Dragon Ball: Origins

Dragon Ball: Origins is an action-adventure game for the Nintendo DS that presents the entire game from an overhead perspective, with Goku as the sole fully playable character controlled via the stylus. Goku operates in two modes: a bare-handed combat stance and one employing his Power Pole for extended reach. Over the course of the game he learns additional techniques including the Kamehameha, Spin Attack, and Afterimage Technique, each governed by a ki meter that depletes with special attack use and refills over time. A separate life meter tracks health, and losing either Goku's or Bulma's health results in a game-over screen with Bulma humorously penalizing Goku for the failure.

Bulma accompanies Goku across many stages, navigating via the simplest available path while dealing with enemies she encounters. She possesses her own life and ki meters, with her ki gauge not depleting during normal attacks. Players can trigger Bulma's special attack by tapping her when her ki is full, and her special attack loadout is customizable from the game menu. Creating a clear path for Bulma to advance safely becomes a secondary objective in stages where terrain or enemy placement threatens her route.

The game features 200 collectable figurines obtainable through store purchases, discovery in the environment, and mission speed completion rewards. Figurines depict characters performing iconic actions from the game and can be rotated and zoomed in the viewer. Two players can trade figurines wirelessly between copies of the game, adding a social dimension to collection completion. Defeating enemies yields Zeni for the store and skill orbs that fund Goku's attack upgrades.

Dragon Ball: Origins covers the Emperor Pilaf Saga and the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament Saga with a number of deliberate alterations to the source material. The game introduces extended sequences and new encounters not present in the manga or anime, such as Goku and Oolong infiltrating the Rabbit Gang's hideout to rescue Bulma, Pilaf fielding a giant robot modeled after himself, and Goku confronting Oolong in his mansion after chasing him while still transformed. Side stories accessible by completing certain story chapters add further original content, including rescuing a lost villager, recovering the Ox-King's treasure, escorting Bulma to Kame House, and training with Krillin.

The game also modifies the sequencing and nature of several iconic encounters from the source material, including repositioning the Goku versus Giran match to open the 21st World Martial Arts Tournament rather than appearing fourth, and having Goku fight Chi-Chi in person after she defeats a T-Rex rather than the anime's version of events. These adjustments give the game its own narrative identity while remaining faithful to the spirit of the original story.

Dragon Ball: Origins released in Japan on September 18, 2008, followed by North America on November 4, 2008, Europe on December 5, 2008, and Australia on December 16, 2008. Published by Atari and Namco Bandai under the Bandai label in their respective regions, the game marked one of the earlier Dragon Ball titles to receive simultaneous international distribution across multiple major markets. Its sequel, Dragon Ball: Origins 2, followed in 2010 and expanded the concept with a broader playable cast and co-op support.

The game is regarded as one of the stronger portable Dragon Ball titles for its faithful visual recreation of the original manga art style and its thoughtful translation of the early Dragon Ball adventure structure into handheld gameplay. By adapting the pre-Z era of the franchise, Origins served an audience interested in the classic Dragon Ball storyline that received less dedicated game coverage than the later Dragon Ball Z material.