IC Carddass Dragon Ball

IC Carddass Dragon Ball is a trading card game created by Bandai Namco that uses near-field communication technology integrated into compatible devices. The game can be played either online or face-to-face against other players, with the NFC functionality allowing physical cards to interact with digital interfaces. It is based on the Dragon Ball Super television series, drawing its roster and story arcs from that portion of the franchise's timeline.

The game launched in Japan on September 19, 2015, with two initial starter packs: a Saiyan Deck and a God Deck. These entry sets establish the core mechanical distinctions between power-based and divine-tier fighters in the card system. Players build decks around characters from specific sagas, with each card representing a version of a character at a defined point in the narrative. The card pool spans a broad range of Dragon Ball history, from the earliest Saiyan Saga through the Universe 6 Saga and the Goku Black arc of Dragon Ball Super.

The playable character list is among the most comprehensive of any Dragon Ball card game, covering dozens of characters across multiple saga contexts. Major figures such as Goku, Vegeta, Gohan, Piccolo, Frieza, and Beerus appear in multiple card versions representing their various power levels and transformations across different story arcs. Villain characters including Cooler, Cell, Bojack, and Janemba each have dedicated saga-specific entries. The game also includes supporting characters, God-tier beings, and fusion forms as part of its expansive roster.

IC Carddass Dragon Ball organizes its card pool around discrete story sagas from across Dragon Ball, Dragon Ball Z, and Dragon Ball Super. Each saga corresponds to a group of characters who appear within it, allowing players to construct thematically coherent decks or mix characters across eras. Sagas represented include the Father of Goku arc, the Saiyan Saga, the Frieza Saga, the Androids and Cell arc, the Bojack film, the Other World Tournament, the Babidi arc, the Buu Saga, the Battle of Gods storyline, Resurrection F, the Universe 6 tournament arc, and the Goku Black arc.

Transformations are tracked per character and per saga, meaning a single character such as Goku may have dozens of individual card entries reflecting different moments in the story. The God-tier characters introduced in Dragon Ball Super, including Beerus, Whis, and Champa, receive dedicated card sets tied to their respective story arcs. Fusion characters including Gogeta, Vegito, and Gotenks are present, as are movie-exclusive characters from the non-canon film releases. The Oracle Fish, a recurring minor character from the Battle of Gods storyline, appears across multiple saga sets as a collectable card.

IC Carddass Dragon Ball arrives as part of Bandai Namco's ongoing investment in the Dragon Ball card game market, leveraging NFC technology to bridge physical and digital play in a way that earlier Carddass releases could not. Its launch window coincided with the debut period of the Dragon Ball Super anime, positioning the game as a direct companion product to the new series. The dual-format play capability, allowing both in-person and online matches, reflects the shifting expectations of card game audiences in the mid-2010s.

The game's enormous character list distinguishes it from most contemporaries in the licensed card game space, offering a level of franchise coverage that appeals to long-term collectors and competitive players alike. By organizing cards around saga contexts rather than simply power levels, IC Carddass preserves narrative meaning within a mechanical framework, giving each card a sense of placement within the larger Dragon Ball story.