First time playing Ranked in years...

Maximilian Dood| 00:17:40|Apr 27, 2026
Chapters7
The player relays mixed feelings about casual vs ranked play and kicks off by trying to get matches after a long time away.

Maximilian Dood jumps back into ranked Dragon Ball FighterZ after years, gets overwhelmed by scrappy netcode and old-school chaos, but still finds it addictively engaging and funny.

Summary

Maximilian Dood dives back into Dragon Ball FighterZ after a long break, reminiscing that his last ranked run was in 2019. He notes how the game feels drastically different and chaotic, with moments like discovering the mid-screen loop and the need to hold a button to break out. The session is peppered with surprised reactions to full-screen command grabs, delayed auto-turns, and rough input delay that makes familiar combos fail. Through the chaos, Maximilian admits the experience is initially frustrating yet oddly compelling, comparing the vibe to early DBFZ history and acknowledging the game’s enduring scrappiness. He remarks on the project’s evolution, the potential for a DBFZ 2, and Arc System Works’ growth since 2017, while wondering about sales and future seasons. The stream captures a genuine reacclimation process—fun, confusing, and worth a longer grind to re-master the mechanics. By the end, he reflects that the game is hard but casually friendly, and expresses interest in playing more to reacclimate. Overall, Maximilian frames the night as chaotic but entertaining, proving that the thrill of fighting games often lives in the challenge as much as in the wins.

Key Takeaways

  • DBFZ last ranked in 2019 for Maximilian Dood, so the current session feels like relearning a long-lost skill set.
  • Input delay and scrambly netcode significantly alter timings, making previously learned combos unreliable and forcing on-the-fly adaptation.
  • Players encounter classic DBFZ quirks like full-screen command grabs and delayed auto-turns, illustrating how the game still punishes passive execution.
  • Maximilian compares DBFZ’s visual fidelity to newer titles but argues Arc System Works may prioritize continued development and community sales over a DBFZ 2, citing production cost and market dynamics as factors.

Who Is This For?

Essential viewing for longtime Dragon Ball FighterZ players returning to ranked multiplayer, and for newcomers curious about the live-reaction experience of relearning a heavily legacy fighter.

Notable Quotes

"Did I just get side switch auto combos? I think I did. I think I did. I think I want to eat my hand."
Humor and disbelief as he confronts unexpected auto combos early in the match.
"This game is insane. Oh my god, I'm not stopping the auto combo."
Shows how auto combos overwhelm or frustrate players under pressure.
"This game ends up being like very casually friendly, but goddamn, it's hard, dude."
Balanced view of DBFZ as approachable yet punishing.
"I think this game should continue. I do."
Maximilian’s take on ongoing support or a potential DBFZ sequel.
"The water is cold, dude. I'm going to need to sit in this for a bit."
Metaphor for reacclimating to a difficult but rewarding game.

Questions This Video Answers

  • How does Dragon Ball FighterZ's current netcode affect modern ranked matches?
  • Will Dragon Ball FighterZ get a sequel or continued updates from Arc System Works, and why?
  • What makes DBFZ feel both chaotic and addictive for returning players?
Dragon Ball FighterZDBFZRanked PlayNetcodeInput DelayArc System WorksTokonDragon RushLevel 3Delayed Auto-Turn
Full Transcript
LET'S GO. CASUAL OR RANKED DOESN'T REALLY MATTER, RIGHT? WHERE do people play more? I just want to get I just want to get matches. Oh, sure. Let's just try. It's been a long time since I fought humans. Yeah, I last played ranked in 2019. So, whatever we got, it's going to be low. What the hell is that? This game looks so much different than I remember. Holy [screaming] remember. [laughter] Wow, okay. Did he get the mid-screen loop? Oh, wow. You have to hold down the button to break out in this. Holy [ __ ] There are so many things I have forgotten. That is Jay from the chat. Suddenly I'm seeing familiar names. [groaning] My my [ __ ] intro, bro. I don't know what the buttons are from this side. I only practice this [ __ ] from the other side. Oh god. Oh my god, no super. That was crazy. Did I just get side switch auto combos? I think I did. I think I did. I think I want to eat my hand. That was side switch auto combo and I want to eat my hand. What? What the [ __ ] WHAT THE [ __ ] THAT WON'T WORK. Oh my god, what the [ __ ] is happening, bro? I was dead. So crazy. What the [ __ ] is happening? All right. So, I don't know if it's the connection being bad, but it's funky. It It's I don't know if we had a bad connection, but it is funky. Like I'm feeling the input delay like shifting constantly. Yeah, it was like Where is my Where is my combo? Uh-oh, anything I practiced is not going to apply. I don't give a [ __ ] I don't [ __ ] GIVE A [ __ ] [screaming and groaning] YEAH. THERE'S SO MANY THINGS IN THIS game that like jump scare the [ __ ] out of you, dude. Even without delay based netcode, it's just [music] like suddenly like in your face. In your face. Like [ __ ] [ __ ] doing [ __ ] brother. What in the hell? There's a full screen command grab. Was that a full screen command grab? Oh my god, he just jumped over it. Oh, the old classic. I'll take it. [groaning and screaming] We're trying, chat. We're definitely trying. It is so goddamn shitty right now. It is so scrambly. This is what I'm giving you. I'm giving you unoptimized uh Dragon Ball Fighters, right? You've been seeing this game uh cooked and optimized for 7 years or some [ __ ] I'm bringing you back to 2018. [music] Welcome back. I don't know what the [ __ ] is happening. Oh, what the [ __ ] is happening? What the [ __ ] Is this supposed to be a command grab or does it like avoid [ __ ] Does it Does it always just grab you if I'm blocking? Wow, why did he dragon rush from that far away? Anyone? Anyone? Why did he dragon rush from that far away? I just tried to do the move, dude. Holy [ __ ] Okay, let's go. Die. Die. Jesus Christ. Why isn't he dead? What the [ __ ] is this move, bro? What the [ __ ] is this move? He did a command grab me from full screen? I don't like this [ __ ] Get this [ __ ] This game is insane. Oh my god, I'm not stopping the auto combo. I'm not. It's just not being stopped. I'm so confused. I'm pressing the [ __ ] button, brother. What the hell? What? I'm literally mashing buttons and I got blue comboed. What the [ __ ] Excuse me, game? I did level [ __ ] three. Damn straight I did. This game is a lot, dude. You're getting used to this [ __ ] This isn't a real video game. This game is a lot. Goddamn. Last time I played ranked was 2019, my dude. This [ __ ] is [ __ ] crazy. What the Wow, this looks like the most insane reset of my life. That was in That was Was that a natural reset? Dude, that command grab is just hitting me. Is aerial command grab Let's just throw this [ __ ] out. Think I'm chat. If I did that. Who super dashed at me? You? I forgot. Okay, I yikes, man. So so so shitty. So shitty that that actually worked. So shitty. Wow, that is the first time that has worked in a hell of a long time. Super dash. Okay, this is a lot of damage. Stomping on child. Child be stomping. You feel all your brain cells dying when you hit 5LL on neutral? It I feel them dying when it works. Dude, did you see that I want a replay? I want a goddamn slow-mo replay with like with like NFL music and [ __ ] I want to see what just happened. Like what the [laughter] [ __ ] are we looking at here, dude? I must get it way earlier or something like that. Why the hell am I going to hit four? I did level three. I'm trying to [ __ ] level three. Come on. Die, child. Whenever you see Max me play this game against people, I can't tell if I'm having fun. I don't know either. It will take so long to get used to. Am I having fun? I think so. I'm [music] winning, but I don't know if I'm having fun. Sometimes I definitely want to eat my hand. This game is fascinating. I like it. Here's the thing, I like it. It's like Mortal Kombat 1. I think I'm going to have to play it for like a while to just reacclimate. Like the water is cold, dude. I'm going to need to sit in this [ __ ] for a bit. Was that a delayed auto turn? Holy [ __ ] bro. Are you Are you a god? You're a god. Oh, no, this guy's [ __ ] insane. This guy's [ __ ] insane. Holy [ __ ] He did delayed side switch auto turn. Dude, bro, what the [ __ ] Oh my god, the pressure. Bloody. Bloody. Get the [ __ ] off me. Hey, look. Bloody. Holy [ __ ] Surprised I did as well as I did. If I actually was able to land one full combo, it would have helped quite a bit. Look at the big baby naked. You won't land any combos. I grabbed you though. I let it I legit I saw the grab happen, but but I saw it I saw it grab. I I didn't let it continue. Nice. Why am I getting hit? Where the [ __ ] am I? I [ __ ] Okay, losing my I'm losing my mind. I'm losing it. I I'm I I'm I'm officially losing it. There we go. Yeah, I didn't do that. Can't get me. I did fibbity habbity. Habbity hibbity fibbity. It's nice to hear that this game is nearly 10 10 years old now. If they decide to make DBFZ 2, how do you improve the graphics? You really don't. Like that's the problem. Here's [music] my completely baseless prediction. My baseless prediction is that BNE wanted Dragon Ball Fighters 2, but number one, Arc System was too busy making Tokon. And number two, they probably weren't as cheap as they were. I think Arc System has become much more valuable as a company in what they do. Asking them again to do something like a few years ago didn't make any sense because it probably cost twice as much to produce a new [music] Dragon Ball Fighters game as Dragon Ball Fighters did back in 2017. Because let's let's be honest, what was Arc System Works back in 2017? Not nearly the company it is today, dude. All they made was Guilty Gear. Like just Guilty Gear pretty much Xrd. They probably were like, "Pay up because we're working with Sony now and getting paid big money." And then I think that they're just like, "All right, so we don't [music] want to make more DBFZ 2 with the new developer or with with the old developer. Maybe we can do [music] it ourselves." And I think they realized that you can't make this any better than what it currently is, even with like modern visuals. Not really. Maybe we just try to do it in-house. That's my presumption of what happened. I think they're testing the waters, yeah. I I think Daima is literally them testing the waters to see if they can pull off a continual development of this game and just keep making money. But, you know what matters? How much this [ __ ] sells. That's the big one, dude. This character has to actually sell. If it doesn't, I don't think they'll do anything more. If it does, I think there's a good chance that there might a new season in the future. I think this game should continue. I do. Anyway, I had a good time tonight. It was confusing. That's all I'm going to say. I had a good time playing this. I would like to play more of it. It's very scrappy at the beginning, right? It's It's a tough This game is [ __ ] hard. And I think that's what I realized is that this game ends up being like very casually friendly, but goddamn, it's [ __ ] hard, dude.

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