Dragon Ball Z: Super Saiya Densetsu is a Dragon Ball Z RPG for the Super Famicom. This game is a remake combining two earlier RPGs for the Famicom, Kyōshū! Saiyan and Gekishin Freeza, that sees the player take command of the Z-Fighters across the Saiyan and Namek Sagas, facing the invasion of Nappa and Vegeta and then the galactic tyrant Frieza. Much like the series proper a characters power level is both their attack and defense strength. Players draw and select cards split between physical and ki types with defense and offense values of one through seven to strengthen the power of the move. Items and characters can be used as one use cards to give you an edge. While considered an oddball of the franchise some of the additions put into the game are referenced in newer games even now, most notably the mechanic to trigger Goku's Super Saiyan transformation. The playable characters, not including guests, are Goku, Piccolo, Gohan, Krillen, Tien, Yamcha, Chiaotzu and Vegeta.
Dragon Ball Super Saiya Densetsu contains examples of the following tropes:
- 11th-Hour Superpower: If a character other then Goku dies in the battle with Frieza he will transform into a Super Saiyan. Turned around if Vegeta transforms, in that he will use his last second power up on you.
- Adaptational Badass:
- You are often well ahead of the curve that the characters are at in the series proper. Cui and Dodoria are bosses before meeting Guru, you do get a Vegeta card to breeze through one fight but not both, and Goku only appears when Ginyu himself shows up so its up to the rest of the crew to deal with the other Ginyu Force members. And Ginyu doesn't have a handicap so the party has to deal with him at either his full power or Goku's base power.
- While their exact power levels weren't stated in-series, Ginyu's assessment that a power level of 60,000 would suffice to stump Recoome, Burter and Jeice would put them well below. All three have higher power levels then that.
- Ginyu had a Game-Breaking Injury and couldn't use Goku's power. Here he doesn't have either handicap so the party has to deal with him at either his full power or Goku's base power.
- Piccolo's power level is tied only to his level so if you beeline towards Frieza instead of fusing with Nail he can become powerful enough to fight Second Form Frieza through Level Grinding alone.
- After the battle with Frieza's second form, Dende can fuse with Piccolo. Take him up and Piccolo's power level grows to 1.9 million, enough to solo Frieza's third form if need be.
- For that matter Frieza's third has to be outright defeated regardless of how you go about it. In the original Frieza transformed because he recognized he wasn't guarantied to win and took off the gloves.
- Adaptational Heroism: Vegeta joins with the Z-fighters earlier in his second fight with Zarbon and never turns against them to get the dragon balls for himself. He turns to face Goku if he transforms into a Super Saiyan though.
- Adaptational Wimp:
- Frieza never powers up upon reaching his final form. While still very intimidating with a power level over 3 million, according to official canon that was supposed to be him warming up.
- For that matter the Super Saiyan transformation itself. In the series the boost was about 50 times their base. Between Goku and Vegeta the jump is about a flat 4.7 million bp.
- Always Accurate Attack: Tien's Multiform attack never misses. You will probably find it better to use it over his Kikoho for sheer reliability.
- Anti-Frustration Features:
- If a ki card doesn't come up to give Goku a Kaioken power up, him losing his one on one duel with Ginyu won't give you a gameover. Off course Ginyu is a lot stronger than Goku without a Kaioken so how "Anti-Frustration" that is is up for debate.
- Frieza's first form doesn't hit anywhere near as hard as he should for his power level. The last boss Ginyu was less then a quarter as strong so you have some breathing room before getting your party up to scratch and Piccolo joins.
- Gohan's death won't trigger a game over in the final battles. Good thing cause if you have to field him for some reason even at max level he is a fraction as powerful as the bosses.
- Awesome, but Impractical:
- The Spirit Bomb as usual. Goku has to wait and charge up five turns for full impact. And he is often several times stronger then the rest of the party so putting in another member to take the edge off of him can be risky. Even if you pull it off, getting a direct hit is a shot in the dark as bosses have a massive dodge chance.
- Get Gohan up to Level 48 and give him the Moon card. Congratulations, Gohan now has the highest power level in the game, surpassing even SS Goku even with a boost and Optional Boss Vegeta. But now his movelist is just physical strikes and his Breath Weapon. And the only bosses worth using this one, Frieza and Vegeta, both know the weakness of the Oozaru form and can depower Gohan leaving him a fraction of their power level. Did we mention differences of half can get you one shotted? And said bosses can attack more than once per turn?
- The Battle Didn't Count: Played with in the battle against Raditz, as you actually fight him twice: The first time he turns out to be a Saibaman in disguise, but then the fight against the real Raditz plays out as you'd expect. The game manages to have its cake and eat it too by giving you a winnable boss fight against Raditz, having the outcome be believable, and remaining faithful to the source material where it counts.
- Chronic Backstabbing Disorder: Just like in the manga and anime, Vegeta betrays Frieza. But unlike in the manga and anime, he can survive the battle against Frieza, after which he will betray Goku if the latter survives as well.
- Crutch Character: The two Namekian warriors (Maima and Tsumuri) are far stronger than your party is when you first can get them. They cannot level up and are far weaker then any bosses so they will eventually be outpaced.
- Death by Adaptation:
- Losing all hp kills your characters, and if they aren't storyline necessary the plot continues without them. This can get the Z Fighters killed earlier than usual (or allow them to survive the whole game) and Goku or Gohan can die fighting Frieza.
- Ginyu is likely dead after his boss battle if you cannot find and use the frog item on him.
- In a Death of Personality variant the Namekian warriors and Dende can fuse with Piccolo. Also, the slain Namekians remain dead seeing as Shenron isn't used to revive those killed by Frieza and his crew.
- Dies Differently in Adaptation:
- Nappa dies in battle with the heroes, with a final attack from him necessitating Piccolo's Heroic Sacrifice, instead of being killed by Vegeta for failing him.
- Cui and Dodoria die fighting the heroes instead of being picked off by Vegeta. You can use the Vegeta card to enforce one of their canon deaths but not both.
- Recoome and one of the Ginyu fighters in their first battle battle to the death, instead of losing to Goku and being executed by Vegeta.
- If Piccolo beelines to Frieza, Nail presumably dies of his injuries instead of fusing with Piccolo.
- Frieza dies in the final battle instead of being rescued by his father.
- It's possible for Vegeta to survive up to the end of the game. If Goku both becomes a Super Saiyan and survives the battle against Frieza, Vegeta will go Super Saiyan as well and betray the party, allowing you to kill him yourself. This also means he stays dead at the end of the game.
- Dual Boss: All the Ginyu force members fight you two at a time at least once. First Recoome and Guldo, then Burter and Jeice then the survivor of that battle with Ginyu in either his or Goku's body.
- Duel Boss: First Piccolo with Gohan, then Vegeta with Goku, though the rest can join in by finding the fight, then Ginyu with Goku. And finally Nail's Hopeless Boss Fight with Frieza.
- Fusion Dance: Seeing as the Namek saga is covered Piccolo can fuse with Nail to dramatically raise his power level. Later Piccolo's final levels can be gotten by fusing with the Namekian warriors, and his super level can be acquired by fusing with Dende.
- Guest-Star Party Member: Two Namekian warriors named Maima and Tsumuri, Dende, technically his brother Cargo (but he can't do anything) and Nail join temporarily but cannot level up.
- Hopeless Boss Fight: Nail's fight with Frieza is a classic case of fighting someone far above your weight class and losing. Nail might be able to do a couple points of damage while Frieza tears off chunks of his health with every blow. If he lasts long enough the party can use Porunga for a few more wishes.
- Killed Off for Real: If any party member dies in combat, they're dead for good, no Phoenix Downs or equivalent revive items. There's one point in the game where you get any and all dead party members back, that happens as part of the plot, but death beyond this point is completely irreversible.
- Last Breath Bullet: Nappa's death scene is altered so he tries one last blast that nearly kills Gohan but is stopped by Piccolo's Heroic Sacrifice.
- Sliding Scale of Gameplay and Story Integration: The near death power ups of the saiyans is a gameplay mechanic. If you use a full heal when Goku, Vegeta and Gohan is at 5 or less health and they get a level up.
- Spared by the Adaptation: The Planet Namek itself. Frieza never targets the planet so Goku and friends simply go to his spaceship after the battle. Grand Elder Guru doesn't die when Porunga is summoned. Win the final battle with Frieza without getting anyone killed and Vegeta survives the arc. It is also entirely possible to get through without getting any Earthlings killed.
- Super Mode: Goku can use the Kaioken after training with King Kai. In a unique twist, Super Saiyan is treated as Goku's 48th level rather than a form he transforms into in the middle of a fight. Vegeta's Super Saiyan form is treated the same and he is in it all fight.
- Token Evil Teammate: Vegeta is at the peak of evil teammate level here. If he doesn't like the stats of the card he will not do anything and if you send him alone with a bad card he will draw out another character who won't be able to do anything. And if he learns to transform into a Super Saiyan he will try and kill the people who helped him face his greatest enemy and unlock the power he dreamt of.
- True Final Boss: If you defeat Frieza after transforming Goku into a Super Saiyan and keep Vegeta alive, Vegeta will transform himself and challenge him when he returns to his ship. This game has the distinction of having Vegeta as a Super Saiyan while still wearing his early Namek attire.
- Underground Monkey: Random Encounter enemies all have palette swaps, and the Ginyu force have Degraded Boss variants in the final area.
- We Cannot Go On Without You: If Goku or Gohan bite it at any point (aside from Goku's plot death on Raditz), its game over. Same for Piccolo before his own plot death. The final battle subverts it in that either Goku or Gohan can die during it, but its curtains if both die.
