Dragon Ball (WonderSwan Color)

Dragon Ball for the WonderSwan Color is a role-playing video game released exclusively in Japan in November 2003, developed as a remake of the 1989 Famicom title Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden with substantially improved graphics and sound quality suited to the WonderSwan Color hardware. The game retains the RPG structure of its predecessor, presenting Goku's journey through an overhead map view from which players navigate to towns, training locations, and story events. Combat takes place in a separate battle screen where Goku and his party face off against enemies drawn from the original Dragon Ball canon, using a menu-driven attack and ability system consistent with the turn-based RPG conventions of the era.

The narrative scope of the remake covers all of Dragon Ball up to and including the fight against Piccolo Junior at the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament, representing the full original series before it transitioned into Dragon Ball Z. Playable party members alongside Goku include Krillin and Yamcha, both of whom receive a significant upgrade in this version compared to the original Famicom game: they are capable of defeating Bandages the Mummy in combat, an accomplishment that was impossible in the 1989 version due to mechanical limitations. This adjustment addresses a well-known quirk of the original game and brings the remake into closer alignment with the canon portrayal of those characters' abilities.

The enemy roster and boss encounters follow the Dragon Ball storyline faithfully, with named adversaries from each story arc appearing as the climactic challenges of their respective sections. The improved audio presentation, made possible by the WonderSwan Color's superior sound hardware compared to the original Famicom, enhances the atmosphere of both exploration and battle sequences throughout the game.

The WonderSwan Color Dragon Ball game adapts the complete original series from Goku's first meeting with Bulma on Mount Paozu through the 23rd World Martial Arts Tournament and the defeat of Piccolo Junior. This span encompasses all major story arcs of the original Dragon Ball anime and manga, including the Emperor Pilaf Saga, the Tournament Saga, the Red Ribbon Army Saga, the Fortuneteller Baba Saga, the Tien Shinhan Saga, the King Piccolo Saga, and the Piccolo Jr. Saga. The story visits Aru Village immediately after Goku departs with Bulma, a slight narrative adjustment from the original Famicom version's map progression noted by players familiar with both releases.

The non-playable character roster that populates the game's world and cutscenes is extensive, including Bulma, Oolong, Turtle, Master Roshi, Puar, Ox-King, Chi-Chi, Bear Thief, Monster Carrot, Dr. Brief, Bikini, Emperor Pilaf, Mai, Shu, Launch, Giran, Jackie Chun, Suno, Android 8, General White, General Blue, Mercenary Tao, Bora, Upa, Korin, Krillin, Yamcha, Tien Shinhan, Chiaotzu, Master Shen, Yajirobe, Piccolo, King Piccolo, and many additional supporting figures. This breadth ensures that the remake functions as a faithful interactive retelling of the original series rather than an abridged highlight version.

The WonderSwan Color was a handheld gaming device produced by Bandai for the Japanese market, never receiving an international release. Its Dragon Ball title therefore represents a Japan-exclusive remake that improved upon a classic but remained invisible to international audiences. Released in November 2003, the game arrived late in the WonderSwan Color's commercial life, as the platform was soon to be discontinued in favor of more powerful hardware. Despite this limited window, the remake provided Japanese Dragon Ball fans with an enhanced version of a beloved classic RPG at a time when the franchise was still actively supported by Bandai across multiple hardware platforms.

The decision to remake Dragon Ball 3: Gokuden rather than create an original title speaks to the enduring reputation of the 1989 original as a high-quality RPG adaptation of the series. The mechanical improvements, including the corrected character abilities for Krillin and Yamcha, suggest a development team attentive to the specific quirks that longtime fans of the Famicom version were aware of. As a piece of Dragon Ball gaming history, the WonderSwan Color release stands as both a platform capstone and a respectful renovation of one of the franchise's most fondly remembered early RPGs.