(ドラゴンボールオンライン, Doragon Bōru Onrain?, Korean: 드래곤볼 온라인) (officially abbreviated as DBO) is a massively multiplayer online role-playing game being developed simultaneously in Japan and South Korea by NTL, set in the Dragon Ball universe, first introduced by the Dragon Ball Japanese manga in 1984. Dragon Ball Online takes place on Earth, 216 years after the events at the conclusion of Dragon Ball's successor, the popular anime Dragon Ball Z. A beta testing of Dragon Ball Online was initially announced to begin in Korea, where the server is operated by CJ Internet, during the summer of 2007. It is expected to be released in Japan sometime in 2008; no North American release has been announced as of yet.
Series creator Akira Toriyama has a great deal of creative control over the project, both contributing to and supervising the story and art design, including character and location arrangements.
Dragon Ball Online is set in Age 1000, exactly 216 years after Son Goku left the 28th World Tournament to train Uub in Age 784, in Dragon Ball Z. Unlike previous games in the Dragon Ball series, Dragon Ball Z is not a fighting, card-based or action-adventure game, but is a MMORPG. As with other MMORPGs, players control a character avatar within a persistent game world, exploring the landscape, searching for the Dragon Balls, training to compete in the World Tournament, aspiring to become like the warriors of legend, as well as interacting with NPCs as well as other players. Though unconfirmed, like most MMORPGs, the game will most likely reward success with money, items, and experience, which in turn allow players to improve their skill and power. Level capacities also remain unannounced. While training, the player senses a disaster will strike the world. The Earth is divided into pieces by a villainous organization known as the Dark Eye (闇の目玉, Yami no Medama?), which is lead by a mysterious individual. Receiving guidance from Time Patrol Trunks (タイム・パトロール・トランクス, Taimu Patorōru Torankusu?), the player sets out on a journey to defeat the mastermind and save the world, meeting other players along the way, and interacting with the denizens of Earth, including characters from the original series. Like other MMORPGs, the player will most likely be able to choose from different races the avatar they wish to represent. This possibility is stressed greater with the many races introduced throughout the Dragon Ball franchise, and by screenshots of the game that display both Humans as well as a Namekian.
