Thursday, 30 July 2026
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Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO DLC 'NEO' Launches With Hironobu Kageyama Theme Song

Hironobu Kageyama's return to write and perform a Dragon Ball game theme for the first time in 18 years, after a long absence from new franchise material, gives the DLC a rare musical anchor that connects the Sparking! series to its 2000s-era roots.

Key Facts

  • Bandai Namco released the Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO DLC 'NEO' on July 30, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series X|S, and Steam.
  • The DLC adds 33 new playable characters, including Bardock (Super Saiyan), Super 17 (GT), and Piccolo Daimao.
  • Hironobu Kageyama wrote, composed, and performed the new theme song 'ZERO,' his first new Dragon Ball game theme since 2010.
  • The free patch updates the game to version 3020.019.003.012.013 with new stages, actions, and balance changes.
  • The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions of the DLC are scheduled for a later release in 2027.

Reporting from 4 sources: 4Gamer.net, Game Spark, Inside, Kanzenshuu.

Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO DLC 'NEO' Launches With Hironobu Kageyama Theme Song

Bandai Namco Entertainment released the major downloadable content 'NEO' for Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO on July 30, 2026, for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC via Steam. The DLC adds over 30 new playable characters, including Bardock (Super Saiyan), Super 17 (GT), and Piccolo Daimao, along with new stages, costumes, techniques, and a single-player mode called 'Path to Limit-Breaking Breakthrough.' A free patch also went live, updating the game to version 3020.019.003.012.013 with balance adjustments and new features like Linked Blast and Sparking! Boost. To mark the release, an opening movie featuring the theme song 'ZERO' by Hironobu Kageyama was published. Kageyama wrote the music and lyrics himself, marking his first new Dragon Ball game theme in 18 years, since 'Battle of Omega' for Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2 in 2010. The song is available for purchase starting at 255 yen or $1.29. A limited-time discount offers 25% off the NEO Edition and Legendary Edition for Steam and PS5 PlayStation Plus subscribers until August 13. A gameplay contest with six categories runs until August 31. The Nintendo Switch and Switch 2 versions of the DLC are scheduled for a later release in 2027.

Kageyama wrote the music and lyrics for "ZERO" himself, a departure from his earlier Dragon Ball work where he was only responsible for vocals. His past contributions often involved collaborator Kenji Yamamoto, who was dismissed from the franchise in 2011 following plagiarism allegations. Kageyama's most recent franchise song before "ZERO" was "Battle of Omega" for 2010's Dragon Ball: Raging Blast 2, which was removed from second printings due to Yamamoto's involvement. He later performed the opening theme "Fighting Stars" for the 2014 crossover game J-Stars Victory Vs.

In an interview on the Dragon Ball Official Site, Kageyama said: "It's been 18 years since I made any music for Dragon Ball, and I'm honored to be able to provide the main theme for this game! With my previous tracks, I was only responsible for the vocals, but this time I was trusted with writing the music and lyrics as well, so I put my absolute all into making it." He added that he hopes listeners will say, "Wow, Kageyama's still got it!"

The song is available for purchase starting at 255 yen (tax included), with a lossless version at 400 yen and a hi-res version at 550 yen. On Apple's service, it is priced at $1.29.

The free patch, version 3020.019.003.012.013, adds three new stages: Rocky Land (White Valley), City Ruins (Clear Skies), and Molten Lava. It introduces the new actions Linked Blast, which lets a switched-in character immediately fire a Blast attack, and Sparking! Boost, which consumes additional Skill Stocks for a more powerful Sparking! Mode. The patch also adjusts CPU behavior in Offline Battle and adds an option to toggle the aura change from the new mode.

Synthesized by Yomimono from the 4 cited sources below, including Japanese-language reporting where cited, then editorially reviewed before publishing.

Dragon Ball: Sparking! ZERO Hironobu Kageyama

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