Vegito Blue and Goku Black Rose punching each other in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO

Screenshot by Dot Esports

How to Grab in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO

A relatively simple mechanic carried over from the older Budokai Tenkaichi games. However, using it mid battle can be tricky at times.

Anish Nair

Published: Oct 15, 2024 03:59 am

Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO brings back a lot of old battle features introduced in the original Budokai Tenkaichi series. One of the more commonly used abilities in battle is the Grab attack, a great way to counter enemies that block often. This is how you can master the Grab ability.

How to use Grabs in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO

Adult Gohan launching a Grab attack on Piccolo on a desert battlefield with rock formations — An essential skill to have. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Grab attacks are simple to execute in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO as long as your opponent is either standing still or blocking. Grab attacks or Throws are the way to go if you can’t get through an opponent’s guard. How you pull it off is dependent on the control scheme you’re using.

Standard: RB+X (Xbox) or R1+Square (PlayStation)
Classic: A, A (Xbox) or X, X (PlayStation)

If you’re an old-school player who uses Classic controls, double-tap the Dash key, and you should be able to break through your opponent’s guard. For Standard control users, hold down the Guard button and press the Attack button together to Grab your opponent.

How to break Grabs in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO

Adult Gohan breaking a Grab attack on Piccolo on a desert battlefield with rock formations — An easy way to counter. Screenshot by Dot Esports

Now that you know how to use Grab attacks, you also have to anticipate your enemies being able to do the same. If you see a Throw coming at you, you can break through it mid-animation and free yourself of the attack. Unlike more complex maneuvers like Beam Deflection, this one is relatively simple.

Standard: RB (Xbox) or R1 (PlayStation)
Classic: B (Xbox) or Circle (PlayStation)

The Guard button is your friend here. For Standard users, press RB or R1 the moment you see the opponent’s Grab animation, while Classic users have to press B or Circle. This can be hard to pull off in the heat of battle, but if done right, you will knock the enemy back, opening them to a counterattack.

All unique Grabs in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO

Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO’s roster of characters interact in unique ways depending on whether they have a history with each other throughout the main story. Certain Grab attacks are changed to be more faithful to the series if these characters encounter each other in specific Episode Battles.

These are all of the unique Grab attacks in Dragon Ball Sparking! ZERO.

Goku (Super Saiyan) vs. Frieza (Final Form)
Android 16 vs. Cell (Imperfect)
Broly (DBZ: Legendary Super Saiyan) vs. Goku (Super Saiyan)
Teen Gohan (Super Saiyan 2) vs. Cell (Perfect)
Goku (Super Saiyan 3) vs. Majin Buu
Ultimate Gohan vs. Super Buu
Vegeta (Super Saiyan Blue) vs. Goku Black (Super Saiyan Rosé)
Goku (Ultra Instinct) vs. Kefla
Toppo (God of Destruction) vs. Frieza (Final Form)
Broly (DBS: Super Saiyan) vs. Frieze (Final Form)

Try them out in Episode Battles to get a nostalgic feel of the original Dragon Ball source material.

Dot Esports is supported by our audience. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn a small affiliate commission. Learn more about our Affiliate Policy

Author

Anish Nair

Freelance gaming writer for Dot Esports. An avid gamer of 25 years with a soft spot for RPGs and strategy games. Esports writer for 2 years and a watcher for 12 years. Aspiring author. Dad to a host of animals. Usually found trying to climb ranks in Dota 2, plundering the seas in Sea of Thieves, hunting large monsters in Monster Hunter World, or mining rare minerals in Deep Rock Galactic.