The increasing popularity of Dragon Ball Z over the world opened the door for many games to come. Over the years, there have been a bunch of games of popular anime series. Still, two of them are standing on top of the others: Dragon Ball FighterZ and Dragon Ball Xenoverse 2, both published by Bandai Namco.

The first one, developed by Arc System Works (the studio that made Guilty Gear), instantly took the crown of being one of the best fighting games in 2018. Many veterans consider this game one of the best in the history of fighting games. 

While the second, developed by Dimps (who worked on Street Fighter IV and a bunch of Sonic games), got a long road until it became recognized as another great Dragon Ball game and an interesting RPG for anyone to dive into. 

They are quite different from one another, but how well do both games recreate the fantasy of Dragon Ball? That's what we will talk about, comparing two of the best games of the anime series: Dragon Ball FighterZ vs. Xenoverse 2.

Both games are strictly attached to their genre. Xenoverse 2 has a variety of fighting styles. Players must spend time unlocking better moves, building up their characters, and understanding their combos. 

A new player can't pick up the game and play right away, as there are many things to unlock throughout the game. In some sort of way, it could be like Devil May Cry, which is focused on its combat system, but you have to unlock new techniques to power up your character. On Xenoverse 2, the RPG elements are much deeper.

Dragon Ball FighterZ is an easy-to-understand yet hard-to-master fighting game. Only you vs. the opponent. It has an auto-combo system that allows inexperienced players to grab a controller and start playing with ease. If you want to master it, you will have to learn harder combos and mechanics. Everything is unlocked right from the get-go. 

Plus, Dragon Ball FighterZ filled the void left by Marvel vs. Capcom for tag-team high-paced fighting games, where many former Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3 and Infinite players moved to the Arc System Works game.

Xenoverse 2 has extensive content for single-player. A central part of Xenoverse 2 is grinding for better loot and character progression, just like an RPG. There are plenty of missions to do, and the "Story Mode" distinctive fights are similar to those in the anime series. It gives you a fair variation of fun and entertainment with each boss fight.

With Dragon Ball FighterZ, while the mechanics are deep, their single-player modes are pretty basic. You will fight against many clones of the same characters repeatedly in its Story Mode, which becomes repetitive soon on your run. You also have an Arcade Mode, in which you will again end up fighting against the same characters you saw in the story mode (the main roster). 

There are some special missions where you have to play against “buffed” versions of some characters, but it lacks more details and is just a greater stat-check overall.

DBFZ offers the basic yet necessary multiplayer content for any fighting game. You can have casual matches, ranked modes, and cooperative matches on special missions against the AI. Hopefully, the connectivity for online multiplayer will improve in March 2023 with the implementation of the long-awaited rollback netcode, the only thing that was drawing back Dragon Ball FighterZ.

Xenoverse 2 went full MMORPG regarding multiplayer content introducing "Raids" to their players. This content places six players against a powerful boss where everyone needs to work together to take down such a great enemy. 

There are also Crystal Raids, where the main concept remains the same (six against a giant boss), but the boss is controlled by another player.

Xenoverse 2 played safely. It follows the same story as in the anime: searching the dragon balls, defeating great villains, and fighting alongside Goku. And the few original stories that were introduced weren't attractive enough. It is just good.

On the other hand, Dragon Ball FighterZ story overshadows the boring, repetitive story mode. It is totally worth fighting against many clones of the main roster just to watch the Android 21 arc unfold. 

It is a completely new tale, which is a rare sight in Dragon Ball games nowadays. It has an appealing villain, with two arcs unveiling the mysteries surrounding the Android 21 story until we finally reach her point.

Making a fighting game roster from a beloved franchise is rather difficult, as there would be some fan-favorites left aside. Dragon Ball FighterZ has a big roster, starting with 24 characters from the base game, and expanding it to 44 over the course of three years. 

There isn't any major character from the anime series left, but a common joke that mocks the roster is the amount of "Gokus" included in the game, as there are 6 of them (Base, Super Saiyan, SS Blue, Goku Black, Ultra Instinct, and Dragon Ball GT) plus three fusions (Vegito, Gogeta SS4 and Gogeta Blue).

The Xenoverse 2 roster is massive, including almost every character from the anime series, with some new original characters added to the DLC packages. But both games pay much respect to the source material and feel a lot like their counterparts from the series.

This is where both games differ the most. In DBFZ, you can pick up any character and form a team of three fighters in any way you want. Each fighter feels distinctive and unique from another, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. This includes not only their move-set but also the assistance they can provide during the battle.

Xenoverse 2 allows you to fight alongside the main characters of the Dragon Ball series, but you will always be restricted from playing with your own character.  

You can customize it in many ways and build your own unique fighter in the Dragon Ball universe, but if you want to be on the skin of Goku, Vegeta, or any other major character, Xenoverse 2 is not that game.

Both games have great visual fidelity and an art style heavily attached to the source material. Yet, we have to say that nothing compares with Dragon Ball FighterZ. It even looks better than the anime, with excellent animations and an upgraded art style from the source material.

Xenoverse 2 is also a beautiful game, but they went more for the 3D animation style, while Arc System Works seamlessly transferred Toriyama's art and lifted up even more.

The only clear progression you will see on DBFZ is your ranked position (for both your account and character) and your progress as a fighting game player. 

Meanwhile, in Xenoverse 2, a true RPG game, you will need to grind to defeat greater villains. Getting stronger in the game is the only way to get further; the game will clearly tell you how powerful you are. 

And grinding is not as daunting as other games like Warframe, Destiny 2, or even the first Xenoverse game. But it is a chore that you have to do nonetheless.

Xenoverse 2 took the same concept of a HUB World as many MMOs. It is a big central city where many players do their tasks, with plenty of NPCs to talk, side quest to activate, and items to find. Like the Tower in Destiny or any Alliance/Horde cities in World of Warcraft, it is the perfect place for players to gather.

Fighting games usually don't have a HUB World. They usually have a digital lobby where people can join and arrange fights. DBFZ went a bit further and made a HUB World where players control a chibi version of a roster character and can access the game's different modes. 

It also allows players to arrange casual battles against other players on the same server. You can host or join anyone that is waiting.