Dragon Ball Z Officially Replaces Goku After 41 Years

There are certain shows that are so associated with one character that it quickly becomes difficult to imagine it without them. Ash Ketchum and the original Pokémon series is one of those combinations, though they have since bravely moved on to dual protagonists after he achieved his dream of becoming World Champion.

The other animated effort that immediately springs to mind is Dragon Ball Z, where Goku is understandably deified as one of the greatest characters of all time. All good things come to an end at some point though, and the latest release tied to the franchise is set to take an enitrely different direction.

You might remember that Bandai Namco Entertainment recently gave fans their first good look at gameplay for the upcoming Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. As first reported by GameRant, that presentation also confirmed details about the game’s setting and new character Brett, who accompanies the player-character on their journey through the game.

Though we don’t know it yet, it’s also a fairly safe bet that Brett is a direct descendent of Goku and Gohan. As you’ll know, Saiyan’s are usually named for some kind of vegetable, but all of Gohan’s family so far have been named after types of grain. Brett’s Japanese name is essentially pronounced as Buretto, which is notably similar to the word Bureddo, or bread, in English.

In sharing further insight into what fans can expect from the game, the developer posted on the official PlayStation blog:

“We’re excited to announce Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3. Step into a brand-new Dragon Ball universe filled with unique, original characters brought to life by Akira Toriyama, the original author of Dragon Ball. Journey through Age 1000 where West City stands as the vibrant heart of this world. Explore the bustling city, encounter new characters, and uncover exciting new stories.”

That means we’re heading 148 years further into the future from the events of the second game, as well as over 200 years on from everything we saw in Dragon Ball Z and Dragon Ball Super.

Dragon Ball Xenoverse 3 doesn’t have a release date just yet, though we do know it will be coming at some point in 2027 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam. That said, it would be a surprise if they wait too long, so it’s a fair expectation that we’ll see it in the first half of the year.