Super Butoden 2's various story paths

[Cold Skin]

The Super Butoden 2 story mode is one that intrigues a lot of people, due to the multiple non-canon paths the scenario can go depending on your choices and victories/failures (actually, none of the paths is canon).
This is a test topic translating the exact video game mechanics, allowing you to discover what happens depending on various factors, as if you went through the game.
Similarly to those "interactive books", follow the instructions depending on your choices, and see where it leads! You're free to follow rules of your own to decide if you win or lose a battle, for example with a luck-variation item such as a dice! But you can also just decide what outcome you want to explore without any constraint!

This topic covers Gohan's Cell Game and Space Pirates chapters only, there is absolutely no guarantee that I will do any other chapter or character in the future.
This is from the French version, with text corrected by me to be good, according to what it likely truly meant (using the manga as a reference for dialogues that are canon).
Any bold text is not based on the video game and is added by me for the sake of this thread.

GENERAL INTRO (applies to all characters):

“Cell has successfully obtained his perfect body.
His exceptionnal power has led Vegeta and Trunks - who had become the most powerful Saiyans ever so far - to a complete defeat.”

CELL: "In exactly 9 days, on May 26th, at noon, a martial arts tournament that I named Cell Game will be held."

“It is time for the last warriors standing to make a final attempt at stopping him!”

[Character Selection: SON GOHAN / VEGETA / TRUNKS / PICCOLO]
[Difficulty Setting: 1.EASY / 2.NORMAL / 3.HARD / 4.SUPER]

THE CELL GAME (SON GOHAN):

1

The Cell Game has been announced. You are Son Gohan, you are now at God's Sanctuary.

GOKU: “We don’t have time for fun and games, let’s start training right now.”

If you choose to train with Goku, go to section 2.
If you choose to train with Vegeta, go to section 5.
If you choose to train with Trunks, go to section 8.
If you choose to train with Piccolo, go to section 11.

2

GOKU: “What I want more than anything, is for you to become even stronger than me, Gohan.”

If you win the battle, head for section 3.
If you lose the battle, head for section 4.

3

GOKU: “That’s it! We’re beyond simple Super Saiyans now!"

Head for section 14.

4

GOKU: “It’s okay, your dad and Vegeta had their share of troubles too before getting that strong.”

If you choose to keep training, go back to section 2.
If you choose to stop training, go straight to section 14.

5

VEGETA: “You’re making me waste my time!”

If you win the battle, head for section 6.
If you lose the battle, head for section 7.

6

VEGETA: “You’re not too bad, for a brat!”

Head for section 14.

7

VEGETA: “And you call yourself a Saiyan?”

If you choose to keep training, go back to section 5.
If you choose to stop training, go straight to section 14.

8

TRUNKS: “Let’s proceed, Gohan!”

If you win the battle, head for section 9.
If you lose the battle, head for section 10.

9

TRUNKS: “A well-deserved victory.”

Head for section 14.

10

TRUNKS: “You don’t seem to feel great today. What’s wrong?”

If you choose to keep training, go back to section 8.
If you choose to stop training, go straight to section 14.

11

PICCOLO: “Don’t expect me to be as nice as Goku with you!”

If you win the battle, head for section 12.
If you lose the battle, head for section 13.

12

PICCOLO: “Nice! I don’t have anything to teach you anymore!”

Head for section 14.

13

PICCOLO: “Get up! We’re only getting started!”

If you choose to keep training, go back to section 11.
If you choose to stop training, go straight to section 14.

14

GOKU: “We’ve done everything we could. Let’s wait for the Cell Game now.”

If you choose to spend the remaining days training, go to section 15.
If you choose to spend the remaining days relaxing, go to section 16.

15

You have now left the Sanctuary to go home.

GOKU: “Alright! Let’s practice it all once again!”

GOHAN: “Okay!”

"The day of destiny has finally arrived for the brave Gohan."

Head for section 17.

16

You have now left the Sanctuary to go home.

CHICHI: “What?! Is that you, Gohan?! Hiii, what’s that hair color?! Now my son has turned into a bad gang boy!”

"The day of destiny has finally arrived for the relaxed Gohan."

Head for section 17.

17

CHICHI: “Gohan won’t fight, right?! Tell me Gohan won’t fight!”

GOHAN: “I have to go.”

“Gohan has left to go to the Cell Game Arena.
At the arena, all Z warriors are gathered for the event!”

CELL: “Welcome to everyone.”

“Wait!”

Wild Mister Satan appeared!

MISTER SATAN: “I’m Mister Satan, worldwide N°1! Give me one minute, and I crush you!”

Mister Satan attacks Cell repeatedly, but it is just a matter of seconds before he is sent away into the rocks with a slight of hand.

CELL: “Alright, let’s quickly start the Cell Game now… Who goes first?”

GOKU: “Alright! Can I be the first one to step in?”

CELL: “You go first? That’s a shame… I intended to save the best for the end…”

Goku and Cell have an intense and impressive fight, but suddenly Goku gives up.

GOKU: “I give up! I lost! I was able to evaluate your strength. It’s over, I just stop!”

CELL: “Son Goku… Are you aware of the consequences of your words?... If no one can stand against me during the Cell Game… pretty soon, not a single human will be left to stand on Earth.”

GOKU: “You’re just not getting this right. You talk like there’s nobody else to participate in this tournament anymore, but you’re wrong. Wanna know who’s the next one to fight you? Since I just estimated your level, I can confirm he’ll be able to defeat you. Your turn to step in… Gohan!! Go on, Gohan! Bring back peace on the Earth.”

GOHAN: “Alright. Here I go!”

If you win the battle, go to section 23.
If you lose the battle, go to section 18.

18

CELL: “They don’t even deserve me as an opponent…”

“Cell has given birth to Cell Juniors!”

CELL: “Go ahead, Cell Juniors!”

CELL JUNIOR: “Kiiiiih!!”

GOHAN: “Let's do this!”

If you win the battle, go to section 21.
If you lose the battle, go to section 19.

19

CELL JUNIOR: “Kiiiiih!!”

Cell Juniors are suddenly struck by a huge power.

CELL JUNIOR: “Gyaaaa!!”

“Goku has defeated all Cell Juniors!”

Go to section 20.

20

CELL: “What the…?! Goku, what are you doing?!”

GOKU: “Taking you to the last place you’ll ever see!”

CELL: “Stop messing around! Just… Let go of me!!”

GOKU: “Bye bye, guys… Goodbye, Gohan.”

Goku teleports to Kaio’s planet, along with Cell.

GOKU: “Sorry, master Kaio. That’s the only idea that came to my mind… I will blow myself up along with Cell!”

CELL: “Oh no, CRAAAAP!!”

A gigantic explosion engulfs the place, bringing an end to Goku and Cell’s lives.

GOHAN: “DAAAD!!”

“Thus ends the Cell Game. The Z warriors went back to their daily lives, thinking about Goku’s sacrifice and the good times they all lived with him.”

- CHAPTER ENDS -

21

“As Gohan defeated one of the Cell Juniors, so did the other Z warriors with the remaining little monsters”.

CELL: “I see you were able to destroy one of my sons, and there are none remaining… Back to my turn, I guess.”

If you win the battle, go to section 23.
If you lose the battle, go to section 22.

22

CELL: “I’ve had enough fun with you guys… I’m going to end this once and for all…”

Go to section 20.

23

CELL: “You… You’re gonna pay for this… You’re all gonna pay for this!! GNNNN!! GNNN!!”

GOHAN: “What?!”

“Suddenly, Cell starts to grow bigger similarly to a balloon!”

CELL: “You are condemned, all of you!! In… In… In less than a minute, I’ll self-destruct…If I have to die, I’ll sacrifice myself to kill you all along! And get rid off the Earth while I’m at it!!”

GOHAN: “D… Damnit!!”

CELL: “HA HA HA HA HA!!”

Suddenly, Goku appears near Cell, putting his hand against him.

CELL: “Huh?!”

GOKU: “Much as I think about it, there’s only one solution I see… It’s the only way to save the Earth…”

GOHAN: “D… Dad…”

Goku teleports on Kaio’s planet, along with Cell.

GOKU: “Sorry, master Kaio. That’s the only idea that came up to my mind…”

CELL: “Oh no, CRAAAAP!!”

A gigantic explosion engulfs the place, bringing an end to Goku and Cell’s lives.

GOHAN: “DAAAD!!”

In the Other World…

KAIO: “I can’t believe, how could you even dare doing that to me?! I am Kaio! King of the Universe! I am more respectable than a god!! And you use me to save that freaking little planet Earth…”

GOKU: “Which is exactly why I’ve spent all my time since then apologizing to you… You’re such a pain, you know… I’m telling you there was no other way… But that’s weird… I don’t see Cell’s aura… D’you think he went straight to Hell?”

KAIO: “That means… Cell is not dead yet… He’s still very much alive…”

GOKU: “Say what now?!”

Back on Earth…

GOHAN: “What the…?!”

Cell suddenly appears again before the remaining Z warriors, much to everyone’s shock!

CELL: “He he he… You look surprised…”

“Cell’s core hasn’t been destroyed, he is back stronger than ever before! He is even more perfect now!”

CELL: “You won’t get rid off me that easily, this time.”

If you win the battle, go to 24.
If you lose the battle, go to 25.

24

GOHAN: “I did it, Dad…”

“Thus ends the Cell Game. The Z warriors went back to their daily lives, thinking about Goku’s sacrifice and the good times they all lived with him.”

- CHAPTER ENDS -

25

CELL: “There’s no point in resisting now that Goku’s gone.”

“All Z warriors stood there, terrified by Cell’s new power. Suddenly, Goku’s voice reached Gohan’s mind.”

GOKU: “Hey, Gohan!! You out of your mind? There’s no giving up! You have to counter-attack with a Kame Hame Ha! I promise you’ll be able to win that way!!”

GOHAN: “Alright… I’ll do what I can…”

Gohan charges his Kame Hame Ha with one arm…

GOHAN: “Ka… Me… Ha… Me… HAA!!”

Gohan throws a huge blast directly at Cell, but the monster gives it all his strength for his body to endure the continuing blast (in a "Ki charging" kind of stance). He's shaking, but manages to hold in place.

GOKU: “Hold on!! You need to hold on, Gohan!! You still have more energy stored!! Let your power explode!!”

Goku suddenly appears behind Gohan with a Kame Hame Ha stance!

“Kame Hame Ha!!”

Cell is powerless against this renewed blast power and is sent flying backwards while he slowly gets destroyed.

CELL: “GWEEH!! N… No… That’s… impossible… I… I can’t…”

Cell is vaporized. The Z warriors reunite around Gohan.

PICCOLO: “We did it! Cell’s aura has completely vanished.”

VEGETA: “The brat managed to destroy Cell.”

TRUNKS: “That’s it! Well done, Gohan!”

GOHAN: “I defeated him, Dad…”

“Thus ends the Cell Game. The Z warriors went back to their daily lives, thinking about Goku’s sacrifice and the good times they all lived with him.”

- CHAPTER ENDS -

[MCDaveG]

Awesome, I can't wait for the Movie 9 part!

[Cold Skin]

Here is a quick summary of the game's story mechanics for Gohan's Cell arc, and questions you might wonder about how the game's programming works.

QUICK SUMMARY OF THE STORY'S UNFOLDING SYSTEM

TRAINING: FOR THE CHARACTER AND THE PLAYER TOO!

Regardless of the warrior you choose as a training partner, the mechanic stays the same: if you win, there's not much to debate and you proceed through the scenario automatically.
Losing gives you the choice to retry as many times as you want until you win (this is the first fight, so it's meant to get you used to the gameplay and allows you to warm up as many times as necessary), but you can also choose to stop that training session despite the bad outcome and proceed exactly as if you had won. But as a training session, this is the last time you'll be allowed to lose without impacting the scenario.
Once the scenario continues, choosing to keep training or relax during the ten days only impacts the following short cutscene and the way you'll be described (either "brave" or "relaxed").

CELL GAME, WARMING UP: WILL YOU BE KICKED OUT OF THE CELL ARC OR NOT?

Two automated fights will start the Cell Game: Mr. Satan's fight with Cell will mimic the original story's scene of the champion's numerous hits on a steady Cell, until the latter gets annoyed and slaps his opponent into the rocks away.
Then Goku will show up and you'll witness a random CPU VS. CPU match. Rest assured that Goku will lose the battle no matter what happens.

After those, this is the point where you show up and difficulty will be scenaristically adjusted depending on how well you do. If you win, the scenario will be similar to the original story and you'll gain access to Cell's final battle afterwards.
If you lose, you will be given an easier opponent, Cell Jr., who represents a chance to get back on track with the winning scenario (if you defeat him, you are sent back to the earlier fight with Cell, giving you a second chance to win).

At the moment Cell Jr. is offered to you as an easier opponent, the game will prepare for the possibility that you are not strong enough to proceed through the story and open the door to two alternative endings that will kick you out of the Cell arc by letting Goku be the hero instead of you.
The first kick-out ending will happen if you still lose despite having Cell Jr. offered as a weaker opponent.
The second kick-out ending will happen if you earned your second chance against Cell by defeating Cell Jr., but lost yet again to Cell.
In both cases, Goku will destroy any sub-creature causing trouble, and teleport with Cell on Kaio's planet to perform the same sacrifice move Vegeta used against Majin Boo, completely obliterating Cell and his core, and ending the threat along with his life.

CELL GAME, FINAL BATTLE: THE BEST OPTION IS NOT WHAT IT SEEMS...

If you managed to defeat Cell, the story will follow something close to the original plot, from Cell trying to self-destruct with the planet to Goku's sacrifice to Cell being back thanks to his core left intact.
You then have to fight him a second time, and he might be more agressive this time but that remains to be confirmed.

Winning the first fight against Cell will open a scenario very similar to that of the original story, with an exclusive sprite for "Balloon Cell".

If he is stronger, good for you because winning doesn't lead to anything spectacular: Gohan says he won and that's it, you have the epilogue text of the Cell arc.

Not much more than the epilogue, that's what you get for winning. For a more impressive ending, most players choose to let themselves be beaten by Cell.

If you lose, which is interpreted as Gohan being weakened and ready to give up, a fantastic (at the time) special cutscene will show you the Father-Son Kame Hame Ha. In this version, Cell doesn't perform his own blast and simply tries to resist the impact of the Kame Hame Ha. Goku tells Gohan to go all out and only then he appears behind him, while Gohan launches a second Kame Hame Ha on top of his previous ones (which is made clear by the words "Kame Hame Ha" being voiced and written a second time, and another blast being projected towards the screen), finishing Cell for good. Everybody will show up to more or less congratulate you, and the epilogue text of the Cell arc will show up.

A unique, very special cutscene will unfold if you lose against Cell. Winning - or other paths in general - skips this scene and goes straight to the black-screen epilogue for the arc.
Your controller will stop responding even for the text - which unfolds on its own -, all you can do is watch the scene play.

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GAME MECHANICS

How does the automated Goku VS. Cell match works?

This is a classic CPU VS. CPU match, but it is clearly set up in favor of Cell. Goku starts with less health. Judging by their behavior, the AI for Goku must be set to that of a lower difficulty setting, while Cell clearly seems more agressive and has access to deadly moves like his hidden supreme move.
It is also possible that Goku's strength and defense are quite lower than Cell's, and in harder difficulty settings (where the 2nd player - always the CPU - has higher stats) it will be a matter of seconds before Cell empties Goku's health in just a few hits.
In any case, watching the fight, you'll undoubtedly see how Cell is superior to Goku.

But what if, by some uncalculated random events, Goku had the upper hand?

Despite the odds being largely in Cell's favor, Goku can take the advantage sometimes. You have to be very lucky to see that, even on the easiest difficulty (where Cell is less powerful), but it does happen sometimes.
However, the developers saw that coming and there is some kind of failsafe: if Goku starts causing too much damage to Cell (having taken out his first health gauge and about 1/4 of his last health gauge), he will suddenly stop fighting and perform one of his winning moves (the one where he lifts his arms up before letting them down, as if stretching/relaxing after the fight), which stands for him giving up. The fight will end and the game will proceed with the story.

As soon as Cell's health gauge hits a certain mark, Goku will stop fighting, taking a relaxing stance. The fight will immediately end and the story will proceed.

Yeah, but I could still make Goku win by setting Cell's health to zero with a data modifier... And then what happens?

Absolutely, you can make Goku win with some external data altering device, but only one possible outcome was programmed by the developers.
So Cell will be KO and Goku will perform his win pose, but when back to the story's dialogue, everything will occur as if the game had followed its natural path, with Goku saying he gives up.

Goku has really won, and performs a real winning pose. But there's only one story path programmed for this fight's outcome, so Goku still gives up when the story unfolds.

Can I play as Mr. Satan? How does this character works?

"Play" is not the right term, but you can select him as your character via an external data modifier.
Graphics will glitch in regular modes for the dialogue sequence and fight, but it will all look perfectly fine if you're playing in the Story Mode.
However, the character himself is just a human-shaped cutscene that will immediately lock himself and the opponent on a specific, automated set of moves as soon as the fight starts, also automatically trigerring a defeat on his part (although his tiny health will never get damaged).

So that means any opponent I face while being Mr. Satan will throw me off into the landscape within the first few seconds of the battle?

Indeed, but this interaction was meant for a specific landscape (Plains) and opponent (Cell). So other characters might use weird moves to knock him away and he might end up crashing in rocks that don't exist (the exploding rocks of the impact are part of his personnal sprites). The opponent always wins against Mr. Satan, and in regular modes, the intro line of the opponent might actually be his winning line before the match even started.

Mr. Satan's automated animations for him and his opponent were meant for Cell in the plains, as shown here.
Other combinations of characters and landscapes might result in weird ways to knock him into the landscape, where he might crash against invisible rocks.

So, if I choose Mr. Satan as my opponent, I automatically win, right?

Yep, and that's one of the fastest way to explore the story mode's many twists: making various save states to easily access various parts of the story, and setting you or your opponent as Mr. Satan depending on if you want to instantly win or lose the fight.
Note that when he's selected by the second player (on the right), he will borrow the voice of the character selected by player 1 (using his adversary's attack scream and "ouch!" scream at the appropriate moment).

Replacing the opponent by Mr. Satan is synonymous with an instant victory without actual gameplay.

What happens if Mr. Satan faces Mr. Satan?

One might have expected both sprites going through their routines and the result being a double KO.
And yet, nope: the first one (on the left) will perform his routine animations, while the second one will stay in place, moving forward halfway when he should perform his dynamite kick (which means the first Mr. Satan is now punching the air), and having a little jump up when he should slap away his opponent (all of it while still being in his initial fighting stance, not moving).
So the first Mr. Satan does his thing on his own (though he will be a little off-target for his crash into the rocks), while the second one stays the way he is, magically moves to his opponents' initial position, and startles once to telekinetically send the "normal" Mr. Satan away.
Defeat is for the left player and his normal routine, victory is for the right player and his unexisting slap.
Despite a dialogue/story sprite of Mr. Satan having alternative colors in the debug menu, both his fighting sprites will have a same color scheme when facing each other.

The weirdest fight you can get. The winner is the second player.
Note how the second Mr. Satan, still in his fighting stance, will rise up into the air a little as a way to knock his opponent away, before getting back on the ground.

[Cold Skin]

Here you go with a fully new story for Dragon Ball, using Zangya from movie 9, but a whole new plot that's never been used in the anime.
This chapter is in the middle of the story mode and is mandatory, regardless of what happened to you in the Cell Game chapter.

THE SPACE PIRATES (SON GOHAN):

1

“Gohan was enjoying a peaceful life when…”

GOHAN: “I’m home, Mom!”

CHICHI: “Gohan! The North Capital has just been rampaged!!”

GOHAN: “Wait, what?!”

CHICHI: “It was on the news just now! What’s going on?! Cell is gone now, so…”

Suddenly, Piccolo appears, beaten up.

PICCOLO: “Go… Gohan…”

GOHAN: “Piccolo, what happened?!”

PICCOLO: “I tried to stop him when he attacked the North Capital!”

GOHAN: “Who?!”

PICCOLO: “Vegeta!”

GOHAN: “What?! Why would Vegeta do such a thing?”

PICCOLO: “It looks like his Saiyan instinct has resurfaced after all…”

If you choose to go to the North Capital, head for section 2.
If you choose to go to Capsule Corporation, head for section 3.


2

You have arrived at the North Capital and see a potential witness.

MAN: “I saw him, I saw the man with golden hair wrapped in golden light… He went from one city to another, destroying them!”

If you’ve already been at Capsule Corporation too, proceed to section 4.
If you haven’t been to Capsule Corporation yet, go to section 3.


3

You have arrived at Capsule Corp. and Bulma is there.

BULMA: “Vegeta? I haven’t seen him in quite a while! He must be training somewhere…”

If you’ve already been at the North Capital too, proceed to section 4.
If you haven’t been to the North Capital, go back to section 2.


4

“Gohan has decided to go back home to think about the information gathered so far.”

You see Piccolo coming towards you.

PICCOLO: “This time, Vegeta is after the West Capital! Let’s go!”

GOHAN: “Vegeta has lost any will to fight after what happened to Dad. I really can’t imagine him acting like this!”

PICCOLO: “I know, but a lot of lives are at stake, let's go right now!”

If you choose to go there with Piccolo, head for section 5.
If you choose to refuse Piccolo’s plan of action, go to section 11.


5

You have arrived on the wild lands near the West Capital, finding Vegeta around.

VEGETA: “You’ve got some nerve to challenge my patience like that!”

GOHAN: “Just tell me why you'd go on a rampage in the North Capital!”

VEGETA: “You’re losing it, boy! I’m sick of your messing around with me, brace yourself!”

GOHAN: “Hmm…”

If you win the battle, section 6 is waiting for you.
If you lose the battle, head for section 10.


6

VEGETA: “Damn it! It’s not over, boy! I’ll surely train to have my revenge!”

Vegeta leaves the area, wounded.

PICCOLO: “Nice job, Gohan! Now DIE!!”

Piccolo blasts you by surprise! Feeling the pain, you are quite shocked!

GOHAN: “W… What the…?! What are you doing, Piccolo?!”

PICCOLO: “Too bad for you, I’m not the real one!”

GOHAN: “What?!”

Zangya shows up in front of you in a shocking moment!

ZANGYA: “Tss! So easy to trick you!”

GOHAN: “Who are you?”

ZANGYA: “I’m Zangya, a space pirate. This planet’s ours now.”

On Kaio’s planet…

KAIO: “Those space pirates…?”

GOKU: “You know them, master Kaio?”

KAIO: “The four Kaio of each galaxy had sealed them away. Unfortunately, the seal must have been broken when I died!”

GOKU: “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Gohan is on Earth!”

On Earth…

ZANGYA: “Looks like the clones trick had you fooled.”

GOHAN: “I had no clue…”

ZANGYA: “And because of that, you’re going to die…”

The clone of Piccolo that successfully tricked you is now facing you.

If you win the battle, go to section 7.
If you lose the battle, go to section 9.


7

ZANGYA: “He’s not too bad. You! Get rid off him!”

A clone of Trunks appears before you, ready to end your life.

If you win the battle, go to section 8.
If you lose the battle, go to section 9.


8

ZANGYA: “He wiped out the clones. He’s pretty good! I guess retreat is a good idea for now… See ya later, Earth warriors!"

Zangya vanishes before you can do anything.

GOHAN: “Those space pirates will stop at nothing!”

“There’s a good chance the space pirates might come back soon. What will be the fate of the Earth?”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN?!”


9

ZANGYA: “Good. We can rest a little now, I guess…”

Vegeta is now aware of the situation and it doesn’t rub him the right way.

VEGETA: “Wait a sec… I won’t let you make a fool of me!”

ZANGYA: “Then I’ll finish you right now!”

VEGETA: “I am Vegeta, the prince of Saiyans!”

Unfortunately, Vegeta is no match for the situation and ends up being murdered by clones of his own allies.

“The clones, who successfully killed Vegeta, end up being killed themselves…”

ZANGYA: “I can’t believe the clones got killed. If his friends hadn’t come to help him…”

Zangya manages to flee, while Piccolo rushes to Gohan.

PICCOLO: “Gohan! Are you okay?”

GOHAN: “I’m fine, but… Vegeta…”

PICCOLO: “Vegeta? I see. So this was his last battle… But at least, you were able to hold on until the end, Gohan!”

“The Z warriors have been led to fight each other, for a dark turn of events. How long can they keep resisting this new threat?”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE TOWER”


10

VEGETA: “Ha ha ha… You moron! And what about you, Piccolo? Will you try to avenge him?”

PICCOLO: “Oh yeah… And I invited a few friends of mine, too…”

VEGETA: “What the…?!”

Zangya appears before Vegeta, much to his shock.

ZANGYA: “Tss! So easy to trick you!”

VEGETA: “Who the hell are you?”

ZANGYA: “I’m Zangya, a space pirate. This planet’s ours now.”

VEGETA: “Space pirate?”

On Kaio’s planet…

KAIO: “Those space pirates…?”

GOKU: “You know them, master Kaio?”

KAIO: “The four Kaio of each galaxy had sealed them away. Unfortunately, the seal must have been broken when I died!”

GOKU: “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Gohan is on Earth!”

Head back to section 9.


11

GOHAN: “Let’s not rush into anything, we need more info!”

PICCOLO: “We don’t have time to waste!”

GOHAN: “At least, let’s just go to the sanctuary, Piccolo!”

At the sanctuary…

MISTER POPO: “Welcome, Gohan. And… Almighty One?!... You look the same but… there’s something different about you.”

PICCOLO: “You’re just talking non-sense now.”

DENDE: “Hmm… By the way, Piccolo, did you find those blue flowers I had asked for?”

PICCOLO: “I had other things to do and couldn’t look for them yet…”

The BGM is suddenly interrupted to an eerie silence.

DENDE: “I don’t know who you are, but I never asked anything to Piccolo.”

GOHAN: “What?”

Exposed, the clone shifts to a dark alternate costume.

FAKE PICCOLO: “Damnit! I was almost there!”

The clone tries to escape.

GOHAN: “Wait!”

The scenary is now the sea, near a beach.

“Gohan has successfully cornered the fake Piccolo!”

GOHAN: “You’re not going anywhere!”

FAKE PICCOLO: “Die!”

If you win the battle, head for section 12.
If you lose the battle, head for section 17.


12

GOHAN: “Who was that guy?!”

The real Piccolo arrives on the scene.

PICCOLO: “He’s a clone warrior, a fake copy! Somebody’s trying to trick us…”

GOHAN: “Piccolo!”

PICCOLO: “So the one involved in the North Capital rampage would be the fake Vegeta…”

“Gohan heads for the lands around the North Capital”

Go to section 13.


13

VEGETA: “You’ve got some nerve to challenge my patience like that!”

GOHAN: “Wait, I can explain everything!”

“Gohan tells about the whole situation.”

VEGETA: “Someone was trying to set us up…”

“Gohan tracked down the location of the potential hideout…”

Go to section 14.


14

You are now in a snowy area surrounded by mountains.

GOHAN: “That would be somewhere around here…”

“Suddenly, energy blasts come crashing from the skies!”

GOHAN: “What the…?!”

Zangya appears before a shocked Gohan!

ZANGYA: “You’re better than I thought.”

GOHAN: “Who’s that?”

ZANGYA: “I’m Zangya, a space pirate. This planet’s ours now.”

On Kaio’s planet…

KAIO: “Those space pirates…?”

GOKU: “You know them, master Kaio?”

KAIO: “The four Kaio of each galaxy had sealed them away. Unfortunately, the seal must have been broken when I died!”

GOKU: “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Gohan is on Earth!”

On Earth…

ZANGYA: “I couldn’t divide you, it seems…”

GOHAN: “I won’t forgive you for what you’ve pulled here!”

ZANGYA: “So enthusiastic… Come on, clones, time to kill!”

You are now facing Vegeta’s clone.

If you win, head for section 15.
If you lose, go to section 16.


15

“Gohan has defeated the clones!”

ZANGYA: “They won, and that seemed fairly easy to them…”

GOHAN: “And now you’re the only one left.”

ZANGYA: “You’re stronger than I had imagined.”

Zangya vanishes before you can do anything.

GOHAN: “Those space pirates will stop at nothing!”

“The Z warriors have defeated the space pirates, but they are bound to come back soon.”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN?!”


16

GOHAN: “We can’t win this…”

FAKE VEGETA: “Die!”

“An energy blast suddenly goes through the clone’s chest!”

VEGETA: “I didn’t do it to save you…”

ZANGYA: “They won, and that seemed fairly easy to them… You’re stronger than I had imagined.”

“The space pirates might come back soon. What will be the fate of the Earth?”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN?!”


17

FAKE PICCOLO: “Die!”

“An energy blast suddenly goes through the clone’s chest!”

You are ecstatic to see Piccolo appearing and saving you.

PICCOLO: “Gohan! Are you okay?”

GOHAN: “Piccolo!”

PICCOLO: “He’s a clone warrior, a fake copy! Somebody’s trying to trick us… So the one involved in the North Capital rampage would be the fake Vegeta…”

“Gohan heads for the lands around the North Capital.”

Go to section 18.


18

VEGETA: “You’ve got some nerve to challenge my patience like that!”

GOHAN: “Wait, I can explain everything!”

“Gohan tells about the whole situation.”

VEGETA: “Someone was trying to set us up…”

“Gohan tracked down the location of the potential hideout…”

Go to section 19.


19

You are now in a snowy area surrounded by mountains.

GOHAN: “That would be somewhere around here…”

“Suddenly, energy blasts come crashing from the skies!”

GOHAN: “What the…?!”

Zangya appears before a shocked Gohan!

ZANGYA: “You’re better than I thought.”

GOHAN: “Who’s that?”

ZANGYA: “I’m Zangya, a space pirate. This planet’s ours now.”

On Kaio’s planet…

KAIO: “Those space pirates…?”

GOKU: “You know them, master Kaio?”

KAIO: “The four Kaio of each galaxy had sealed them away. Unfortunately, the seal must have been broken when I died!”

GOKU: “I’m sure it’ll be okay, Gohan is on Earth!”

On Earth…

ZANGYA: “I couldn’t divide you, it seems…”

GOHAN: “I won’t forgive you for what you’ve pulled here!”

ZANGYA: “So enthusiastic… Come on, clones, time to kill!”

You are now facing Vegeta’s clone.

If you win, head for section 20.
If you lose, go to section 21.


20

“Gohan has defeated the clones!”

ZANGYA: “They won, and that seemed fairly easy to them…”

GOHAN: “And now you’re the only one left.”

ZANGYA: “You’re stronger than I had imagined.”

Zangya vanishes before you can do anything.

GOHAN: “Those space pirates will stop at nothing!”

“The Z warriors have defeated the space pirates, but they are bound to come back soon.”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE LEGENDARY SUPER SAIYAN?!”


21

GOHAN: “We can’t win this…”

FAKE VEGETA: “Die!”

“An energy blast suddenly goes through the clone’s chest!”

VEGETA: “I didn’t do it to save you…”

ZANGYA: “They won, and that seemed fairly easy to them… You’re stronger than I had imagined.”

“The space pirates might come back soon. What will be the fate of the Earth?”

CHAPTER ENDS -- PROCEED TO NEW CHAPTER “THE TOWER”

[MCDaveG]

Awesome Cold Skin! Can't wait for the rest!

[Xeogran]

Woah, this is really fun to read. You must have a lot of patience

[linkdude20002001]

So awesome!! I'm going to play the game using this! XD

...If I can get my SFC to work, that is. I think it might be dead actually. Ugh. I don't want to buy a new one. Lol.

[Cold Skin]

Glad you guys like this little "scenario walkthrough" that might help you find your way around in the game.
I have added pictures and extra infos here and there (but mostly pictures!!) to the "Story Summary" and "Game Mechanics Questions" parts of the Cell Game chapter. I hope you like that kind of extra info on the game's design and programming.

[DBZGTKOSDH]

Great job, I love original or alternative stories from video-games! Thanks!

[Cold Skin]

QUICK SUMMARY OF THE STORY'S UNFOLDING SYSTEM (SPACE PIRATES CHAPTER)

ONE TRAP, TWO WAYS

As you live through your peaceful existence now that Cell is history, one of your friends will come and try to convince you that one of the good guys has gone mad and was the one responsible for the recent rampage in town.
He's actually a clone trying to trick you into fighting your own allies.
Whether you fall for it or not will define if you have an advantage or not in this chapter.

Apart from the story, the choice will define the following gameplay-wise:
- whether you have two or three battles to fight.
- who the second clone will be.
- what your chances are to access the final chapter named "The Legendary Super Saiyan?!" instead of the final chapter named "The Tower".

FELL INTO THE TRAP? THEN YOU GET PUNISHED FOR YOUR CARELESSNESS!

You originally have two clones to fight through the chapter regardless of if you were trapped or not, but since you fell for the trick, you also have to fight your own friend as an additionnal enemy.
You will fight your own friend, then have to battle against the fake Piccolo who tricked you, and a dark Trunks.

You should know that because you failed to unveil the trap, you will also suffer a certain level of unforgiveness to access the "The Legendary Super Saiyan?!" chapter: you have to defeat all three opponents.
If you lose even just a single battle, you'll be redirected to the chapter named "The Tower" for the finale, and you won't get access to the true ending and real final bosses.
Therefore, you have to get no less than three victories to access "The Legendary Super Saiyan?!".

AVOIDED THE TRAP? THEN YOU MAY BE REWARDED FOR YOUR GOOD SENSE!

Congratulations, you saw the situation was weird and the clones trick didn't work on you.
For that, you will only have two adversaries in this chapter: the fake Piccolo who tried to trick you, and the Vegeta clone.

You were smart and the game will reward you for it, being softer on the conditions required to proceed to "The Legendary Super Saiyan?!"
You'll be able to access that chapter if you beat both clones, or even if you lose to one of them. You'll only be redirected to "The Tower" if you lose all battles in this chapter.
Therefore, you have to get only one victory to access "The Legendary Super Saiyan?!".

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE GAME MECHANICS (PART 2)

What happens in case of double KO?

A double KO is possible and will happen right in front of you, showing the two fighters slowly falling to the ground, with their "echo scream of death".
However, the game will settle this by making the second player (meaning the AI in Story Mode) rise up again, completely exhausted, after a few seconds.
So any double KO is cancelled to give victory to player 2.

Because the Story mode can't afford to have a double KO plot-wise, the second player (the AI in the story) will automatically survive despite being exhausted.
Thus, the plot is not meant to take any victory into account, but only depends on whether you were defeated or not, regardless of what happened to your opponent.

Are there unused elements in the game's data?

Much less than on the next episode of the Super Butoden series, but yes, you can find two things in the Debug Menu:
- An alternative color scheme for Mr. Satan for his dialogue sprite.
- Alternative color schemes for untransformed characters Vegeta, Trunks and Broly (Broly does appear untransformed in his battle intro animation in the regular game though).

Trunks' case is pretty ironic, since he has an untransformed palette but lacks an untransformed sprite in Super Butoden 2, while he has an untransformed sprite but lacks an untransformed palette in Super Butoden 3.

The fifth "shading" palette for characters was meant for untransformed versions.
While most characters were not planned as untransformed (having that fifth shading strictly identical to the first one), three of them had alternative palettes.
In the end, only Broly's was used on two of his sprites.

Can I access the debug menu and is it understandable?

You need an external cheat device or an emulator that incorporates this function, but yes, you can access the Debug Mode to see characters, menu sprites, collision patterns, background landscape, etc...
It is accessible fully translated into English if you play the French version, while it will be written in Japanese if you play the Japanese version. Beware that some options will crash the game (black screen).
This debug mode was ported over to the sequel, despite many options becoming useless and the options related to the story mode disappearing and being replaced by black void. Since the occidental text was modified for Super Butoden 3 while the Debug Mode was exactly the same, it becomes complete graphic gibberish in that third episode in the French version.

Just enter the code (given further below) and when the screen becomes instantly messed up, press a button and pray that you access it (the other possibility being that the game has crashed, pressing a button will do nothing, you just have to reset and try again).

On the French version, the Debug Menu is fully translated into English - albeit with a lot of shortened terms such as "Adv" for "Adventure" or "Chr" for "Characters" -, or sometimes western transliteration of Japanese terms like "Muteki".
Oh, and a few typing mistakes here and there or words rewritten as Japanese transliterations instead of their actual English writing ("Reda" for "Radar" it seems).
If you play the Japanese version, the Debug Menu will naturally have mostly Japanese characters instead of the English version.

The debug menu is unstable, how can I fix it?

It can be a pain to access it and randomly test the various options, so having an emulator is a big help and will make the exploration a handy piece of cake.

First, you need to enter it at least once, which is the hard part: sometimes, when activating the code, the game will crash (pressing a button won't help whereas it should take you to the debug menu). You just have to try from various "places" in the game: I'm terribly unlucky with the game's intro, but happen to be luckier when activating the code in the middle of a fight or some selection menu sometimes.

Once you've accessed it at least once, you won if you can just make a save state. Save your state, deactivate the code (which will likely freeze the screen) and now, without the influence of any cheat code (which can make some options crash), you can access the debug menu instantly by simply loading your save state.
Did you crash the game with an unfortunate option? Just load your save state and in two seconds at most, you're back at exploring without interference from the cheat code itself and without the risk of having to tediously spend five minutes trying to re-enter the debug menu if you crash the game.

The Debug Menu is a treasure chest giving you exclusive possibilities, like seeing dialogue palette swaps on a same screen, including unused ones like Mr. Satan.
But it is truly nicer to explore with a fully stable menu thanks to save states instead of an interfering cheat code, even though a few options will still be dead ends.

How can I see the unused elements by myself?

Once in the debug menu:

- To see Mr. Satan's exclusive alternative color scheme, get back to the main menu and select "ADVENTURE MODE" (might be shortened as "ADV MODE") to enter the sub-menu related to the Story Mode. You can see the names of characters for player 1 and 2, just select the same characters for both to view both the normal and alternative color scheme facing each other (you'll need the input of a second controller to select the second character, which is easy to solve if you're using an emulator).

- To see all sprites of Vegeta, Trunks and Broly with their untransformed color schemes, go to the "BATTLE" menu (you start there if you use the code given further below), and then select the characters where you can see their names. With left and right, you can navigate through all their battle sprites, and with the X and Y buttons of your controller, you can apply different "shading" schemes - although they're really just other palette swaps and not actual real-time shading of course - to their bodies (selection, sunlight, alternative palette, etc...). One of them will be the untransformed set (it has no effect on other characters, being identical to the base color scheme, only the three fighters mentionned above will have untransformed colors).

Broly is the only character shown as untransformed in-game, making his natural palette unsuited for his two-sprites intro transformation (TOP PICTURE).
The game uses the fifth "shading" version for those two sprites, namely his base form and his Super Saiyan form (MIDDLE PICTURES).
Then, it reverts back to his first, base "shading" version for his Legendary Super Saiyan form (all other sprites), otherwise it is again unsuited to his current state (BOTTOM PICTURE).

Are there any cheat codes you have created and can share?

You need an Action Replay or an emulator that mimics its functions. Here is the list of codes I made thanks to a cheat search engine, except for the Debug Menu which I didn't find by myself:

"ITS MEMORY IS FILLED WITH DATA ABOUT GOKU!": 7E002200
Allows you to access the Debug menu if it doesn't crash the game (follow the advice above).
When the screen goes nuts, press any button and pray to enter the mysterious world of debugging.

"NO WAY TO TELL IF YOU'RE EVEN DAMAGED!": 7E0562FF
Player 1's health will never decrease. You are invincible throughout the Story mode, but beware: making Goku invincible against Cell might lock them into infinite battle, since Goku will give up while Cell will still be free to move and try to launch a Kame Hame Ha that will leave them both where they stand forever.

"YOU CAN'T WIN, I KNOW IT BEFORE THE FIGHT EVEN BEGINS!": 7E066200
Player 2's health is reduced to zero, meaning the AI in the Story Mode.
While some enemies will be "born dead" with your character doing his victory pose before you can move and the opponent being stuck with his last sprite animation, others will actually be very much alive and require at least one hit from you to be KO.

"IT'S ALL TRICKS!": 7E05000A
You are Mr. Satan. Graphics will be glitched during dialogues and battles in all other modes than Story Mode (for which it's all perfectly fine).
You will lose all battles without even playing as long as this code is activated.

"EVEN CELL WON'T KILL HIM!": 7E06000A
Your opponents all turn into Mr. Satan. Graphics will have the same glitches than previously mentionned except in Story Mode.
You will win all battles without even playing, and Mr. Satan will have your voice.

"I'M THE FASTEST ONE IN THE UNIVERSE!": 7E169801
You unlock the "Turbo Mode" presentation, with the action remix of the BGM for the intro, and a shining title.
Unfortunately, this does not seem to actually activate the Turbo mode itself, fights seem to be at regular speed.

"GUESS THAT MAKES YOU THE SECOND FASTEST, THEN!": 7E169802
You unlock the "Super Turbo Mode" presentation, still with the action remix of the opening and an even more shining title.
But again, the gameplay does not seem to be impacted, so this does not truly activate "Super Turbo Mode".

[Cold Skin]

Just like I did for the Cell Game explanations, I've added pictures to the Space Pirates explanations just above.
Enjoy catching a glimpse of the exclusive untransformed palettes and the translated Debug Menu!