Dragon Ball Z: Kyōshū! Saiyan

Dragon Ball Z: Kyoshu! Saiyan is a role-playing video game and the first Dragon Ball Z game ever released for a home console. Published by Bandai, it launched in Japan on October 27, 1990, for the Famicom in both a standard cartridge and a limited-edition gold version. The game was later included in the J Legend Retsuden compilation for Nintendo 3DS. Combat uses a turn-based system where players select actions for each party member, choosing attacks, ki techniques, and defensive options against the waves of Saiyan and Garlic Jr.-affiliated enemies encountered throughout the campaign.

A cloning mechanic allows all characters to create duplicates for training purposes, a feature drawn from anime filler content depicting Piccolo's training methods. The game includes a tournament mode with an eight-fighter bracket, and Chi-Chi is available as a playable character in that mode by entering a specific code. Levels are divided into named areas tied to the story's progression, including the Raditz Area, Snake Way, areas associated with each of Garlic Jr.'s henchmen, King Kai's Planet, and a Final Area hosting the climactic Saiyan battles. Minigame sequences at King Kai's Planet task the player with catching Bubbles and striking Gregory with a hammer before the final arc begins.

The story draws characters from the Dragon Ball Z: Dead Zone film in addition to the main Saiyan Saga cast, though it positions those film events after Raditz's arrival rather than before it, diverging from the canonical timeline. Garlic Jr. does not achieve immortality in this version, and the Dragon Balls he collects are used by the Z Fighters to revive Goku.

Kyoshu! Saiyan begins at the arrival of Raditz on Earth and follows the Dragon Team through their preparations, training under King Kai, and eventual confrontation with Nappa and Vegeta. The story ends with the battle against Great Ape Vegeta, covering the full Saiyan Saga in structured chapter form. The narrative weaves in characters from the Dead Zone film, including Garlic Jr. and his subordinates Ginger, Nikki, and Sansho, as enemies encountered in separate areas of the game world before the Saiyan climax.

Additional minor enemy characters include Brocco and Pumpkin, two illusion Saiyans who appeared in anime filler as companions of Raditz. Original enemy types fill out the encounter roster across each level, with unique designs and scaled battle powers distinguishing them from the named antagonists. Supporting figures such as Princess Snake, Fortune Teller Baba, Korin, and Mr. Popo appear in helper roles, providing items and restoring the party's health at key intervals. The final sequence of the game ends with a brief appearance by Frieza observing Earth from afar, foreshadowing the next chapter of the Dragon Ball Z story.

As the very first Dragon Ball Z video game, Kyoshu! Saiyan established the Famicom RPG format that defined the franchise's interactive presence during the early 1990s. Its combination with Dragon Ball Z II: Gekishin Freeza into the Super Nintendo title Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu in 1992 gave both games a consolidated legacy on more powerful hardware. The limited-edition gold cartridge version became a sought-after collector's item, and the game's availability in J Legend Retsuden ensured that this foundational title remained playable on modern Nintendo hardware decades after its original release.