Bandai Namco has announced the two final characters coming to the popular fighting game Dragon Ball FighterZ's third season of DLC: Super Baby 2 and Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta. Both come from the anime series Dragon Ball GT. The follow-up to the universally acclaimed Dragon Ball Z, DBGT received a much more middling response from the fans, with a persistent debate whether the events depicted in the series are still considered canon to the core franchise. And while appreciation for the actual series continues to be divided, the addition of Super Baby 2 and Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta proves that the anime series' legacy continues to endure over 20 years after its 1997 conclusion.
Airing from 1996-1997, Dragon Ball GT chronicled the adventures of Goku and the Z Fighters years after the conclusion of DBZ. While franchise creator Akira Toriyama served in an advisory role during production, the series was not based on pre-existing manga material conceived by the fan-favorite author.
Goku faced powerful new villains, including Super Baby 2, a being that possessed and augmented Vegeta's body in revenge for the Saiyans wiping out his species. At the end of the series, Goku and Vegeta both transformed into Super Saiyan 4 and performed the Fusion Dance to form Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta and combat DBGT's final antagonist: the sinister Omega Shenron.
Super Baby 2 and Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta are actually the second and third DBGT characters to be introduced to FighterZ, following the addition of GT Goku as part of the FighterZ Pass 2. The two upcoming characters prove that was no one-time occasion. With movesets right out of the games, Super Baby 2 shows the ability to transform into a Giant Golden Ape as part of his ultimate attack, while Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta's entrance matches his introduction from the end of DBGT, maintaining Arc System Works' clear love and fidelity to the original source material.
While elements of DBGT would appear in video games and merchandise after the series' conclusion, DBZ was still the clear flagship era for the franchise. This left DBGT's legacy to steadily diminish for years. Following the 2015 launch of Dragon Ball Super, the new anime series became the new face of the franchise, with everything from its more powerful Super Saiyan forms and formidable new characters proliferating the marketing and video games -- with Dragon Ball FighterZ being the most prominent example boasting an extensive cast of playable characters straight from Super right from the start.
While the main anime and manga series may largely ignore the events of Dragon Ball GT, video games like Dragon Ball FighterZ and Super Dragon Ball Heroes introduce the most popular elements of DBGT decades later to new audiences. Characters like Baby and Super Saiyan 4 have endured even after the debut of Super. No longer dismissed or brushed the rug of continuity, Dragon Ball GT lives on and continues to thrill fans of Toriyama's perennially popular franchise. Even as the core series charts a new future in manga and animation, this overlooked piece of the franchise's history is making its way back into the spotlight -- if only as guest characters in a fighting game -- to prove its enduring appeal.
Dragon Ball FighterZ is developed by Arc System Works and published by Bandai Namco Entertainment. The game is available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch and PC. Super Baby 2 will be added to the game as a DLC character Jan. 15, with Super Saiyan 4 Gogeta to be released at a later date.
