Dragon Ball FighterZ remains one of the most impressive Dragon Ball games ever made, recreating the intense and epic fights of the anime with stunning visuals. Of course, there are few characters as iconic as Goku, who FighterZ has made great use of.
Goku isn't just one character in Dragon Ball FighterZ, but multiple ones. While the game had a sizable roster when it launched, multiple FighterZ Passes have added on even more characters from Dragon Ball Z, GT, and even Dragon Ball Super.
Despite a deep well of characters to draw from, many of the DLC characters were different versions of existing ones, with Goku front and center. He isn't the only character with multiple versions, but it's a little absurd that so much of the roster is just Goku.
Every Goku In Dragon Ball FighterZ
There are five different versions of Goku in Dragon Ball FighterZ. Two were available in the base game, while one has been added in each of the game's DLC passes.
Super Saiyan Goku - The base Goku in FighterZ is Super Saiyan, and for his meteor attack he'll even briefly transform into Super Saiyan 3.
Super Saiyan Blue Goku - Super Saiyan Blue Goku was available as a pre-order bonus for FighterZ, or he could be unlocked in-game. This is, of course, the divine version of Super Saiyan that Goku achieves in Dragon Ball Super, and comes with the flashy attacks to match.
Goku - Strangely, the character introduced with the first FighterZ Pass was just Goku.... plain old Goku. This base version can't transform into Super Saiyan, but instead uses classic moves like Kaio-ken.
Kid Goku (GT) - Goku's GT version appeared in the second FighterZ Pass, transforming into his kid version, transforming staff and all.
Ultra Instinct Goku - The latest Goku is Ultra Instinct Goku, part of the FighterZ Pass 3. This godlike ability is attained by Goku in the Tournament of Power in Dragon Ball Super.
Technically there is one more Goku in Dragon Ball FighterZ with Goku Black, but since he's not actually "Goku," he's more like a separate character with an entirely different moveset.
Unique Characters That Dragon Ball FighterZ Should Use
Dragon Ball FighterZ certainly has a diverse roster, but there are so many more interesting characters that could be added instead of five different Gokus. There are surprising omissions like Raditz, the brother of Goku and the very first villain to appear in Dragon Ball Z. All of the members of the Ginyu Force would have worked as fun additions as well.
Past that, tons of characters would have been great additions as unique or joke characters: Master Roshi, Mr. Satan, Auta Magetta, Dabura, Picon, and more. Dragon Ball has decades of history and countless characters to choose from, and it's one of the greatest celebrations of that history that we've seen yet.
Each Goku in FighterZ does have a different movest, but ultimately they're still similar, especially in terms of visual differences. One of the biggest pulls of Dragon Ball FighterZ is its gorgeous visuals. It can get tiresome to look at the same character over and over, even if they have small visual differences. Much more interesting would be to have wildly varied characters with extra visual flair.
Everyone knows and loves Goku, which provides even more reason to bring those more obscure or unknown characters into the fold. It doesn't help that the different Gokus feel like a mixed bag.
For example, GT Goku feels like a wonderfully unique character who has his own weapon and moves that are different from others. On the other side, though, you have base Goku, who just feels completely unnecessary when you have Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan Blue.
Dragon Ball FighterZ has fantastic mechanics, and the community has flocked to it. Still, there's room for improvement and if it wants to lay claim to the best Dragon Ball game of all time, it needs to represent more of the universe.