Dragon Ball Z Super Gokuden - Kakusei Hen is one of those SNES RPGs that flew under the radar outside Japan, which is a shame because it nails the DBZ vibe better than most licensed games from that era. You start off reliving Goku’s early adventures—training with King Kai, fighting Raditz, all that good stuff—but with turn-based battles and some light exploration between story beats.

What’s cool is how it handles progression. Instead of just leveling up, you spend points to boost specific stats like strength or ki control, which makes training sessions actually feel like you’re shaping Goku’s growth. The sprite work is pure 90s DBZ, with those exaggerated auras and attack animations that look ripped from the anime. And yeah, the dialogue’s all in Japanese, but if you’ve seen the show even once, you’ll follow along just fine.

It’s not perfect—random encounters can get old when you’re just trying to backtrack—but there’s something satisfying about finally nailing that perfect Kamehameha after grinding your ki stats. If you’ve ever wanted an RPG that actually makes you feel like you’re training to fight Vegeta, this is the closest you’ll get on the SNES.