Dragon Ball Z: Buyuu Retsuden is one of those early fighting games that somehow nails the chaotic energy of the anime. You pick from Goku, Vegeta, Piccolo, and a few others—each with their own signature moves—and just go wild. The controls are simple (punch, kick, energy blast), but fights get surprisingly intense when you’re dodging Kamehamehas or trying to land a flying kick.

The pixel art holds up, especially the super attacks—watching Goku charge up in that classic stance never gets old. It’s not as polished as later DBZ fighters, but there’s something charming about how over-the-top it is. Just expect a few cheap AI moments when the CPU suddenly spams specials.

If you grew up with the Saiyan or Frieza sagas, this’ll hit the nostalgia hard. It’s rough around the edges, but in a way that makes it fun to revisit. Grab a friend for versus mode and see who’s better at yelling while playing.