How To Play As Goku In Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero

Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero offers a robust story mode with its Episode Battle mode, where you can see different adventures from the perspectives of various heroes and villains. Goku has the longest story of them all, with plenty of branching paths and outcomes to his classic battles.

In this guide, we will focus on the many forms of Goku that you take control of during his adventure, from his initial fight against his brother Raditz to the finals of the Tournament of Power. We will also cover things to keep in mind when using these characters in online battles.

Goku (Early)

Goku (Early) In Episode Battle

While not the youngest version of Goku available in Sparking Zero, this early incarnation of Goku from the Saiyan Saga is the first one you’ll use in Episode Battle. Solar Flare can help you land several combos against most computer-controlled opponents since they all behave the same way; only use Kaioken when you have the Skill Count to spare.

The rest of Goku’s kit is basic, with a chargeable Beam, a Rush attack, and a Beam Ultimate. That Ultimate is unblockable, though, so when your opponent lacks any resources (Ki or Skill Count) to dodge it, you can finish the fight easily.

The hardest fight you’ll face with this Goku is against Great Ape Vegeta, who’s fairly slow but packs a punch. Your Kaioken Attack is useless against him, so your best bet is to keep your distance and answer his Beam attacks with a quick Kamehameha; winning the Beam struggle will deal more damage than your Kamehameha could.

Goku (Early) In Versus And Online Matches

Against human opponents, Solar Flare is surprisingly useful, although some people are more prepared to answer it than others. Your opponent might either hold block or spam buttons, so counter accordingly, either with a grab or with any special move depending on their answer.

Goku (Mid)

Goku (Mid) In Episode Battle

The hero of the Frieza Saga, this Goku has some fairly simple fights, with Frieza being the only real opponent. For the filler fights, don’t bother with your Ultimate move, buff yourself with ‘I can’t wait!’ and rush your opponents down.

Against Frieza, you will need to finish the fight with a Spirit Bomb, so you should consider buffing that attack with the skill ‘Give me your energy!’ so it deals even more damage. After all, landing the Spirit Bomb isn’t enough, it needs to actually deplete all of Frieza’s health bars.

Goku (Mid) In Versus And Online Matches

The ace under Goku’s Yardrat sleeve is the Spirit Bomb, and his unique ability to charge it up to three times. It can be hard to pull off, but if you fully charge it and boost it during the animation, the attack can deal over three bars of damage, more than any other Ultimate.

This makes him a valuable addition to a DP Battle team, since you have a lot of damage potential on a five DP cost character, being able to take down even the mightiest fusions. And if you are in a match where it may be impossible to charge or land the Spirit Bomb, then you can always turn into Super Saiyan for a better move set.

Goku (Mid) Super Saiyan

Goku (Mid) Super Saiyan In Episode Battle

This Goku’s biggest fight is against Frieza, but it is hardly a challenge. Your strongest ability is being able to enter Sparking Mode instantly thanks to Now I’m Angry!, with some additional buffs to boot, so you’ll have little issue beating that fight.

Goku (Mid) Super Saiyan In Versus And Online Matches

A significant downgrade between this Goku and the others is Wild Sense, a lackluster ability considering what the Gokus from the past and future can do. Still, the instant Sparking is quite powerful, and the move set is balanced enough for the character to be worth using.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan

Goku (End) Super Saiyan In Episode Battle

The base form of this Goku isn’t as widely used as his Super Saiyan form is, nor are those fights all that difficult. This is good, since the abilities available for this Goku leave a lot to be desired, starting with the Wild Sense that has stuck around since his previous Super Saiyan incarnation.

In tough fights against the likes of Cell, your main trick is to use the Ultimate move, Instant Transmission Kamehameha. As the name implies, you instantly teleport to your opponent, almost always catching them off-guard and allowing easy wins.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan In Versus And Online Matches

As stated before, this isn’t the best version of Goku, so you’re better off with the base form or any of the higher transformations. The Ultimate Move trick still works, but human players are more used to reacting quickly to that type of move.

Super Energy Wave Combo could be considered a way to harass your opponent, but with it costing three Ki Bars, it is a bit expensive when compared to characters with similar moves. You’ll win more matches if you focus on transforming into Super Saiyan 2 whenever possible.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 2

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 2 In Episode Battle

The best part about this Goku is how relentless he can be when chasing opponents, due to it having two ways of using Instant Transmission. If your opponent is far away charging, you can quickly catch them off guard with either the skill Instant Transmission or the Beam Instant Transmission Kamehameha.

With the rest of the move set being a balanced kit, and a way to instantly enter Sparking Mode, the fights with this Goku will be a breeze. Since you don’t have to save Skill Count to transform in Episode Battle, you should always enter Sparking Mode whenever possible.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 2 In Versus And Online Matches

With so many Gokus, most people are already used to dealing with Instant Transmission, although not so much with the Instant Transmission Kamehameha. Since this Goku looks just like any other Super Saiyan Goku, you can charge the Kamehameha for a long while and almost always surprise your opponent with a quick blast to the face.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 3

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 3 In Episode Battle

This Goku is mechanically very similar to his Super Saiyan 2 version, except it deals more damage and doesn’t teleport with his Kamehameha. Still, the progression between one and the other is fairly smooth, so even though the fights with this version are tougher, you don’t have to be constantly checking what your abilities do when picking him up.

Goku (End) Super Saiyan 3 In Versus And Online Matches

As a powerful, seven DP cost character, being able to technically add him to the team for only five DP is valuable, even if you have to transform several times to get to this Goku (although you can skip directly to him with enough Skill Count). His Ultimate, the Dragon Fist, can hit giant characters, so keep that in mind.

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan God

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan God In Episode Battle

This Goku is quite underutilized in Episode Battle, his biggest fight being his introductory one. His skills are fairly average, with decent damage as you expect from such a form, but his biggest surprise is the God Bind; it can paralyze an opponent for five seconds, letting you chain together combos or guarantee an Ultimate impact.

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan God In Versus And Online Matches

Not a lot of people know about God Bind, so it can not only be useful against human opponents but also make for a decent surprise. You are better off saving the Skill Count either to transform or to Bind opponents, so don’t bother with Shenron Aura unless transformations are banned.

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan Blue

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan Blue In Episode Battle

This is closer to your standard Goku, with Beam and Rush abilities and access to Instant Transmission. Due to how long some fights can get, pay attention to your Skill Count; in these scenarios, buffing with Kaioken is more than welcome.

Against Jiren, Goku will use his base form during the battle. You are only meant to use that form to land a Spirit Bomb, nothing more.

Goku (Super) Super Saiyan Blue In Versus And Online Matches

Your Skill Count should mostly be used for Kaioken, letting you keep the pressure going against your opponent. Only use Instant Transmission near the end of the fight, so you can finish them off with one final surprise.

Goku Ultra Instinct Sign

Goku Ultra Instinct Sign In Episode Battle

The Ultra Instinct mechanic makes you instantly dodge all attacks, as long as you are not pressing any buttons. If you are using the assist mode where your character blocks automatically, then you won’t be using the instant dodging, so be sure to deactivate that whenever you are using an Ultra Instinct Character (as in, both of these Gokus and Whis).

You also need Ki to access said dodges, something that both of your skills can help you with. ‘Even Greater Potential’ gives you a full Ki bar, and ‘You’ll never beat me’ puts you in Sparking Mode, so use them often.

Goku Ultra Instinct Sign-In Versus And Online Matches

Even when not playing in DP Battle, starting as this Goku is still a good idea, since it is easier to charge Ki as this Goku. Besides, when you transform, you gain an additional health bar, something most people think is exclusive to fusion characters.

Goku Mastered Ultra Instinct

Goku Mastered Ultra Instinct In Episode Battle

In many ways, this Goku can seem like a downgrade to his previous version, since it comes with Wild Sense (called Ultra Movement) instead of Ki recovery, and his rush move costs four Ki bars even though it isn’t all that more damage. Still, his raw stats make up for it, as well as the additional health bar he starts with.

Goku Mastered Ultra Instinct In Versus And Online Matches

As one of the more popular choices for online battles, a lot of players already know how to counter certain aspects of this character, so be careful. Your Ki can be easily depleted if you become over reliant on the Ultra Instinct mechanic, so at times you’re better off playing him as a regular character.