This game is one of the very first DBZ games on the SNES apart from Legend of the Super Saiyan and the Super Gokuden series which both were RPG games. This game is very unique as a fighting game and this takes place from the Frieza Saga to the Cell Games Saga, where you can play as 8 different fighters, and 5 other unlockable ones, for a total of 13 characters in the game, which is really cool.
Plot. Five years have passed since Goku defeated the incarnation of King Piccolo, who is none other than Piccolo Jr. Goku is now leading a quiet life at Mount Paozu with his wife Chi-Chi and son Gohan. But a new menace threatens the Earth as the Saiyans arrive to destroy it. After a hard battle with Vegeta, the Z Warriors head for Namek to fight against Frieza. Then they fight the androids and Cell. The story of the game is divided by different sagas: Saiyan Saga, Frieza Saga, Trunks Saga, Androids Saga, and finally Cell's Tournament.
The four unlockable characters in the game are Super Saiyan Trunks, Super Saiyan Gohan, Super Saiyan Vegeta, Super Saiyan Goku, and Perfect Cell. Now playing in Story Mode you can select any character to fight against your opponent.
Concept. In Story Mode, you start where Dragon Ball ends as you fight against Piccolo, after that you fight Vegeta in the Saiyan Saga, and then against Frieza, Android 20, Android 18, Imperfect Cell, Android 16, Future Trunks, Gohan, and Perfect Cell. The fun thing about it is that if you play it in difficulty level 3 or 4, you can have the chance to play as Hercule.
Design. The designs of the game look very well made, and similar to that of what you see in the anime. Also, the sprite rendered characters look pretty good and they have voices such as saying Kamehameha, Masenko, and more. The dialogue boxes looked bad ass, especially the Saiyans when they go Super Saiyan. However, the odd thing about the techniques is that they all are yellow colored because in the anime, the trademark techniques of Goku and Vegeta were usually blue and white colored.
History. Before Ultimate Battle, Final Bout, Budokai Tenkaichi, Raging Blast, and other DBZ fighting games, Super Butouden was the very first fighting game of the DBZ franchise, since the majority of the games are RPG.
Sound and Music. The music themes of the game were very well done, and it is closer to it's anime. The sound effects almost sound like in the anime when it comes to melee attacks. And the voice actors of the anime reprise their roles as their respective characters such as Masako Nozawa as Goku and Gohan, and Ryo Horikawa as Vegeta.
Rantings. Ok, now something I found unnecessary was the points system. Take this folks, you get points after defeating a fighter, and in my opinion, you should leave that to Street Fighter II. What also bothers me is that you cannot charge up your Ki, unlike in Super Butouden 2 and 3.
Good Aspects. This game has moderate replay value as a DBZ game, and it is a good game, not perfect but good. This game is not released in North America, but you can play it on your SNES emulator if you have one downloaded to your PC.
Overall. DBZ: Super Butouden gets a 7 out of 10.
God Bless and Play Hard Gamers!