Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 - Character Profiles #2

Already available for the PlayStation 2 and scheduled for release on the Nintendo Wii later this month, Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 is a 3D fighting game that is closely based on the Dragon Ball Z manga and anime. In addition to fast-paced combat, noteworthy features in Dragon Ball Z: Budokai Tenkaichi 2 will include role-playing elements, environmental damage, and in-game character transformations. The most exciting feature of the game, however, is the roster of more than 100 playable fighters. This is particularly true if you're a big DBZ fan The full lineup hasn't been revealed yet, but in the second in a series of character profile updates for the game, Atari details a good number of the DBZ characters that you'll be able to pit against each other in the game.

Frieza (First Form)
An alien with the ability to transform, Frieza has put his fearsome powers to use as a galactic planet broker. He has conquered many planets throughout the galaxy, employing the Saiyans, the Ginyu Force, and other powerful warriors to do his dirty work. Frieza does what he wants with the planets he holds, turning them into villas or selling them to the highest bidder. It was Frieza who destroyed Planet Vegeta, virtually wiping out the Saiyan race in the process. To fulfill his wish for immortality, Frieza takes his band of henchmen to Planet Namek in search of the Dragon Balls. Once there, he is annoyed to discover that Vegeta has turned against him. One after the other, Frieza's top henchmen is defeated by Vegeta and the Z-fighters. Because his dreams of achieving immortality are crushed, Frieza unleashes the full force of his rage upon all those who dare to defy him. In answer to Vegeta's boast that he has become a Super Saiyan, Frieza reveals his terrible transformations, one after the other. Despite his ruthless tactics in battle, Frieza maintains a refined, almost regal, composure.

Frieza (Second Form)
This is Frieza's second form. Thinking that his powers have become equal to Frieza's, Vegeta made the mistake of taunting the tyrant, prompting his transformation into this form. In his second transformed state, Frieza's appearance is similar to that of his father, King Cold. However, the refinement he displayed in his previous form is gone and replaced with a wild, almost blood-thirsty attitude. After Piccolo had powered up by fusing with Nail, Frieza fights Piccolo while in this form.

Frieza (Third Form)
This is Frieza's third form. After Piccolo demonstrated that his powers were an even match for Frieza's second form, Frieza transformed once again to instill terror in the Namek warrior's heart. Although this is an even more hideous form than his second, Frieza's cool demeanor returns. This sharp contrast only serves to intensify the eeriness of this form. In his third form, Frieza's strength and speed increase dramatically. He is also able to make quick work of the powered-up Piccolo.

Frieza (Final Form)
This is Frieza's final transformation. Frieza takes this form so that his enemies might know the true meaning of terror before they die. In contrast to his previous monstrous transformations, Frieza takes on a smaller, sleeker shape in this form. Despite his reduced size, however, his power level rises to unimaginable levels and proves his claim of being the most powerful fighter in the universe. After his ultimate defeat at the hands of the Super Saiyans, he falls into the depths of Other World. Even so, his desire for revenge lives on...Goku and his friends have not seen the last of the mighty Frieza!

Frieza (Full Power)
After reaching 100 percent maximum power, this is Frieza's final transformation. Having achieved this form, Frieza's strength and speed equal that of Super Saiyan Goku. But this comes at a great price. As a result of drawing out all of his power, he slowly loses energy and cannot endure a prolonged battle. Realizing this, Frieza fires a massive energy blast at Planet Namek's core. He hopes to destroy the planet and Goku along with it.

Cyborg Frieza
This is Frieza's mechanized form. After the destruction of Planet Namek, Frieza floated through space on the verge of death until he was revived by a team of scientists who worked for his father, King Cold. Frieza's mechanized body parts also serve to boost his power. Otherwise, his techniques and fighting style are virtually unchanged from his final form. Hungry for revenge, Frieza and King Cold travel to Earth in search of Goku and the other surviving Saiyans. Upon their arrival, however, they are greeted by a mysterious youth from the future. This mysterious youth is Trunks, who quickly puts an end to their schemes.

Trunks (Sword)
Trunks is the son of Vegeta and Bulma. To change his shattered future, a world where most of the Z-fighters have been killed by the merciless androids, he travels to the past in a time machine. In his own time, Gohan had been Trunks' friend and mentor, as well as the last surviving Z-fighter. Trunks looks forward to seeing Gohan again and to meeting his father, Vegeta, for the first time. His final objective in his mission to the past is to deliver a cure for the fatal heart virus that, in Trunks' time, took Goku's life before the androids even arrived.

Super Saiyan Trunks (Sword)
This is Trunks in his Super Saiyan form. He transforms for the first time after seeing his mentor, Gohan, killed at the hands of the androids. After traveling to the past in his time machine to meet Goku and the others, Trunks takes this form once again to defeat Mecha-Frieza and King Cold. In Super Android 13, the three Super Saiyans, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks, fight side by side for the first time.

Trunks (Super)
This is Trunks as an ascended Saiyan, a level between Super Saiyan and Super Saiyan 2. After their defeat at the hands of Android 18, he and Vegeta underwent severe training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. This is also where Trunks achieved the transformation. After Cell had absorbed Android 18 and achieved his perfect form, Trunks bravely fought against the monster as "Super Trunks." In this state, Trunks' size and strength increase beyond Vegeta's ascended levels. But this comes at a cost of diminished speed. Because of the massive energy required to maintain this form, it is not sustainable for long periods of time.

Hercule
Hercule is Videl's father and the reigning World Martial Arts Champion. In the year that Goku and the other Z-fighters did not participate in the World Tournament, Hercule claimed the title. Unlike past champions, he lives for the worldwide fame that the title has brought him. Hercule's first appearance was during the Cell Games. As the world watched, Hercule recklessly stepped into the ring to challenge the monstrous Cell. Needless to say, he was easily brushed aside. In the confused aftermath of the Cell Games, however, Hercule was named the one who defeated Cell. The grateful people of Earth worshipped him as the World's Hero. After that, he lived like a king in Hercule City. But when Majin Buu appeared, the citizens of Earth once again called upon their hero to save the day. Reluctantly, Hercule went to face the monster...

Although he always puts on a good show for the crowd, his fighting skills are nowhere near those of Goku and the other Z-fighters. But to preserve his reputation, he must often place himself in harm's way. He does by relying on clever tricks and tough talk to get him out of rough spots. In Dragon Ball GT, Hercule teams up with Buu and continues to defend his championship title and hero status by cheating...

Goten
This is Goku's second son, Goten as a boy. He looks a lot like Goku when Goku was a boy. Unlike his older brother, Gohan, Goten was raised in a carefree environment. He spent most of his days playing with his best friend, Trunks. Similar to his brother, however, Goten has a great fighting potential. When Goten and Gohan trained together, Gohan was surprised at Goten's ability to transform into a Super Saiyan so easily. Goten and Trunks later used the Fusion Technique that Goku and Piccolo taught them to stand against the monster, Majin Buu, as the world's last great hope. As he got older, Goten gave up fighting and became much more interested in dating girls...

Super Saiyan Goten
This is the boy Goten transformed into as a Super Saiyan. He did not have to train to become a Super Saiyan like his brother did. While practicing karate one day with Chichi, he transformed spontaneously. At the time, Chichi scolded him and told him never to transform again. But while training with Gohan, he could not resist surprising his brother with his Super Saiyan abilities. Goten's outward appearance changes significantly when he transforms into a Super Saiyan, but his personality remains the same. Even in the heat of battle, he maintains his childish innocence. In the DBZ movies, Goten jumps into action with Trunks many times while in this form and fights Broly twice.

Trunks (Kid)
This is Trunks as a child. He is the son of Vegeta and Bulma. As the heir apparent to the Capsule Corporation fortune, Trunks was spoiled in his upbringing and turned out to be very different from the Trunks of the future. This Trunks is brash and obstinate, as well as something of a practical joker at times. Most days, Trunks passes his time playing with Goten, who is just one year younger than Trunks. Whenever he can, he also trains with Vegeta. He has a tremendous amount of potential power and is able to transform into a Super Saiyan without really trying. Trunks and Goten later used the Fusion Technique that Goku and Piccolo taught them to stand against the monster, Majin Buu, as the world's last great hope. Although he is often disappointed that Vegeta will not spend time with him outside of training, it seems that Trunks does indeed love his father.

Super Saiyan Trunks (Kid)
This is young Trunks (the boy raised in the present peaceful world) after transforming into a Super Saiyan. Trunks did not train to become a Super Saiyan. Rather, he transformed spontaneously one day while training with Vegeta. This was enough to prompt a little smile from his father. While transformed into a Super Saiyan, Trunks' already impressive power is raised even further. He shows strength far beyond his years so much so that Vegeta sometimes forgets to hold back during training. Although his outward appearance changes significantly when he transforms into a Super Saiyan, his brash and obstinate personality remains the same. Even in the heat of battle, Trunks can't resist smarting off to his most fearsome opponents. In the DBZ movies, Trunks jumps into action many times while in this form. However, in the fight with Broly, he wet his pants.

Gotenks
Gotenks is the super fighter created by the fusion of Goten and Trunks. Thanks to Goku and Piccolo's exhaustive teaching, Goten and Trunks were able to learn the Fusion Technique in a short period of time. After many abortive attempts, Gotenks was finally born. In Gotenks, only the worst traits from Goten and Trunks' personalities seemed to appear. He is selfish, rude, extremely overconfident, and causes Piccolo endless headaches with his antics. Even so, the incredible powers Gotenks displays more than make up for his sour attitude. At his first appearance, Gotenks immediately raced off to challenge Majin Buu. For his foolhardy efforts, he was rewarded with a sound beating. Afterward, he trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber with Piccolo to power up in preparation for his rematch against Buu.

Super Gotenks
This is Gotenks transformed into a Super Saiyan. As expected, Gotenks easily transforms into a Super Saiyan. To Piccolo's dismay, however, it seems his annoying personality is intensified along with his powers. During his training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Gotenks developed an arsenal of super attacks. These attacks made for an interesting (and somewhat silly) battle with Majin Buu. The energy consumed in this form greatly reduces the amount of time Gotenks can maintain the fusion. Coupled with Gotenks' tendency to become easily distracted, this can be a somewhat serious liability. One of Gotenks' signature moves in this form is the Super Ghost Kamikaze Attack, in which he sends a host of exploding ghosts after his opponent.

Super Gotenks 3
This is Gotenks in his Super Saiyan 3 transformation. Gotenks first made this transformation to escape the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. Calling himself the "Grim Reaper of Justice," Gotenks proceeds to overwhelm Majin Buu with his amazing powers. In this form, Gotenks adds a whole new set of wacky moves to his arsenal. Gotenks' moves include the "Ultra Buu-Buu Volleyball." With his awesome fighting abilities and numerous original finishing moves, one might think that Gotenks had become invincible. Once again, however, his great weakness is the short amount of time that the Fusion can be maintained.

Trunks (Fighting Teen)
This is future Trunks as a teenager. He no longer has his sword on his back, having lost it in the battle with the androids. After training with Vegeta for a whole year in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, Trunks seems to have matured a bit. His hair has also grown quite long during this time, but his mother, Bulma, offers to cut it for him. Thanks to his training, Trunks has become substantially more powerful and even discovers a transformation beyond a Super Saiyan. At the conclusion of the Cell Games, he returns to his future in the time machine and uses his new powers to take a stand against Cell and the androids. At first, Trunks was worried that he would never truly know his father. But after a year of training in the time chamber, he comes to understand Vegeta for who he is as a man.

Super Saiyan Trunks (Fighting Teen)
This is the form teenage Trunks takes as a Super Saiyan. Thanks to his training with Vegeta in the Hyperbolic Time chamber, he has grown substantially more powerful. At the conclusion of the Cell Games, he returns to his shattered future and uses this form to take on Cell and the androids.

Master Roshi
Master Roshi is Goku and Krillin's martial arts teacher. His trademark is his outfit, which consists of sunglasses, a Hawaiian shirt, and a turtle shell on his back. Master Roshi created the Turtle Style of fighting, as well as the Kamehameha and many other techniques. Although his skills have become legendary, Roshi is such a dirty old man that few would suspect him to be a martial arts master. These days, he spends most of his time thinking about pretty girls and telling bad jokes. He becomes very serious, however, when he fights and is very protective of his students. Since Krillin and Android 18 got married and moved into Kame House, Master Roshi has made a hobby of flirting with 18.

Pikkon
Pikkon was trained by the West Kai for the Other World Tournament. In life, he was the West Galaxy's strongest fighter. After his heroic death, he continued training in Other World. He is now one of the top fighters in all of the galaxies. When Cell and Frieza rampaged through Other World, he was easily able to defeat them on his own. He represented the West Galaxy when entered the Other World Tournament and fought his way into the final round against Goku. Later, when Janemba was unleashed upon Other World, he and Goku worked together to eliminate the threat. Because of his impressive power, he is assigned the duty of keeping the villains in the depths of Other World under control. In this capacity, he is by Goku's side once again when Broly escapes.

Videl
I'm the only daughter of the World Champion, Hercule. In addition to being a star student at my high school, I also use my martial arts skills to moonlight as a super hero. The bad guys of Hercule city don't have a chance against me! Lately, though, this weird guy called the Great Saiyaman has been popping up all over town and causing all sorts of trouble! Well, actually, he's helped me out a bunch of times. But still...At any rate, I WILL figure out his identity! That new student Gohan is kind of suspicious, isn't he? That's all... This was a personal introduction from Videl.

Super 17
This is the ultimate android formed by the fusion of the two Android 17's. After his defeat, mad scientist Dr. Gero fell to the depths of Other World. In Other World, he teamed up with Dr. Myuu to create a new Android 17. This new android was intended to fuse with the Android 17 that was still on Earth. The result of the fusion is the virtually indestructible Super 17. With his energy absorption system, he is able to absorb any energy-based attack, including Goku's 10x Kamehameha. In this form, Android 17 has become a ruthless killing machine. All aspects of his original personality also seem lost. Nonetheless, he hesitates before attacking Android 18, which may mean he retains at least a small portion of his memories. While absorbing energy, he must dedicate himself exclusively to the task. This leaves him defenseless for a short time, which is his only weak point.

Cui
Cui is one of Frieza's henchmen. Considered elite among Frieza's soldiers, Cui's power is roughly equal to Vegeta's pre-Earth levels. Apparently, he and Vegeta have quarreled in the past. Cui considers himself Vegeta's rival, but Vegeta sees things differently. When Vegeta betrays Frieza on Planet Namek, Cui is the first to fight him. Usually displaying a cruel, cocky attitude, when backed into a corner, he turns into a raving coward and fights dirty to save himself.

Turles
Turles is a low-class Saiyan warrior and former servant of Frieza. He leads a small group of renegade warriors across the universe on a spree of destruction. Whenever they attack a planet, they plant seeds from the Tree of Might and eat its fruit to gain more power. Ultimately, Turles hopes to amass enough power to conquer the universe. Having discovered that the environment on Earth is suitable for cultivating the Tree of Might, he and his henchmen invade the planet. Upon their arrival, Goku and the Z-fighters stood ready to meet them. Thus, a battle ensues. Turles may look strikingly similar to Goku, but his personality is the exact opposite. He is the very definition of evil. When in trouble, he prefers to hide until he can eat more of the tree's fruit and power up. Also, he can create an "artificial moon" that allows him to transform into a giant ape at any time.

Grandpa Gohan
This is the kind old man who raised Goku. At one time, he was Master Roshi's greatest student. He raised Goku as his own grandson. One night during a full moon, however, Goku transformed into a giant ape and accidentally crushed him. Grandpa Gohan shares Master Roshi's fascination with women and leads a pleasant existence with several girls in Other World. When Goku visited Baba, he was brought back for a day to fight his grandson. Although he makes very few appearances in the series, we see the moment where Grandpa Gohan finds the baby Goku in his Saiyan spaceship during the final scene of the Bardock special.

Android 13
Android 13 is yet another android created by the ever-tenacious, Dr. Gero. Working with Androids 14 and 15, Android 13 seeks out Goku in order to enact Dr. Gero's revenge. Android 13 was created by the computer in Dr. Gero's laboratory and programmed to destroy Goku. With the substantial data on Goku that the computer provided him, Android 13 can actually predict Goku's movements. Android 13 is also programmed to destroy anyone or anything that stands in the way of his main objective. Of the three androids, 13 is clearly the leader. As such, he is both more knowledgeable and more powerful than the other two. He can fire a special finishing blast called the "S.S. Deadly Bomber," which relentlessly pursues its target.