How to customize characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero – Ability items explained
Dexerto / Bandai NamcoDragon Ball: Sparking Zero has a lot of intense battles, and if you want to survive you’ll need to customize your fighters.
From creating Custom Battles to reliving iconic moments and unique What-If situations, Sparking Zero is packed full of epic fights. You’ll come up against plenty of tough foes, especially in Episode Mode, and it’s important to adjust your capsule loadout if you hit a wall.
If you’re curious about customization, we’ve got all the information you need below.
How to customize characters: Step-by-step guide
To customize a character in Sparking Zero, follow the steps below:
- Navigate to the Shop & Customization screen via the Main Menu
- Select the ‘Customization’ option and choose the character you want to edit
- From here you can add Ability Items (Capsules) to fighters. Select an empty slot in their loadout, and pick the Ability Item you want to equip.
- You can also adjust their outfits, emotes, and the background music that plays when they enter Sparking mode from this menu.
- Once you’ve decided on your loadout, exit the menu and your customization settings will be saved automatically, and reflected when you next use them in battle.
For a more detailed breakdown, we’ve got you covered below:
Head into the Customization Menu & pick your character
From the Main Menu of Sparking Zero, navigate to the ‘Shop & Customization‘ tab. Once you’ve entered it, select the ‘Customization‘ option on the right-hand side of the screen.
From here, you’ll be prompted to select a character so just search through the roster and pick whoever you feel like customizing!
Edit your Ability Items
Once you’ve picked your character, you’ll enter their Customize menu.
To edit your Ability Items, simply select an empty slot on the upper section of the screen, and you’ll be navigated to a menu with all the available options.
You can also click on a slot that’s been filled to override capsules that have already been equipped.
Select your Capsules
Next, you need to decide what capsules you’d like to equip. Just scroll through the list and press X on PS5 to set them.
Capsules can provide all kinds of benefits like increasing the power of your Ultimate Blast or reducing the amount of Ki needed for certain attacks.
Some will also debuff you, however, so it’s worth keeping that in mind when you’re creating a loadout.
For example Sparking! Plus makes Sparking! mode lasts longer but reduces your defense. To make up for this we’d advise pairing it with a capsule like Dende’s Healing Ability which gradually recovers Health during battle.
Creating and adjusting custom loadouts is an important part of the process in Sparking Zero, particularly if you’re finding certain Episode Battles tough. So we’d recommend revisiting customization on a regular basis as you play.
Edit outfits, emotes & background music
Once you’ve settled on your Ability Item loadout, you can also edit your outfit, character emotes, and the background music that plays when they enter Sparking! mode.
Simply select one of the options from the Customize menu, and you can adjust them.
Once you’re happy with everything, you can simply exit the menu and your new settings will be saved. When you next enter a battle with that character, you’ll see all the cosmetic changes and Ability Item benefits reflected in the game.
All Dragon Ball Sparking Zero Ability items
These are all Capsules and the effects they have in the game, listed in alphabetical order:
- Active Heart – Slightly increases ki recovered after landing a Rush Attack
- Almighty Boost – Slightly increases Rush Attack power. Slightly increases Smash Attack and Rush Chain attack power. Slightly increases Rush Ki Blast and Smash Ki Blast attack power
- Battle Control – Increases Switch guage recovery during Team Battles
- Big Impact – Increases damage dealt after winning with an Impact Action the higher your opponent’s DP is relative to yours
- Blast Burst – Increases ki needed for Blasts, Increases Ultimate Blast attack power
- Blast Attack Boost 1 – Slightly increases Blast and Ultimate Blast attack power
- Blast Attack Boost 2 – Increases Blast and Ultimate Blast attack power
- Blast Attack Boost 3 – Greatly increased Blast and Ultimate Blast attack power
- Broly’s Ring – Prevents transformations and fusions in battle
- Combo King – Increases damage dealt by consecutive combo attacks
- Combo Master – Slightly increased damage dealt by consecutive combo attacks
- Crisis Avoided – Slightly reduces ki needed for Short Dashes.
- Dende’s Healing Ability – Health gradually recovers during battle after some time passes
- Divine Blow – Increases Ultimate Blasts attack power
- Dragon Assault – Reduces ki needed for Vanishing Assaults
- Dragon Break – Increases number of Dragon Homing uses by one
- Dragon Crash – Increases Dragon Smash power
- Dragon Heart – Slightly increased Skill Count after successfully dodging a Blast or Ultimate Blast with a high-speed movement
- Dragon Rush – Increases ability to stun opponents while they are using Rush Attack
- Dragon Spirit – Increases skill gauge recovery
- Dragonic Aura – Increases Ability to stun opponents
- Energy Saver 1 – Slightly reduces ki needed for Rush Ki Blasts and Smash Ki Blasts
- Energy Saver 2 – Reduces ki needed for Rush Ki Blasts and Smash Ki Blasts
- Energy Saver 3 – Greatly reduces ki needed for Rush Ki Blasts and Smash Ki Blasts
- Exquisite Skill – Reduces recovery time when stunned or restrained. Increases opponent recovery time when stunned or restrained
- Finishing Blow – Increasing Burst Meteor attack power
- Fury! – Increases Blast Attack power the lower your health becomes
- God Ki – Cuts ki needed for Blasts in half. Recovers ki after an unsuccessful blast.
- God of Destruction Training – Greatly increased maximum health
- Guard Master – Grants immunity to Guard Chases
- High-Speed Movement Master – Reduces amount of Sparking! Gauge that High-Speed Movements use. Greatly reduces defense
- Indomitable Fighting Spirit – Increases ki recovered after landing a Rush attack
- Ki Blast Attack Boost 1 – Slightly increases Rush Ki Blast and Smash Ki Blast Attack power
- Ki Blast Attack Boost 2 – Reduces increased Rush Ki Blast and Smash Ki Blast Attack power
- Ki Blast Attack Boost 3 – Greatly reduces increased Rush Ki Blast and Smash Ki Blast Attack power
- Ki Blast Charge 1 – Slightly reduces the charging time for Smash Ki Blasts
- Ki Blast Charge 2 – Reduces the charging time for Smash Ki Blasts
- Ki Blast Charge 3 – Greatly reduces the charging time for Smash Ki Blasts
- Ki Control – Reduces ki needed for Dragon Dashes. Slightly reduces ki recovered.
- King Kai Training – Increases maximum health
- Latent Power Unleashed 1 – Start battle with an extra ki gauge
- Latent Power Unleashed 2 – Start battle with two extra ki gauges
- Light Body – Reduces chance of being stunned by Ki Blasts
- Master Ki Blast – Slightly increases the speed of Rush Ki Blast. Greatly reduces ki needed for Rush Ki Blasts and Smash Ki Blasts. Reduces maximum health
- Master Roshi Training – Slightly increases maximum health
- Master Strike – Increases Rush Attack power. Increases Smash Attack and Rush Chain attack power. Reduces maximum health.
- Master Throw – Increases attack power of throw moves
- Melee Charge 1 – Slightly reduces charging time for Smash Attacks and Rush Chains.
- Melee Charge 2 – Reduces charging time for Smash Attacks and Rush Chains
- Melee Charge 3 – Greatly reduces charging time for Smash Attacks and Rush Chains
- Miracle Master – Automatically dodge attacks when downed (excludes Ki Blasts)
- Mirage – Automatically dodge barrage Blasts after dodging with a High-Speed Movement or High-Speed Evasion
- Mind Breaker – Increases ki damage dealt after successfully using Guard Clash
- Performer – Increases Blast Attack power for a period of time after using an emote
- Perfect Guard – Take no damage while guarding
- Power Body – Reduces chance of being stunned by melee attacks. Reduces defense.
- Power of Earth – Increases all abilities on specific maps
- Power of Namek – Increases all abilities on specific maps
- Power of the Universe – Increases all abilities on specific maps
- Power Unleashed – Increases Burst Rush attack power
- Proof of Friendship – Switch gauge starts out full at the beginning of battle
- Ready for Anything – Increases Ki recovered while on standby in Team Battles
- Rising Fighting Spirit – Ki gauge starts out full at the beginning of battle
- Rising Tension – Ki gradually recovers during battle after some time passes
- Rush Attack Boost 1 – Slightly increases Rush Attack power
- Rush Attack Boost 2 – Increases Rush Attack Power
- Rush Attack Boost 3 – Greatly Increases Rush Attack Power
- Rush Ki Blast 1 – Slightly increases the speed of Rush Ki Blasts
- Rush Ki Blast 1 – Slightly increases the speed of Rush Ki Blasts
- Rush Ki Blast 3 – Greatly increases the speed of Rush Ki Blasts
- Rush Ki Blast Count Boost – Increases Rush Ki Blast’s maximum count by two
- The Secret to Counters – Reduces Skill Count needed for Super Z-Counters by 1
- The Secret to Dragon Dashes – Reduces ki needed for Dragon Dashes
- The Secret to High-Speed Movements – Slightly reduces amount of Sparking! gauge that Super Movements use.
- The Secret to Z-Burst Dashes – Z-Burst Dash consumes less ki
- Saviour – Enter Sparking! Mode instantly after the first switch-out in Team Battles
- Secret Measures – Skill Count increases by one at the beginning of battle
- Smash Attack Boost 1 – Slightly increases Smash Attack and Chain Attack power
- Smash Attack Boost 2 – Increases Smash Attack and Chain Attack power
- Smash Attack Boost 3 – Greatly reduces Smash Attack and Chain Attack power
- Sparking! Plus – Sparking! Mode lasts longer. Reduces defense
- Speed Up – Reduces ki needed for Short Dashes
- Style Of The Strong – Sparking! Mode lasts longer
- Super Movement Master – Slightly reduces amount of Sparking! Gauge that Super Movements use. Greatly reduces defense.
- Super Transformation – Reduces Skill Count needed for Fusions and Transformations by 1 (Cannot by reduced below 1.)
- Super Warrior – Increases Rush Attack power while in Sparking! mode
- Ultimate Burst – Increases ki needed for Ultimate Blast. Increases Ultimate Blast attack power.
- Vanishing Break – Increases number of Vanishing Attacks by one.
- Vanishing Crash – Increases the Attack power of Vanishing Attacks
- Warming Up – Increases health recovered while on standby in Team Battles
- Water’s Blessing – Health and ki gradually recover while in water
- Z-Burst Dash Master – Cuts ki needed for Z-Burst Dashes by half
Best Ability Items
While the most ideal Ability Items will entirely depend on the different situations you come up against in Sparking Zero, you can find some we’d particularly recommend in the table below:
Ability Item | Effect |
---|---|
Dende’s Healing Ability | Health gradually recovers during battle after some time passes. If you’re just getting to grips with Sparking Zero this is a great capsule to have as it can help increase your survivability in battle. |
God Ki | Cuts ki needed for Blasts in half. Recovers ki after an unsuccessful blast There’s nothing wrong with spamming some Blast attacks on tougher enemies, and this capsule lets you set off plenty without having to worry as much about keeping track of your ki. |
God of Destruction Training | Greatly increases maximum health Whether you’re facing a tough opponent Online, or one of the trickier Episode Battles, it never hurts to head into a fight with some extra health. |
Style of the Strong | Sparking! mode lasts longer You can cause a lot of damage in Sparking! mode and it’s a big key to victory in the game. Considering it doesn’t last very long though, this Ability Item is fantastic. Unlike the Sparking! Plus capsule, it doesn’t reduce your defense either. |
How to get more Zeni
To get more Ability Items you need to buy them from the in-game shop with Zeni.
You can earn the currency simply by playing Sparking Zero but particularly via these methods:
Challenges & Missions
Navigating to the ‘Challenges & Missions’ tab of the Main Menu will let you access Zen-Oh’s Orders and Whis’s Stamp Book.
In Zen-Oh’s Orders, you can earn Zeni by performing different actions in battle like:
- Activate Sparking! Mode 10 times
- Use Main Buu in battle 5 times
- Gohan (Teen’s) proficiency increased to 1 (the more you play a character, the more their proficiency increases)
Whis’s Stamp Book is a similar system where you can get rewards (including Zeni) by completing objectives in different modes, Special Missions, and Bonus Battles.
Summoning Shenron
Finally, you can also get Zeni by summoning Shenron once you’ve collected all 7 Dragon Balls (which can be done via Zen-Ohs Orders, and Whis’s Stamp Book).
Simply, navigate to the ‘Come Fourth…’ tab on the Main Menu, select ‘Summon Shenron’, and the dragon will let you choose from one of the following wishes:
- I want more Zeni
- I want more titles
- I want you to raise my Player Level
- I want new outfits
Choosing the Zeni wish will instantly reward you with a sizeable amount of in-game currency that you can spend on capsules in the shop!
That’s everything you need to know about customizing characters in Dragon Ball: Sparking Zero. For more on the game check out the Episode Mode branching paths for Goku and Vegeta, how to transform, fuse & switch characters, the best characters, and how to unlock Goku Black.