-if scenarios and require a bit of extra legwork and specific conditions to unlock.

What Are Sparking Episodes?

Sparking Episodes are unique what-if scenarios that can be discovered as part of each character's story mode, which are called Episode Battles. While these story modes are full of alternate cutscenes, pathways, and even have choices for the player to make, each character only has one specific Sparking Episode.

You'll know when you've got the right one when a special tag appears during a cutscene marking it as a "Sparking Episode". This is pretty inconsistent throughout the story modes, as it sometimes appears right at the end of a storyline and sometimes appears right at the beginning. The best way to know (beyond looking at this guide, of course) is when an alternate pathway goes on for more than one or two battles.

Each Sparking Episode usually has some unique unlocks attached to them, as well as a trophy attached for completing it. A few characters on the roster such as Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks have a few alternate pathways with trophies, but usually only one of them is marked as a Sparking Episode. We'll still detail the what-if pathlines that are attached to trophies, however.

You unfortunately can't unlock Sparking Episodes if you've lowered the difficulty of a mission, but if you're having trouble with them, you can use a Dragon Orb to lower the requirement of the secondary objective needed for a what-if scenario. You can get these by summoning Shenron and wishing to complete an Episode Battle, before taking it to the mission and pressing Options to use it.

How To Unlock Goku's Sparking Episodes

The very first Sparking Episode you're likely to encounter in Sparking Zero is Goku's, as he's the first character you can play as. To find this Sparking Episode, you'll need to decide to work with Piccolo in the "The Earth's Mightiest Duo" mission in Chapter 1, and then beat Raditz as fast as you can in the mission "Rematch and Result".

It's not clear how fast you need to be to do this, but the best bet for these is to charge up into Sparking mode, rush behind the enemy, do a quick combo on them, and then use your ultimate attack. Do this until you win and it'll usually be done with enough time to complete the objective. Doing so to Raditz will unlock the "Pushing The Limit" arc and let you see Goku's Sparking Episode.

Of course, as the main character, Goku can't just have one Sparking Episode. His second one can also be found in Chapter 1 and it's called Side by Side. To unlock this, you'll need to choose to go it alone in the very first mission.

Once you've done this, you'll need to actually "Wear down Raditz" in a given time. Just like with the others, this essentially means beating him as quickly as possible. After doing this, you'll unlock the rest of the scenario, which goes on for a surprisingly long amount of time.

The final what-if story related to Goku is called "The Changing Future" and it's found in the Android/Cell Arc (also known as Chapter 3). In the mission "Hyperbolic Time Chamber", Goku is presented with a choice of either helping Piccolo against Cell or leaving him to his devices so he can train.

If you choose to go and help out Piccolo, you'll unlock the "The Changing Future" scenario. This isn't marked as a Sparking Episode, but it does award a trophy upon completion so it's well-worth doing. Just be careful against Android 16, as his insta-kill attack is a total pain in the neck.

How To Unlock Vegeta's Sparking Episodes

To unlock Vegeta's Sparking Episode, you'll need to make it to Chapter 2, which focuses on the Cell Saga. In the battle against Android 18 during the mission, Wind-Up Doll, you'll need to defeat Android 18 in the unspecified time limit instead of just surviving the battle against her.

Doing this will unlock the Parental Bond Sparking Episode, which focuses on Vegeta and Trunks. Your job isn't quite over, though, as you'll need to defeat Super Trunks as fast as possible in the "Vegeta And Trunks" mission instead of just surviving against him or beating him slowly. This opens up the rest of the Sparking Episode and lets you see it through to the end.

The second of Vegeta's Sparking Episodes can be found in Chapter 3 of his story mode. During the mission "Vegeta's Wicked Heart", Babidi will try and take over the Prince's mind. This cutscene will present you with a choice of either submitting to the brainwashing (the canon option) or shaking it off.

Choose to shake it off and you'll unlock the "Number One Spot" Sparking Episode, which isn't quite as long as some of the others but still offers an interesting what-if story. As with the others listed here, it's denoted with a special cutscene instead of just slideshows.

How To Unlock Gohan's Sparking Episode

By far the best Sparking Episode in the game is Gohan's, which can be found in Chapter 5, the Resurrection F saga. In the "Defend Earth from the Frieza Force!" mission, you'll need to "put up a good fight against Frieza". That means defeating the Frieza Soldier as fast as possible and then dealing as much damage to Frieza as you can as quickly as possible.

Doing so unlocks the "The Strongest Warrior" Sparking Episode, which I won't spoil for you here but is easily the highlight of the whole game. Gohan's is fairly simple to unlock, but he also has one of the longest what-if arcs in Sparking Zero, so prepare yourself.

How To Unlock Piccolo's Sparking Episode

Piccolo's Sparking Episode is a bit of a strange one, as it actually has two parts to it. The first is in Chapter 2 during the mission called "Piccolo Returns to his Birthplace". Defeat Frieza as fast as possible (you get the drill by now) and you'll unlock a mission called Piccolo's Struggle. Clear that and you'll be put back on the canon path.

That's not where things end, though. With that done, head to the Chapter 3 mission called "Faint Unease". When offered the choice to help Goku or observe his fight with Android 19, you're going to want to help him out. Doing so opens up the alternate story called "A Mentor's Guidance", which focuses on Picolo and Gohan.

How To Unlock Future Trunks' Sparking Episodes

Now we're getting to the truly difficult unlocks. To get Trunks', you'll need to make it all the way to the end of Chapter 6 to the final mission called "Trunks' Choice". Here, choose to stay in the present and train with the others and you'll get a mission called "To Become Strongest in the Universe". This mission has you taking on Vegeta, Piccolo, and Gohan in quick succession and showing them the results of your training.

This one is incredibly tough to clear in the unspecified required time, which makes it a good time to use the Dragon Orb. If you're struggling, the method of going into Sparking and then using your ultimate after a combo worked wonders for me and let me clear it. Once you've done that, the rest of the "Inherited Pride" Sparking Arc will keep going and show Trunks in the Tournament of Power.

To get the first ending and see the actual "Sparking Episode", you're going to want to follow Vegeta in the "Father or Teamwork?" mission. This is the main Sparking Episode for Trunks and the only one marked as such in-game.

If you want the others that are tied to trophies though, it's fairly simple. To get the "Embarking Toward Tomorrow" pathline, you need to choose to stick with Gohan and work with him instead of following Vegeta. This opens up a new series of battles which will eventually award you with a trophy for completing.

The final what-if scenario for Trunks that is related to a trophy is called "Shining Hope" and it can be found in the mission called "Twisted World". To get this one, you'll need to do what you're probably very used to by now and defeat your opponents in as short a time as possible.

Doing this will unlock the incredibly short "Shining Hope" arc, which has some difficult battles but should be fairly easy to clear up. The fight against Goku Black and Zamasu is a tough one, though, so keep that in mind when trying to get this pathway.

How To Unlock Frieza's Sparking Episode

Frieza's Sparking Episode is both simpler and more complicated than the others. To do this one, you'll need to reach "Frieza Revived" in Chapter 5, which sees Golden Frieza going up against Goku and Vegeta in their Super Saiyan Blue forms. To clear it, you'll need to defeat them both in a given time, which isn't as tough as you'd think with the method I've detailed above.

Once you've done that, you'll open up the "Frieza Force Joins The Fray" arc, which actually has multiple different endings. To see the one that gives you the Sparking Episode and trophy, though, you're going to want to pick King Cold and use him as your team member when offered the choice by Beerus. Feel free to do the other pathways once you've done that.

How To Unlock Goku Black's Sparking Episode

Goku Black has one of the shorter Episode Battles in the game, which means that his Sparking Episode is relatively easy to find. To get this one, you'll need to clear the mission called "Act Three Begins". Instead of just surviving the match, you'll need to defeat Goku and Vegeta as quickly as possible and complete the mission.

This opens up a separate pathway for a Sparking Episode called Proof of Justice, which only lasts for a few episodes. It's pretty difficult though, but made a lot easier if you use the Sparking tip that we mentioned above. It's also not as hard as unlocking the actual mission, so it might be worth using a Dragon Orb here as well.

How To Unlock Jiren's Sparking Episode

The final Sparking Episode in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero belongs to Jiren, who has one of the toughest sections in the whole game. In his very first mission, "Saiyan Rampage", you need to choose to wait and see what happens with Kale instead of finishing her off. This opens up the "True Strength" saga for Jiren, which isn't all that different from the main Tournament of Power.

You're in for an incredibly difficult time, though. Unlocking the Sparking Episode path is easy enough, but getting through it will require a lot of skill since the battles are long and tougher than ever. My main tip is to make good use of Jiren's "Meditation" skill whenever possible, as that lets him recover a decent amount of health.

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Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero

Considered part to the Budokai Tenkachi series, Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is an in-development arena fighter developed by Spike Chunsoft and published by Namco Bandai.

Platform(s)

PC , PlayStation 5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S

Released

October 11, 2024

Developer(s)

Spike Chunsoft

See at Official SiteSee at Playstation Store