Dragon Ball: Sparking! Zero is not a balanced game. If you jump into a ranked battle with a Frieza Force Soldier and you run into someone playing Beerus, you’re going to get absolutely cooked. A degree of skill can tip the scales in your favour, but ultimately some matchups are going to be too much of an uphill battle.

Now let me clarify something: none of what I just said is a complaint. I love that Sparking! Zero, just like the Budokai Tenkaichi games before it, is deliberately unbalanced. Characters like Ultra Instinct Goku, Super Saiyan Blue Gogeta and Whis are busted by design, so that dorks like me and powerscalers in Reddit threads will feel satisfied.

However, while a few of the canonically strongest characters do feature in this list, some of the weakest characters in Dragon Ball history have also somehow managed to sneak their way in too. Exactly how they’ve found their way on is best explained on a case-by-case basis.

Before you jump in, keep in mind that this list is taking DP costs into consideration. Essentially you should only consider these characters the “strongest” in the context of Team DP Battle mode. Measuring character strength for Single Battles would be pretty boring and straightforward anyway. Pick a fusion character with Afterimage Strike or a 10 DP cost character and, congrats, you’ve won ranked.

Krillin

Krillin is a character that’s a sum of his parts. His skills are great, as he has access to both Solar Flare and the much-maligned Afterimage Strike. Although basically any character with Afterimage Strike could qualify for a spot on this list, it’s actually Krillin’s super attacks that make him stand out from the crowd.

Having a beam super like Kamehameha is always great for utility, but his Spread Energy Wave is easily one of the best super attacks in the game. The tracking on this move is nuts and will seemingly always perfectly course correct. I’ve used this move and somehow managed to hit opponents who have teleported behind me.

His ultimate, Chain Destructo Disc, might be one of the best ultimates in the game too. It’s an unblockable, multi-hitting projectile move. You have to dodge it, but good luck dodging several projectiles in quick succession. All of this on a 3 DP cost character makes him one of the best cheap characters in the game.

• 3 DP
• 35,000 Health
• Skills: Afterimage Strike/Solar Flare

Tapion/Future Trunks/Trunks (Sword)

Here’s a bit of a three-for-one deal for you: Future Trunks, Trunks (Sword), and Tapion. I know putting all three of these characters in the same slot on the list might seem a bit odd, but they’re here for the same reason—they can all take advantage of a very specific, somewhat unexplored bug.

When any of these characters get into a vanish war, you can actually slip out of the neverending chain of vanishes and dodge through your opponent’s attack. Being able to immediately counterattack like this is great, but it also means that all three of these characters don’t have to worry about how much ki they have whenever a chain of vanishes begins

This is almost definitely not an intended mechanic and seems to be directly tied to how the animations for characters with swords seem to work, so keep in mind that this will probably be patched at some point in the future. Until then though, have fun taking advantage of it so you can catch people off guard in ranked. If you’re curious about how to replicate it, check out this guide from Cloud805.

Bardock

Bardock is a 4 DP character that most would probably consider an all-round good character. He has good rush attack strings, heavy ki-blast loops, and he can dish out solid damage.

There is one specific skill that sets Bardock apart from the rest of the crowd though; Shockwave of Rebellion. This skill is actually two skills for the price of one, as it’s essentially just Explosive Wave plus insta-spark.

Being able to forcibly throw your opponent off you and instantly enter sparking with the press of a single button is ridiculously powerful. At any point, Bardock can turn the tables and force you to go on the defensive. No other character in the game has access to a skill like Shockwave of Rebellion and it’s so powerful it earns him a spot here by itself.

• 4 DP
• 40,000 Health
• Skills: Shockwave of Rebellion/Saiyan Spirit

Gohan (Teen)

SSJ2 Teen Gohan is a powerhouse. Having access to Explosive Wave is always beneficial, but his insta-spark skill Unforgivable is easily his best tool. Skills that immediately put you in sparking are incredible regardless, but Unforgiveable is extra great because it also buffs all of his stats. Pair this with the fact that his Super Kamehameha only costs two bars instead of the usual three and you’ve suddenly got access to a character that can dish out massive damage on the cheap.

Lots of characters can deal incredible damage, that’s obviously not something unique to SSJ2 Gohan. The thing that really pushes him over the edge is that base Gohan (Teen) only costs 4 DP. The fact that a character this powerful can be thrown onto any team for such a low DP cost is what truly makes him worth picking.

• 4 DP
• 40,000 Health
• Skills: Explosive Wave/Unforgivable

Z Broly

In a similar vein to Gohan (Teen), base Z Broly is a 5 DP character that can transform into a 9 DP character. Plenty of characters have transformations like this, it’s kind of one of Sparking Zero’s main selling points, but the difference here is that LSSJ Z Broly is a genuine menace.

Some of the strongest ki blasts in the game, armour, two unblockable super attacks and a ludicrous level of damage: Z Broly really does it all. Now it could be argued that Z Broly and Super Broly are sort of interchangeable here, as they’re both 5 DP cost characters that can transform into monstrously powerful 9 DP cost characters, but I’m personally going to give Z Broly the edge here just because of his unblockable super attacks. Base Super Broly is definitely a league above base Z Broly though, so you really could make the argument for either.

• 5 DP
• 45,000 Health
• Skills: Explosive Wave/Kakarottt!

Dr Wheelo

There’s been a bit of a focus on giant characters in the Sparking Zero meta recently and the community has unanimously agreed that two of these characters are the cream of the giant crop: Anilaza and Dr Wheelo.

Both of these characters have armour, huge normal attacks and great damage, but I think Dr Wheelo outperforms Anilaza for a couple of reasons. Firstly, he’s classed as an android which means that his ki infinitely builds without needing to be charged. Secondly, he only costs 4 DP vs. Anilaza’s 8 DP.

There are a few other reasons he’s pretty great too, like his infinite grab chain (which seems to be stage-specific from what I can tell) and his insta-spark Full Power skill. Ultimately though, it’s his DP cost that really sells him, because you can take him into Team DP ranked battles alongside so many other busted characters.

• 4 DP
• 50,000 Health
• Skills: Barrier/Full Power

Master Roshi

If Master Roshi was a 4 DP cost character, I’d honestly think he was a little bit too cheap. Having an unblockable super attack, access to a beam super attack and Afterimage Strike makes him great on its own, and you can easily take him into Single Ranked battles and beat some 10 DP cost characters. Afterimage Strike is arguably even better on Roshi than several other characters too, because for some reason his skill bars charge much, much faster than the majority of the roster.

But Master Roshi isn’t a 4 DP cost character; he’s a 2 DP cost character. You can take Z Broly, Gohan (Teen), Krillin, and Master Roshi into a Team DP battle and still have two DP left over to spend.

Plus, you can take Max Power Master Roshi into ranked for the same cost and then transform into base Master Roshi. Why would you wanna do that, you ask? Because Max Power Master Roshi starts with an entire extra health bar. You get access to the busted character and extra health, for no extra cost.

• 4 DP
• 40,000 Health
• Skills: Afterimage Strike/False Courage

Zamasu

There are a lot of characters on this list that the community knows are incredibly strong. Master Roshi and Z Broly are great examples. Then there’s base Zamasu. To clarify, I certainly wasn’t the one who figured out this character is busted, but he seems to have kind of flown under the radar for a lot of people. Base Zamasu costs 5 DP and he has Afterimage Strike, Immortal Body (which heals him), and his Divine Steel Blast super attack tracks. I’m not even sure if it’s possible to miss using Divine Steel Blast.

All of this is great and he’d earn a spot somewhere on this list if these were his only selling points, but there’s one more thing that really tips Zamasu over the edge; for some reason, he has access to exactly the same bug that Trunks and Tapion have. I’m honestly not even sure I should be spreading this information, because ranked battles are going to become even sweatier once people realise how overpowered he is.

• 5 DP
• 40,000 Health
• Skills: Afterimage Strike/Immortal Body

Android 19/20

All right, if you know anything about the Sparking Zero meta you knew this one was coming. Android 19 and 20 are truly busted characters, mostly due to their grabs.

In case you didn’t know, a few characters in this game will quite literally suck the life out of you when they grab you. Android 19 and 20 drain both your ki and your health when they grab you, which would be pretty strong as is except they also both have a skill called False Courage.

False Courage gives both characters hyper armour. You might be connecting some dots here, as having access to armour and a powerful grab means that your only real counterplay here is to either dodge or tech. You can’t jab your opponent out of their grabs if False Courage is active.

Oh, and their ultimate attacks drain an entire life bar. Did I mention that ranked battles have a timer? And that once that timer is up, both players’ remaining health will be added up to determine who wins? Yeah, there’s a good reason both these guys are in second place.

Honourable Mentions

There are a few characters I should mention, just because the “top 10” in Sparking Zero is kind of hard to judge due to how strong so many characters on the roster are. Some of these could have easily made their way in, so I’m gonna list a few of them quickly just so nobody whines at me in the comment section.

Yajirobe is probably the single most tilting character in the game. Good rush attack strings, a weirdly accurate homing dash and an unblockable super attack are, somehow, the least of your worries when going up against him. His Senzu Bean skill has probably led to more rage quits than any other character in the game. I’ll be hearing the words “time for a little snack” in my nightmares. The only reason he isn’t on this list is because he was recently nerfed, so it’s still too early to say whether or not said nerfs will actually prove detrimental enough to move him out of the top 10.

Funnily enough, Super Buu (Gotenks Absorbed) is also a huge pain for similar reasons to Yajirobe. His Regeneration skill seems to heal around 50% of his total HP and he has the unblockable super attack Galactic Donut Volley. This super attack also seems to have a pretty healthy amount of tracking too, because I guess a ranged unblockable super attack wasn’t already incredibly strong on its own

Finally, there’s SSJ4 Gogeta. You can also throw Ultra Instinct Goku, Beerus, Whis, and both Blue Gogeta and Blue Vegito into the running here too, but SSJ4 Gogeta is the one most people seem to take issue with. He does incredible damage, he has lots of health, an insta-spark skill, and he can chain his ki blasts into rush attacks. So why isn’t he featured here? He costs 10 DP. Sure, he’s strong, but as far as Team Battles are concerned, I don’t think any 10 DP character is so strong that they’re worth the cost.

Super Vegito

I honestly don’t know why the developers decided to give a character like Super Vegito Afterimage Strike. Some of the highest damaging rush attacks in the game, five full health bars, and the most overpowered skill imaginable… yeah, the Sparking Zero devs are clearly playing favourites here.

He’s so overpowered that transforming into Blue Vegito, which is obviously supposed to be a step up canonically, actually makes him less competitively viable because he loses access to Afterimage Strike. Plus, he’s only 8 DP. You can fit this guy, Master Roshi, Yajirobe, and Krillin on the same team. Imagine working your way through three of the strongest characters in the game just to wind up facing Super Vegito at the end of it. At that point, you got it, bro. I give up.

• 8 DP
• 50,000 Health
• Skills: Afterimage Strike/Finish Sign