WHY THE GINYU FORCE? WHAT DO YOU MEAN? WE ARE LORD FREEZA'S ELITE FIGHTING SQUADRON!


The Ginyu Force is an extremely fun setup to run in Sparking Zero's Ranked DP mode. The game is still very much new and we are in the growing pains of people perpetually picking Ultra Instinct Goku, SS4 Gogeta, Super Blue Vegito, ect. These characters, while fun, limit potential DP teams down to 2 high level picks or 1 high level pick with 2 filler slots. The Ginyu Force is a well rounded 5 stack with a staggering amount of HP for any opponent to get through.

Each character offers a varied playstyle that makes no two alike. I'll breakdown below how I've found to best utilize each character as well as give my preferred order, which does impact each match more than you might expect.

Behold! One of the elite members of the Ginyu Force-Guldo!



Do not write off or dismiss Guldo due to his low DP cost-he is consistently one of the better performing members of the team in Sparking Zero. While you can just outright ignore his paralysis ability (unless you can guarantee the hit, but even then if your opponent is already in combo range just combo) as well as his energy wave, his low cost rock throw ability is shockingly effective.


Pictured: The bane of Vegito mains everywhere.

I prefer to play Guldo at least second if not third in the lineup so he can drop in, get some distance from the enemy, and then just hurl rocks. Low cost, high damage, if your first one hits you can often have the next one ready to throw by the time your opponent is up.

Guldo is no slouch in the combo department either. If the enemy closes the distance he can hold his own and beat them back as well as any other character in the game. Just be wary of his low health pool-you'll want to break any combos your opponent throws your way and get back to a safe distance before you find yourself down a fighter.

You're dealing with the Ginyu Force's Red Magma now-Jeice!

Jeice is the most consistent, well rounded member of the Ginyu force next to Captain Ginyu himself. While he lacks a dedicated rush attack special ability outside of Sparking Mode, he makes up for it with his faster-than-average ki charging time. This allows you to reliably deny your opponent the opportunity to build up to Sparking Mode. If your opponent is knocked down you should be charging your ki. If you have a decent amount, you should be in your opponent's face denying them the opportunity when they get back up. With his tracking Crusher Ball ability he can be played comfortably at any range.

Due to being such a reliable fighter, I tend to slot him into the second or third position, wherever I don't have Guldo. If played correctly at his given distance Jeice can give any team a run for their money.

Now you're up against the Ginyu Force's Blue Hurricane-Burter!

If you played Tenkaichi 3, rest assured that yes, Burter is still top tier.

His attack speed is on par with the highest level picks in the entire game. That means that you're getting combos out quicker, dealing damage faster, and just mowing through health bars quicker than any member of the Ginyu Force. Couple that with the low-cost instant special dodge ability that is "After Image" as well as two special abilities that consistently put out damage and you have yourself a formidable character in the right hands.

I tend to play Burter second to last, or pull him out when I know that my enemy is on their "main" character/highest DP pick so that I can eliminate them or do a tremendous amount of damage against them. While it is very tempting to let his speed lead the way at the start of the lineup and set the pace for the match, you don't win ranked matches based on how quickly you eliminate all the first fighter-you win by winning the battle or by being the last standing with the most health.

My name is Recoome, it rhymes with doom, and you'll be hurting all too soon.

Much like in the Namek Saga, Recoome is an absolute force of nature in Sparking Zero. With a higher health than any other member of the Ginyu Force you'd think he'd be relegated to a slower, more useless playstyle, but I have found he is at least as fast as any other standard character. He's as nimble as a ballerina and hits like a truck.

Recoome is best played in the enemy's face as much as possible. When up against any Saiyan character their usual mode of operation is to get distance from you to charge up to Sparking Mode, build up transformation power, and generally not engage in 1:1 fisticuffs. Recoome's job is to deny, deny, deny. His Ultimate Ability reflects this-an explosion guaranteed to take nearly two healthbars off of anyone caught in it's wake.

I tend to play Recoome last. His massive health bar often nets me the victory by technicality with the time-out. Outside of that, it fills the enemy with dread to realize that there's still another member of the Ginyu Force left, and he has so much health.

Pictured: What it looks like to see a full health Recoome on the end of match screen.

ABOUT TIME YOU GOT TO ME, THE CAPTAIN OF THE GINYU FORCE! CAPTAIN GINYU!


Are you prepared to have your opponents rage-quit in frustration?

Are you ready to have your ranked matches be plagued with vague warnings of inappropriate conduct during online games?

Then read on, and behold the fearsome might of Captain Ginyu!



Captain Ginyu is an absolute powerhouse of a character even before arriving at his Ultimate Ability. Quick, powerful blows, tight combos, fast charging ki, two spectacular special blasts, as well as two reliable buff abilities. He might be a 4 DP character, but in the right hands he is putting up 8 DP work.

Then you have his ultimate ability. Yes, it's gimmicky. Yes, it's a cheap shot. And yes, it really is as bad as it sounds. You can swap characters and lifebars with any character in the game, with zero way for them to swap back into their original bodies.



With this ability you can tilt any match in your favor. Did they spend 10 of their DP points on Lord Beerus? Now you removed them from the equation. Ultra Instinct Goku? Gone. Jiren? More like Jobren. With practice you can consistently snipe any singular character and remove them for the rest of the matchup. Be warned, though, that you will not be able to character swap back into the rest of the Ginyu Force, nor will you be able to use any of your new body's special abilities.

For these reasons I play Captain Ginyu first in the lineup, then switch off when he reaches his second to last health bar. When I know my opponent is on a character they'd hate to lose, and when my current fighter is near death (Guldo or Jeice), I let them die so Ginyu spawns in a remote location. Since Ginyu has already seen combat I am able to charge up into Sparking Mode, and then it's just a matter of landing the shot.

Don't let this amazing ultimate limit the way you play Captain Ginyu. He's an absolute unit and deserves the title as Captain of Freeza's most fearsome fighting force.

TOGETHER WE ARE...THE GINYU FORCE!



I really hope this guide has encouraged at least one person to tryout for the Ginyu Force and play them in ranked online play. It is such a fun, varied team filled with vibrant, flamboyant characters that are pure Akira Toriyama. There is absolutely nothing wrong with people playing characters that they enjoy, but it has been more than a bit disappointing to see a Saiyan meta already develop in the world of online play in Dragon Ball Sparking Zero.

It fills me with such joy that there are team compositions in the game like the Ginyu Force that can consistently and reliably bring down Gogeta, Vegito, and Ultra Instinct Goku. I hope you give them a try, and let me know how your tryout goes in the comments.