Grandpa Gohan in Sparking Zero? Okay Bandai, You Have My Attention

So Bandai Namco just dropped the details on Sparking Zero's next major DLC, and honestly? The character picks alone made me do a double take. We're not talking about another round of Super Saiyan recolors or Tournament of Power filler picks. This time, they went deep. Real deep. The Summer 2026 DLC is adding five new fighters to the roster: Super Saiyan 2 Gohan from the Bojack movie, Grandpa Gohan, Mercenary Tao, Champa, and Pikkon. If you're an OG Dragon Ball fan, that lineup probably just made your day. Grandpa Gohan and Mercenary Tao are straight out of the original Dragon Ball series, characters that most modern DB games completely ignore.

Why These Picks Matter

Let's be real. Fighting games love to stack the roster with Goku and Vegeta variants. Sparking Zero already has a mountain of them. So the fact that Bandai went back to the very beginning of the franchise and pulled out Grandpa Gohan and Tao Pai Pai is a statement. It says they're not just catering to the Dragon Ball Super crowd. They're acknowledging the fans who were there from the start, the ones who remember when Goku was a kid with a tail fighting a guy with a literal tongue-blade.

The Bojack Saga version of Gohan is a smart addition too. We already have multiple Gohan forms in the game, but this specific version, the one who goes Super Saiyan 2 to finish off Bojack, has a completely different context than the Cell Games version. The Saikyo Jump scan confirms he'll come with unique techniques tied to that movie fight, which means he won't just be a reskin. Pikkon is another fan-favorite pick that's been requested for years. The guy gave Goku one of his best fights in the Other World Tournament filler arc, and his Hyper Tornado and Thunder Flash techniques are iconic in their own right. And then there's Champa, Beerus's twin brother and Universe 6's God of Destruction. He rounds out the roster with some much-needed Super era representation that isn't just another Saiyan transformation.

The World Map Has Everyone Guessing

But here's the thing that has the community really buzzing. Buried in the Saikyo Jump scan is a screenshot of what looks like a World Map mode, with icons scattered across different locations. The scan teases it with "What is this map with icons appearing in various places...!?" and leaves it at that. Fans are already speculating that this could be a new story mode, an adventure mode, or maybe even something like the Dragon Adventure mode from the old Budokai Tenkaichi games. If Bandai is bringing back a proper exploration mode where you fly around the Dragon Ball world and trigger battles at specific locations, that would be a massive addition to the game.

The scan also mentions new costumes and new stages, with Kame House specifically called out as a new battle arena. Fighting on Master Roshi's tiny island sounds chaotic in the best possible way, and it's another nod to the original series that longtime fans will appreciate.

Bandai Is Actually Listening

What stands out most about this DLC is the overall direction. After DLC 1 covered Super Hero content and DLC 2 handled Daima, this third pack feels like Bandai finally looked at what the community has been asking for and delivered. Pikkon and Grandpa Gohan have been on fan wishlists since before the game even launched. Mercenary Tao is a deep cut that nobody expected but everybody loves. The DLC is scheduled for Summer 2026, with more details expected at Dragon Ball Games Battle Hour on April 18-19 in Los Angeles. If the World Map mode turns out to be what fans think it is, this could end up being the most significant update Sparking Zero has gotten since launch. For now, the character picks alone are enough to get excited about. Bandai went back to basics, and it looks like that was exactly the right call.