The Upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Witnesses a Sharp Rise in Interest, Partly Due to Akira Toriyama’s Demise

The anime and manga community was recently hit with the tragic news of the passing of legendary mangaka Akira Toriyama due to an acute subdural hematoma. Among a lot of other achievements, Toriyama was best known for creating the Dragon Ball and Dr. Slump franchises. Now that Dragon Ball is getting a new game, the interest in it has skyrocketed.

Bandai Namco will be hosting a 13-minute-long gameplay showcase for the upcoming fighter game Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO. While the Dragon Ball franchise is home to several popular video games, this upcoming title is believed to be the successor of the Dragon Ball: Budokai Tenkaichi series.

The waiting room is open so tune in on 20th March at 2PM GMT for a Gameplay Showcase of DRAGON BALL: Sparking! ZERO!

https://t.co/EO8lDqkYJD #DBSZ pic.twitter.com/zTPSDEkrTh

— Bandai Namco UK (@BandaiNamcoUK) March 19, 2024

Ever since the game was announced, fans began speculating about its features, including the existence of several additional characters. Unfortunately, not a lot is known about the game as of yet, which makes the gameplay showcase all the more exciting. It is said that the showcase, which will broadcast on Bandai Namco Entertainment America’s YouTube channels on March 20, 2024, at 7 AM Pacific Time, will also reveal the title’s release date.

Akira Toriyama’s death can affect the Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO’s release

Being a Dragon Ball game, Sparking! ZERO was already getting a ton of attention since its reveal. However, the interest around it may surpass even the publishers’ initial expectations due to Akira Toriyama’s untimely death on March 1. His production firm, Bird Studio, made the devastating announcement on the official Dragon Ball website.

This title might be the last work of the legendary Japanese mangaka besides the upcoming Sand Land game. Some previously unseen characters have been revealed in the most recent scans of V Jump magazines. These might have been designed by none other than Akira Toriyama, who has created many game-only Dragon Ball characters in the past.

Dragon Ball: Sparking ZERO Vjump Scans! Whole new set of characters!

Power vs Speed Trailer coming soon! pic.twitter.com/OgEKkGHW1S

— Hype (@DbsHype) March 15, 2024

The greatest way to honor Akira Toriyama’s legacy could be to play this upcoming Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO, which will be accessible on multiple platforms, including PC, Xbox, and PlayStation. However, this won’t be the first time a project has experienced a lot of attention as a result of the loss of a significant member who worked on it. Sand Land, another upcoming game speculated to get incredible sales due to the mangaka’s death.