Piccolo experienced one of the major character changes from the original Dragon Ball Series to the latest entry. From being hellbent on eradicating Goku’s existence from Earth to taking care of his son to the end. A character arc to this level of emotion is always a rare sight to see in Dragon Ball. In Sparking Zero, Piccolo’s story arc goes in extra further with an alternative path, he even shows up in many other characters’ sparking paths giving him more screen time than ever. Here is a guide to Piccolo’s branching paths in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.
A Mentor’s Guidance Branching Path In Piccolo’s Story
To start Piccolo’s branching path story we must choose ‘help out Goku during his battle against Android 19’.
Here for the first time, we see the main Canon story diverting to a different scenario, as Piccolo jumps into the fight between Goku and Android 19. This gives a unique insight into how the story would have played out if Piccolo assisted Goku in the battle. Once Piccolo intervenes in the battle between 19 and Goku, you will start A Mentor’s Guidance path for Piccolo in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.
Story Change #2 Defeat Android 19
Challenge: Defeat Android 19
Once Piccolo assists Goku in his battle against Android 19, a cutscene will soon trigger, where Piccolo will ask Goku to leave the battle to help others. With Goku out of the picture, Piccolo will have to defeat Android 19 all by himself.
Defeating Android 19 will complete the first episode of Piccolo’s branching path in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.
Reward: Zeni x1000, x50 XP
Story Change #3 Piccolo vs Android 16, 17, and 18
Challenge: Reduce the Health of Android 18 to a certain point to end the battle.
After taking down 19 out of the game, the rest of the Androids 16,17, and 18 will arrive on the battlefield looking to go one and one with Goku. Since Goku is now gone, Piccolo will have to carry the mantle here and take on Android 18, while Vegeta will go toe to toe with Android 17.
After you lower the health bar of Android 18, Gohan will appear out of nowhere to help Piccolo deal with Android 18.
Story Change #4 Piccolo Fusion with Kami
Challange: No Battle, Cutscene Filler
You don’t have to fight any battles here, here Piccolo will fuse with Kami to raise his power level to survive the battle against Cell and Androids. A cutscene soon follows afterward, where we will see Goku asking Piccolo to help out with Gohan’s training for the upcoming battle against Cell.
Reward: None
Story Change #5 Piccolo vs Cell
Challenge: Reduce Cell’s Health
Here Piccolo will go against the Cell. But after witnessing the power of Cell in all its glory, Piccolo decides it’s better to retreat and fight another day. Our job here is to bring the Cell’s health down to a certain level to end the episode. And get out of there to get some more training.
Reward: Zeni x1000, x50 XP
Story Change #6 Piccolo vs Gohan Training
Challenge: Defeat Gohan
Another training regiment soon follows as Piccolo keeps his promise to Goku by training Gohan in the Hyperbolic Chamber. Here Piccolo must Defeat Gohan to continue with his branching quest.
Reward: Zeni x1000, x50 XP
Story Change #7 A Mentor’s Guidance Piccolo vs Cell
Challenge: Defeat Cell
The first opponent for Cell games is Piccolo, if you have seen the Z episodes, then you probably know Goku used to be the first character to go against Cell in Cell Games. Seeing Piccolo to be the first opponent is one of the rare sights in Sparking Zero.
The fight is not going to be easy, here you need to pull out your best attacks to bring Cell down as quickly as possible or you are invertedly making the game harder for yourself.
Note: Make sure to end the battle quickly, perform your best attacks, and don’t hold anything back. The more time Cell gets in the battle, the more powerful he will become.
Reward: Zeni x1000, x50 XP
In the final moments of Piccolo’s branching path, we will see the Canon Story Change, instead of Goku landing a hand to deal the final blow to Cell with Gohan. Piccolo will step up, and we will see Gohan and Piccolo team up end Cell once and for all.
Achievement Unlock: Finishing the Mentor’s Guidance storyline earns you the trophy A Mentor’s Guidance.
The game does a great job of branching paths and what-if scenarios. Apart from Piccolo, you also have branching paths for Gohan, and multiple endings to Jiren in the game.
